Knitting Along

Circumstances lately have definitely been knitting friendly, so I've been doing a lot of it.

The first of three pairs of baby socks were finished in two days.

I finished a pair of socks for myself, (from a knit along last year), I forgot to mirror the cables and the yarn is busy, but I kind of love them.

I finished the Bulky Teakwood Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald in Cascade Eco+ in the Lichen colorway (I think). It fits beautifully, but still needs blocking.

I also finished a Game of Thrones knit along inspired by Tyrion in KnitPicks Biggo yarn in their Brass Heather colorway.

I whipped up some Shieldmaiden Gauntlets with the left overs. Those will get seamed up today.

I am also participating in an Interview with a Vampire knit along.  I am using Malabrigo sock yarn in their Violeta Africana colorway.

And how could pass up a Grace O'Malley sock knit along?

There is also at least another half dozen projects being worked on; another shawl, a few pairs of socks, and a couple of sweaters. 
I think I see lots more knitting in my future.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

Which means knitting. Lots of knitting.  That I want to finish by the end of May.

The projects to be finished include: three tops, a pair of adult socks, a pair of baby socks, two lace shawls and two mystery knit along projects.  Nine projects. In the next three weeks or so.  I am trying to put a dent in my works in progress, there are just so many of them right now. I didn't knit as much as expected during the trip in April.
Traveling during pretty much the entire month of April also meant I missed my usual planting date.  I very thoughtfully raided the local garden center for plants.

Which means I instantly had a couple of cucumber plants, half a dozen tomato plants (3 different kinds), half a dozen peppers (hot and sweet), as well as two half whiskey barrels on the front porch with rosemary, thyme, lavender, oregano, flat leaf parsley, dill and cilantro in them. 
The only things I have going from seed are some beans and salad greens, which aren't very interesting to look at yet.

I still need to go through the pictures from our trip as well as send out thank you cards (I wish mentally writing them actually worked).
 I just needed to play in the dirt and put my house in order a wee bit more.  Hopefully, I get something accomplished while I'm at it!

A bit of a walkabout

There have been tromps through the Big Trees

Family get togethers...with too many pictures to choose from quite yet.
There was a stop at Purlescence, I hadn't been in the better part of a decade. I may have bought a little yarn.
I got some Lambie Toes for a start. I was so excited to actually get my hands on some!!

I also splurged on some Shalimar Breathless.

I also picked up a little felted raven kit to commemorate the trip.  There have been so many ravens cawing the entire time, it seemed appropriate.
There will be more pictures forthcoming, I just haven't managed to sort through them all yet!

My Poor Neglected Knitting!

I've been sewing lately. A lot really.  I did not knit at all yesterday.  Not a single stitch.

There were two shirts and a skirt for Faire.  I don't have pictures of the shirts. They were made rather hurriedly.  One was black, for my outfit. The other was a cream to match a skirt made for a friend who was going to be making her first visit to a proper faire.

I finished all six of the pencil skirts in progress. Only four are shown here, the other two are already living in Darling Daughter's closet.

I finally finished the first of my Ms. Frizzle skirts.

And there is also the first pair of pants I've ever made for myself...and they fit fairly well. I just need to install the zipper.

That means, including the apron and shopping bag finished earlier, I will have completed thirteen sewing projects this year already! I've got four more projects, all dresses of some flavor, calling me.  They will have to wait though, April will be too busy for any concentrated sewing time.
Darn. I will just have to knit instead!

A Much Beloved Author Has Passed

Sir Terry Pratchett was one of my all time favorite authors.  I've spent more time in Discworld than most other fantasy universes.  I introduced my husband to Discworld, he was promptly hooked.  Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels were read aloud to my children as bedtime stories.  His novels are still read regularly by the entire household.

Thank  you Sir Terry! You will be missed!

Progress! Sort of.

The bag I threw together with leftover scrap fabric?  Finished.

It will go with to the farmer's market tomorrow morning.  It's a rather large bag, fully lined, so should hold up well as a shopper.
Second Date Night top, this one in emerald greens? Finished, but unblocked (like it's blue sibling).

In my enthusiasm of getting another project off the needles...I may have cast on another.

That is the first three inches of the Teakwood Bulky Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald.  In my defense, I had been commenting quite recently that I should make something to replace the disintegrating sweatshirt that is my current standard. There was also the perfect amount of yarn in the correct gauge in the yarn stash(Cascade Eco+ in Lichen), needles free in the correct size(13US/9mm according to my swatch) and a coupon code(wahoo!) for the pattern.  How was I not supposed to cast it on?  Admittedly, I am a bit disconcerted by being the only (at the time of this post) project page for said sweater on the whole of Ravelry.  It feels, conspicuous. Why are more people not working on this wonderful and addicting knit item?  They should be!

I was finally getting to the putting in of zippers on the half dozen skirts I've been working on...only to find that courtesy of my attention to diet and exercise since the beginning of the year, said skirts now must be altered because they are a bit too big.  While the alterations are required for a positive reason, it's rather disheartening on the sewing front.  All I can see is yet more sewing....without a finished product!  It's a wee bit frustrating.  Maybe I'll knit a bit more on the cardigan to make myself feel better?

I made lotion today...

It was the first time I had made lotion in ages.  I kept buying different types, figuring something would work the way I wanted.  I've not had much luck with most of the commercial stuff.

I forgot the proportions, (Note to self: Look it up next time! You have an amazing recipe!) so it's a good thing I used a large bowl.

It made a bit more than I expected.

Happily, my kids were in need of lotion as well and like what I make! 

Proof of Progress

My Friday the 13th went surprisingly badly this year, not the least of which was my sewing machine deciding it was going to stop working properly! With my sewing machine in need of repair, a stack of sewing projects unfinished and a looming deadline; I gave in and purchased a basic model as a temporary fix.  It is the only reason I have any sewing progress to show at all.

Those are three of the six pencil skirts (it was going to be four, but there was extra fabric) that were waiting to be made.
I turned the heel of my first Mirkwood sock.  I plan on finishing the gusset on the first, turning the heel on the second and then barreling through the foot portion of both.

The pattern calls for an Eye of Partridge heel which was outstandingly fun to knit!  Part of the reason I have routinely avoided cuff down socks was the tediousness of knitting the heel flap.  This sock has convinced me that maybe they aren't so bad. ;-)
I am on the final embroidery motif for my craft bag. Sadly, I have to keep spacing it out as I unconsciously hunch up over the work which causes great pain.  I love the result though!

More knitting and embroidery are on the docket for this evening...maybe I will eventually finish something.

There are so many tops I need to knit....

Which might explain why I am currently obsessed with socks.

These socks are the ones in active progress:

Two are cuff down, unusual for me. The Capitola sock which hasn't gotten a lot of love in it's startling yellow-green shade of cashmere laced goodness.  The Mirkwood socks are for a knit along I found by sheer accident (with outstanding timing), when looking for a project for an old skein of hand dyed Valley Yarns Franklin in the Mountain Spring colorway.  The third sock is a toe up child's tube sock in Rose City, KnitPicks Hawthorne line (which I may be totally besotted with).
 I may have at least four more pairs of socks in potentia, three of which are from the Hawthorne line.

The other colors from the Hawthorne line are: Sunnyside, Happy Valley, and Alberta Arts. The yarn front and center is Plum Black, Crock-o-dye, from Knit One, Crochet too.  The Plum Black I bought at my local yarn shop with the pattern for the socks already forming in my head.
 At some point, I may get to knit them up, along with a few other pattern ideas for socks that have started bouncing around in my brain.
I suppose I should go back to knitting on those tops I mentioned, at least for a little bit, then I can go back to working on my socks!

It's really quite a fabulous tinfoil hat

Modeled by a minion, designed by CJane knit.  I hope to get a proper daylight picture soon, to show off it's true sparkly goodness.

First sewing project of the year

I have let myself be daunted by my sewing long enough. It is time to end the worry that I will mess it up and just go for it!   I decided to get back into the swing of things with this Butterick pattern.  The version with pockets of course.  An apron seemed the logical choice.  I wouldn't mind so much if I messed it up, it's destined to get mucked up anyway, as I intend it for practical wear (gotta protect all those nice clothes I'm going to make).  Surprisingly, it's turned out quite well so far.  Tomorrow it will be hemmed and the fastening put on the waistband in the back. 
I adore my knitting, but sewing is so much faster!