Re-do

Many moons ago, I had some 50/50 merino/bamboo that I spun into a heavy laceweight singles.  It was a pretty steel blueish grey color with some yellow, and I was planning a shawl.

Well, I never got around to the shawl, and I have cowls on the brain, so I decided to ply the two laceweight singles together to possibly get a light worsted weight!  It's soaking in the sink right now, and I don't know how I'm going to wait until it's dry :)

I just finished two hats for the twins, made from Madelinetosh DK in a harvest gold and an autumn leaf rust color.  My sister seems to like them, so I'm happy.

I also finished a baby cardigan for my friend who has a baby due tomorrow!  It's a green cardigan Spud and Chloe sweater yarn (wool/cotton blend) in the baby sophisticate pattern.  I have to say that I am disappointed in the Spud and Chloe yarn.  I may have just chosen a bad color, but the green is pretty dull, no depth at all.  Maybe that's a result of the cotton element.  I could also have gone for about 20 more yards in the skein; I don't like these 200 yarders.

My sister really wants some baby socks, so I may try to whip up a pair or two over the weekend. 

I finished reading Howards End this morning.  Even if you've seen the movie, it's worth reading the book.  DP told me that he read somewhere that the book is full of despicable characters, and he's right...but it was still a good read.  He's probably going to read it next.

Where do the days go?

Just a few days later, and things have been crazy.  Emergency dental surgery for DP, errands, visiting the pumpkin patch with my three nieces...somehow the time just zooms.

Now that fall is truly here, I'm planning out my gifts.  After coming back from MO, I have a "new to me" loom (one I gave my MIL years ago that she no longer can use), so I may try the old placemat/table runner/hand towel thing again.  Maybe a scarf or three :)  I have to buy heddle blocks for it though, since she lost them somewhere along the way.

I'm trying another baby sweater (the last one was given up in despair over splitty yarn), and my sister is lacking in hats for my baby nieces.  Hats for babies are relatively quick, so I hope to get them done this weekend, or in the next few days.

I'm really feeling down right now; I'm not sure if it's the weather or age or what, but every day is worse than the last.  I'm doing a lot of work, and getting back into devotionals too, but I'm not sure what's up.

Zowie

The holiday season is almost over - thank goodness!  Even with the days off, I just didn't get any time to relax this year.  I'm looking forward to Thursday & Friday though, and I'm really hoping to get some good crafting time in.

I finally got the yarn I bought from someone's destash - I think I'll use it to make that baby sweater.  I also got a skein of chunky yarn that I'm hoping to use for a cowl for my brother.  He seems to enjoy them, so who am I to stop making them for him?

DP's and my 11th anniversary is coming up as well.  I just can't believe it.

Sleevy

I decided to dig out the yarn I'd gotten to make DP a sweater all those years ago, and found that the sleeve I'd made was missing! I tore apart the entire fiber closet, and was on the point of giving up, when I discovered it at the top of the closet behind the drum carder.

So, at least I have all the yarn :) Now I'm not sure if DP will actually wear it, because his skin has become even more sensitive over the years.

I finished the featherweight! It's blocking right now. I ended up with a lot of yarn left over, so I could have actually made the sleeves full length rather than bracelet length, but it's cool. DP suggested that I wait to give it to my sister until after the twins are a bit older...but if I wait, I may end up with it myself :)

Now I have to decide what to make: a sweater for DP, a sweater for my best friend's upcoming baby, a sweater for my mom, or a sweater for me. I have all of these on the brain, along with spinning and Christmas/Hanukkah bazaar presents. Eeep.

I got the Mabon shipment from the wheel of the seasons club I joined - an ounce of dyed silk caps in sort of a rainbow-ish colorway, leaning towards autumn. I was thinking of knitting up some wristwarmers for myself or DP from the unspun caps, since my cap spinning is not the best, and I want to actually make something and not just think about it.

I also dug through the sock yarn bin, looking for the next sock installment. I'm thinking of some plain stockinette in muddy autumn rainbow STR. DP loves plain stockinette socks. Or maybe stockinette with a traveling eyelet - he loved those socks to death. I should really finish my darning before making any more socks, but I don't know if I can! Maybe I should take the darning to my sister's house...?

I bought Circle & Bloom's fertility series yesterday (you can guess why), so I'm going to start today. It can't hurt, and I think it might help. I'll report back. At least I had a 20% off coupon.

Scrubby

I tried a sugar scrub in my shower this morning - sugar, honey and a bit of avocado oil. Wowie - the parts that I scrubbed are super soft and smooth. I may have to start doing this once a week.

I'm almost done with one sleeve on the cardigan, so I have one more sleeve and the collar. I still don't know what I'm going to do, but it may be in garter to go faster.

With the cooler weather coming, I need to make some more socks! As soon as I finish this cardi, I'm going to cast on a pair. Not sure what color or pattern, but I've been sockless for too long.

Who would have thought

That the world would be like this ten years after the terrorist attacks.

I remember I was at work, and my mom was supposed to be flying to New York - I was terrified that she was on one of the planes, and it didn't help that everyone was trying to get hold of everyone else, and I couldn't reach her. She had decided to stay in Boston with my dad for their anniversary - that's right, their anniversary is the day the terrorists murdered hundreds of my people.

I love my country. I do not love anyone who attacks it. It's colored my whole adult life, the anger and the fear. I remember talking to one of my friends who grew up in the 50's and 60's. He told me that he just shakes his head at people today who pooh-pooh the cold war mentality: "It was real...you lived knowing that another country would drop a bomb on your school if they could."

But we have to go on living and working, and trying to keep our country together.

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I got a few more inches in on the featherweight, but now my wrists are hurting. I put some liniment on, so we'll see what happens.

It was pretty warm yesterday, but the evenings are nice and cool. Almost was a full moon too, which is so bright - casting shadows.

Tsk, tsk

Another long dry spell - I blame the holiday season :)

I actually released another of my shawl patterns, the Lady of Rohan. It took me a long time to write up the pattern, and I think there may still be mistakes, but I wanted to get it out there. I also want to release my this and that mitts, but I need to reknit a sample, since I don't have the originals anymore.

I finished the little cardigan for my niece, and she even wore it! Of course, it was way too big, but hopefully it will fit when it's cooler outside.

I'm currently working on a featherweight cardigan for my sister. It's basically just a top down raglan in laceweight on large needles, but I'm very excited about it. Maybe I'll even finish it!

I'm not allowing myself to buy the other cardigan pattern until I finish this one. Since I'm extremely excited about the other cardi, I hope this will give me the push I need.

I'm still trying to felt the thumbs for the mittens I started making last year. For some reason, they just won't felt, even though they're made of the same yarn as the mittens. I'll keep trying.

For the water-along in the Folklore & Fairytales group, I think I'm going to try to spin up the "ultramarine" that I bought from Cupcake Fiber. The person I asked about the batts was right. This stuff is amazing. Best batts I've ever spun, excepting my own (those last ones I made).

I'm pretty excited for fall, even with the extra workload, because I feel like I'll get deeper into knitting and spinning.

I've also decided that I really, really need some relaxing skirts. Since I can't seem to make one worth beans, I'm going to have to get someone to make one for me. I ordered one from a person on Etsy...we'll see what happens. I'm just more comfortable in a skirt than pants - I'm even wearing a skirt right now, and it's Saturday afternoon :) I tried to buy a skirt from Zappos, but I didn't read the explanation correctly or something, and it was sheer with a little mid thigh slip. Eep! Not the kind of thing I can feel relaxed in.

I finally finished working my way through the Val Lewton collection, and I was severely un-impressed. The best one was Cat People, which is saying something. Bedlam was supremely irritating, as was Ghost Ship. The thing I didn't like was the "happy ending"...if you could call it that. Conflicts were built up, but either were not resolved at all (just forgotten about) or were resolved in a really lame deus ex machina way (see the end of Bedlam). Sigh. I did see an extremely great movie with Edward G. and Boris Karloff, 5 Star Final, about a newspaper digging up dirt on a woman acquitted of murder twenty years before. I'd never heard of it until DP mentioned it, but I loved it. Pre-code, so a lot of snappy dialog, strong women, and just plain craziness. Edward G. was at his best, I thought.

Watching movies like that with DP reminds me of when we were dating, and we'd go down to the local video store to pick out an obscure movie or two every weekend. It's hard to believe that we'll be married for 11 years in October.

I just recently had a birthday, and for a present DP brought me to the liquor store and said I could pick out a case of wines that I wanted, so I wouldn't feel bad if I drank a bottle without him. He loves Valpolicella, and so do I, but I thought I'd branch out a bit. I even bought a Burgundy, which I haven't had since before I was married. My friend Alan, my sister, and I had some amazing wine and crackers one night when he was off duty and in town. I haven't seen him in years now...I think he has three or four kids at this point.

I'm off to try to get another couple of inches in on the featherweight!