A little of this and a little of that ...

Four days of it!

Crocheting a Cardigan ...



Moving slow but sure.

Crocheting an Afghan ...



Also slow but sure. I was going to use a new yarn being carried down at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn, but the color I needed wasn't there and I needed to start this right away. The wedding is in September and I didn't get much notice. So I'll use the Accent Worsted from SSFY another time. There's still no guarantee that I'll finish this one in time ... so it might be for Christmas instead for the newlyweds.

Knit a Bella Mitten with Paton's Icelandic Bulky Wool ...



But haven't started the mate yet because ...

I've started another pair with Spud & Chloe Outer, a bulky wool & cotton blend for me ...



I guess you might be able to guess that I love this new yarn .... Spud & Chloe. Really?

The other pair will be completed and put in the Christmas basket for the grandchildren. I also have Paton's Icelandic Bulky Wool in a medium gray so I'm going to use it for another pair. This is a fast and easy pattern and I bet the girls will love 'em. But I'm also thinking of buying some Rowan Big Wool to make a pair for each of my sister in laws. Just thinking on it for now. Maybe I'll do a Christmas basket for them too ... and let them pick out something they like.

I'm getting all kinds of ideas from Debbie Bliss' new magazine too.



But mostly stuff for me rather than Christmas. I better not get off track.

I've been browsing some books too ...



Mainly for creative ideas for finishing. I love 'em!

Then of course I've gotten a little closer to peeking behind my bed and catching a painful glimpse to what I've stashed there ...



Keeping an eye of those MIA's that are haunting me ... like "spooks" calling out my name and whining, "finish me next ... finish me next".

Where am I at on what I'm doing these days?

Before I go on & on about either knitting or crocheting, I want to announce our 10 year anniversary today. DH spent yesterday afternoon with his oldest daughter and I came home to see this package sitting on the table ...



"This is for you, but for TOMORROW," said my smiling sweetheart. "I bought it myself," he said. I love this guy. He was so proud to have this for me to open up tomorrow (well today).

I'm taking him out to dinner tonight. To our favorite restaurant, Finz!

I've been working on 2 WIPs this past week. Not missing in action, but sometimes I feel like I'm missing. The Crochet Shawl is continuing to put me to sleep on the commuter rail into work & on the way home too. But I have only one more skein left to go. I'm ready to be SO DONE with this! I'm going to let Courtney of A Yarn Tale at my LYS (the new owner) put it on display since she has the book, Plus Size Crochet: Fashions That Fit & Flatter the pattern is in. If you're new to crochet; this is a perfect project for you but note that there is an error in the pattern. It's missing a 'chain 2' in the second row after doing the 5 dc shell. But easy to make once you know about the missing chains.



Of course I had to start another project. You know I'm a "starter" right? But this one I will finish by next week. I'm doing it for Seed Stitch Fine Yarn to put on display and help promote the new yarn line by Blue Sky Alpaca. It's called Spud & Chloe. It's a Cotton & Wool blend. Has the smooth feeling of cotton but not the scratch of wool. The flexibility of wool and the warmth without being too warm. Does that make sense? If you don't care for wool around your neck, you won't feel it in this yarn. I love working with it!

The project is called the Aztec Scarf by Amy O'Neill Houck. Now this is an Intermediate crochet pattern. I plan to give a one day 2 hour workshop on this scarf in November. Come join me!



And last but not least ... Glow in the Dark Yarn?



What do you suppose I plan to do with this?

WIPs? What's a WIP?

WIP in the "Knitting Dictionary" means: Work In Progress. So WIPs must mean "more than one" or "many" works in progress. Right?

This Winter has really been a good time for yarn to be jumping onto the needles too don't you think? An early March snow storm is my clue to stay in my pj's and knit. DH agrees. It means he gets to relax and watch TV while I sit with him and work my magic with needles and yarn.



Now I confess I have many ... or rather many works on the needles, not necessarily being worked on. So here's a pictorially record of what I'm actually working on right now while other projects remain hidden and marinating and waiting for me to return.

And what could be better than knitting with a fireplace going in the background?



Every morning I work on ... the first pair of socks for my DH.



Yup, that's right. DH has virgin hand-knitted sock feet! I'm about to change that with yarn from "A Swell Yarn Shop" sent to me in the Lucky Lurkers Club.



And then the other WIPs ...





And this just might jump on some needles today ...



But I've got my eye on something in this book also...



Could I be "Biting off more than I can chew?"

Or casting on more than I can knit?

Time will tell.


Wait .... wait ... wait! One of those just became a Finished Object ... an FO.

Project info

Name: Side Slip Cloche

Pattern: Side slip cloche by Laura Irwin

Needle and yarn

Needle

US 5 / 3.75 mm

Yarn: Rowan RYC Soft Lux

How much? : 2 skeins = 274.0 yards (250.5m)

Colorway: Blue 63873

Well ... back to my WIPS! Happy knitting!!

A whirlwind weekend ...

is exactly what I had.

Went up to New Hampshire to see the kiddos ...



Love their funny faces and all!

Then the first Beginner's Crochet Class started on Sunday at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn. I'll be teaching the class for the next two Sundays as well. We're doing the Wave Scarf. My test crocheter, Sandy (blogless) from Hemet, CA sent me a picture of hers. Isn't it perrrty?


I'll show you a picture of our progress from the class after the 3rd & last class. There are 7 of us in all. Two hours went by really fast!

BTW, check out who will be at Seed Stitch on May 3rd. Kristin Nicolas, author of Colorful Stitchery and Kristin Knits. I've already signed up for her lecture and workshop. The workshop is on "Learning to fringe while knitting, decorative embroidery, zipper installation, and duplicate stitches."
I'm looking forward to this!

And then of course I had to start something new. Had to buy new yarn for it too. Why not knit up "All Ruffled Up" by Champayne Maker? Seed Stitch just got some of her patterns and there are quite a few I've been wanting to do. So I'll knit this one first ...

Never mind the other WIP's for now, hey.

They're getting done slow but sure. Like the Mystic Shawl ...
I'm on clue 4 now
and this Wednesday is the 5th and last one.

And the others will wait for me. You remember the Einstein Coat?
Not going anywhere.

Heaven forbid that I get this one done ...

After all ... I have plenty of the Tissue Cozies to put together also.

Didn't stop me from buying more yarn at Seed Stitch tho ...

To make these Pretty Lace Handwarmers from the Purl Bee ...

And why not add to my sock yarn from Yarn Chef, huh?


Just because it's pretty AND I couldn't help myself!

I'm obsessed with yarn. Whyyyyyyyyyy?



Well I have more than one obsession I'm afraid!