stash, knit, repeat

Most of the time, I get energized by juggling a (part-time) career, two kids, knitting, marriage, and eating locally. It feels really good to spend my days putting effort into the things I care most about. Unfortunately, it leaves little time for me to engage my online life. I keep hoping that once Daniel sleeps through the night regularly (current theory: he spends most of his days bored and needs other kids), I’ll have more energy in the evenings for blog-tending and reading.

Yeeah. We’re still hoping. He’s 15 months, it has to happen sooner or later, right? Nobody goes to college without sleeping through the night. :)

But we’re not there yet, so for the moment can I just give you a sneak peak of the design that will get the moving mud buttons from my last post? It’s with the test knitters now. I’m hoping it will be ready for you by the new year.

Cheerio!

Thanks so very, very much for all of the love on the FFP, folks. You pushed what was already a pretty fantastic weekend right over the edge into nirvana.

Well.

You and the cormo, if I’m being honest.

(Just kidding! Really, you all had me–and still have me–on cloud 9. Over 700 rav queues, really?) But I did have a fantastic time at Rhinebeck, even though this is the only yarn I purchased. Quite a difference from two years ago, when I purchased everything I could possibly lay my hands on. My budget was small this year, and I was determined to make the most of it, and purchase yarn for a sweater that would be something very special. I’m very, very happy with my choice, and thrilled that Foxfire still had enough of this stuff for a sweater by the time I arrived at 11am on Saturday. :)

I am not much for the usual link-a-doo roundup, but I got to hang out with my knit night pals, and meet some fantastic new ones, and generally spent the weekend recharging from the physically exhausting job that is parenting two kids under 5. I got to geek out about all of the designs I hope to be sending your way soon, and drink in the ideas and creativity all around me, and (this is important) choose when I went to sleep and woke up. I came back to work on Monday refreshed in every sense. Hooray for breaks!

I got some various and sundry things other than yarn at the festival. A darning egg, some stitch markers, and various & sundry little hand-out goodies.

I have a bunch of design ideas in my head and on my needles, but haven’t decided the fate of all of them–which I’ll release here, which I’ll submit and to where, and so forth. But here are some little tastes, including my final Rhinebeck purchase:

Some moving mud buttons. I’m pretty sure I’ll release this design here. (Sundara ASM in Wild Blueberries in the background, if you’re curious.)

A beaded teaser.

And another thought-in-progress about how to use up more of my Sundara stash. Just writing this post makes my fingers itch to knit!!

I may be nearly finished with my latest quick fix.

I may have caught some spring fever and bought more yarn.

I may be about to dive into the Koigu Experience for the first time.

I could show you another picture of a wrinkled mess of ladybugs, or yet another wrong side shot, but I’m almost done with the body of the ladybug sweater and I really want the next picture to be of it blocking. I really can’t wait to even all of those terrible stitches out, and I’ll need the motivation to tackle the sleeves. (Same 3-color fun, now on dpns!)

So instead, look what came home with me the other day!

It feels beyond divine, it really truly does. The label says only 5% cashmere, but it must just be modesty. And it was cheap! Cheap cheap cheap. So I really can’t be faulted for breaking my “diet” (read: saving up for a huge Stitches binge). I got enough to do the Cloverleaf shawl from Victorian Lace Today. I can’t really find a good picture of the shawl online except in Grumperina’s wonderful review of the book; it’s the 8th one down in the left column.

I seem to be gearing up for another shawl, which is good since I have roughly 8 gazillion miles of laceweight and plan to get more. Seraphim needs to be next on the shawl list, because I’m anxious to use up my birthday silk from last year before my birthday yarn arrives this year! But I’m also looking forward to Icarus, and doing something with that BMFA silk, and maybe some Handmaiden that I’m hoping to pick up at Stitches…

…so yeah. It’ll be awhile before the Gentle gets used, I think. But aren’t the dreams one of the greatest parts of knitting?

(I updated the version of WordPress that runs this blog, by the way–let me know if you have any problems!)

I’ve recently acquired both the Spring Interweave Knits and Rowan Magazine 41. I love both of these magazines generally, even if they’re often hit-and-miss for projects I’d actually wear. Lots of future projects this time around, though! I’m absolutely making myself the Dollar-and-a-Half Cardigan, Bonsai Tunic, Slanted Neck Pullover, and Swan Lake Cardigan from the Interweave. I’m interested in modified versions of the Cable-Down Raglan and the Ruffled Surplice, and I think the Bauhaus sweater might even be muted enough for hubby. Rowan has Lords and Ladies, The Anice Shawl, oh-my-god Spice, a slightly-modified Dixie, perhaps Coastal… it’s been a long time since I’ve so thoroughly enjoyed leafing through the new magazines.

Leafing through magazines is almost all that I’ve managed this week, sadly. With hubby at a conference for work, I was a single parent all week and you can pretty much guess how much knitting got done. I’m glad this is a baby project, because that means it will be over quickly, and I won’t be tortured by my wonky pre-blocked stitches for months.

Seriously. My stitches have never been that uneven. It drives me completely crazy. Thankfully the work isn’t puckering or anything, so I think it’s just uneven tension that will pretty up in the washer. I miss the neat pattern the long floats made on the WS, too.

But, no tiny baby fingers will get snagged, and I’m sure the set will be the cutest thing this side of a pile of puppies when it’s done. Which will hopefully be soon. ;-) In fact, I should get back to it… right after I weave in the current batch of ends.

(Did you, too, watch too much Sesame Street in the late 70s/early 80s?)

Glory Hallelujah, I present Square 12:

This was going to be this wholly triumphant entry about how I finished all of the seaming and weaving in ends, and only had the border left to do, and la de da de da, but…

*sigh*

I attached the last strip of squares to the blanket on the wrong side. And now the nice alternating pattern of vertical squares and diamond-like squares is broken. Since I’m entirely too anal to let that slip by, out comes that last seam and here we go again! It shouldn’t take long, though.

And then, holiday knitting! I have very, very much to do. In my dream-ideal-land, there are a few adult sweaters, a couple of scarves, an indoor little knitted cap for my bald husband in his drafty classroom, sweaters for friends’ children, etc. etc. etc. Maybe a shawl, probably some socks… you get the idea. So here’s a poll: What should I knit next?

1. An adult sweater, something simple and mindless
2. An adult sweater, something fun and complicated
3. That damn Harry Potter scarf I’ve been putting off for MONTHS
4. That very nice, sure-to-win-me-points scarf for FIL
5. Socks! Everyone loves socks!
6. A baby sweater!
7. A shawl!
8. Something else!

(Yes, yes, I know I’m not going to get everything done. I’m okay with that. It’s still fun to try.) Some of the yarns I have on deck include Calmer, Pure Merino, Richesse et Soie, DB Cashmere Cotton, DB Wool Cotton, Manos, Kid Mohair, Zephyr, Misti Alpaca, Helen’s Lace, Silky Wool, Schaefer lace-weight… uh, and any possible sock yarn you can think of probably. Feel free to vote by yarn, if you’d prefer.

So! What should I knit next?

Well, that took a wee bit longer than it should have. Thankfully, the stash is safe and sound in its new home.

(Behold, a very pink picture of the stash.)

It’s also rather sizable, thanks to TGEOAT’s Herculean efforts. I am staunchly resisting her latest attempt, though.

…And as lame as it is, that’s about all I have for you today. I am on square 11 of the lap blanket, but the camera battery charger has been lost recently so I haven’t had the chance to take pictures. It’s now found and charging, though, so! Tomorrow. And thanks, if you’ve stuck around this long.

…and there goes a week. I had a lovely birthday, filled with much knitting-related goodness. In addition to that gorgeous silk, I got some great books: Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan, Inspired Cable Knits by Fiona Ellis, the new Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK book, and I finally got with the program and received Yarn Harlot: The secret life of a knitter. In reverse order, OH MY GOODNESS Stephanie is so funny. I have had to read several passages aloud to the husband already, and I’m not even 70 pages in. Love the new Debbie Bliss book, too. There are some gorgeous cardigans, including one that I definitely need to make myself soon:

The detail on the back there makes me swoon, I swear. I like the cable knits book but nothing called out to me immediately. Knitting Nature is full of completely fabulous pictures, and despite the problems others have had with the patterns, in addition to the ordinary number of errors, I think I need to knit several things out of this book. Of course, it basically is marketed at me personally, with all of the lovely little math bits. :) The basalt tank will be the first, I think. I have some dark blue Rowan wool cottom that will be just perfect.

Only one more repeat on the shawl done, but I’m nearing completion on the hoodie!

I always forget that hoods are enormous. Still, the hood is now finished and seamed (though the seams aren’t pressed yet):

The sassy recipient Miz. N was gracious enough to try it on.

Just ribbing, seaming, and pressing to go!