I finally finished sewing all the curtains. Adding these to the living room allowed us to rearrange the furniture, which Bob likes to do fairly regularly to rewire our brains. I was glad not have to make panels for these, although in hindsight, panels look nicer. These block out more light, though, which is nice for TV viewing.
Knitting
Iām plodding away on my Lucky Number Cowl and Turtledove. And my list keeps growing. š³
Fiber Art
Sneakapeekaloo
I hope to finish stitching on piece number 3 today. Then next week I can frame it and lay out piece number 4.
Today is our Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit at 1PM Eastern. If you are new and would like to join us by Skype, please DM your Skype ID to me on Instagram or Ravelry. You might also leave a comment for me to remind me to go check my messages.
I took a wonderful Breed Specific Knitting workshop from Longway Homestead yesterday. It was a gift from Bob for Christmas. I learned about breeds and wool and crimp and staple length and microns. Conclusion: I want to raise Shetland sheep.
Knitting
Iāve updated my YOP list. I also rearranged the order to try to reflect a chronology. I will probably continue to do that as I make my way through the list. Thereās not much else to say other than look at my beautiful Moondrake Advent Litmus Cowl! Itās knitting up fast. Knitting stripes is fun!
I bundled yarn by colors and am making my way through the rainbow, with stripes of the big skein in between hues. I numbered the bundles so I wouldnāt forget the order. š¤
Fiber Art
Itās a long weekend so Iām going to frame āHay for Days,ā start āBlue Moon,ā and dye some fiber.
I received my first Noodle Club subscription yarn from Ramen Needles. Itās super fun. It also glows under a black light. Now Iām looking for a black light. Iām not sure what to do with it, so I will stash it away and percolate on it. Itās single ply merino and silk. Might make a nice Pembroke Scarf (Ravelry link).
Today is our Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit at 1PM Eastern. If you are new and would like to join us by Skype, please DM your Skype ID to me on Instagram or Ravelry.
When I was writing about my happy places, I was remiss not to mention Global Gifts stores. Thatās where I work, but I work from my home office now. However, I was a store manager for four years, and the store was my happy place. It smells like incense and coffee when you walk in, there is global music playing, everything is handmade, everyone is happy, and thereās chocolate. Lots of fair trade chocolate. Itās a little different now because of the pandemic. There are masks of course, and no coffee samples. Weāre at limited capacity to ensure social distancing. And now when I visit I realize Iām another potential germ carrier. So I make my visits quick, and shop online and pick up. I miss being in store. I canāt wait for COVID to end.
I’m on Franca sleeve island.Litmus cowl: purple is comingI’m ready to start the raglan increasing on my Turtledove.I may sew some PJ pants today with this flannel.
I may also lay out the wool for a new fiber art piece and dye some brown.
I do have another resolution-ish for 2021, and thatās to knit as much yarn as I purchase, at a minimum. So outgoing has to equal incoming, although ideally outgoing will exceed incoming. Since Iām signed up for two yarn clubs, that means I have to knit 24 skeins minimum. I also may have just stress bought a sweater quantity of Peace Fleece. Iāve wanted to knit a Peace Fleece sweater for several years, so I bit the bullet and did it.
Therefore, Iāve added a couple of things to my list:
Peace Fleece Ronan in Siberian Midnight (Ravelry link)
Malabrigo Brambleberry Rikke Hat – I bought this yarn when I was in OKC. Iām not 100% positive on the colorway name but it is berry-related. Or maybe itās their Anniversario colorway?
I wear my Christmas Village Rikke Hat all the time, so Iām going to need a new color, and this matches my coat. I love this stretchy German Twist cast on. Itās my new thing. I also learned a new stretchy bind off for Franca.
Today is our Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit at 1PM Eastern. If you are new and would like to join us by Skype, please DM your Skype ID to me on Instagram or Ravelry. So far, itās been me, Sarah, Marilee, Liz, Kath, Bonny, and Laura. Our group is growing!
PS: JoJo loves Meep. Loves her to death with her murder claws.
I finished the bedroom curtains. Each window is a different height so each pair had to be a different length. It took me a couple of tries to make sure the pairs matched each other… well, were close enough not to bother me.
I was curious why we use curtains to connote an end of something, and grammarist.com says, āThe idiom itās curtains for you is taken from the fact that the final stage direction in many plays is simply the word ācurtainā meaning it is time to draw the curtain and end the play.ā
One more pair of curtains for the living room, and then itās curtains for sewing curtains!
Knitting
Iāve made a good start on the second TransPride sock. Background art by Sydney, one of our delightful children. I think Iām going to frame them and hang them over our TV (the art, not the socks, which will go on another kidās feet).
Iāve finished knitting the main part of my Shetland Tweed Throw, but I need to knit the i-cord edge. I had to order new double pointed needles for it. Iām also making progress on Franca.
Design
Iām taking a video class on writing knitting patterns. Iāve also checked out a few books at the library by the teacher. If I feel like this was worth my time and money, I will link it later.
Today is our Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit at 1PM Eastern. If you are new and would like to join us by Skype, please DM your Skype ID to me on Instagram or Ravelry.
I didnāt add too many finished objects this week. Just my Barley Light Hat. But I did add a few things to my list.
I received my copy of Shetland Wool Week 2020 and fell in love with the Strom Cardigan pattern. I started looking at yarn online and realized that SURELY I had enough Milarrochy Tweed in my stash for this. And I was right! The main color will be Tarbet Blue, top. The other blue may be a little close, but Iāve got a lighter and a darker one if needed. The pink on the sweater will be orange. š§”
I ordered this Blacker Lyonesse with the intention of making a suit. I donāt think this is quite right for that. Instead I think I will knit one of Wolf and Faunās shawl patterns. Iām not sure which one yet. Maybe Madda.
Iām adding to my holiday makes! This Ramen Needles DK yarn is called Christmas Village. I was thinking of knitting a Rikke Hat (Rav link) which has been in my library for a while, but geez how many hats can a person make and wear? So then I thought maybe some mittens?
And while weāre lining up holiday makes, here is my December sock yarn.
Thatās four holiday makes planned for December: two sparkly cowls, one pair of mittens, and one pair of socks. Thatās realistic, right?
PS: Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit today. DM me on Ravelry (alissahead) or Instagram (headknits) if you want to join in via Skype.
I did a curtain! I learned a lot while making these curtains, and I hope all subsequent curtains will look a little more polished. But I love this fabric. I think we made a good choice.
After finishing the curtains for one window I decided to treat myself by whipping up some new PJ pants. Inspired by Sarah, I went for these knitting sheep. Her fabric is way more cool, but this flannel is super soft. I think itās meant for babies, like me.
And I may be adding the Less Is More Cowl to my list in this sparkly yarn Karen sent me. Itās got a subtle gold sparkle. Iām really wanting a sparkly cowl to knit and wear for the holidays. I wish my photos showed more of the sparkle.
What about you? Are you planning your holiday makes? Are you making for you or someone else? Is anything going to be sparkly? Iām planning to be selfish with my sparkly makes in December.
Itās November 1. Only two more months of 2020! Even though this year has been a dumpster fire, itās been a productive year for me. Probably because I never leave my house.
Fiber Art
I started a new piece for the solo show next year. Here it is pre-felted. Iāve wet felted it now, but itās drying. I have to make at least one piece every month until September 2021. In November, Iām going to concentrate on dying my own fleece as Iām finding purchased dyed roving doesnāt always felt as expected.
This week our group, Mother Artists at Work, had two interviews in local publications for our group show. I also had an interview for work with the Fair Trade Federation. Three interviews in one week! It was a lot, but it was good. This must be the year of doing all the things. I also won a yarn giveaway from Ramen Needles!
Knitting
I knit a bunch of Halloween things that werenāt on my YOP list and it was fun. I knit two colorwork cowls. I want to leave a note for myself right here. Donāt knit anymore colorwork cowls that donāt have shaping. When you wear them, all you see is the floats on the back. Maybe I need to learn how to wear them.
I think I figured it out! Maybe it was still too damp and floppy when I had it on at first.
Sewing
I feel really good about finishing my Halloween Rachel shirt. Iām going to finish sewing my fall advent bags and then Iād like to concentrate on our curtains before starting on any new apparel projects. I think I found my go to pants in the new Ottobre.
Design
I kind of forgot about this. Why design your own thing when there are so many awesome designs already out there?
Fiddle
I listen to fiddle music and daydream about playing the fiddle. Does that count?
Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit today at 1PM Eastern! Please message or email your Skype ID to me, Marilee, or Sarah if you are new and want to join in.
I did a good enough job with the cuffs on the sleeves of my Halloween Rachel shirt, but I made a mistake. HAHAHA it makes me laugh. Can you spot it? No, Iām not fixing it.
Knitting
Iām plodding away on my Broom Riding Cowl. Itās tough to get a good pic while itās on the needles. But I wanted you to see how the colorwork shows up (on parts of it at least). In places it looks like clouds are covering the moons, which I like. I wish I were enjoying the knitting more, but I guess I donāt like looking at a chart on every row.
Iām ready to turn the heel on my second Halloween sock. The stripes are lining up like they did on the first sock, which is awesome.
I havenāt cast on my Celtic Colours Mitts yet, but itās still International Cast On All The Things Month for two more weeks.
Today is our Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit at 1PM Eastern. If you are new and would like to join us by Skype, please DM your Skype ID to me on Instagram or Ravelry.
Iām sewing a little on my Rachel shirt each day. Sewing hurts my back, so I am taking it a few steps at a time.
Hereās a close up of the fabric. What I love about this fabric is I can wear it year round and no one will notice itās Halloween fabric unless they get a close look. These buttons are from my stash, and I think work well. And I have enough of them.
Knitting
I am trying to buckle down to work on my Momās Franca. I have to learn some new things so I need to focus. I think the shaping will be worth it for the fit, and Iām hoping once I learn the method, I will be able to knit more of these sweaters. Like this one:
Cocoknits Molly Pattern
Eventually, I want to knit a suit ā a pullover and skirt ā and I think this sweater is perfect for it.
Today is our Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit at 1PM Eastern. If you are new and would like to join us by Skype, please DM your Skype ID to me on Instagram or Ravelry.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Socks in WYS 4-Ply, Color Nutmeg
Iām making good progress on my Pumpkin Spice Latte socks. Nevermind that they werenāt on my original list. I chose the open twisted rib stitch for my cuffs because it reminds me of the frothy heart a barista would make with the latte foam.
Updated Arachne photo
You can see that Iām making some progress on my Arachne body. You can also see my floats are pulling a little, but I think it will block out. There is no way I have enough yarn for this and Quince and Co is out. Iāve signed up to be notified once itās back in stock.
Other than that, honestly I havenāt been doing much other than work. I am journaling some. And Iāve started running at intervals, which feels great.
Something cool happened, though. The Livestock Conservancy reached out and asked if they could use my podcast on a grant application. That made me happy. C19 really knocked the wind out of my sails regarding the podcast. Iām not sure whatās going to happen with it.
