Warmest hat and steady progress

It got cold here in Texas, and I have twice found myself very glad for the amazing warmth provided by my Tronda hat. Despite it's shocking inside (look at how beautifully that lining whip stitched to the ribbing!),

you totally can't see it through the colorworked alpaca. It's hard to take a picture of a hat on your head, but I tried-

Over the last two weeks a few more stripes were put on the blanket for baby Grace, who is due at the end of February. Have to keep on it!

Not pictured because it's not terribly exciting and I'm to lazy to take the picture I forgot to is the second half of the back collar is well underway with my Ink cardigan, and I worked some more on on the Vinovia sock. Still haven't got the heel, but then again I haven't spent too much time on it as it's just complex enough with that traveling cable that I can't do it as theater knitting. I want to make a better sized 'throw in purse' sock bag, as well as one big enough to hold a sweater. The fabric is washed; maybe I'll cut them out tomorrow.

Speaking of theater knitting, I went to go see John Crist a week ago, and while I was laughing to the point of tears I got some work done on the second DVD Christmas sock.

I then took the sock to watch Aquaman--oh the eye candy!--and got a lot more done.

I finally assembled and tried to use my ball winder that I've been saving for my return to the States, but it wasn't working right. A quick Google search, some help from R2D2, and I had it all sorted.

Which meant, I could wind this yarn for a project I'm going to cast on soon as I get this posted! Huzzah for self rescuing princesses!

A final new adventure has been knitting with my own handspun. I've wanted to do the Color Dipped Hat for ages, and this seemed like a forgiving enough pattern. I just reached the part where it will be only the cream from here on out; I love the squish of fisherman's rib, but it does get a little old. Plus, I knit my sister's hat in Fisherman's rib twice over Christmas because of epic gauge error, so it might be a tad soon. That being said, this hat is the softest thing ever, and I'm LOVING it. I can't wait till I'm a bit better of a spinner though...

The Chevron Urge

Every so often I get gripped by urges to make certain things. During term this usually translates into baking/cooking a particular item on my weekends off, and lately especially when a knitting urge hits I’m rarely in the position to indulge it. But, unlike many other urges, my need to knit chevrons is a very doable itch to scratch…

I did some swatching for a rainbow chevron cowl I plan to knit in May for the KnitGirllls self-striping knit-a-long using some KP Felici. I haven’t decided yet how crazy the narrow stripes will make me, and if it’s worth using both balls simultaneously (and thus having a lot of ends to deal with) to make the stripes wider. I have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to go down the ‘more work’ way…

The second chevron project I started this weekend. Last fall I citric acid soaked a bunch of cotton (not sure now that it will help as it’s cotton, but the process is long done now!) for a baby blanket for some friends who were expecting at the time. Sadly, we’ll have to wait for heaven to meet that baby, and so I ripped out the blanket, but still wanted to use the yarn. Well, I had been planning to do stripes anyway, so here was the perfect use for the treated yarn. After the long rows in fingering weight yarn on Hitofude, these ones seem to go in a flash! I’m using the free pattern Baby Chevron Blanket pattern; I added a repeat to the body to make up for being a tad short on gauge. Next time I make this (on yes, I don’t think my chevron days are over yet!) I want to use a wool blend and I think I’ll also add a bit of garter to the cast on and bind off edges. However, I’m very pleased with the blanket so far, and might even get it done for Stash Dash. There isn’t a particular baby in mind, but I figure having a baby blanket in progress/reserve can’t hurt!

In order to start the blanket, I had to finish off another project so I could get the needle tips. I’m still not sure about the color combo on this Helix hat, but it is a fun way to use up leftovers! I’m a little afraid that I pulled too tight at the beginnings of the rows when I switched colors, and I also found out that if you’re a boob and use the wrong color it can’t really be fixed except by pulling your work back. I have a feeling I’m going to make more of these, but I might wait until I have a better color palette. I’m sure there is someone somewhere would appreciate this color combo.

One of the big things I worked on last week is a cross stitch project that will, alas, have to be secret for a while, but let’s just say that I now know that if your kit is old enough your floss can develop a distressing tendency to break…a lot. Now I’m tempted to go rummage through my kit stash for another one… While I still have a bit of term break left!

Lastly, today I made hamburger buns for the first time, and I was quite pleased with the result. If nothing else, living out here has sure made it necessary to learn a lot of skills I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I wasn’t super great at yeast baking when I came out, but my bread almost always turns out well now. Making bagels is fun and easy, and now I have a good bun recipe for when the hamburger urge strikes again. Maybe I should get around to trying crackers like I’ve been saying I would for awhile… Or, maybe I’ll make a Baked Alaska for my birthday cake!

Parting shot: Such an adorable knitting buddy!

Very little to show for last week

So, most of last week was taken up with:

* Trying to go to town
* Turning back because the road was seriously flooded and there was *no way*
* Trying again the next day and making it out--a 12 hour trip
* Enjoying good Sri Lankan food and time with dear friends
* Having a dentist appointment which included a cleaning and two small fillings * Lots of shopping
* Getting to eat out twice--such a treat!
* A 16 hour trip back up country

Other than those minor details, I did a tiny bit of knitting at the dentists--a Trillian--that I hope to incorporate into my Stash Dash strategy.

Today, I made bread because I needed to, pie because I've been watching the second season of Pushing Daisies, and hummus because I now have tahini and I love it. It's the little things in life...

I also spent a lot of time the day I didn't get to leave and since I've been back working on a project that shall sadly have to be secret for awhile yet, but let's just say it's been a nice break from the endless sweater. Speaking of which, I decided to add a repeat before doing the ribbing at the end; I'm terrified that it will actually end up in practice being a smidge too short, so we shall have to see. The next time I make a Hitofude, I'm going to do three extra repeats before I start the body increases.

So, I settle back into my normal holiday routine. Reading--while I can. Cooking--while I can. Knitting--while I can. Doing PD--while I can. Letting my soul breath--while I can. I'm hoping I can get enough soul rest into myself in the next three weeks that I can start my second to last term with renewed joy and enthusiasm; it's going to be a hard journey, but I'm committed to finishing the calling.

Parting shot: Javacat in a box!

Cast on lots of things, an arch, and a cool pin

Since arriving back at the little school in the bush, I have not been idle! Yes, I slept in all last week, but I have been sorting, cleaning, and clandestinely burning a lot of trash as I continue to work towards moving on at the end of the year. Man, burning trash by night is way more cathartic than it probably aught to be! When I got back I found a gift from a co-worker including this charming ceramic brooch from the Harray Potters of Orkney—all the better as I just finished reading Harry Potter through for the second time!

I assembled the garden arch I have owned for 9 years and had shipped out to me, but couldn’t assemble because I didn’t have the screws. (The perils of buying clearance from Michael’s…) My dad helped me find the right screws and I paid at least as much for them as I had for the arch in the first place. Once I started to assemble the arch things were going great…until I realized I was missing 6 pieces, and had two of the wrong ones. So, I pondered and managed to create a Gothic instead of a Romanesque arch which I put beside the rose bush I rooted last year and has been growing like crazy lately. Success!

As I had finished most of my knitting projects before Christmas, when I got back it made total sense for me to cast on a pair of baby booties, a baby sweater, and a cowl, right?

I have since finished that pair of booties—Bows before Bros (otherwise known as death by cute) and started another pair of Cutest Booties,

and this is how far I have got on my third Baby Vertebra.

I ended up ripping the Noble Cowl back and restarting it as I decided it wasn’t going to be big enough, but it isn’t looking too interesting yet so I’ll wait for a picture.

Well, I need to do a little more ‘teachery’ stuff before I can hobble to bed; spending an afternoon painting and climbing up and down a ladder did a number on my tendonitis. I hope to knock out these baby projects so I can get back to sweaters; I’m still on a high from finishing my first ever success sweater—and in less than a year at that! Hitofude and Bluebell, here I come!