Pretty Things for a Pretty Day

It is a beautiful day here.  It’s a good day to look at some pretty things and be thankful.

1.  We finally have a peony that is blooming.

Poor little plant.  We moved it (and its sibling) a few years ago from the back yard to the front yard and it has never been the same.   This is the first year since we moved it that it has budded (there are 2!).  Sadly, the other one has not returned, but I am thankful for this one pretty flower.

2.  Paper flowers from the boys make me smile.  These are better than a bouquet of fresh ones, any day.

3.  Finally, I am getting the hang of this edging for a shawl.

I know, it doesn’t look like much, but believe me, this is great progress.  The first few inches took me hours and I thought I was going to go cross-eyed!  I have 45 out of 71 repeats done and it feels like I’m almost at the finish line.  I am looking forward to getting to the body of the shawl.

4.  Pretty yarn for a new sweater project is waiting for me to find some needles (and uninterrupted time) and cast on.

I think my knitting projects list is about to get longer.

Spring Colors

Neon Dye plus

Brown eggs equals

Great colored eggs.

The same dye plus white scrap fabric equals

mostly pink and yellow scraps.  The blue dye almost totally rinsed out.

Hope you have a sweet and colorful weekend!

New Obsession

I have a little confession.  I have a thing for bags.  Not handbags, though I have several of those, but none very trendy.

No, I like other types of bags.  I like the re-usable shopping bags you can pick up from any grocery store nowadays.  They make great library book bags and farmer’s market bags and impromptu picnic bags.  I like to get “souvenir” bags from places we travel to, especially bakeries.  These don’t get as much use.  I just like to look at them.

I also like tote-type bags with lots of pockets and can stand up without falling over.  Those make really great knitting project bags.  I have four such bags next to the spot where I do most of my knitting.

But lately, I’ve been really smitten with these little bags.

Aren’t they adorable?  I used a tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew!  It took me less than two hours to make these two bags.  Each is the perfect size for a ball of yarn and  little project.  I even added some little pockets on the inside for whatever little tools I might need for the project: stitch markers, measuring tape, emergency chocolate.  See?

I like that they are lined and that they stand up straight without flopping.  I can draw the top closed so nothing falls out and it is soft enough and small enough to be stuffed inside my purse.  Plus, unlike my usual plastic bags, they do not make any noise when you get your project in and out.  This is especially nice in places such as theaters and churches where you do not want to distract anyone around you.

As soon as I can get some more interfacing, I am going to make some bigger ones.  Not too big–I don’t want to lose the portability and packability of the bag, but I can see how a bag that would fit a sweater piece would be really handy for me.  And, there’s lots of other things the bags can be used for: toys, snacks, toiletries, etc.

You can never have too many bags, right?

Just Say N-O

Right now, Christmas preparations in the house are going full throttle.

It is Nutty

I think I’ve used every kind of nut out there (except brazil nuts-never have liked them).

Christmas is also Ornamental.

This year’s handmade ornaments are a little more involved than usual.  I may try to teach the boys to sew.  Maybe.

How are your Christmas preparations going?

Fabulous Friday

Happy Friday! I am always happy to see Friday come, but today I am especially happy because I have some finished stuff to show you.

I’ll start with the newest sashiko block that is finished.

This was really finished over a week ago, but I’ve only just got around to taking a picture. These little motifs are fun and they don’t take too long. I am still working on the evenness of my stitches, but I am sure that will come along. I only have about 100 more to do for the duvet cover. Am I crazy? Ummmm, don’t answer that!

Next up are the interminable Pumpkin Conwy socks.

I cannot even express how glad I am that these are done! I should rename them the Best Worst Socks I have Ever Knit. They look amazing and I love how they fit. I just Really disliked knitting them. Those twisted stitches were fiddly and there were such a lot of them! Somehow, I never really got into the groove of this pattern, and only managed to finish by sheer determination or stubborn will. I am like that sometimes.

Anyway, next up is a sweater project I started Two years ago.

This project kept getting picked up and put down for a variety of reasons. I really liked the look and idea of the sweater when I started, but there were a few technique details that made it a little challenging. First, I modified the pattern to knit the body all in one piece, but kinda ran into a little trouble when I went to do the hem and pockets. As a result, the back hem is turned to the back, but the front pockets and hem are turned up into the front. Then, there was the super long collar which seemed to take forever! But, Now that I am done, I love it! It is really cosy and I actually like that the sleeves are a little long on me. I also love that it is a long line sweater that keeps my backside nice and warm too! The yarn is a great merino that I got from Sliver Moon Farm at Rhinebeck a couple of years ago.

Also, I finished just in time. It’s supposed to dip down into the thirties this weekend, but with this sweater, I know I will be warm. With the advent of the cooler weather, I am definitely taking a closer look at all my woollies.

How about you? Are you prepared for colder weather?