Let's talk about my knitting! (and a couple other things)

 It's Friday. End of the week. Yay! 

Usually I'd try to do some sort of "This is how the week went" if I hadn't written much during the week. 

This week not much happened, except rain and crappy weather. Really.  I worked and when I wasn't working the weather was not conducive to being outside.  Bah!

So I've been puttering with this and that, all the while thinking about how I was going to sort all this crafty stuff out ... I'm still working on it.  Or, as some may know it, I've been in my own head a lot this week. 

Oh, and sewing. But that's for another post. 

I'm looking forward to the weekend, even though it may just be more rain.  I'm looking forward to spending time with my man and possibly having my birthday dinner early.  

Okay, so boring week. Nothing exciting going on. ... Let's talk knitting!

I've been holding on to a few things, waiting to share about them on the blog. I've been wracking my brain, making sure I remember everything and not leave anything out. 

Current WIPS (Works in Progress)

Project Name: February Lady Sweater
Started: May 2024

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Flint Knits.  I still had my copy from the last time I knit this sweater.  Apparently it's no longer "Published" but I'm sure you can still track down a copy. 

Yarn: Yarn purchased from Temu and the label has Chinese written on it.  So ? I can tell you that it's 95 percent alpaca and 5 percent acrylic.  It is SUPER soft. 

Colors: Red/burgundy

Needle Size: US #8, 5 mm; US #10 (6mm)

Made For: myself. 

I started this sweater in May.  My first time working with yarn purchased off the Temu site. Each skein says 100 grams but I have no idea what the yardage may be. Crossing my fingers I have enough yarn to make sleeves a little bit longer than my other February Lady Sweater.

Yarn is super squishy, though, and I enjoy knitting with it.  It's easy on the hands. 

Project Name: Passenger princess socks
Started: June 3, 2024

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Vanilla sock pattern

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colors: Mid century stripes

Needle Size: US #1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

I decided to start a pair of vanilla socks and knit on them only when I'm passenger in a vehicle.  I made quite a bit of progress the first week.  I don't anticipate having these done until the end of summer at the earliest. 

Project Name: Monkey Socks
Started: Nov. 12, 2023

Finished: 

Designer/Source: knitty.com

Yarn: Forbidden Fiber Co.

Colorway: Tale as old as time, on the Fortitude base.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

This sock hasn't received much attention the last few months.  The main reason why is that I need to haul my chart keeper with me because I'm using it to keep track of where I am in the pattern repeat. Bit of a lame excuse, but it is true. 

The last time I had it out and was working on it I tried the sock on and it was a bit snug. I reminded myself that they will "ride up with wear"  grow a bit with washing and blocking. The yarn is so nice to work with. 

Look at those stitches. 

I'm will working on my charity stitching.  It's crochet.  Maybe I should have said "Let's talk yarn crafting." 

Project Name: Charity Stitch year-long project
Started: Jan. 1, 2024

Finished: 

Hat and blanket sets for Make Bundles for Babies. 

Yarn: Acrylic baby yarn I have in stash.

Needle size: Crochet hooks of various sizes, depending on yarn weight

Made For: Make Bundles for Babies. 

Hats need to be made for these two blankets.  Since this yarn is a light weight yarn, and not worsted, I need to use a smaller hook and a different hat pattern than what i was using.  I'm dragging my heels on making the hats because of this. 

I have other sets completed.  They are already in the pile of finished sets and sitting out in the she shed.  I had sets left over from last year so there is 12 complete sets, which was my goal for the year.  I'm not sending them just yet.  I'm sure I'll make more, here and there. 

Finished projects (FOs)

I've been holding on to these socks to share. 

Project Name: Vanilla sock
Started: Nov. 13, 2023

Finished: March 5, 2024

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colorway: Amythest stripes

Colors: dark purples.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

I'm happy with how they turned out. They fit like a dream. 

Project Name: Vanilla sock
Started: Nov. 18, 2023

Finished: March 15, 2024

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colorway: Coastal stripes

Colors: variations of blue and some white or grey.

Needle size: U.S. 1, 2.5 mm

Made For: myself. 

This was the pair of socks I started out on a 9 or 11 inch chiaogoo mini twist and decided I wasn't happy with working on that size needle. 

The toes turned out more pointy than what the photo shows.  I'm happy with these socks too. 

And now that I've shared them on the blog I can wear them. 

Project Name: Opa! Dishcloth
Started: June 5, 2024

Finished: June 11, 2024

Yarn: Peaches and Cream dishcloth cotton yarn

Colorway: green

Colors: green

Needle size: U.S. 5, 3.75 mm

Made For: myself. 

A while back I saw someone on Instagram making dishcloths and sharing the patterns from the Kitchen Sink Shop. Free dishcloth knitalong this year and a different pattern each month.   So I bit and signed up for it. 

This is the first dishcloth I worked on.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that this pattern repeat gave me more problems than it should. I kept messing up. I think because the pattern repeat is so similar to the pattern repeat of the February Lady sweater, too. 

And now for the project I know a lot of people have been waiting to see. 

My Harvest Cardigan.

Started: Nov. 12, 2023

Finished: Feb. 10, 2024

Designer/Source: Tin Can Knits 

Yarn: Hobby Lobby "I love this yarn"

Colors: Cinnamon Cedar

Needle Size: US #6 / 4mm & US #8 / 5mm

Made For: myself. 

I am ridiculously happy with how this turned out. It's super cozy and I enjoyed snuggling in it earlier this year when it was still so cold out. Oh, who am I kidding, it's still cool out.  The coolest June in ages. 

Let's have a coffee date!

 This type of blog post is for when I have a lot of little things I want to share, or when I feel the need to catch up. 

So, grab your coffee/beverage of your choice and join me. 

It's been a while since I've written.  I have a few of little tidbits to say, so let's have a quick coffee date!

If we were having coffee ... I would give you a bit of a health update. I'm better.  I'm not going to say I'm healed.  Not yet, anyway. I've seen a handful of health care providers over the last few months, including one specialist. I've done a lot of reading and research and I've started some supplements that I think will help my body in the long run. Having a bit of a medical mystery going on has been incredibly frustrating and I think it's going to be a long time before I can say I'm healed. I have something going on that I think is the result of the long-term infection. So, for now, I'm better than I was. 

In the meantime some of my pep has returned and I don't feel a constant feeling of being worn down and exhausted. Just the regular exhausted. 

If we were having coffee ... I'd tell you my hubby woke me up one morning a few weeks ago and said "get in loser, let's go buy you a greenhouse."  

No, it wasn't really like that.  We were on vacation and it was a Friday morning. ... He walked into the bedroom, noticed I was awake, (I was processing being awake) and he said something along the lines of "Hey, let's go get a greenhouse for your birthday, and build it over the summer." Totally unexpected and a heck of a way to start the day. But I loved the idea and got up straight away and downed some coffee.  I've been wanting a greenhouse for such a long time. 

So we went and got me a greenhouse! 

We started working on it that day and thought we'd take our time.  It pulled together so much easier than expected. I belong to a few hobby greenhouse groups on the book of Faces, and to hear some people talk ... 

My husband got the foundation set up. (You like my sassy stance?)

Then the walls and roof went up lickity-split. 

The next day we finished the little things and ran to town to get materials for shelves. 

As soon as the shelves were complete I started moving a few things in. 

I'm really excited for the next seed starting season and I want to try my hand at starting some perennials this year and plant them in the fall. 

Unfortunately, we have had rotten weather the last several weeks. SO much clouds and rain. Which means not a lot of sun or desire to spend time outside.  In fact, last night the region had the next round of nasty storms go through. I've been keeping an eye on newsy things online and seen/saw there have been a lot of washouts, flooding and people needing help with flooded basements, etc.

This morning the newsperson said today is the 12th anniversary of the major flooding of 2012. THAT was a crazy time.  Maybe you remember hearing about the seal that was out on the highway? 

My work building flooded as well.  

I'm ready for things to dry out a little bit, for a little while. 

If we were having coffee ... I would say all the rain has been good for the garden, but it's also making the garden not grow very quick. It feels like the garden is a bit behind right now. 

AAAAnnnnndddd ... I don't have any recent photos of the garden. 

These are from a couple weeks ago. 

I have a few things that I'm experimenting with.  In this photo you can sort of make out the "little greenhouse" as I'm now calling it. I debated on taking it down. However, I have a few garden things that I need to store somewhere and I'm not willing to start filling the new greenhouse up with things that will make it cumbersome to be in there. 

I do like seeing all the green in the yard and all the trees. 

Way in the back I have cucumbers and squash plants growing in the containers in the back.  

Sometime soon I will take proper photos of the garden. 

If we were having coffee ... I'd chatter about how my crafting hasn't gone like I planned this year, thanks to the health stuff.  For a while I didn't touch anything.  Then crafting was sporadic.  

I was feeling a little bit of stress an anxiety about this.  Then I remember/reminded myself that there are no deadlines on the things I'm working on.  Only goals that I wanted to reach by the end of the year. 

With reminding myself of this I started feeling better about the whole thing. 

A few nights ago I completed the last block on my sandpiper quilt. 

Now to assemble the quilt top.  I have the sashes and borders ironed and ready to go.  I'm debating on the backing. Go with something wild and unexpected, or be sedate with my color choices for both the backing and the border? 

I do want to update my goals list.  That will be for another day.  I need to gradually get back in to the habit of writing. 

If we were having coffee ... Speaking of goals ... Social media is reminding me that the Tour de Fleece is just around the corner. Do I bother with it this year?  I can't remember if I did anything with it last year.  I haven't touched my spinning since ... February ?  Back when I first learned to spin (100 years ago), and heard of Tour de Fleece, online teams and whatnot were not nearly as ... "fun" as they are now.  Tiaras and T-shirts with fun logos and the year stamped on them.  Looks like TONS of teams you can choose to spin on, and a butt-load of prizes and giveaways. 

The one spinning group I'm a member of on Fa*ebook has been pretty quiet for months and months. I don't know what's going on there. I suspect there was a change in adminning and the new person may not be as active on social media. That's fine.  At this point I'm using social media now mostly to look at pretty things or to be inspired.  Sometimes to know what is going on. 

If we were having coffee ... Books ... I started listening to an audiobook yesterday, "A Single Thread." I'm about an hour and a half in to it. The voice actor is good. I heard about this book from a flosstuber.   It's been tough on the book front.  I haven't known what book genre I want to listen to.  I've started listening to a few audiobooks but haven't finished them.  One, "Speaker for the Dead," I had started listening to a few years back, and never finished it.  I started listening to it again and with being more "seasoned" of a reader, or more life experience (whatever you want to call it) I found myself hearing what  the author is saying about a few things and it basically left a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn't really enjoying the story anymore.  

If we were having coffee ... I'll give you little update on the chickens.  

We rehomed our older girls and Roo.  Someone called us up and asked us if we have any adult roosters available.  We said yes, and then said "Hey, do you want his girls, too?"  

"Sure, the person said."

We still have a Barred Rock rooster and 10 hens. The hens are fat and sassy. The rooster is a jerk to me.  It's the first time I've had a roo that sees me as a rival, I suppose you'd call it.  I have to walk around with a stick in my hand, at the very least. Otherwise he feels like facing off with me. My son named him but I can't remember the name, for sure.  James Charles?  I guess it's a youtuber, or twitch streamer? ?? I no longer know who or what is it and happening. Or, trending ... 

There are also some babies that joined the flock this spring.  Totally adorable.  They don't care for being held, though.  They are free and wild buns, apparently. 

Speaking of buns ... Feffer is still with us.  I think he's at least 6 years old now.  Maybe 7? 

He goes through spurts of being friendly and wanting scritches, and being an aloof bun.

Regardless of his mood, he's my good little boy and I tell him that every morning when I go out to see him and the chickens. 

I'm trying to think if there's anything else I want to ramble about. I'm sure there's something and I will think of it as soon as I hit publish. 

Crafty news I'm going to break up a little bit and put in a few blog posts so I don't overwhelm myself trying to write one massive blog post. My hope is that breaking this up will help me update my goals list, figure out what I'm working on, what other things I want to make, and maybe make a gameplan so I can get my ducks in a row and be bit more organized on the things I have on the mental "I want to make this" list. Like, I want to make some project bags and have the fabric for them.  Then there's a few little things I want to make that are crafty and will help me while I'm being crafty. Like a phone pillow and a little fabric ort tray. Oh, that reminds me ... do I want to buy the snaps or should I just sew the corners? I doubt I'll ever travel, so maybe there's no need for snaps.  See, what I mean? 

Okay, I think that's everything I want to blather about. Yeah ... I'm off to go get my ducks in a row. 

Later!