Finishing

Today is just for me to be chill, relax with the puppies and be healthily selfish. I'm marathoning Shameless and eating whatever I crave. 

I'm finally getting to blocking my finished Building Blocks shawl!! It's totally Soakworthy  And I'm blocking it in half since it's massive!! 

 

It'll be fantastic for the impending winter about to descend upon us. And just my luck, I signed up to work, got on the list AND my snow tires got put off from last Monday to the day after the first storm is forecast. 

 

I am also blocking Sorrento  I know, it kind of got stalled whilst Building Blocks was in the needles, but I'm making up for lost time now!  

The beach blanket is doing little to chase the grey chill that is outside, but that's what electric fireplaces are for. Though if you ask the puppies, I turn it in for them. LOL!! 

This is why I almost never use bleach.

 But the counter tops and the dish cloth needed hard core cleaning ... fortunately, it's an at-home comfy shirt. Still, annoyed. 

Now you're pretty much caught up ... I'm off to eat ... beans and egg on garlic bread with cheese toast. I know!!! It's what I craved and it is going to be delish!! 

 

The End is in Sight

I've been knitting away! This is a massive shawl. Granted, I haven't been as diligent as I could've been, but it's been quite a lot of knitting. But I'm doing the I-cord cast off today!!!

 

 I deliberated probably longer than I needed to about what colour to use; I went with Wish, colour B. 

I am excited to be finishing; not just so that I can block and wear it, but so that I can get back to Sorrento.

 

 I'm into the front ribbing shaping and it's enough to keep me knitting to the next increase. I know, but it's the simple pleasures that are truly what I enjoy in my knitting. There is a lot of "At The Same Time" going on here ... def keeps a knitter sharp. 

That's kind of it. Working, puppies, family keeping me busy. Chica really is a fan of Craig; she'll generally sidle up to him and pour on the charm (seriously - kissing on him!!) when she wants to play. 

 

 

I really do have to get back into my flute practice. I've neglected it lately, but I miss it. It gives me a singular pleasure that I need to give back to myself. 

Linen Challenge

So then this happened. 

 Yeah. 85% of this Studio Linen is recycle rayon linen which is what gives the yarn a lovely sheen and drape right off the ball. This means I really can't just toss the balls in my knitting bag and go. Well, I can, but this is the result. YMMV

This was good opportunity to just zen out and untangle something. I feel like I've got choices and decisions to be made all around me and this was something that I could just do. It felt good to make it neat again, and then, lesson learned, bagged.

 

 

So ... I'm still working on a colourway for my Building Blocks MKAL  Clearly, having more choices was not a valid strategy in making this process easier. I keep looking at my Bag of Loveliness and then just sighing and thinking.  One of these skeins was a raok gift and I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to use it in this project. It might end up a sentimental favourite in my stash. 

It's definitely cooling off, but I've not lit the furnace yet. I did plug in the electric fireplace to take the chill off of my feet. I'd likely have it going even if the furnace was running, it's not for overall room heating. And the puppies love it!! 

 

Cordón Shawl

I am going to preface this post by saying that every time I wind linen I forget that you need to wind it tight or it just falls apart. Perhaps in so writing I will remember this lesson for the next time.

So this is Americo's Linen Cordón in Coral and Dark Stone. I will be casting on for a different Shawl of Secrecy tonight.



To do so I needed to online my Addi Lace circulars.
We all know that the most effective way to do this is putting the cord into hot water for a few seconds.

I'm at Lee's and he's got spaghetti sauce simmering (he makes it from scratch ... I know, a total keeper!!) and spaghetti in boiling water. Grated its been oiled & salted, but it's still boiling water. And there really wasn't room I really wasn't inclined to make room and set a clean pot to boil. So I just dipped the needle in with the noodles a few times.
Poor Lee - his face as he came 'round the corner and saw what I was doing was utterly priceless!! I laughed and explained it but he still had an incredulous/dumbfounded look. I wiped the cord and dried and I'm good to go.

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Keeping Busy

I've had a few unexpected days off from work and I've been able to use some of that to knit.

I have finished The Shawl of Secrecy!!

The sock has had some undocumented work done on it ... I'm not sure if I'm feeling the love for it though.




I am feeling the love for the yarn that I selected and have wound up for the Westknits colourknits Mystery KAL.
The yellow is Red Corset Designs Osmosis in Sunkist. The red is Spunky Eclectic Skinny Socks in How Very Berry. The blue is Punta Yarns MeriSock Handpainted.

I am going to do a swatch tonight, though for shawls it's less crucial; I just want to see the colours together!!

I have also wound up Americo's Linen Cordón for a different Shawl of Secrecy.

 That was a lot of winding ... the knitting will take awhile I'm sure!

Back to Reality

I know ... back to work was a crushing reality. And Spring is bringing with it the kind of changeable weather that gifts me with migraines. Zomig is awesome but has side effects as well; not as bad as the migraine but still.
Anyway, I have finished Elise's linen skirt!! I know ... I dogn't even remember when I cast it on but it was ages ago. This is what happens without a deadline ;)


The black linen is Euroflax while the hand dyed is from Claudia Hand Painted Yarns.

I started on Blue Sky Alpaca's Beatrice Top


but the Yarn Hoover that I am, I am stalled at the top of the 1^stsleeve. Julie is sending more and letting BSA know that the 3^rd size requires a 4^thskein.
Good thing that I have another project set to go!
Four knitted cats, fiddly but très portable and with a day off we'll see what kind of a litter I can get knit up.






Lee, Jake and I had a lovely time at a neighbourhood bonfire Sunday night.












Toby & I enjoyed the sunshine before the rain this morning, getting my litter off to a good start.


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The Yarn

I'm using Louet's linen in a gorgeous deep claret along with Claudia's handpaint linen to knit a skirt for Elise. It's a little hard on the hands but oh so easy on the eyes!!

And then, with a modicum of skill, a dash & a half of patience and a heapin' helpin' of time I will turn this: into this:.

Kyle woke up on the wrong side of the bed, yet when the question, "Howzit going Kyle?", he offered the following synopsis. He's still got the ugly, bulky plaster cast that they put on after the surgery, but he should be getting a sleek, light new fiberglass cast on Thursday.

I'm enjoying working at the office, but it means early to bed to get up at 4:30 and I'm sure that I'll get used to organizing my evenings better. It could happen!!