Yarn Along.

Linking up with Ginny.

First up, thanks to everyone who offered suggestions on my previous post. Would it surprise you to learn that I still haven't made a decision on those yarns? It shouldn't.

The Imp has requested that I knit the spider from Amigurumi Knits. I've had the book for a very long time and still haven't made anything from it. So far I have two whole spider legs. And they aren't even seamed yet. Can you tell I'm excited about this project?

I'm still reading The Winter Sea. It's a great book and shouldn't be taking me this long. I just seem to be getting distracted from things lately.

Now this, this is a project I dreamed up (almost literally) as I was falling asleep last night. See, I have a few single balls of Malabrigo worsted. Like everyone else, I love it's softness. Unlike everyone else, I don't wear shawls or hats or other delicate things. I can't imagine knitting a sweater from this - can we say pill city? So what's a girl to do?

Back story: my step-mother knit me a yarn bowl out of Malabrigo Rasta for christmas. It's felted but doesn't feel like rough felted wool - because it's super soft merino!

Extra back story: I keep my knitting projects in the handled paper bags that my local yarn store supplies with purchase. I use them to death. Literally. I had to recycle one last night. It could hardly be called a bag any more.

So! Project bag + Malabrigo + colorwork = fun! I'm ridiculously excited about this project - and that's what was missing from all of my other attempt to start things. The excitement! Sometimes I feel like I've "beat knitting" (like in a video game). There isn't much left to try that I have a desire to try. I want to add beads but have been too lazy to make it to a store to buy a sufficiently tiny crochet hook. And colorwork? I can do it. But can I do it well? In a large project? Well, that sounds like a challenge that I already have supplies for!

I'm not totally set on the charts I want to use. Being sans printer I had to draw these out myself. To give credit where it's due, here are links to the originals:
Robots
Tardis
Sheep

The bag pattern I'm going to use is this one.

Knitting help!

Okay. So I've finished another project, right? And I have my standby projects. But.. I want something new. I spent over an hour last night (which watching Torchwood) trolling Ravelry. I've spent at least another hour this morning doing the same. I'm at a loss.

I don't have a great deal of yarn in large quantities. Here are some (mostly in weights I don't generally use) that I have no idea what to do with. Any suggestions are very much appreciated!

This is, as far as I can tell, Foxmoda. Fingering weight, wool (not next-to-skin soft - though it may soften with washing), about 660 yards. I bought this at the yard yard sale.

Another score from the yarn yard sale. Unknown wool. It looks a feels a bit similar to the Foxmoda - maybe slightly softer. So, using the above information I'm guessing: fingering weight, 100% wool, about 1030 yards.

Olive green alpaca lace by Cascade. I have about 874 yards. Lace weight isn't my thing but the color is gorgeous.

Nature Spun by Brown Sheep. Color is silver sage (a sort of grey-blue-green). It says worsted but I'd say light worsted, maybe. About 490 yards.

For those who don't know, I live in Florida - land of the not-cold. Hats, mittens, scarves, etc aren't really terribly useful. Well, hats are more useful than the rest, I suppose. Anyway. Help is much appreciated!

Foxes.

So. Mama armadillo and giraffe needed a fox-friend to travel with them to Ireland.

This one didn't turn out quite how I'd planned. There were too many gaps and the stuffing showed through. I tried to felt it but.. you know.. I really don't have the patience for it. So the Imp got a new toy - he's thrilled. (Ravelry notes here.)

My second attempt turned out much better. (Ravelry notes here.)

Now I just need to find a large enough envelope for these guys to travel in!

Linking up with Nicole's {crafting on} today.

Mama.

Sandy (an armadillo living happily in Ireland) and his baby have been missing their mama-armadillo. Now she's here and anxious to get to her new home. As soon as her other woolly friends are ready, they'll be away across the ocean!

(Ravelry notes here.)

A big thanks, as always, to Linda for such a wonderful pattern!

Lately.

I can't seem to get myself to sit down and post. I respond to a few emails and then I'm done in and have to get back to my kids and my knitting.

Here's what I've been up to.

My now tangle-free earbuds. Ravelry notes here.

A skirt finished except for elastic, even now on it's way to California. Ravelry notes here.

Fingerless gloves. Soon to be headed to Ireland. Ravelry notes here.

My current project. Another armadillo using Linda's great pattern. I'm knitting it on US size 1 needles so that it'll be a bit smaller than the last one I made. She will also be headed to Ireland in the future. I'm still reading The Winter Sea and loving it. I also have a stack of books from the library that I need to get through: a mess of knitting stitch resources, a book on raising sheep, Viking books for the Elf's school work, a book by the amazing Jenna, and a book about Jane Austen.

Linking up with Ginny for the Yarn Along.

On a happier note.

Here's what I've been doing (prior to wondering why scammers want to rip off financially strained people) in no particular order.

It may not look it to you, but let me assure you that this is clean. And that it took me all morning to accomplish. In the process, I uncovered some projects that have been languishing.

Such as this hippo. He use to be a head and a small piece of body. Now he's a head and a whole (albeit, unstuffed) body. I'll get to the limbs, I promise. That lace yarn just kicks my butt, though.

A sample for the yarn store. I've had this for way too long. Now I feel bad. Oops.

A blanket. Of course it's getting warm again. But I do work on this when B and I watch movies together.

This is a shawl I just finished the other day (inspired by a skirt you'll see shortly). It's made from handspun - Unicorn Candy and Seafoam. It's smaller than I'd hoped and is still unblocked. It also has a slight imperfection on the one side. I'm torn as to whether I should bother listing it in my Etsy shop.

Another handspun shawl that needs to be blocked. This one is Wicked Witch and Bright Papaya. B calls it the Deadpool shawl. I'm beginning to suspect that he's colorblind.

I got distracted. I watch the Lizzie Bennet Diaries (and Squaresville) on my laptop. My earbud cords keep getting tangled. Here's a pretty solution, right?

The aforementioned skirt. I'm knitting it for a lovely lady (because unlike her, I have no life and therefore knit like the wind - a slow wind, but you get the idea. Also, she's just awesome and deserves it).

Fiber I was given a long time ago that I'm only now getting around to dealing with. I washed it and it sat on the drying/sweater rack in the kitchen for several weeks. I finally bagged it up and took it outside with the kids and started carding while they played. Yay, alpaca fluff!

I've also started reading The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. It was mentioned quite a bit in the blog world. I'm only a few chapters in but am really enjoying it.

Provided I don't get distracted, I'll likely link up with Nicole today. Hopefully I won't flake and also link this post with Ginny tomorrow. I can post two days in a row... right?

Why am I not here?

Well. I'm busy. And on top of everything, our bank debit card and our credit card have both been scammed. So now I have to deal with fraud claims and not having any money. Whee! I love technology.

This Way Up.

Here is the shawl I designed. If people show an interest, I'll share the pattern. The mediocrity of this one isn't stopping me from trying again, though.

Here are the details:
Knit with Top of the Lamb worsted by Brown Sheep on US size 10 needles (6mm). Wingspan measures about 46 inches and the spine measures about 20 inches after blocking. I've named it "This Way Up" because some of the lace looks like arrows pointed up. And I'm not very good at naming things on the fly.

Additional details that I forgot about: I used about 285 yards of yarn. My gauge (blocked) is about 3.5 stitches per inch.

Linking up with Creative Friday.

Unnamed shawl

Here's a sneak peek at the shawl I'm trying to design. It's not great or earth shattering. I know that. But after a dozen failed attempts, it at least doesn't look absolutely horrible.

This was my progress yesterday:

And here it is ghetto-blocking today (because I own neither blocking boards nor appropriate pins):

The colors in these photos are way off. The yarn is sort of a dusty brick color. At any rate. There it is.

And (on the off-chance I get around to linking up with the Yarn Along) reading? Erm. I've sort of been (re)reading Good Omens but mostly I've been watching Hart of Dixie on Netflix. I sort of got sucked in.

Another shawl

I've finished another handspun shawl. This one from Sticky Jam Hands, Daydream, And Deep Woods. I tried something with the increases which made a sort of butterfly shape. On the edge I added some corespun in dark green with little metal leaves. Whee! It'll be up in my Etsy shop shortly.