Playing Catch Up

 

I can't believe how fast Knit Picks got my MKAL stocking yarn to me. It's especially impressive because they are the middle of a big sale. I expected it would take weeks instead of just days. 

I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm following along in sequence which means I have to start toe up. It took me all afternoon yesterday to figure out how to do that and I'm not exactly pleased with the results. Per instructions I started out on 4 double points but that quickly became too fiddly.

To get all those toe increases finished I changed over to Magic Loop.

When it was time to start the color work I changed again to my little Addi Rocket. Today is Day 9 of the stocking MKAL and I hope to be on at least Day 5 by the end of the day-if I put my mind to it. Now I just have to convince everyone else in the house that this is a high priority. 

Old Dog, New Tricks

I just finished MKAL Clue #2 and even though I like the way it looks, I hate that I wimped out on the brioche.  There should be leafy looking things running up the pointy areas but I couldn't wrap my old brain around it even with all the hand holding Stephen West does. 

So I made an early resolution to learn brioche in the up coming year. Since I have a lot of leftover cheap yarn from The Mister's Riddari I thought I would use it and went looking for a colorful gradient that would go with it. I had no idea that these Red Heart skeins were so big when I ordered it. I'm going to have a lot leftover.

The pattern I'm going to use is Brioche Boomerang by Laura Nelkin. It seems pretty simple and comes with a lot of video support. I'm not planning on doing anymore Stephen West MKALs, I'll most likely be knitting on this one for the rest of my life but I will figure out this brioche thing. It's a matter of pride. 

Better Late Than Never

 

As tempted as I always am at the Farmer's Market, I don't usually do any outside fall decorating because the deer will just eat whatever I put out. If the deer don't eat it then the vultures tear it apart while trying to perch on the rims of my planters.  

The Mister had to go to Urgent Care on Monday when he developed a nasty case of cellulitis in a wound of unknown origin. The Urgent Care is in the same shopping area as Walmart and Pup and I wandered the garden section while he was being seen. 

What we found were big $3 containers of mums. I couldn't resist. I came home with a trunk load and proceeded to yank out all the summer annuals from their pots and replant them with the mums. It also gave me a place to put the pumpkins we brought home from the season's last Farmer's Market where they were giving them away for free on Halloween. 

Look at this beauty. They may all end up as deer food but for now I'm going to enjoy walking past them while they last. 

Wednesday WIPs: KAL Crazy

 

I'm still slogging away on the Color Kaleidoscope MKAL and believe it or not another Stephen West KAL starts next month. Was I tempted when I saw all the beautiful kits? I have to confess I was but then I picked this up again and remembered I'm only just finishing up Clue 2. You have to be a strict monogamous knitter to keep up with Stephen West and that's something I'm not. 

That's not the only KAL that has me in a frenzy. Everyone seems to have one going on right now and I want to join them all. Arne and Carlos started their Christmas stocking KAL and I felt terrible that I wasn't knitting along. All year I said that I didn't need more stockings but did I go and order the yarn for this one? Of course I did. It won't be here to catch up but I have to finish the Doodle Cowl first which was my plan all along.

Ummm.....my goal was to have this ready for the tree lightning ceremony that's on the day after Thanksgiving and I think I'm going to make it. This thing is huge. I need to stop. I just might suffocate in it as it is.

I was notified that my Cozy Knitter Advent sock yarn is on the way so I had to rush to get those Hawthorne monstrosities finished. I think they are the biggest socks I've ever knit. They just kept growing so that I could make the stripes make sense. My travel socks are looking a bit better now. They started out pretty drab.

And finally, I've got mail. I was running out of that red chunky Brava for a hat I'm working on and when I went to order more Knit Picks had a big sale going on. Some Static jumped into my cart along with some cotton amigurumi mini balls that I'm going to use for needle punching. It's always a good day when yarn arrives and I'm expecting quite a bit at the moment.

TNT: Size Matters

 

I'm really struggling with the last bit of Patchwork Automne. I have to wear two pairs of reading glasses on top of each other and sit under my brightest work lamp but it's still hard to see what I'm doing. I'm sad to say that I may have to be ending my cross stitch journey in the near future.

I pulled out a needlepoint project to make myself feel better about it but the wool was too itchy for my still a bit rashy arms. Big needles, big yarn. It probably has to be the way to go in the future.

This one has even bigger needles and bigger yarn. I've had no problem working on it other than trying to figure out what color goes where.  I've learned to wing it. 

Hand quilting, which uses the teeniest tiniest needle of all, doesn't seem to be a problem. I'm very grateful for that because I still have a long way to go.

Trial and Error

 

I haven't been in the sewing room in ages thanks to being itchy and scratchy but yesterday I felt normal enough to get back to work on the Butter Churn top. 

I finished up the last three Butter Churn blocks and was hoping to show them off all attached to the center panel but noooo.....I sewed one side on and then realized I had it in the wrong place and had to rip it out. That was a sign to go do something else for the rest of the afternoon.

That would be this. I had to unweave it once already last week and line the threads up again after I had skipped one of the slots in the reed but it looks like I've got it right this time. 

I'm in no rush to get that finished because look at what's coming next. That Mozart towel uses the thinnest yarn I've ever worked with and it's scaring me to death. This is a disaster in the making for sure but it won't stop me from giving it my best shot. The worst I can do is toss it in the trash. It wouldn't be the first time.

Old Tom

 

My rash is still visible but in retreat I'm happy to say. I dug out Old Tom Turkey not to work on but for Thanksgiving decor. I'm not putting my healing wrists anywhere near dusty wool and old burlap. I could easily finish him this year but I'll make a point of doing that next year when hopefully my outer layer is intact. Gobble, gobble.