Socktoberfest Wrapup!

Well the end of October is looming (must start and finish the boys costumes!) and it was my first "Socktoberfest" which I eased into by participating in The Through Loops KAL (old news if you've been reading) but! I finished them! Pretty in love with them though I am suspecting that I could have gone down a size. This was a very stretchy pattern. My first time doing any sort of "cool" heel and toe and overall thought it was a great experience, here's my pics....

Also I am working on a pattern, it involves this yarn that I just finished dyeing and I am hoping it will debut with my other samples in the Phat Fiber November box, so just a little taste :)


I am on a sock roll and will be starting my next pair as soon as I hit "Publish".

Fall

So these past few weeks have been a pretty true fall for Anchorage. Pretty impressive as we usually have (at least what seems like) two seasons - summer and winter. With the new place comes a fantastically huge yard. Not so fantastically there are lots of leaves. John probably spent a good 14-18 hours cleaning up the yard and getting it ready for winter, ending with a cold drizzle that brought him in cold and hungry. He thoughtfully took a picture of the bags. This was even after I asked him to cover the garden area with a good layer of leaves. Though I will add that probably half of the bags are from previous years of leaves, grass clippings, and miscellaneous wood scraps that had turned into a not good gooey mess in one untended corner of the yard. John is guessing that there are around 45 bags or so....


A more enjoyable fall activity has been carving pumpkins! Corbin is now the age that he is "getting" more of this seasonally oriented activity and has been getting super excited about everything. He got to help Daddy get all the "guts" of the pumpkin out and kept telling me how yucky and dirty it was. He loved it!Also I finished the 4th clue for the TTL KAL. So happy with these socks!! I almost just finished the toes, but then thought she might have some surprise that I would miss out on. So I'm thinking that tomorrow night I should have a newly finished pair of socks...not the greatest pic but you get the idea :)

A common and beloved sight.

I totally meant to put this in my last post but completely spaced it!

This is very often the scene around 9:30am on John's days off. He's employed as an EMT-3 for a local Ambulance service in Anchorage and works a rather odd schedule. It is what's called a "Modified Kelly Schedule" (not that I have any idea where that name came from!) and he basically works on a 9 day work week, actually working 3-24 hour shifts in that time. He rides his bike to and from work and so as he gets off at 9am, he is typically home between 9:30am and 10am. Of course my boys literally squeal with delight when they hear the door open and Daddy walks in. He is a fantastic Dad and I just had to share this pic of him with my boys

well I know it's not fiber related, but I thought it was pretty sweet :)

Knitting, Knitting, and Knitting!

I am loving the cooler weather and I am just so wanting to be wrapped up in cozy hand knits all winter long! I am surprised that we haven't had snow in town yet. In fact it scares me a little. I feel like the weather is lulling me into complacency and then *BAM* it's going to come out of nowhere with a blizzard that will leave several feet on the ground! I just keep hoping that it's going to ease in gently.....

I started and finished a hat! It is one of those "slouchy" hats (Jane by Jane Richmond - ) as I thought my Sis's bangs and hair in general would work great with it! I gifted it to her last night at her birthday party we threw for her. She loved it and commented that it will be nice to have a hat that will keep her warm and not mess up her bangs! This pattern was awesome. It felt so good on the head with the doubled brim and slouchiness. I will be casting on one for myself as soon as I finish my minimalist cardi and TTL socks. Here's some pics of me in the hat.Also I have been on the look out for podcasts. I keep reading about much people love them but I had really poor luck in finding any that I liked. Especially now that we don't have a tv, I am always on the lookout for other ways to entertain myself while knitting. Thankfully I did happen across Never Not Knitting. I don't know how I had missed it before now but I LOVE it! I have now downloaded all of her podcasts and am catching up. Plus her blog itself is great. So leave a comment if you have any other podcasts. They don't have to be fiber related (though I would love any more of those), though I don't find myself enjoying political stuff. A little to heavy for knitting right now.

Another little update in the shop, my sale is still on - just mention my blog for a 15% refund!

Picking up where I left off and a SALE!

Well due to moving and getting organized I have had UFO staring me in the face! So when I was thinking how nice it would be to reduce their number, I realized that I was pretty close to finishing several of them! So with about 2.5 evenings of minimal knitting I finished my November Ruffle Wrap. I had cast this on in February so it felt pretty good to get off the needles. It is smaller than intended (which I knew it would be) but is still a pretty good "wrap" size at 16" X 52".

Now I have picked back up my Minimalist Cardigan. I already have the back and one sleeve done, and am now 2/3 through the second sleeve after casting it on yesterday afternoon. I think I am going to overdye this when it's all knitted as there are just a few "bright" spots.

I did finally finish the Jeanne shawl I was working on! This was using Funky Carolina's 2 ply Superwash Fingering Yarn in a beautiful deep wine color. I packaged it up and mailed it today. The first picture is too bright color wise, the second is more accurate.

Lastly I did a larger update in the shop! Here is a pic of the latest stuff that went up. I have more yarns and roving steaming, and a shipment due tomorrow or so. So keep watch! My latest additions included a wonderful new base that is amazing! It is a 70/20/10 Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere blend and needs to be felt to be believed!! In honor of the "knitting or crocheting season" I am offering 15% rebate! Just mention my blog and I will send your 15% off back to ya!

Roving and handspun, and hankies oh my!

Just a collage of what is now up in the shop! Go have a look!

Chickadee

So after finishing the second clue I feeling like casting on something new. I had been eyeing the chickadee cowl for awhile and have been wanting to do linen stitch so it was a perfect match. So a day, some bargain yarn, and a whole lotta linen stitch later....voila! (though excuse my serious face, I was concentrating on not dropping my camera lol) One Christmas present down! (Though I am seeing one of these in my keeper pile for the future! The fit and weight of it felt GREAT!)

Chugging along!

Just a quick post of pics from my Socktoberfest knit a long. I just finished the second clue for both socks! I think I may have been able to do the smaller size, but they still fit nicely. Unfortunately this colorway is proving difficult to photograph as they are actually purple not black, and let variegated in person as well. So as with many things they look even better in real life! Can't wait to be wearing these!

Can you feel the Love

Went to The Lion King last night. It was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. I had not thought that we were going to be able to attend - but then SURPRISE! My parents bought us tickets!!! Included in the gift was watching the kids so John and I were able to get away for a wonderful evening together. I think it was our first date in about 2+ months....we usually try for more often than that! John and I always enjoy getting to attend events at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts as that is where we met and worked together for 3+ years. So definitely a great date spot :) Here is a pic of us about to leave (I find that we never seem to get pics together anymore, must be something about the camera always being pointed at the kids or fiber ;)Also I finished the second cuff of for the TTL Mystery Knit A long. I am thoroughly enjoying it and can't wait until tomorrow for the next clue to come out! I had brought it with me last night and had the opportunity to explain it to the lady sitting next to me.....she did ask first ;P


That's all for now! I have quite a bit of roving, silk hankies, and handspun which will be making their way into the shop in the next couple days. Part of the "to-do's" for today include a photo-op....

Before and After

Whew! This week has flown! Lots got done and was probably one of the most satisfying weeks I have had in awhile! All the sewing and knitting has had some nicely tangible results and that always leaves me in a good mood! So I thought I would share some before and afters of my living area. It still seems a little bare (it needs a rug and boy do I have big plans for that!) but it is coming along nicely - a big improvement from moving day if I do say so myself.

Before

After

I also am doing the Through the Loops Socktober Fest Mystery Knit A Long. I have never done a knit a long, much less a mystery pattern! So far it is proving most exciting and I already have my first sock through the first clue and the second sock about 25% through. Already looking forward to next Thursday! Here is my picture of the progress. The yarn is Pigeonroof Studios Original Sock Yarn in her Mourning Dove colorway. My lighting was terrible (flourescent - bleh!) so I apologize and will post better pics soon!