Wrap it up

Neckdown Wrap Cardi is completed...and a bit fitted. This yarn droops a lot, so I made it a bit snug to compensate. Hope I like it in the long run. I still have 8 oz of this Cotton Fleece, maybe for a baby sweater?
I also completed my Northern Lights shawl (Revontuli-huivi from ulla) in Kauni (US 9, 170g). It turned out great. It is not merino wool, but it was very lanolin-y while knitting it. I love the colors (EL): black, blue, purple. Now I need a shawl pin; shawls are tricky to wear without one I think.

I also cranked out a pair of Cascade 220 felted mittens (Fiber Trends Snow Country pttn). Love the pattern and the mittens are really wearable and keep my hands warm while shoveling, playing, etc.

I finished up the Skippyjon Jones socks in Socks that Rock Lightweight. Skippyjon is a Siamese cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua dog. My nearly 4 year old loves the books, so we celebrated the sock finishing with the purchase of the toy/book set from Borders....where I am going to see the Yarn Harlot tonight!!!! Yippee!!!

I went to get my wrist band for the book signing this morning and got there at 10:05 am. I am a goof. Anyway, I didn't want to have to wait around so long after. I spotted other knitters in the parking lot, in the kids' section (sporting Birks and handknit socks), etc. I bought the new book too, but am going to read that after. Trying to spread the fun out a bit.

Slacker and Stash Reducer

Things have finally settled down here and I realized I haven't written anything in quite a few weeks. Bad blogger! Lots of family stuff, holidays, traveling, furnishing/decorating a guest room, etc are the culprit. Plus, we've had a few warm days so I have gotten into my garden which is exciting. Crocuses are blooming and lots of other bulbs are on the way.

In the knitting category, I've been slogging along. I made great progress on my wrap cardigan in Cotton Fleece. The body is done, but I'm not looking forward to miles of i-cord for the ties, so I'm going to do something else for a while. I was about to do the sleeves when I realized that my wrists were hurting a lot from the cotton, so I need to take a break to heal up.

These modified Hedgerow Socks from Knitters Review, are my in between project. Nearly done (one toe to go). First time using Kroy. It is a color I wanted, but not too springy so I'm not loving it. I'm sure they will wear well. I have black also which I'd like to make Monkeys with.

I whipped out a knitted basket which was lots of felted fun. I realize that I need a good dose of felting every now and again to give me that instant gratification I crave when working on a long term project like a sweater. The yarn is recycled from a vest I made in 2000 using some rainbow colored Lang Polar bulky yarn. It was out of date to say the least, so this is a good re-purposing. My boys use it to store toys in. Less plastic boxes for storage seems like a good idea-especially being so close to Earth Day.

I also have realized that I need to do more knitting from my stash. I don't have a huge one to say the least, but all of the small amounts and single skeins are annoying. So I'm going to knit it up until it is gone/reduced. How long can I last before adding more? Not sure. I just bought some great Kauni Effects in a blue/black combo. That will be it for a while. I'm hoping to make it to June 1st. That would be a good break from purchasing. I think that if I have too many projects in my stash, then if I buy more yarn, it will be forever before I can knit what I want. Then, once I can knit the cool "new" stuff, I will see more "even cooler newer" stuff and never be on top of things. Plus, I'd like to go to Stitches this August and yarn shop this fall when I visit my sister...with a clear conscience. No mountain of stash at home to make me feel guilty. Hopefully that is a good plan and I can stick to it.