Happy days are here again

Sorry for the break! February chewed me up and spit me out. My surgery is over, and while it ended up being more of an ordeal than anticipated, I’m starting to feel a lot better. So much time recovering at home means I have a ton to tell you about!

What’s on the needles

Hitchhiker, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight Rare Gem

Hitchhiker: Years ago (I’m talking 2008), I acquired one of the most gorgeous skeins of yarn I’ve ever seen in a destash. And I’ve been hoarding it ever since, because it is a Rare Gem, meaning there will never be another one like it. So the project had to be perfect.

It was way, way too pretty for socks, and too variegated for most shawls. I think when historians look back on this time of my life they will call it my garter stitch shawl period because that? Is all I want to knit. I was trying to decide what yarn I wanted to use to for Hitchhiker, and I realized this is the project my beloved yarn has been waiting for.

There is no way a photograph will ever do this color justice. It is deep greens and deep purples, with lighter shades of both colors and a little bit of pink, and some small areas of blueish purple that absolutely glow. I cannot wait until this shawl is done. I am going to wear it all the time.

Guernsey Wrap: No progress.

The Woodland Sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Woodland Sampler: My first crafty love was cross stitch, and every time I start a new project I wonder why I don’t do it more often. I’m hoping I can find time for both knitting and cross stitch from now on because there are so many cute patterns I want to make (more on that later!).

The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery put together a year-long woodland themed sampler I’ve started working on. It began in January, and they release a new design each month. Instead of jumping straight into the fun part, I’m stitching all the borders first. It’s slow going since knitting takes up the majority of my craft time, but I’m halfway done with the outlines. The three designs that have been released so far are so cute. I can’t wait to share them with you!

What’s off the needles

Garter rib toe up socks (pattern is my own), Madelinetosh Sock in Tern

Socks for the Scientist: They are finally finished! I cannot believe it took me an entire year to knit one pair of socks. That? Is really pathetic. The first sock was well traveled; I think it went with me to six states, seven if you count all the places I dragged it to in Texas. The second sock helped keep me calm while I was at the hospital, both before my surgery and after.

Achievement unlocked: knitting in a hospital bed.

Color Affection, MadelineTosh Merino Light in Antler, Candlewick, and Tern

Color Affection: You guys never even got to see a WIP picture of this! I cast on after my last blog post, and finished it a week ago. I bought this yarn last fall, and it was supposed to be for a different project, but when I opened the box and saw them together I knew they were meant for something else.

Unsurprisingly, given my love of garter stitch, I really loved knitting this project. The section where you’re striping all three colors got a little long, but the edging moved much faster than I anticipated. I can definitely see myself knitting another one of these. I might already be thinking up color combinations.

Thorn: I love this pattern. I love this yarn. But I do not love them together. I want something that gives a little more stitch definition. This isn’t goodbye for this project, just I’ll see you later. I have a different yarn in my stash that I think will give me what I’m looking for.

Cashmere blend, baby. Can’t go wrong with that.

Herbivore: I was going to start working on this again, but once I picked it up again my heart wasn’t in it. So I frogged it and will use the yarn for something else. I may start this project again at some point, but if I do I would choose a yarn that’s a little heavier. Wollmeise is on the light fingering weight side, and I would prefer a heavy fingering weight yarn, like Dream in Color Smooshy or BMFA STR Mediumweight.

Cowl project: I got about ⅔ of the way through this, and was really pleased with how it was turning out, before I realized it wasn’t going to be as long as I wanted it to be. So I ripped it out and haven’t cast on again because there are not enough hours in the day for all the things I want to knit.

Shawl project: You would think this is a lesson I would have learned by now, but apparently it hasn’t quite sunk in: Kate, no matter how much you’re itching to cast on, do not, and I mean DO NOT, start a design without a concrete plan. You’re a lovely girl, but winging it does not work for you.

Current obsessions

Ravelry has spoiled me. It took me from being someone who occasionally knit to someone who never puts down the needles because through it I discovered so many amazing designers, yarns, and patterns. Now I’m wishing there was something similar for cross stitch.

Cross stitch has not had the same robust crafty rebirth that knitting has, and while there are several places where you can get cute patterns, most of what is out there is not my taste. If I was able to have a cross stitch project queue like the one I have for knitting on Ravelry, it would look something like this:

Winter Wonderland Countdown and the Springtime Sampler

More cuteness from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery! They came out with a winter sampler last December – sort of an advent calendar – and they decided to do another one for spring (they said on Facebook that there is a summer and a fall sampler in the works too!). I love their sweet designs, and I can’t wait to start on both of these as soon as I’m all caught up with their Woodland Sampler.

Winterwoods ABCs Sampler by Alicia Paulson

Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy made my Multnomah Shawl last year, and I’m excited to return the crafty love by making her Winterwoods ABCs Sampler. It’s so cute!

The Butterfly Collector by Andwabisabi

We have a Butterfly center at my work where you can hang out in a giant glass tropical paradise, surrounded by thousands of butterflies. I very rarely have the chance to visit, but when I do I love to sit and look at all the different types, ranging from Rice Papers to Blue Morphos. I would much rather stitch my own butterfly collection than harm real ones!

Twisted Fiber Arts Arial Evolutions in Antique Shop and Sundara Sock in Mint over Toffee

Can I obsess about a project I’m already knitting? I am probably going to cast on two more Hitchhikers in the next couple days – one in Sundara sock in Mint over Toffee and the other in Twisted Fiber Arts Arial Evolutions in Antique Shop – and I have a hard time believing I’m going to stop when I’m done with those two.