Hello Fall and Holiday Crafting!

I love this time of year. Fall is my favorite season followed closely by spring. The seasons of transition are so marvelous. As a kid, I loved raking the leaves into a pile and playing until I had to put the leaves into the special giant paper bag. Growing up in the Midwest usually meant the leaves were dry. Here in Portland the rainy weather can limit the fun quickly. Slippery, squishy, wet leaves do not make for the same fun and the build up of leaves in the storm drains can lead to some short term flooding. For kids the flooding can be fun, but for the rest of us there is more concern than joy.

This time of year brings my most favorite edition of Interweave Knits...drum roll, please...the Holiday Edition. I was taking a peek at the magazine stand yesterday and was so pleased to see it. Before even looking in the magazine I said to myself, "it's mine." I used it as a carrot to get a few more things done at home and for a moment my apartment looked so clean (kids were out so it lasted a few hours). Then, I sat in my cozy chair and pored over the pages. Each year the styling and focus is a bit different and editors have changed since I originally started eyeing this magazine in 2009.

The magazine is filled with accessories and the "Modern Scandinavian" knits are fabulous. There are four lovely stuffies that different folks in my family are eyeing. It brought to mind the yeti from last year's magazine and I really want to find it so that I can make that specific stuffy. After looking through my magazines I found 2009 - 2012, 2015, 2016, and now 2018. I purchased the 2014 copy via the digital version. It's possible I never bought 2013. However, where is 2017? I laugh that I can't find it. Should I buy the digital edition? I would never lose the digital edition, but I hate paying for the magazine twice. Much to ponder. Here is the Yeti for Bed (Interweave's image from Ravelry):

This is typically the kickoff to the heart of gift making season. I've finished the pumpkin doily and I'm halfway through the ghost doily for my mother-in-law. I've made a good start on Gilly's birthday present and I found a hat pattern in the holiday magazine to coordinate with it (possibly for Christmas or my nephew's birthday). I was thinking of sizing it down for their kiddo too. The pattern uses the same weight yarn and would look lovely in the muted teal I'm using. I was think the pom pom in each person's favorite color would be lovely instead of  using the same yarn.

Here is lovely double sided lace of Gilly's birthday present (spoiler alert):









I've decided that in addition to the Stephen West MKAL that I want to make a cropped sweater for myself during the Nurtured KAL. It's the most recent pattern that Andrea Mowry of Drea Renea Knits has put out and I have just enough yarn of various colors. I'm debating which one to use and how long to make the body. I have so many blue greens and teal like colors. I was thinking of a spunky yellow too.

I'm excited to get through the tax deadline and enjoy the trip to my cousin's wedding and then (of course) Halloween. With year end tax planning and the kids being busy, 2018 will end rather quickly. I'm thinking that knitting a stuffy for each kid including my nephew would be lovely. Ethan said he wanted the musk ox and french bulldog (I'm still thinking the yeti would be cooler), Jeffrey wants a raccoon, the french bulldog would be great for my nephew and my mother-in-law. There is a sweater I started for my sister-in-law that I hope to finish too (the back is getting close to completion). I should probably get back to knitting/crocheting!

We had a great group last week at Tigo Knitting. I'm expecting a very light crew today. My younger son will be joining me, so we'll see how long I can last.

Happy crafting and hope you all enjoy the first days of October.

Speed Crafting :)

For almost two months I worked on the lovely Midnight Maths Shawl. This test ended up being more daunting than I had expected. The pattern is written well and I was able to keep up until the very end. This is Fiery Phoenix's design. Not only does Babs design beautiful patterns, but she also like to help you to learn the skills too. Here are some pictures of the finished shawl.

I'm not sure when it will be released. It was very fun to knit and she created both written and charted instructions. Lace and charts are such a wonderful thing for my accountant style brain.

Now that the test is over I'm jumping into birthday projects for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Both of their birthdays are in October. Next is my cousin's wedding at the end of October...then my nephew's birthday, my younger son...then Christmas! This has been quite the year. I crocheted a lovely doily for my mother-in-law and I'm working on a little something for Gilly (my sister-in-law). I posted a little while ago about the awesome Halloween themed doilies. A couple of Dias de los Muertos doilies would be wonderful...and a Frankenstein for my mother-in-law too. I won't have time for all of that but having ideas can be useful down the road.

In all of the fun holiday knitting/crocheting I'm excited for Stephen West's next mystery along. It begins on October 5 and should be quite intriguing:  Texture Time. Although I don't always share Stephen's aesthetic, I love to follow his work. The designs, photos, and fun are beautiful. I always feel like Stephen puts art, not simply knitting into the world. MKALs are not for everyone and you sometimes get partway through it and realize it's not for you. The adventure is really the best part. Here is my initial idea for colors.

I'd be using a heavy fingering weight yarn, closer to a dk weight. The colors remind me of sunset.

There is also a KAL that I only have one more week to complete. I'm not through my first Angel's Flight sock, but I'm making good progress. The colors are so fun...why not try to finish them in time? Check out Jessie's designs.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

Designing a Sweater...Yes, I want to do this.

We're leaning towards sweater season and I want to design my own. A top down yoked seamless sweater. Some color work and a bit of lace. These were my initial thoughts.

In regards to #handmadewardrobe I'm hoping to start designing a fun and funky group of patterns with a Portland theme. Can I over the next twelve months design (in no particular order) design...

1) Sweater,
2) Cardigan,
3) Cowl,
4) Bandanna cowl,
5) Socks,
6) Scarf,
7) Throw,
8) Hat, and
9) Bag?

You'll notice that a shawl is not on the list, but that could easily be done with the modification of the bandanna cowl. While working on my current test for another designer (less than 150 stitches to cast off as of this current moment), I started drafting a stitch pattern for the cowls, which I'm hoping can be used in other patterns in this group as well. I'm hoping to have both knit and crochet designs and I'm super excited to get those patterns moving. Anyone interested in testing some color work knitting? I was thinking about trying Yarnpond and there are a few interested testers in my pool already.

Here is an early image of the test I'm trying to complete :).

Back to the test and I hope to have lots to share next weekend. Happy crafting.

Thank You for More than 4,000 Views!!!

Thank you for all the views!!! I'm hopeful to have 5,000 views by the two year mark and we're at 18 months, so it's not a crazy goal.

I took last week off (first time ever) and I'm only posting briefly today. The knit shawl I'm testing is due this week and it's not looking like I'll make the deadline. With work deadlines and family obligations, I'm afraid I won't make it. The other knitter doing the fancy edging is in the same boat.

Surprisingly, I'm in Seattle as I type up this post. We were able to get cheap last minute college football tickets and a hotel room near the University of Washington. Being back on campus brings back so many memories. I'm wearing my first bit of Husky gear that I bought about 15 years ago. Attending UW was my biggest adventure and I still can't believe the blind confidence I had that I could do it.

My husband and I met in the Husky Marching band when I was a junior. We walked through the little outdoor theater with the iconic four columns where we were married over 11 years ago. UW was simply the start to my big adventure. We miss Seattle so much.

Have a happy crafty week.