Plodding Along

I am slowly plodding along on my second legwarmer. My hope is to have a nice marathon knitting session this weekend and get most of it done, but I have a few other design projects cooking right now, so we'll see how much I'll get to.

My second tap dance class was last night, and I'm enjoying being in dance so far. I always wanted dance lessons, but I made do for years with the dancing I had to learn for musicals. It's great to be able to really dig in and learn more, and it's great to not have my tap shoes languishing in my closet, waiting for the next musical with a tap number!

I hope you all have a good weekend! I have some exciting non-knitting news that I'll be able to share on Monday, so I'll see you all then!

Legwarming 2: Electric Boogaloo

Despite all the knitting time I had at NCFF, I pretty much only knit on a new sweater I started last Wednesday. (I did also manage to finish the first sleeve and second sleeve cap on Finn, but sleeves are dumb and shiny new sweaters are not.) I brought my legwarmers with the intention of working on them, but they stayed resolutely tucked away in my knitting bag until after I got home.

I've finally finished the first legwarmer, and I'm very pleased with it. I really can't wait for it to cool down and be legwarmer season again, and this yellow is such a mood-lifter. I'm hoping the second one doesn't take me two weeks to knit, but I think I might be coming down with a case of startitis, so we'll have to see how the rest of the week goes.

NCFF 2018

Fiber Fair was SO MUCH FUN. I love seeing all my friends there—my fiber fair friends are some of my favorite people, and we only see each other once a year, and it's always like no time has passed at all. Alas, I did not win the spinning wheel raffle this year (next year will be MY YEAR though!), but I got some new yarn from Heather for a new sweater design and a couple of hat patterns that I'm excited to start working on.

This year there were four alpacas and three goats in the barn (there were lambs for a little while, for shearing demonstrations, but I missed them). The alpacas wanted nothing to do with me, but this brown goat was a little cuddle bug and wanted tons of head scritches, which I happily provided.

NCFF Planning

This weekend is NCFF, so I'm trying to plan what knitting to bring. I'll be working at the Info Desk for most of the weekend, and the fiber circle stays open until late every night, which means I'll have tons of knitting time and will definitely need a variety of projects.

As far as WIPs go, I'm definitely bringing Finn, my legwarmers, and Mottled Daydream. For new projects, I definitely want to bring Suloinen, Breony, and Olympic Boulevard. It's very tempting to bring along yarn for a new sweater project as well. Six projects is probably enough for three days, but I definitely don't want to get caught without something to work on, so I'll probably bring the new sweater yarn and leave it in the car, just in case.

Or, instead of a new sweater, I could dig out my Henri and my Guernsey Wrap from the WIP closet and work on those as well. They've both been languishing for a while, and it'd be good to get them finished.

Ack! See! Choosing projects to bring along is so hard! I just want to bring EVERYTHING, but I don't want to carry around fifty pounds of WIPs all weekend!

My Birthday Sale is still going on through Friday! Use code HB28 to get 28% off all my patterns and collections on Ravelry!

Progressing

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a great day. I made a carrot cake, my mum made me enchiladas, we rewatched one of my favorite episodes of Midsomer Murders, and Mystic got to snuggle on my lap for almost six hours. It was a good day.

I didn't get much knitting done this weekend. The first of my yellow legwarmers is still a few inches from being finished, and I have about five or so inches left on the first sleeve of Finn. I'm starting to think I may not get it finished by the end of the KAL, but hopefully I can find some knitting mojo and power through it the next few nights.

My Birthday Sale is still going on! Use code HB28 to get 28% off all my patterns and collections on Ravelry through Friday!

Linking up with Crafting On

Half a Legwarmer and Birthday Planning

I am very distracted today because my BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEKEND, and it is the absolute BEST day of the year and I am VERY EXCITED.

On the knitting front, I'm about at the halfway point on the first of my new legwarmers. I'm totally charmed by these, and I already can't wait to wear them with my chambray dresses. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going. On the sweater front, last night I managed to wind the last skein I'll need for Finn, and the first sleeve has just one more decrease and a few inches left. In a perfect world, I'll get it all banged out tonight.

No real big plans for the weekend, aside from enjoying my birthday on Sunday. I might make my birthday cake tomorrow, then on Sunday I'll just have to make frosting and help my mum make my Birthday Enchiladas, but nothing's really written in stone. It's my birthday weekend, I can make it up as I go along.

Remember that my Birthday Sale is going on through September 14th! Use code HB28 to get 28% off all my patterns and collections on Ravelry!

Something Gold

I'm making pretty good progress on my Finn - I'm halfway through the first sleeve, and while I have to wind some more yarn, which I wasn't expecting, I definitely think I can handle knitting a sleeve and a half in the ten days left in the Summer Sweater KAL. Finn's been sitting by my "knitting chair," and I've been taking time to work on it every evening, but it's definitely gotten a bit unwieldy to carry around everywhere.

I've been putting off casting on new things, in an effort to finish some of my older WIPs, but last night I had a craving for leg warmers, and before I knew it, I'd done a little bit of math and cast on. I've loved wearing legwarmers since I was a kid, and I got tons of use out of McKee at the tail end of last winter and well into spring, but I want something bright and cheerful as well, and this yellow seemed perfect.

Remember that my Birthday Sale is still going on! Use code HB28 to get 28% off all my patterns and collections on Ravelry through Friday, September 14th!

New Pattern: Old Harry

Old Harry is worked seamlessly from the top down. The upper back is knit first, then placed on hold while stitches are picked up at the shoulders to knit the front. The body is joined at the underarms and knit in the round with waist shaping. Sleeve stitches are picked up from the body and sleeve caps are shaped using short rows.

Featuring a slightly cropped body and bracelet-length sleeves, Old Harry has a ribbed yoke and sleeve caps to provide textural interest and an opportunity for color blocking, and the pullover is finished with an i-cord collar.

Check out Old Harry on Ravelry! 

ALSO, it's time for my annual Birthday Sale, so all my patterns and collections are 28% off with code HB28 through Friday, September 14th!

Sweaters and New Things

I managed to get totally caught up on pattern writing over the weekend, and I'm almost finished with the body of my orange Finn! I just started the garter stitch hem last night, but after knitting almost four inches earlier in the day I was just too pooped to keep going. I'm hoping to finish it today, and to pick up the first button band, but we'll see what I have time for. I have to move some things around in my apartment tonight so my friends can help get get my piano moved in from my parent's house on Tuesday, but that shouldn't take too long.

This weekend I also managed to try some new things! I made tuna onigiri for the first time, and I also cooked a spaghetti squash on my own for the first time! I was expecting the onigiri to be more difficult than it was, since I don't have a mold for it, but it turns out keeping your hands wet makes everything go smoothly. I almost cut myself a couple times while cutting the spaghetti squash, but fortunately I made it through the experience unscathed.

Linking up with Crafting On

Weekending

Happy Friday! I'm definitely ready for the weekend. I have two patterns that I'm hoping to finish writing and send off to my tech editor, so I've already set aside Saturday as pattern-writing day. Sunday afternoon one of my friends is getting ordained, so that's a big chunk of that day set aside as well. In between all that, I'm hoping to get some nice quiet sitting and knitting time fit in.

My Finn is coming along nicely. I have a few more rows left on the body, and then I'll need to find a smaller needle to do the hem, collar, and button bands. The sleeves felt like they took forever when I knit the sample, and I'm hoping they'll go a lot more quickly this time around. The Summer Sweater KAL has three more weeks in it, though, so I should be able to finish in plenty of time.

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?