Rules for Feeding the Stash

Friday, September 28, 2018

Sweaters and Slow Progress


It has been quite a week, and I am more than ready to have a couple days to just hide and recharge. The progress on Finn is still slow, and it looks largely the same, so no photo today. Instead, here's my Cormac, which I started almost two and a half years ago and recently pulled out of hibernation. Finn is more than a little unwieldy to carry around and work on from my purse right now, but Cormac is perfect.

September ended up being a bit of a weird month for me. In between NCFF and waiting for my story and poem to come out, I didn't get very much pattern writing done, so now I'm a bit behind. I'd love to catch up this weekend- I have three samples currently ready, and one of the patterns has been written for weeks and I just haven't sent it to my tech editor yet!

This week I've been working through AHS: Freak Show, which has been a great season so far. I've got four more episodes left, so hopefully I'll be able to make some real progress on Finn's second sleeve while I finish it up. It's finally starting to feel like fall here, and I've been craving homemade bread like crazy, so hopefully I'll manage to fit some baking in this weekend as well.

Monday, September 24, 2018

Back to Sleeves and Some Exciting News


And it is Monday, again. I hope you all had a good, refreshing weekend. I managed to finish my legwarmers, and I can't wait to be able to wear them. I'm hoping to get the pattern written up this week, and then send it and another pattern I have waiting to my TE this weekend. Since the legwarmers are done now, I decided to turn my attention back to Finn. I managed to finish the first sleeve and the second sleeve cap while at NCFF, but it's been sitting in a bag since then, and I really want to get it finished since sweater weather is finally arriving.

In non-knitting news, I've finally had some writing published! My story, "The Lady In the Lake," is included in Subatomic and other stories by and about bisexuals, which is a free ebook available in kobo, mobi, and epub formats. I'm very proud of this story, and it's so exciting to be included in this collection.

I also have a poem in the new issue of Liminality! I wrote Athenadora earlier this year, and I'm so glad it found a home here. Liminality #17 is full of great poems, so I definitely encourage reading the whole issue!

Linking up with Crafting On

Friday, September 21, 2018

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!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

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.

Monday, September 17, 2018

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.


Wednesday, September 12, 2018

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!


Monday, September 10, 2018

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.

Friday, September 7, 2018

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!

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

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!

Monday, September 3, 2018

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.


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!