Stash Flashing

We’ve been playing a little game of flash your stash this week over on the Stash blog.  Come check it out!

Sock Yarn Stash Before

I took my whole stash out and got it refreshed, reorganized and feel reinspired to knit some projects! Have you done any spring cleaning of your stash?

This Moment:: Sick Week

Inspired by Soule Mama: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

FO:: Dancette

Behind the scenes at Peaceful House, things have been a bit rough.  Toddlerhood has brought its joys and challenges, the most long-running issue being that of sleep and extremely early morning wakeups.  As in 4-5 am early.  For months.  I’m certain we’ve tried every remedy short of locking PB in her room and going to a hotel for the night (joking, sort of). We just made a You Stayed in Bed Until The Toddler Clock Turned Green Chart*.  Stickers hold great power in this house!

• Pattern: Dancette by Irish Girlie Knits
• Yarn: Sweet Georgia Cashluxe Fine in Riptide and Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two Sock in Ghost Orchid
• Mods: Went up a needles size for bind off and preceding row.  Ravelry notes here.

All of this is to say that I can only really handle the most basic of knitting tricks right now.  I’m getting my kicks from fiber content and color combinations rather than complicated charts and fancy stitch patterns.  To that end, I recently finished such a fun shawl!

This was something I cast on as part of our Stash Spring knit-along.  It’s made up of some of the most decadent yarn I’ve knit with: merino and cashmere.  Need I say more?  This was a relatively quick knit, considering I was working on other projects at the same time. Something about that cashmere and stripe sequence just made me want to keep knitting on it all the time. It turned out to be a generous size, which is good for wrapping up chilly shoulders or for bunching up around the next on cold spring mornings.  Either way, it’s nice to have around. I had plenty of yarn leftover, so you will likely be seeing these colors again sometimes.  My stash of leftover sock yarn is beginning to rival my new sock yarn stash!

*We’re starting with a 5:30 am green light and hope to gradually move it to 6am.  Sadly, that would feel like sleeping in at this point!

**No, I didn’t knit my sweater. It’s from The Loft. : )

FO:: Goodale

• Pattern: Goodale by Cecily Glowick MacDonald
• Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios Cassiopeia DK in Celadon
• Mods: I knit this about 3 inches longer than the pattern suggests.  Ravelry notes here.

I don’t know what happened here, but I excitedly finished and started wearing this little cardigan about 3 weeks ago and promptly forgot to blog about it.  That’s life, for you: sometimes it seems to move so slowly and we’re able to take in every moment, other times it’s Monday and you could swear it was just the weekend.  Wasn’t it, though?

This was a very nice pattern to knit.  I’ve often admired Cecily Glowick MacDonald’s designs, but haven’t been able to get to as many as I would have liked.  Goodale is the perfect project when you want to knit a simple yet interesting small sweater.  For the most part it’s made up of swathes of soothing stockinette, and yet there’s just enough going on with the attached icord edging and increases to keep you paying attention.  There is a fair bit of finishing at the end when you have to fold over and attach pockets, knit an icord closure, and pick up stitches around the neck, but those are the very details that make this top so special.  Well worth it.

Also worth it is this sumptuous yarn from Pigeonroof Studios.  Cashmere.  Silk. Merino.  All good things to knit with, and I swear cashmere blends knit faster than anything else!

Immediately after finishing this, I started stalking other cardigan patterns by CGM (as I lovingly refer to her).  The top contender right now is Tidal, coincidentally also knit in Cassiopeia DK!  I may try making a substitution from my personal stash, but there is also a lovely dusky purple in said yarn just sitting in a cubby at Stash, waiting for a good home…

What patterns/designers are you stalking this week?

This Moment:: On the Run

Inspired by Soule Mama : {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

I’m Free!

Free at last from the tug of a long-languishing unfinished object.

• Pattern: Haleakala Socks by Cookie A. from the 2011 Sock Club
• Yarn: String Theory Caper Sock in Solas
• Mods: One sock is inadvertently 1/2 an inch longer than the other.  Ravelry notes here.

These were fun to knit and the yarn was glorious. As usual, I wonder what took me so long.  I suspect the culprit was the set-up at the gusset/instep; it tripped me up each time, and both socks took a long time out.

And now the question I always ponder in those last couple inches of a project: what to knit next?

I also just finished The Wierd Sisters last night, which means it’s game on for Catching Fire!  The end and beginning of some projects are just so sweet, aren’t they?

Yarn Along:: Chickens + Stripes

From Yarn Along with Ginny: ~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs.  I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? 

This week I’m enjoying a beautiful new book that I received for my birthday. Written by a former restaurant chef cum suburban chicken herder,Chicken and Egg strikes the perfect balance between coopy rusticity and elegant food porn. This book instantly had me salivating over its delicious looking recipes and chicken-raising tales alike.

It even made me go out and buy a whole chicken to roast, something I haven’t done in a very long time.

You may remember when I participated in Heather Bruggeman’s 30-day vegan challenge and my subsequent step into a meat-free lifestyle. It’s been just over a year since then, and I’ve maintained that goal with the rare exception of a bite of bacon here and there, and a Valentine’s Day steak dinner I cooked for Sweetie.

All along, I’ve been comfortable with my choice not to eat meat the majority of the time, and being gentle with myself when I do. I’ve recently been taking another e-course with Heather, the Whole Food Kitchen workshop. In it she shares essays, book recommendations, weekly recipes, a live forum for participants to discuss weekly topics, and so much more.  I haven’t been able to give this 12-week course the full amount of time I had hoped, but I’m still getting a lot out of it. And it has made me think a lot about the food I eat, where it comes from, and how I want to feed my family.

When the recipe for Fast and Crispy Roast Chicken came calling the very same day I ready Heather’s essay on the benefits of small amounts of meat and dairy in one’s diet, I figured I’d give it a try.

The (local, happily free-range) chicken was fun to cook; sometimes veggie meals feel a bit like a collection of side dishes, and it is the rare find that satisfies everyone at the table these days. And while the chicken was indeed crispy and tasty, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would after all this time. I’m not sure where I’m going to go from here, or whether meat and poultry will be making a regular appearance at our family’s table. And that’s okay.  Rethinking one’s way of eating takes time, and, as I’m learning, a lot of patience and compassion for yourself along the way.

Anyway, on to the knitting!

I’m happily knitting away on the Dancette shawl for our shop KAL. Stockinette and a simple stripe pattern have been perfect project for knitting at work, at home in the evenings, and in the car. I’m almost ready to start the border, which promises to make for some delightful knitting.

ps-If you’re interested, I just noticed that Heather is offering a spring session of the 30-Day Vegan Challenge.

Churchmouse Yarns and Tea

I got my first taste of the Churchmouse brand while at a fiber festival a couple of years ago.  Their knitting patterns are exquisite, and I fell in love with their style immediately.  When we were planning our trip to Seattle, I just knew we needed to take a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island to visit their shop.

And then, a few weeks ago something wonderful happened.  I was in Boston for the Yarn Market News conference, and I started chatting to the most charming gentleman.  Turns out it was John, one of the owners of Churchmouse!  Along with his longtime wife Kit, the two have built a beautiful shop and brand.

While in the shop, I felt very inspired, both as a knitter and yarn shop owner.

You can take classes, brew a cup of tea, and browse the large selection of knitting and needlepoint supplies.  There are charming surprises to be found everywhere you turn, from repurposed furniture pieces to extra large knitting needles.  And their spring window display is beyond charming, don’t you think?

I brought home a few new skeins of yarn, the bulk of which comes from Brooklyn Tweed.

Now the question of what to knit…

Yarn Along:: Finish, Frog, or Slog Along

From Yarn Along with Ginny:  ~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? 

These socks have been on the needles far too long.  Inspired by the Finish, Frog, or Slog activity over on the Doubleknit Podcast Fans group, I’m trying to finish one of my more long-term knitting projects.  I worked the leg of sock #2 while traveling in March, then set them aside when I got to the gusset.  I then picked them back up while in Seattle last weekend and started working on all Cookie A. magic gusset business.  Now I am literally forcing myself to work on them at home, not bringing out anything simpler or more shiny and new until they’re finished.  I don’t know what my problem is; the yarn is lovely and the pattern is engaging and fun.  I guess they just take too much concentration when, more often than not, I’m in the mood for simple knitting at home.

On my nightstand right now is The Wierd Sisters, a smart, funny look at three sisters who return home to help care for their ill mother.  Raised in a house of devoted readers by a Shakespearean scholar father, these women are intelligent, competitive, and prone to carrying out some of the character traits of their literary namesakes (Bianca, Rosalind, and Cordelia).  I’m not quite half-way through yet, but am really enjoying the story so far.

And just as I’m anxious to get through those socks and on to some simpler knitting, I’m eager to finish up this book so I can get back to the Hunger Games trilogy.  Don’t judge… ; )

What’s on your nightstand and in your project bag this week?

Vacation Time

We originally thought a grand, warm-weather vacation was in order. Think cruise to Mexico, beach front rental in Southern California. Eventually we scaled back the vision to a more local excursion, traveling north just a few hours to visit Seattle. Neither of us has really explored the city much before, so we were excited. Near constant rain hardly got us down, and we had a wonderful time hanging out as a family and having many small and large adventures together.

It’s amazing what happens when time, responsibility to the outside world take time off.  It’s so much easier to relax into the moment, say yes to the fun, and just go with the flow.  As always, I came home resolving to try to live my life more like vacation all the time!  I probably can’t eat ice cream and get room service everyday, but the reminder to stay present and relaxed is always a good one.

And I got so much travel knitting done in the car and the hotel! One afternoon I even switched back and forth between two projects, a rare and indulgent treat.  Finished objects very soon…