Russet Lodge Custom Knits

Somehow November showed up before I could even process October, but here we are.  I've been very faithful to a small number of projects recently.  Due to a water/mold situation in my craft room and laundry room (where all my extra craft stuff lived) everything is packed up while we wait for restoration to happen.  I do have a few fun things to share though. I still pick up the Vacillate shawl pretty steadily.  It's going well.  It's easier than I'd usually choose for a project that large, but I'm beginning to appreciate the less high-concentration projects. The Boyfriend socks are done!  The photo doesn't really do the colors of the yarn justice.  I could have made the feet slightly shorter, but not enough to redo them.  I added calf shaping and made the socks as tall as possible.  I like long socks and there's something satisfying about using up every bit of the yarn. I made a second Jacobite bonnet for my customer in Canada, the first wasn'...

 Well.  The days fly by and I haven't been back to update things in quite some time.  I haven't done a ton of knitting, but I do have a few updates on my fiber arts. I picked a new pattern for the brown yarn from Miss BB, I'm going to do the Rocky Coast cardigan by  Hannah Fettig.  It's knit slightly looser and in a wider variety of sizes.  I may modify the pattern to put a couple buttons in the front, but otherwise I think it'll be a good pick, and I'm going to make sure my gauge is spot-on and I choose the right size if I get back to this project. I'm still working steadily on the Vacillate shawl, and I'm more than halfway done.  I'd love to be able to wear it this winter. The Boyfriend socks are one of my other main projects these days, I have moved up the legs and have started the calf increases.  I plan to just keep going until I'm low on yarn and then do the cuffs.  I can't wait to wear these. The Jacobite bonnet is done.  I maile...

 I've had a lot of life lately, and for a while I lost steam on my craft projects, but it's back and I've actually got a lot going on, so let's get to it. With much sadness, I ripped out the entire Miss BB cardigan.  I have taken new measurements and picked a new pattern for that yarn, but it's going to be a bit before I start it.  I'm really trying to clear out WIPs and take care of obligations. The green spinning on the goat spindle is progressing nicely.  Having a distaff to hold my fiber and having less time to use my wheel means I'm getting quite a bit of this done.  I'm almost done with the second of three plies.   The baby alpaca (Harley) fleece project is still progressing slowly.  It's hard to get wheel time and processing by hand takes time too, but it's so silky soft. The whipcord braid is done (for now).  There's always a demand for cord for SCA awards, so I imagine I'll make more as it gets used up. The Bayou Giles wavy socks...

 It's been a long time since I've sat down to write here.  I've felt swamped at work, I've felt swamped at home.  I've felt obligated to work on things that didn't bring me joy.  I made little progress and got sick of saying so.  But I'm shaking the dust off today with a few updates.  Hopefully it'll help my momentum continue.  Here's how my art has been going lately. UGH - I finished all the knitting on the Miss BB cardigan, and was heartbroken to realize that the sleeves are too small.  The project has been in time out for a while before I decide if I rip out and reknit the sleeves, which would be faster but I'm already knitting the largest size (hello body dysmorphia), rip out and reknit the whole thing (because at one time I really liked this pattern) or rip out and find another use for the yarn, either a more size-inclusive pattern or something I customize myself.  I've had little experience with sweaters and I've never made one I ac...

 Life has been full and busy lately.  I earned a promotion at work but that means I've been absolutely swamped with that stuff.  Life at home has been challenging too, and I've been doing a lot of work on myself.  All that is to say it's been hard to make myself sit down and write with all that going on.  I have done a bit of knitting though, so here's a brief overview. I'm working on the shoulder shaping for the sleeves (which I'm doing two at-a-time) on the Miss BB cardigan, which means I'm closing in on the end!  I'm going to have a lot of that handspun yarn left over when I finish the sweater, so I'll have to decide what to do with that.  Maybe sell it or make it into gifts. I've been working on my blue/gray/white spinning project on the Turkish spindle.  I don't know what that wants to become, but I'm enjoying it. I did decide to go ahead and toss the already spun portion of the red and gray spinning project.  I just wasn't feeli...

Hi! Time for more updates on my art. I've done a bit of spinning on my wheel and practicing my wool combing techniques.  It's slow going but I love it.  I just wasn't in love with the green chain-ply spindle project, so I've tossed what's already spun (maybe an ounce?  maybe less?) and I'll find something else to do with that spindle and that wool. The Quynn hat for my nephew is done! This was quick and easy and it's so cute on him. The Taylor shawl is nearly done.  I'll have left over handspun so I might make some matching mitts. I've worked on the Rye Light socks, I'm about 2/3 done with the first one.  Making socks for big feet takes ages. I dug out the Turkish spindle and distaff with the blue/gray/white wool on it.  I'm amazed at how finely past me spun the first few ounces.  Keeping it at that level is tough. I cast on more socks for me, the Giles Wavy socks .  This is my new desk knitting at work. That's all for now!  Hat picture...

 Goodness, somehow 2.5 months have flown by since I updated this blog.  I've been really busy with work and SCA activities and just kept thinking I'd come back to this when I had more bandwidth.  Oops.  I haven't come very far on my quest to wrap up some WIPs, but here's an update. The Hue Shift Afghan remains in time out.  After looking at the pattern more closely I realized I'd done not one, but two sections backwards.  I should have left the backwards sections intact and ripped out the correct one.  Sigh.  I haven't had the heart to do any more ripping, so it's still marinating and thinking about what it's done. The Lizard Ridge socks are done.  They're shorter than I tend to make socks because I wasn't sure how I'd work calf shaping into the short row pattern. The fit is good and I have lots of yarn left, so I'm planning to make a pair of socks for my daughter with what's left. Picture is below. The Miss BB sweater is going slowly...