We were suppose to go to playgroup this morning but that just isn’t going to happen . . . not when I can’t see properly out of one eye and the noise of one toddler is killing me . . . not a chance.

 MIL agreed to take him shopping with her so I can go lie down, which is where I’m headed next.

 Yesterday I managed to dye some yarn finally, got a small amount done so I’ve got yarn for some orders that have been waiting and for two of my test knitters.  As soon as its dry I’ll be able to send it out, probably Monday.

I’ve also made progress on the little guy’s socks.  He wanted to try the second one on when it was only 4 rows in and then didn’t want to give it back! He really does seem to love his handknit socks.  I’m currently working on the heel on the second sock so I expect to have those finished in the next day or two depending on what happens with this headache.

I’m also starting the socks for my Hogwarts sock swap pal.  The yarn is dyed, and I wasn’t sure at first that I liked the color but once the yarn had dried and I got a better look at it while winding it the other night I’ve decided I like it a lot.  I’m going to knit both socks at the same time to see if I can get them done quicker that way . . . . and have them actually match.  If I can function well enough to do math later I’ll try to cast them on today. 

Chicken update

Progress continues on the coop, if I can I’ll take some photos later today.  This really is going to be a “castle” as the little guy keeps calling it! Yesterday the roof went on, nice shiney new shingles that were actually given to us by a friend who builds houses and had them leftover from a project. 

The other day they got a window so now there is some nice morning light coming in and at some point I’ll do something about getting them a second one so they will get some better light over the winter, we’ve got a few leads on some windows being given away so I may pick up a free window or two.  Afterall, it is a chicken coop so it isn’t like they need to match or be fancy, right?

Next it looks like they will get roosts to perch on.  Dom found a great design on someones site where the whole thing goes together rather like a trellis but is connected to the wall (at an angle) by hinges so you can just lift the whole thing out of the way to shovel it out.  It looked very convenient and not difficult so that is what they will be getting.

Once that is done and he finishes discussing the messed up concrete with the guys from the maker of it we’ll be back to work on the bathroom for a while.  There is so much left to do in there and it would be good if it were finished before the weather really turns . . .

Ok, I’m going to lie down now . . .

Looks like our squares have arrived.  Laura is reporting a total of well over 3000 squares at the moment.  Looks like a lot of folks in that town are going to be a whole lot warmer this winter than they might have  otherwise been.   What I’m wondering is this, once you turn on the flow of something like squares for a project, will it actually stop anytime after the deadline she gave or will squares keep arriving at her house for weeks or months afterward? Should be interesting to see.

Life

On Wednesday I found myself headed for the dentist’s office.  See, on Tuesday I decided to go ahead and eat a tootsie roll from the little guys treats from a recent birthday party.  He doesn’ t get them yet and rather than throw them away . . . . yeah, very bad idea.   The darned thing sucked the filling out of one of my teeth! So, off to the dentist to have my tooth filled.  I’d forgotten just how much fun that can be. 

And the worst part? I didn’ t have any travel knitting ready! I did take a stitch dictionary, yarn and needles but everything I tried to do to start the scarf I want to make just wasn’t working.  It did keep me busy, but I found up frogging 4 attempts.

Knitting

Has been slow lately.  I’ve actually started a scarf (see above) that I decided to do as a series of Granny Squares. The yarn is Louisa Harding’s Kimono Angora and I love it.  So soft and fluffy! I’m working up these little granny squares in color #8 and once I have a bunch done I may get some of the solid “Rice” color to make  few more squares and for the edging.  I think this is going to be a lovely soft scarf for the fall if I can get it done in time. 

The nice thing about the little granny squares I’m doing is that it only takes a few minutes to do one here and there . . . and since lately that is all I seem to have . . .

I haven’t worked on any of the bigger projects for days.  I want to start a pair of socks. I’ve got the yarn all picked out . . . and I know I want to make stocking length socks, but I’m torn between knitting them in someone else’s pattern and writing up a new one of my own.  I know I should be working on some of the design ideas I’ve had recently and pretty much every project I do now should be of my own design . . . but sometimes you just want something to knit without having to do all the thinking . . . . know what I mean?

Perhaps the answer is to cast on two different socks? One of my own design to work on when I feel able and one that I can just knit away at without having to pay attention?

I also need to start the sock for my [Hogwarts Sock Swap] pal but I have to dye up the yarn first. I know what I’d like to socks to look like and have taken into account my swap pal’s preferences for finished socks . . . I actually attempted to dye yarn the other day but I’ve had 3 migraines this past week (part of the reason for the lack of posts) and just didn’t get the colors I wanted.  Oh well, I’m sure we’ll find something to do with the yarn.

And have you any idea just how difficult it is to take sock photos when your model is only 2 years old? One step from impossible! Here are some attempts to take pattern photos of the “Grow with me” Socks:

We’ll have to try again to see if we can get some where the feet aren’t moving . . . perhaps during a nap this weekend.

Once I have the photos I have a bit of tweaking to do on the pattern and then I’ll make it available as a free pattern.  The idea with these socks is that they are knit in such a way that by unraveling the toes from time to time you may be able to lengthen them enough to get about 3 shoe sizes by just reknitting the toe rather than making new socks every few months, hence the name.  Our little guy loves his and I’ve had to take them back a few times and remind him he can’t actually keep them until Mommy is done taking pictures of them.  Now if only I could get him to understand that they’d be his if he’d just hold still for a decent photo shoot!

Chicken Update

The coop is nearly finished and its a good thing. Every time I go check on the little buggers they are all over Dom’s workshop! They simply won’t stay in their enclosure anymore!  I spent about 8 hours over the past two days painting the inside of the coop.  Dom didn’t think it was absolutely necessary, but I think it will make cleaning it later easier if the wood is nice and sealed up. I’m almost done, just a few touch ups and one more coat on the floor and the inside paint will be done.  He still needs to do the roof shingles, paint the outside, rig the cage inside and put in the doors.  We’re hoping to have it finished on Sunday and move them to their new digs. 

Bathroom Update

At the moment the bathroom is sitting.  We’re waiting to hear back from the folks that make the cement that didn’t level.  They sent someone to look at it the other day and were going to run their own tests on some of the same batch of stuff.  It looks like perhaps we got a bad batch of it.  If that is the case they may do something for us.  I suspect we may get a refund on what it cost and possibly enough new, correctly mixed, stuff to fix the floor.  Dom is hoping they will send someone to chip out the old stuff and put the new stuff in for him.  I’m thinking that is less likely.  Here’s hoping we have a finished bathroom before the snow flies!

Let’s check in on some of the on going knitting projects, shall we?

First up is Fern.  I’ve been knitting the front and back at the same time so that I only have to work through all the charts once.  I’ve only done about rows since I picked it up again but I’m hoping to work on it for about an hour each night now. At least that is the goal.

Baby Sweaters – nothing to report really. I did a couple of rows on one but I’m still way behind on the baby sweater gifts.

Lacey Prairie Shawl – Its a little squashed since its on a shortish needle but I have been working on this one lately and hope to finish it off in the next couple of weeks. Ideally, it will be done and blocked before the weather gets chilly.

Prairie Blanket has stalled out at 24 inches.  Since I wound up giving a different gift to the child I started this for I’m considering making it longer than the recommended size and using it for Mimmo for his bed. He’s going to need a new bigger blanket this fall when the weather gets cold as he’s gotten too long for most of the ones he had.  Here is a detail shot of the eding:

Megan’s Sweater – I’ve actually sewn the bottom but I need to put some sort of an edging and work an I-cord tie for it but other than that its finished.  I’m going to write up the pattern for IY and work a smaller one for her little sister . . . though I may do her’s just a little different so they won’t be entirely identical. We’ll see.

Knitting for Greensboro

 These are the squares the ladies from the Monday night knitting group made to send to Laurie for the Greensboro KS blankets she’s putting together.  As a group we managed to come up with 13 squares and I dropped them in the mail earlier today. She mentions on her blog that she doesn’t get a chance to confirm that packages have arrived so I’ve included a SASE postcard and a note asking her to drop it in the mail.  That way we’ll know when they have arrived. 

Oh, and in case your wondering, I made the 3 red ones . . .

Swaps

I want to say “Hi” to my two swap buddies, [Kena] from the Hand Dyed Yarn Swap and “Victoria” from the Hogwarts Sock Swap 2.  I’m currently working on both of your packages . . . and might even post a peak in a few days. . .  I love swaps, they are so much fun!

Stash enhancement and craft projects

I know I don’t need any more yarn . . . but look what I got the other day:

More sock yarn . . . everyone’s been talking about the Tofutsies so I wanted to give it a try . . . I’m going to come up with another pattern for IY using this but I haven’t actually started it yet . . . and the Louisa Harding Kimono Angora is pricier than most of what I tend to buy but I was having a very stressful day and really needed deserved a treat so this is going to become my new fall scarf . . .

I’ve also gone through the entire shop and personal stash and reorganized it recently.  I’d take a picture, but its just too frightening.  Though not as bad as some I’ve seen lately.

And just because I haven’t had enough to do lately, I’ve been making these:

I finally sent another note to the KnitUFO Group.  I hadn’t been in touch with them for a while, partly because I’ve been busy and partly because I just haven’t been working on the UFOs!

Farm and Home updates

Bathroom report – not much to say, currently without any fixtures as Dom has put some sort of bonding agent on the floor in preparation for putting the “Self-leveling” concrete down to finish the foundation of the floor.  And the nephew is coming by tomorrow to look at the pipes that need to be temporarily moved to fix the floor joists that the previous contractors cut. 

Chickens

They are growing fast now. The smallest is about 3 oz and the largest is 7.5 oz. Here are a few photos:

This is the smallest one. We aren’t entirely sure what it is but think it might be Dom’s Sicilian Buttercup Rooster . . . looks like we’ll have to wait and see.

The black and white one with the yellow head is the one we thought was the Buttercup but now I think it might be the extra one they throw in and I think it may be a Dominique . . .maybe.

This is the big one.  I think its an Aracauna (Easter Egger).

This is one of the Speckled Sussex hens

This is “Buddy”. Yes, she has a name.  She has figured out how to work the system and has buddied up to the little guy and earned herself permanent resident status.  Smart little girl.  We believe her to be a Black Australope. 

This is one of the white rocks.  A few of these are staying but some of the 10 are only here temporarily.

This is one of the two I believe to be the Barred Rocks.  If it is then its one of my laying hens. 

Okay, thats all for now. 

I signed up earlier today and I’ve been admitted to Hogwarts as a First-year. As part of the Swap I’ve been asked to complete the following, so here it is:

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

I’m planning to go see the movie tomorrow night with a dear friend who just moved back here from Seattle. I’m actually very excited that she is here since it means I will have someone to go to the movies with from time to time. I think at this point its been more than 2 years since I went!

Actually, I’m in a weird place with my knitting projects right now. I’ve finished the toddler socks and they almost match; I ran a little short at the very toe of the 2nd sock so the toes are different. But one of the great things about 2 year old boys is they don’t really care if the toes are different, he just loves having bright socks.

I’ve got baby sweaters that I need to work on as the little ones are starting to arrive at quite a pace now and I’m behind on sweaters . . .

I’ve got a list of things longer than my arm that I either need to start or I’ve been asked to start or are ideas for patterns etc. but nothing really set up to go right now. . . .

And I’ve just taken Fern back out of exhile and hope to make some progress on it over the next few weeks. Ideally I’d like to finish it by the time the weater is cool enough to wear it regularly. We’ll see since so far I’ve only done 3 more rows (though since I’m working front and back at the same time and there are 5 different charts which I’m on 3 different sets of row numbers with that really isn’t so bad.

I’m just wondering what I’m going to knit tomorrow night at the movies? I know I can’t sit still through a whole movie, even a movie I like, without knitting something. Just won’t happen.

I’ve got tons of other stuff to share but it all requires photos . . . either photos that need to be taken or photos that are waiting to be release from the camera. If things go well tomorrow I’ll try for another update . . . wish me luck on the project hunting!

I just signed up for this and think it will be a lot of fun. For the first round its only open to 25 people and you have to dye a skein of sock yarn to swap with someone. I think I can do that ; )

I actually love doing swaps, I love sending stuff off and I love getting things in the mail (and yes, that is part of why my stash is sooo incredibly large) but its fun! And hey, there are worse things I could be doing, right?

Another dye day come and gone

I dyed yarn 3 days this past week and still have some hanging on the clothes line in the back yard drying . . . I’m just really hoping it doesn’t rain! I actually had help with the dyeing (and tons of skeining) this time as A is on summer vacation and available. She’s going away in August so I really only have help for July so we are planning to do a lot of dyeing the next couple of weeks. . . . We’ve worked on batches of the colorways that are for the LYS and worked on creating some of the new colorways that will be up this Fall. I really like some of what we came up with . . . . I’m hoping to bring the lot with me to knitting on Monday night so I can see what some other knitters think of it.

Designs on designing

The design bug has bitten me again. I’ve got a few more inches of baby toddler sock to finish up and then I’m going to start working on the next design. I’ve got a list of the things I want to work on and both fortunately and unfortunately its been growing fast than I can get to things lately. Now if I can just hold onto the momentum behind each idea long enough to get to it . . .

Tomorrow is nuts here, we’re having brunch “in town” with some friends who are passing through from out of state on their way to pick up the kids from camp . . . and then we are headed north to my niece’s first birthday party! Then Monday, A is coming back and we’re planning to dye up a whole bunch more yarn . . . off to finish that sock!