Quietish

Well then, it does seem as though I’ve been living up to my blog title now doesn’t it?

This week has meandered by and I can’t seem to recall just what exactly I’ve accomplished, but when I look around it does appear that I’ve done a little crafting here and there.

I have a finished sock and the start of a second. Meet Hermione:

Although I cast her on almost directly after receiving my copy of Favorite Socks, I’ve been taking my time with the knitting. Knowing me however, I’ll probably have a finished pair in the next week or so.

And while I have a finished object I can’t quite share openly yet, I can share what I cast on in it’s wake. I’m making up a yoked toddler sweater for CIC/Care Wool, using leftovers. Having fun with the colors.

This weekend I knit a hat for Amy’s mom so fast, that I didn’t even take a pic of it before dashing off to give it away. Sorry ’bout that. I can tell you that it was purple, and that it was Odessa, sans beads.

Here’s something fun: A coupla weeks ago I got the urge to start something that can be ongoing for as many months or years as suits my fancy, using my sock yarn leftovers. Meet my small pancake stack-like pile of mini granny squares, to someday be sewn into an afghan.

I do realize that this will quite possibly be the ugliest thing to ever be crocheted. To everyone else anyway. To me it will be brilliantly gorgeous, being stitched with bits of my favorite handknits and the memories that accompany them.

I love crochet in a different way than knitting. I think when I crochet it releases a different pleasant hormone; It makes me feel very nice indeed. And I’m quite fond of the use of the little balls of yarn that would otherwise be ignored and eventually thrown out, even if it results in something utterly distasteful to everyone but me.

Since we’re here, how about a nice pic of one of the hobbits learning about what it’s like to be a dog.

As you can see, I still have yet to figure out how to photograph black dogs even all these months later.

Wheee, I had forgotten how fast crochet goes. Here’s a quick hat out of leftovers. Tis warm.

On Tuesday, the kids and I made a trip up to The Gourmet Yarn Company to meet Candi Jensen, who was in town to sign her newest book Knitting Loves Crochet.

I had looked through it briefly when it first appeared in the bookstores, but I think I wrote it off as a book of pretty things that were not exactly right for me. (Read: too frilly and/or too small.) Then one day the week before, I went into GY and found that they had received a couple of the finished pieces from the book. I tried them both on and they fit. I was surprised and thrilled. I bought a copy for myself as well as the copy I intended to give away on CraftBorg.

Shelly met us up there so she could get some kid-time and keep them from destroying Margaret’s store while I had my copies signed. (Thanks again, Shelly *mwah*) The kids enjoyed the snacks that were out and enjoyed the company enough that they kept fairly quiet. This made me very happy.

Candi is incredibly nice and easy to talk to. I didn’t stay very long, but when book-signing time officially started, Candi and those of us that were already there sat around on the comfy couches and chatted. It was lovely and I wish I could have stayed longer. And now I am looking forward to starting in on the tank pictured on the cover!

Cian enjoyed himself too.