Wednesday, August 16, 2017

sskal Projects

Oh jeez guys, it's been a while.  Sorry, it's been a busy summer!  As usual, I've been crafting a lot, I just haven't found time to take photos and, more importantly, write up some posts.

wip: Amiga Cardigan
I've joined the Very Shannon Summer Sweater KAL again this year in an effort to finish up a few sweaters.  My buddy Margaret has outright forbidden me from starting any new sweaters until I finished up some of the...more than I'd like to count...sweaters I already have on needles.  And since I'm biting at the bit to start my Skogafjall, I'm focusing on some of my old wips.

Future Skogafjall Pullover
I'll be knitting it out of some gorgeously rustic wool from Custom Woolen Mills in Alberta (Canadian raised sheep wool, Canadian milled, Canadian bought.  Oh yeah, go Canada!), in two undyed natural shades (grey and dark brown) and some naturally dyed wool from a woman in Atlin, BC (green).  SO EXCITED.

But first, I have to finish the second sleeve and then button band of my Amiga, shown at the top of the post.  It's probably going to be the most wearable sweater I'll ever make, but dear pete is it ever a boring knit.  Stockinette stockinette stockinette in solid black.  UGH just magically be done already.

fo: A Simple Baby Sweater Knit from Diamond Luxury Fine Merino Superwash Aran
I've had a couple of other successes in this KAL though.  I'd accidentally cast on a baby sweater right before the KAL started, and finished it within the first week of it.  It's a store sample in Diamond Luxury Fine Merino Superwash Aran and A Simple Baby Sweater.  Quick knit, though I found the instructions for joining in the round after the henley lacking.  I added some notes on my Rav project page to explain it if you're interested.  I love this little green sweater so much, and I'm tempted to swipe it and send it to my buddy who's about to have a baby!

Frogging an Old WiP
I also tackled a really old wip.  I pulled out my old Reverb sweater to reassess the sweater.  It's so pretty, with this gorgeous yarn and lovely cables, and I was well past the arm divide when I put it down.  But I put it down literally years ago, back in 2013, and my tension has loosened up considerably since then.  There's no way I can finish this without it looking wonky, and the fabric was knit much tighter than I prefer now-a-days.

Frogging an Old WiP
So I frogged it.  Sad in a way, but I didn't realize how much it was weighing on my mind until it was just a huge ball of yarn again, so I'm glad I did it.  SUCCESS!

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

One of the reasons I've been so busy this summer is that I'm spending a lot of time with both friends and myself.  I feel better every day, though I'm still struggling with some parts of our breakup last winter.  I can't even believe it's been nearly 7 months, but I'm relearning myself and I like the person I'm finding.  I feel like I'm finally lifting my head up after being weighed down for the last few years, so obviously this is a good change in my life.  It's taken a while to admit that, but admitting it sure helped.

The Little Guy
So did buying myself a new toy.  Friends, meet the Little Guy.  We've gone on a few adventures already, and I can't wait to hitch him up to my little car and go camping again this weekend!

The Little Guy
Take care of yourselves, folks.  Hopefully it won't take so long for another update!  <3

5 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that you're doing well, and that you've been quiet here on the blog because you've been busy having FUN! I also recently frogged a sweater that I'd (forgotten I'd started and abandoned), and you're right, it's such a weight off. I look forward to seeing your KAL progress. P.S. Your new guy is a real cutie. ;-)

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  2. It's so good to hear such a good update from you! I'm glad you've been having lots of fun this summer- and I love the little guy so much!

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  3. Nice to see that things are improving for you.

    Love the little camper, I bet it's a breeze to pull.

    God bless.

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  4. Deciding to frog a project that has an unfixable flaw is part of maturing as a knitter. It is easier to do the older the project.

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  5. Sounds like the perfect summer- crafting and camping and friends. I want a little tear drop camper, too, or else another pop-up that I can set up by myself. I live the idea of solo camping, plus my husband works all the time. We have a lightweight pop-up, but it is old and tricky to set up alone. I hear new ones are simpler.
    If I were to camp someplace not 100degrees in the summer, I could just sleep in my suv, with the seats down. There are even tents that connect to the back of an suv for extra space.
    Anyway, it sounds pretty peaceful and healing. I’m so glad you’re feeling the benefits!

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