All the leaves are brown....

OK not really, but I did just notice that it is the first of October, so it really can't be too far away. Fits of knitting have continued over the summer and I am just now able to have something to show for it. But not just now. The chill in the air is inspiring me to work a bit more and there are a few things that are thisclose to being completed. And (sigh) I need to take some pictures.

One problem that I have during the fall is stash management. I enjoy shopping for yarn, both on line and in my LYS. I try to curb the urge to buy yarn that I don't have a current project for or just because it's on sale. This is pretty easy in the summer down south because it's really too hot to knit much of anything larger than socks or more substantial than lace. But when fall comes around, it tests my reserve. There is the influx of catalogs that suddenly find themselves in my house. Boxes start showing up with yarn that I don't remember ordering. Knitting patterns that were not part of the queue of projects to be wiggle out of their hiding places and find strategic places around the house. Before I know it, I am standing outside the yarn shop with a bag full of yarn, a rogue pattern and a credit card receipt wondering what the hell just happened.

The up side is that the cool weather makes me want to knit more. Like every-second-I-am-awake more. It is good for my finishing, but I also start a few more projects. I look forward to this time of year for both those reasons.

Mr. Foo

Bunny FooFoo is finished! And I have pictures to prove it!!!!!

Trend for '09?

Looks like May slipped right out the door too, sometime between coaxing tomato plants not to die and building a garden plot to house their squashy and cucumber-esque kin. Happily, there has been knitting. I am putting the last touches on a knitted bunny for a new little girl. She arrived before the bunny is finished, but I hope to unite them soon. Pictures to follow, once Mr. Foo has all of his lapin-appropriate parts. At the present, he is minus an ear and a tail. More to come....

Late spring also seems to be the time to clean out the craft room. I am discovering bits of my stash all over the house. Unfortunately, there are a couple of really good on-line sales, so the stash may be destined to grow a bit more.

Rites of Spring

Well, it looks like March blew out of here before I could get anything posted! Only one project really got finished last month. The Boogie Vest, which I opted to knit without the cable pattern, was finished in time to wear for St. Patty's Day. Paired with a pale green shirt, it worked out really well.

I am hopeful that April will be a time of growth and new beginnings. We are planning a vegetable garden for the summer. The location and dimensions have been decided. Now we just have to do the work. I also have teeny seedlings in the sunporch that are ready to move outside as soon as the frost clears out for good.

The knitting landscape is hopeful as well. There are new colors coming out in all of my favorite shops and websites. With the weather improving, it is easier to pick up a small project and take it outside for a bit of sun and fresh air.

I have also done some stash exploration in hopes of completing a project to wear for the spring and summer. More about that later. First, I will have to finish a pending baby project (since the baby arrived at the end of March.)

Finish line

Blanket -- 2/22/09

Mitts -- 2/24/09

Pics are from a cell phone. Not great, but at least I have a record!

Marathon (wo)Man

WOOHOO!!!! I get so excited when I can update my project progress on Ravelry even just a little bit! The blanket is about 75% complete, but the baby will be here any minute. Add to that a new mini-project set to go to NY at the end of the month, and, well, you can see that my every spare minute will be tethered to a ball of yarn.

Not that I am complaining, mind you. For the first time in a while I have incentive and a clear progression of project priorities to follow. AND we had some wonderfully light and warm days this weekend -- perfect for knitting outside. As I understand it, we are to have a few more of these during the week. Maybe some outside knitting is in my future during lunch hour.......hrmmmmmmmmm

Time flies when you're having rum.....

Or watching pirate movies. Or both! All are acceptable ways to spend a rare snow day, as long as you are knitting.

No snow day for me though. I was hard at work once we slogged through the ruination of our secondary road. No knitting in the company of friends that night either. Sigh.

So, this Tuesday was a long-distance participation in Knit-Night. I am now in a race to finish a baby gift for one who is set to arrive at the end of the month and to start another for an April girl. To make things even more interesting, my friend Lenore challenged me to a race. Pictures to follow.

As for the sweater, I goofed. I have pics of it in progress, but the final product was not captured photographically for posterity. Oh well.