Yarn Along

It's been a while since I joined yarn along...not because I'm not knitting, but because I'm knitting so slowly that I hardly have a new thing to show.

I did have time to whip up this little darling for my baby niece in time for her first birthday.

The pattern is by Linda of Mamma4earth on etsy and is amazing.

The book, obviously, is The Ugly Duckling (that's actually a swan) and is - and has always been- my favourite kids' story.  We had to go to 3 different stores to find it, which makes me very very sad.

It was lost in a sea of Trademarked character books which will remain nameless.  Such a shame.

Joining with Ginny at Small things, for Yarn Along.  Hop on over.

A one-piece Log Cabin "quilt" block

For some time now, I have been meaning to try my hand at making a knit quilt block with some of my left over bits of yarn.... a one piece quilt block that I wouldn't have to sew a million seams on.

Ta-da.  If you knit it in cotton, I think it would make a great dishcloth.  If you knit a bunch of them, you could sew them up together to make a scarf or a blanket.  If you continue on with the pattern, you could make a crib sized log cabin block without having to sew all those pieces together...

So, without further ado...the pattern:

-I used Bernat Satin worsted weight yarn because that's what I had to use up.  One ball of each colour will make several blocks, or you can use just one colour, or you can just use up little scraps.
-4mm needles- 2 for knitting and a few extras for holding the stiches while you work the next section
-One each 2", 3" and 6" stitch holders
-Gauge:  12 stitches and 24 rows in garter stitch is a 2" x 2" square.  Gauge is not terribly important unless you plan to make a blanket...then you just want to make each square the same size.

Cast on 12 stitches of colour A.
Knit in garter stitch for 22 rows.  Break yarn.
Continue knitting in garter stitch, using colour B, for 12 rows.
Transfer all 12 stitches to 2" stitch holder.
Turn work counter-clockwise.  Pick up 18 stitches along right side of work, starting with 6 stitches of colour B and then 12 stitches of colour A, as below:

 

I used a larger stitch holder in this picture.  Use whatever size you have for the small pieces.

Note:  It is important to pick up the stitches in the correct direction to make sure the colour changes appear on the back side of the work.  Although you pick up colour B first, you will knit the colour A stitches first.

  

This is how the colour changes will appear on the back of your work.

 

Note 2:  If you are making a block in one solid colour, reverse the directions as the colour change will not affect your piece, and you will have fewer ends to weave in, if any.

Knit the 18 stitches you picked up using colour C and continue knitting in garter stitch for 12 rows.  

Break yarn.

Transfer the 18 stitches of colour C to a 3" stitch holder.  Turn work counter-clockwise.

Pick up 6 stitches along the edge of colour C and 12 stitches of colour A as shown below:

Knit using colour D, in garter stitch, for 12 rows.  Break yarn.
Transfer the 18 stitches to a stitch holder.   Turn work counter-clockwise.

Pick up 6 stitches of colour D, 12 stitches of colour A, and 6 stitches of colour B.  Knit the 24 stitches in colour E for 12 rows of garter stitch.  

At this point, I stopped transferring the stitches to stitch holders because I ran out of them, quite frankly.  I had extra 4mm needles, so I just left them in place to hold the stitches as I continued working.  Use whatever feels best for you.

Turn work counter clockwise.  Pick up 6 stitches of colour E, transfer the stitches from the stitch holder to your knitting needle, and then pick up 6 stitches of colour C.
Knit 12 rows in garter stitch of desired colour.

Continue along in the same manner until your "quilt block" is the desired size.  The instruction that follow are for binding off an 8" square.

Binding off:  Using the yarn you choose for the border, bind off the 48 stitches of the last row (the row currently on the needle) leaving the last new stitch on the needle to use in turning the corner.

Turn your work clockwise and pick up 6 stitches from the top edge (as pictured on the top needle, above).  Bind off the 6 stitches and then continue binding off the rest of the row (if you are using a stitch holder, you will have to transfer the stitches to a knitting needle to bind off).

 

Turn your work clockwise and pick up 6 stitches.

Bind off those 6 stitches and continue binding off the rest of the row.  Repeat for the last side of the block, picking up and binding off the last 6 stitches to complete the border.

 On the back side, weave in the ends as neatly as possible.  

 The ends should just about disappear.

 Now, why not make a few more to make up a scarf?  Or a "quilt"? 

Linking up with:  Yarn along at small things
                          Stash Bash at Crunchy Catholic Momma
                          Permanent Homeskills linkup at the Backyard Farming Connection
                          Home acre hope # 9 at the self sufficient homeacre
                          Eat Make Grow at Pocket Pause 
                          Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder
                          Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

Knitting and Reading - taking it easy

My last couple of knitting projects have totally taken it out of me.  I had to unravel my colour work sock which I had spent hours on because it was too tight (although the colour work itself, I really liked) and after spending two weeks on a project that I had to frog and knit and frog and knit only to have it come out so bad I actually threw it in the garbage can (I couldn't even salvage the yarn at that point), I decided that I needed to spend some time with a mindless project.  No new skills, no paying attention, just grab a ball of yarn and go.

I am calling it my 2 year blanket because I would like to have it finished by next summer.  It takes me roughly 12 and a half minutes to knit one row of this blanket so it will be a long long process, but, I don't even have to pay attention to it.  Right now, that is exactly the kind of project I need.  I will be casting on some more complicated projects shortly but I think I will enjoy having this one sitting around to pick up when I need a break.

I finished Middlemarch on the weekend, and have moved on to "A Rose for the Crown" which is set in the midst of the York/Lancaster battle for the throne.  I am only on the second chapter so far.  It is also exactly what I need right now...something I can pick up and read here and there for pure entertainment.

What are you working on and reading this week? 

Linking up with Ginny at small things for Yarn Along.  Won't you come join us?

Learning new skills

I have been working on learning some new skills in the knitting department.

 I decided to give toe up socks a try.  In yesterday's post, I remarked that sometimes I feel like I work and work and work at something and get nowhere. This sock is the perfect example. Over the course of a couple of days, it seriously took me over 4 hours to figure out how to turn the heel on this sock.  I read the instructions in the pattern, I read the  description in the front of the book, I googled, and searched, and knit and frogged and knit and frogged until finally I figured it out.  Sort of.  It is all messy, and twisted because I was really struggling with it.

 This is the sock that was supposed to be in the Terpander pattern from this book that I started a few weeks ago, but the yarn really did not lend itself to the cable pattern.  So instead, I thought I would try some colour work.  Some proper colour work - fair isle style, also a new skill for me to learn.

 Turns out that I love colour work.  Like most other new knitting skill I am learning, I don't know why I waited so long!  Oh, I almost forgot - the colour work charts I used were bits and pieces from the patterns in
this book over here.

However, the sock doesn't fit.  The foot part is too long and the leg part is too tight...so all those hours of work - being frogged today!  I will try toe up socks again, but not yet...I will do colour work again - oh yes I will.  Again and again and again.

On the bookshelf - Middlemarch of course.

In the home:  The kids were taking turns being ill.  I think it has finally left the house.  I really really hope it has.  This nasty bug sure is making the rounds.  Turns out that on a daily basis, 10 to 25% of the kids in school are  out sick.  Yikes.

Linking up with: yarn along at small things

Slightly less creepy

 I have finished ski mask # 2.

It is only slightly less creepy than the first one I finished but I like it in green better than in grey.

...and I imagine it will look less creepy on a child than on an adult.  So very difficult to take your own picture isn't it?

This project is from Son of Stitch and Bitch, and was a much better go than the first one.  I learned a few things the first time around so I had many less ends to weave in, and I added 8 stitches when I cast on, so the fit is better.

I had planned to put these is the "to be gifted later" pile, but we are in a cold snap right now,so they just might get them to walk to school tomorrow.

Edited to add: 

 They did get them to go to school with as it was -25 degrees Celsius with the wind chill.

They love them!

From the bookshelf:  Still plugging away at Middlemarch.  I am only on page 128 (I started 2 weeks ago so I should be done by now) because we have been painting and removing and replacing trim, and patching walls and what have you, so there is little  reading going on.

Around the house:  By the way, if you are interested, the living room and dining room are now green. Woodland Mystery actually.

Linking up with:  Yarn along over at small things
                          The Backyard Farming Connection - Hop 16
                          Fiber arts Friday at Wisdom begins in Wonder 

Knitting - learning new things

I took a much longer break than I had anticipated, but sometimes it's nice to spend time with family and friends without thinking about anything else...especially when the littles (and some not so littles) are feeling under the weather and just need that time.

This holiday season seems to have been exactly what I needed.  I have not felt "in the spirit" for the last couple of years.  We took it very easy this year for the holidays.  Hardly any decorations came out - just evergreen branches clipped from the garden mostly, and a few natural elements, and the tree with a few bits and pieces on it.  Most of the decorations stayed in storage.  Our holiday party was downsized to just two couples.  A very relaxed potluck dinner was added to the agenda, and hardly any gifts were exchanged - even for the kids.  And now, I am looking forward to a new year of celebrating all year long instead of saving it all up for "big occasions".  A tiny change in the way I was thinking, but it has changed me significantly none-the-less.

This year, I am going to learn some new skills:

My first real attempt at colour-work.  I am planning on a few of these, because everyone who sees the picture in the book seems to want one of these ski masks.  It is from Son of Stitch and Bitch.  And then I will be moving on to more complex colour work.

...and I am going to learn toe-up socks.  See how far I got?  I lost my 4th knitting needle some time on Christmas Eve and noticed the next day.  We were out of town in a hotel and all the stores were closed.  I bought a new set a few days ago but I haven't gotten back to them yet.  Here's the kicker...it was the only project I brought with me, so for days I could only look at my knitting bag - totally unable to knit a single stitch.  These socks are from Sock Knitting Master Class.

On the reading front:  I have decided to re-read lots of the books on my bookshelf.  Things I haven't read in a while.  I just started re-reading "Middlemarch" by George Elliott.  Not very far into it yet, and little things are coming back to me as I read it, but it's kind of like reading a new book.  I don't remember much of it at all.

I'll be joining:   Yarn Along over at small things

Catching Up

Whew!  It's gotten busy around here.

It is our busy season at work (my husband and I work for the same company, so we are actually both busy - I'm busy in the office in the day - and back up to full hours, and he is working longer hours (very) for the next couple of weeks).

School is back in full swing - and the extracurricular activities that comes with it.  We decided this year that the boys would not be doing any extracurricular activities outside of the school board, which is a good thing since they have both signed up for cross country, lego robotics, plus soccer for S and spirit club for N.  Most of it is during school hours but 2 or 3 times a week, it is after school or in the evening.

Pottery class is back!  Yippee! Nothing new to share yet, but I am working hard at improving my skills.

All this means that there is less time for crafting and sharing.

 

I have managed to finally finish of a new wool hat for N's birthday (being modeled on the ever cooperative S for the picture).  A truly simple hat...cast on 80 stitches of worsted weight on size 4.5 needles, k2p2 rib for ages, then decrease 4 stitches every other row 6 times, and then every row 6 times, and then k2tog, k1 around for a couple of rows until you have a small enough number to thread your yarn through.  It is my go to hat for N because he loves it.  The orange yarn in there was dyed with Easter Egg dye a while back, and the grey was left over from his hat I made last year that was his favourite hat ever.

I am almost done this fingerless mitt for at work.  It gets darn cold where I work sometimes.  The guys all have layers of fire retardant clothes and coveralls on, so sometimes in the office, I am quite chilly.  If I turn the heat up, they melt, and since there are many of them, and only one of me, the better solution is to layer up myself.  This stash bash fingerless mitt is made of very chunky wool that I spun myself.  It was my first attempt at chunky yarn and I quite liked it but had no idea what to do with it because there was only 8 ounces of it.  It is the yarn I dyed with daffodils.  I don't know that you can really see it, but the last two inches (right by my fingers) is green. That was daffodils too with an afterbath of copper.  It is a really lovely colour in person.

In the kitchen:

An experimental focaccia with four flavour toppings.  I wanted to see what the family liked best so each flavour stripe was cut in 4 pieces and sampled.  The verdict:  the hubby liked the tomato best, I liked all but the tomato, S liked plain and olive, N liked plain and he says he liked the tomato, but he actually pulled the tomato off and left it on his plate - ha.  He did the same with the onion the next day in his lunch.  We will be experimenting with more flavours shortly - I'm thinking herb and garlic or just herbs.  And, as a bonus, I got to use my pizza peel for the first time ever.  With a little practice, it will be great.

Books:

 

 Sorry, my computer won't let me rotate this today! 

My parents recently made a trip to visit family in Quebec.  My aunt sent me some treasures from my late grandmother's house.  This book, for one - a surprise since she didn't speak a word of english, but I guess she must have just followed along with the pictures...and...

Treasures:

 a crocheted rug that will be going into N's room - at least until I can finish the one I started for him months ago, a small vintage table cloth, a beautiful piece of woven linen and some other woven pieces that I will have to investigate.  I am pretty sure they would have been woven by my grandmother many moons ago.  At least one has some irreparable damage on a part of it, so I won't even feel bad cutting it into some smaller tea towels.  I love getting these care packages of treasures every once in a while.

I'll be linking this up with  Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia and Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom begins in Wonder on Friday.

Acorn Reticule

Some of you may remember that on the last yarn along I joined in on, I shared a picture that looked very much like a brown knit baby hat.

Here it is - almost completed.  It's an acorn reticule.   Well, it's part of an acorn reticule.  It is still missing the handle/strap.  Pictured here is the back of it, laying flat.  The front has a zipper closure where the nut meets the cap.  Oh, I thought I was so so clever.  And I wondered why oh why could I not find and acorn reticule anywhere on the internet.  How does such a thing not already exist?  So I made the bottom and struggled with the top a couple of times (I'm still not too happy with it...it needs some modifications).  Then, today, just before writing this, I thought I would do one more quick search...and then it occurred to me - type in acorn bag and see what comes up.  Oh, loe and behold - it does exist.  Well, a few crocheted versions exist and something kind of like this but not really in a knit exists - with button closures.

I need to knit it up one more time to make it exactly what I want.  If I can get it right, I will share.  I think I might also reverse the colours so that the nut is lighter and the cap is darker.  Stay tuned.

Reading:  Last time I joined in, I believe I was just starting to read the "Conspiracy 365" series that my son wanted me to catch up on.  Well, I am done now.  All 12.  Good thing that being kids books, they only take about an hour to an hour and a half to read one.  I think I would recommend them for teens - in fact my almost 10 year old is starting them.  I did struggle with them as mistakes jumped out at me in almost all of the books.  Things like -he was walking as casualty as possible in stead of as casually as possible.  That kind of thing bothers me.  A lot!  And I found a few.  S either didn't notice or didn't care because he never mentioned any of them...but it is one of my biggest pet peeves in printed works.  The series does get a bit old  (granted I read them pretty much back to back - which I am guessing was not the intention) with the never ending "narrow escapes" but the boys are loving them...and I think it's good for them to see that not everybody has it so easy.  There is a wide variety of family dynamics.  The ending is a predictable (for an adult anyways), but like I said, the boys are both really enjoying them, and that is what matters, isn't it?

Another children's book I read in that time (I had to wait for S to finish one of them before he would let me pass him) was The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  This one I would definitely recommend.  It is sitting on N's bookshelf waiting for him.

Garden News:

The carrots are finally starting to be ready.  They are mostly pretty small, but they sure are tasty.  And I have saved the tops to try some more wool dyeing.  Carrot tops are supposed to give a great green.  Time will tell.  I can't start that project for at least a week.

In the kitchen:

Fall has definitely arrived!  We are having very brisk morning temperatures, and evenings are cool enough to have the oven on whenever we want.  I shared the recipe for these cookies over here.

I'll be joining in again with yarn along at small things on Wednesday.

What's on my needles?

 

I have officially finished one stocking stuffer for each of the minions!  Yippee.

I had to sneak this picture before packing them away in the "secret basket" in the back of my closet, so I apologize tremendously.  The lighting is poor, and there is nothing even in there to show you scale.  My, my.
These are what we call "slipper socks" at my house.  The boys get a new pair every year...sometimes in their stockings, sometimes just because, sometimes when they are sick.  They are worsted weight, cotton socks that they wear at home.  They are a little thick to wear outside, but on occasion, they are worn over a pair of store bought socks inside winter boots.  They are definitely worn to bed on cold winter nights (but they are cotton, so it's ok). They are definitely worn in the winter when they are at home sick, having a pyjama day.  Sometimes, they are worn when we come in for hot chocolate after sledding. The second sock here was knit up in basically a day.  I started it Saturday evening while watching TV (I probably worked on it for 45 minutes to an hour).  Then on Sunday, I picked it up here and there when no one was looking to do a few rows at a time.  Sunday night, I finished it off (probably about an hour again).  They are worsted weight, so they come together so fast!  The pattern is the one I mentioned last week...Easy Worsted Weight Socks.  I really love this pattern for beginners socks.  I think for the next pair, I will try this same pattern but modified a bit with a thinner yarn for socks they can wear in their shoes.  I will be keeping it on file, however, for the yearly "slipper socks".  I might even whip myself up a pair...after I get a few more stocking stuffers in the bag, that is.

What else is on my needles?

I am starting something I have been meaning to make for over a year.  Maybe two.  I know the yarn has been in my stash for at least two years.  At least!  I am just giving you a sneak peak right now...hopefully in the next week or so I will be able to share the finished project.  I can tell you that it is not a baby hat, even though that is what it looks like at this point. 

On the reading front...S has "suggested" that I read the Conspiracy 365 books he is currently reading.  There are 12 books, one for each month.  He just finished May.  I started January this morning.  He often does this...he gets so excited about a series and he wants to share the details and talk about it, but no one really knows what he is talking about until someone else starts the series.  Usually me.  So this morning, I started the first one.  And then he wanted to tell me all about the one he just finished.  He "accidentally" told me something that I shouldn't know until the 3rd book.  I think I might have to catch up to him in a big hurry so that he can talk about them before he explodes.

Linking up today with Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams,
                                 Yarn along at small things.

Sharing

One of the things I love most about reading other people's blogs is finding out the feedback on patterns they have tried.  I am more likely to try a new pattern if someone tells me how great it is rather than if I see something I like and then search out the pattern from there.

So, to return the favour...here is a pattern that I really, truly enjoyed knitting (incidentally, I shortened the leg portion because one of my minions likes short socks).

Easy Cuff-Down Worsted Weight Socks

This is a great pattern for beginners, for sure, but it is also a great pattern for people who have been knitting for a while and just need, shall we say, a helping hand.  She gives lots of tips interspersed with the pattern instructions to make it easier as you go along.  Now, I have knit socks before.  I have knit quite a few socks before!  And if you read my post last week, you would have seen that I had three socks at the "pick up stitches" stage for the gusset and that I was dreading that step.  I never like that step. It makes my hands hurt.

Well!  I just did the two above, easy peasy!  She gives a little tip to slip the first stitch of each row while working the heel to make it easier to pick up.  She gives a little tip to pick up and knit the stitches one at a time rather than trying to get them all on a needle.  She gives a little tip to knit one round before starting your decreases to even out the picked up stitches.  Whew!  Problem solved.  Now I will be flying through the socks.  Disclaimer:  I have learned to knit as I go, as I don't actually know anybody else that knits.  Maybe some of you don't have this problem if you have a mentor or teacher of some sort, but somehow, I have never came across those three tips before.

My point:  if you have never knit socks and would like to try, I highly recommend this pattern.  If you have knit socks before and didn't like it, I highly recommend this pattern.   You're welcome.

Next up: please excuse the awful pictures.  The lighting was horrible because of the rain we so desperately needed.

 My new hat is finished.  It looks better in real life.  This one is from Modern Top Down Knitting and I posted a picture of this one from the book last week.

 Although it is entirely my own fault, it doesn't fit properly.  My gauge was off, and even though she said to use fleece (which stretches), I used flannel (which does not).  It is quite snug, but I do like how it looks.  I like different hats...hats that not everyone on the street are wearing.

It will, however, be perfect for the skating rink, as it won't be going anywhere!  And I will be making another  one right shortly (maybe in stripes?), but this time being much more careful to follow the directions properly.

And on the reading front:  does anyone have a good fiction to recommend?  September is a busy month here.  The boys go back to school, I go back to pottery once a week, the garden has to be put to sleep (once I finish the harvest and canning of course), and the extracurricular activities start.  I need a nice, light read that I can pick up and put down whenever.  Preferably something "old-timey".  Anyone have a suggestion for me?

Link-ups:  Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams on Tuesday
                Yarn Along at small things on Wednesday
                Stash bash with Crunchy Catholic Momma on Thursday
                Homestead Revival's barn hop on Monday

Yarn along...at last

I am finally joining back in with all the wonderful ladies on Yarn Along.  It has been a while.

 I'm knitting up some socks for stocking stuffers.  Just plain socks this time.  One pair for an Eagles fan, one pair for the sugar fanatic...I think they will remind him of chocolate swirl or heavenly hash.

Can you tell which part of the sock I always dread?  Yep, the picking up of stitches.  This method does have a bonus though...I knit them up fast enough that after the first one I didn't have to have the pattern with me since they are the same size, with the same yarn.  I'm hoping that will continue with the next step.  Plus, since the minions they are for were with me on the trip, I could pick up whichever sock was for the kid that wasn't right near me.  Mostly, I worked on S's socks in the truck (since he sits behind me) and I worked on N's sock while he was in the water.  Then I kind of gave up because they are at the point that they are clearly going to be socks, so they now have to be switched over to the "night time knitting" project when the kids are in bed.

Before our trip, the book store was having a sale on "classics" - 3 for $10.00.  There were 3 that I hadn't read, so I picked them up.  I usually try to get books from the library for the most part, but since I tend to read the classics a few times over, I thought they were worth it at that price.  I read Madame Bovary on the trip (and kept waiting for it to get better but it never really did).  I have about three pages to go in The Woman in White.  That one, I liked.  I don't want to give too much away in case any of you read it (which I recommend) but it has fraud, a "Secret", the theft of a fortune, manipulation, romance.  I enjoyed it immensely.

I'll be checking out every one else's project throughtout the day/week.

Yarn Along in July...

 So the hat for S is finally finished.  I can't believe it took me so long to make this hat...maybe because it took me almost a week just to untangle the yarn after I dyed it...and I actually only ended up using half of what I dyed, so now of course I am wondering if there is enough left to make a pair of self striping socks.  Hmmm.  Excuse the picture by the way.  It is a surprise for the cold weather, so I had to take the picture of myself.  The problem, though, is if it fits (and loosely at that) on my big giant head, then it will for sure be too big.  It is cotton though, and the last one I made him shrunk in the wash, so I am actually hoping this one will shrink in the wash.  As it is their job to fold most of the laundry over the summer though, I am going to wait until September to try to sneak it through.

Oh, yeah...it is just 100 stitches (worsted weight cotton) cast on, about and inch and a quarter of ribbing and then just straight up knitting until it got nice and long enough to be slouchy, and then k2tog for a round, knit for a round, repeat those 2 rows until there are just a few stitches left and run the yarn through them to tie it off.  Easy peasy but it took me a while to do in secret as the boys are staying up later lately.

Which leaves only the scarf on the needles.  Well, at least that is the only project on the needles that I am not completely ignoring.  The rest are packed away in bags here and there because I am pretty sure they are all going to be frogged.

On the reading front...I went to the library Monday night and found a series of 3 books by Paul Almond.  The Deserter, The Survivor, and The Pioneer.  I read the first one Monday and Tuesday.  It was excellent.  Set in Canada for a change in the late 1700's.  I stayed up way too late last night to read the second one.  I was kind of disappointed.  Although the actual story is great...a new husband and wife trying to set up their homestead against all obstacles...exactly the thing I like to read about...there are so many mistakes in the timeline it kind of drove me crazy.  When he is giving the background of the first book, he actually adds a year to the time the main character was there, then he has the guy spending the summer at a sawmill, yet somehow, later in the book, it says he spent that summer clearing his land and laying the foundation for his home (and magically the land is about a day away by canoe).  Then at one point he says it is late October, but then he talks about the long fall coming their way.  I plan on reading the third one anyways over the next couple of days.  Hopefully it won't drive me quite as nuts.  Having said that...if you are willing to ignore the time line issue, it really is a great (true) story as it deals with real life and death situations (at the back their is even documentation about the real events) and struggles that the very early settlers had to deal with.  Puts things into perspective, no?

Joining Ginny again for Yarn Along.  Haven't played along there in a while either as the knitting is such slow going in the heart of gardening season.

Not much progress

As usual on a Tuesday night, I write my post for Wednesday's yarn along...

not much progress this week, as we have had beautiful weather (translate:  I spent most of the weekend outside, and came in at night much too tired to even knit) and we have had company.

 This is how far I am on the rabbit I shared last week ( it's over here and it's free ).  I no longer think mine looks like a goat in this colourway...now I think it looks like a dog.  I agree with the comments last week though - once it is stuffed and I have added the face, I think it will look just fine.

 This is how far I am on N's hat for next autumn...it looks lumpy on my head because for once my hair was not in a ponytail...(side note: N was very upset Sunday because he accidentally felted this year's hat in the washing machine and he doesn't know I have already started this one, but he did ask whatever happened to that "cool tie-dyed yarn" that I was spinning. hee hee hee - the green stripes are a merino/silk blend that I bought, but the rest is handspun)

 ...almost done, see?  It's a tricky one because I have been taking it to work for lunch time but since I have been biking I don't like bringing it back and forth, so progress has halted.  This is me trying to sneak a picture of it in the bathroom mirror while N finishes his bedtime snack. (side note: it is so soft and squishy I do believe I need one too)

And now...this is where I get into trouble.  Last week, a fellow yarn-alonger (homesprout) shared a tunic she was working on, and I clicked the link, and I found the book (Modern Top-Down Knitting) and I ordered said book, and I want to make about 12 projects RIGHT NOW!  And I am constantly checking out the zero mile diet  while I start planting a few things in my garden...and yes, if you are wondering, I am in fact quite envious of all of you that are already eating whole meals from your garden.  For the next few weeks, all we get to enjoy are herbs, green onions, rhubarb, and maybe, just maybe, in a week or two, some baby bok choy.  Preserving Food without canning or freezing arrived with the knitting book (combined them for free shipping YIPPEE.) and the next four are just less than half of what I brought home from the library last night.  I'll let you know how they turn out, but the urban homestead sounds promising as it is for city gardeners like myself.  (Although, if you stand in just the right spot in my backyard, it is starting to look like a little farm, and that makes me very happy indeed).

Now, if anyone can help me out...what, oh what, do I do with all of my parsley?  I know I can freeze it, but other than soups, where will I use it up?  PS: my husband doesn't like parsley (he says) so I have to hide it.

Tomorrow, of course, I link up with Ginny from small things for yarn along.