Another craft-filled week – my DH was on business travel again (and he’s gone again this week) – so I got a lot accomplished.
First up, I finished the big cowl I was working on. This is a design from Joji Locatelli from a while back and I had earmarked 3 half-skeins of Spud and Chloe’s Fine, an 80/20 merino/silk sock-weight yarn. I had a skein of charcoal gray, black and a bright electric blue in stash from a LONG time ago. I did wind up running out of the gray and had to substitute in the bright blue for the final small section of stripes, but I don’t mind that at all. (I actually kind of like the little extra pop of blue against the black.) So another few skeins of yarn out of stash with this one – hooray!
I also finished up the long-languishing superwash merino I’ve been working on for a while. The original roving was from Oceanwind Knits and was a club colorway called “1967” inspired by a summer concert poster from The Doors that year. I spun a 2-ply sockweight with a total of 467 yards and just under 4 oz in the finished skein. It is soft and squishy and I love the colors in it. No specific plans for this but it’s got good yardage so it may wind up as a small shawl at some point as it’s very drapey and soft.
I’m also working on a pair of socks for a friend. I’m using a long-stashed skein of MadTosh Sock in the colorway “Logwood”, and I’m knitting Helen Stewart’s Scribbly Gum Socks, which is another wonderfully fun pattern from her. I’ve got about another repeat and a half to knit of the patterned foot, and then I can start the toe decreases so I should have this one finished up in the fairly short term.
I cast on yesterday for a new colorwork project. This is the Meadow Knots cowl by Bunnymuff. I’m using 50-g skeins of Harrisville Shetland I had in stash. Nicely enough, this group of yarns almost perfectly matched the colors shown in the sample, which are bright spring tones of gold, fuschia, purples, and a leafy green. I just got started last night so I’m still working on chart one, but this is a fairly easy knit so I’m hoping to spend some good time making progress on it today.
More progress on Desert Mandala as well. I’m just about done this right side vignette and I’d like to try to get this bit finished up this week so I can start on the bottom third of the design.
Last but not least, I am finally getting around to one of my planned sewing projects for the year. I wanted to make the Forager Vest from Sew Liberated to get myself reacclimated to sewing. I used to do a lot of it (even some “professionally” as part of other jobs) but haven’t made myself a garment in eons. I love the big pockets on this over-layer and thought it would be a great way to dress up jeans or leggings, which I wear a lot of, but need to have something a little nicer on top for video calls at my new job. I’m using a slate-blue linen and I got a yard of this really fun mushroom print from Spoonflower to use for the copious pockets. I’m further along than just this stack of supplies, and actually hope to have this finished today but will save the other photos for a separate blog post later this week. (I also have the dress pictured in this pattern photo of the vest that’s on deck for another project possibly later this year.)
That’s it for me this week. Have a great one YOP’ers!
Knit One, Spin Too 
Great cowl. I bet it feels good to get some stash busting done. I love the color of your sock yarn!
Thank you! and YES! I’m all about the stashbusting right now 🙂
Oh my, where to start. The Joji cowl is gorgeous. I agree about the blue stripesnin the black. Really makes a statement. Your handspun is absolutely beautiful. The colors are wonderful. The sock pattern on the leg is so pretty. Meadow Knots cowl!!! Those color are so spring time. Love it. As always, your cross stitch is breath taking. I look forward to seeing your vest and dress.
Marsha: You always leave such kind comments – thank you! I’m really enjoying the Meadow Knots cowl already. The colors are so bright and cheerful!
That cowl is gorgeous and so is your handspun! Seeing your handspun and Sarah’s handspun has made me realize I really need to spin more. Your cross stitch piece is so beautiful Anne …. I need to start a cross stitch process.
Thank you so much! I am determined to finish the mandala this year… but it’s a BIG project so hoping just focusing on it will move it along more than a week here or there.
You can do it and it will be so beautiful when you’re finished!
I love the colours you chose for the cowl, it looks lovely. The handspun, as always, fills me with joy…it’s so even and smooth…I must practice more. I have some sewing mojo at the moment, so look forward to your sewing post later this week.
That’s really all you need to do to spin even and smooth. Just 10-15 minutes a day even makes a difference. Cheering you on for that!
Yes I must make effort again to find a slot for it to become routine in my day
That looks like a really productive week! I love the look of that handspun yarn—it sure looks drapey and soft just from that picture. It would make a lovely shawlette if that’s what you end up using it for.
It was! Which always feels good 🙂
I’m definitely leaning towards something that will show off the drape and colors as opposed to “just” socks.
I have yet to get brave enough to knit socks with any of my handspun yarn…
I bet you miss your hubby but yay for all the crafting time.
As it turns out, his travel this week was cut short and he’s home already – that’s the good news. The bad news is about half of the people at last week’s meeting are quarantined with COVID and the meeting he had on Monday (in a different location) had so many people call out because they are quarantined with COVID meant he didn’t have anyone to meet with so he came home yesterday. He’s supposed to go get tested today but in the meantime, we’re both just kind of waiting for symptoms to start since he’s been exposed to so many people. Ugh. 😦
Nice job on the cowl. It’s really lovely. The hand spun is gorgeous and I remember The Doors…I graduated high school in ’67…many moons ago! The new cowl is so colorful…love it! The socks are a great pattern. The vest and the dress are great…I could use something like that. The mushroom fabric is awesome! So sorry to hear about your husband…I hope you are both okay.
The late 60s had such great music. Bet it was a fun time to be a high school’er. 🙂 Thanks for all the kind words. He went in to work to get an “official” COVID test this morning but he doesn’t have any symptoms – neither of us do at this point – so let’s hope we dodged it this time!
I love Madeline Tosh sock yarn!! So sock. And what a beautiful pattern. I adore the colors of your 1967 spun yarn.