Another busy week here. I think I mentioned two weeks ago my DH and I were both struggling with an awful cold. Or what we thought was a cold. He has had a lot of business travel over the last 3 weeks, and it turned out almost half of the people at business location #2 tested positive for COVID, which he found out while on business travel #3. He cut his trip short, came home and got tested, and turns out he has COVID as well. No idea when in this line of events he actually got it, but we’ve both had a cough and runny nose for about 2 weeks. We knew it was inevitable that we’d both contract it at some point, despite our vaccinations. I had been dreading it because I have a limited immune system due to a medication I’m on, but oddly enough, I have fought this off pretty well. I didn’t feel great for about a week, and I still have a lingering cough, but I also ran 5K this morning, so it’s obviously not too bad. Whatever the case, I am grateful I have enough antibodies in the tank to fend off getting REALLY sick.
So, all that aside, we’re self-isolating and working from home, so I’ve had a fair amount of craft time this week as well. Let’s get started:
I have been slowly working on a sample for a friend’s vendor booth. I’m using my Roses of Avon pattern and Serendipidye’s yummy alpaca/silk fingering-weight. The chart rows are long and fairly complex, but I am just about done chart 3 (of 4) for the body. I’m hoping to finish up chart 4 in June, and then the border in July, and then Jocelyn can have this for her booth at her show the first weekend in September. The pretty soft celadon color is called “Colleen”.
I’ve also been chugging along on a colorwork infinity-style cowl. The pattern is Meadow Knots, designed by Mona Zillah of Bunnymuff. I’m using a collection of Harrisville Shetland (fingering weight) yarns I had in stash for this one. There are 5 big charts, each one different, and I am about 75% done with the second of the 5. I’m really enjoying this one and the pattern is fun to knit as you don’t repeat many of the motifs, so each section is something new.
Next up, I’ve been working on the DK-weight Battenberg Blanket I’m crocheting for a friend’s baby shower. Baby is at 22 weeks right now, so I’ve still got a bit of time to work on this. I have about half the squares joined together and most of the remaining color ones completed (I think I have 10 more to make?), so just over halfway there. I’m using a bunch of Scheepjes minis, which are a blend of acrylic and cotton, so it’ll be machine washable. This won’t be a huge blanket – more like a play rug size – but it will also have a border so I think it’ll be a nice small wrap for the little one.
I’ve done a bit of spinning this week as well. I started a new 4-oz braid of roving from my Funky Carolina stash. This was from a LOTR collection. It’s blue-faced Leicester wool in the colorway “Eowyn”. I thought it would spin up with a lot more pink, but I’m actually really loving the more earthy-tones (which seem like horse colors to me) that are appearing. I’ve got the first 2 oz spun up and will start the next 2 oz of singles tomorrow.
In cross-stitch, I finished up the right-side vignette, which is a mountain-scape with clumps of pink flowers worked in specialty stitches over the lower ground. I think these are the same flowers we have blooming along the roads right now – pretty close anyway. And I started working on the braided exterior border, which I’ll continue on this week.
Finally, for active projects, my stitching friend, Vincent, reminded me I hadn’t worked on my wool applique in a while, so I hauled that out to work on this long weekend. This is the December mug rug kit in a series of 12 I have, and the first one of the 12 I’m working on. I have all 3 of the motifs with the buttons on completely finished and I have started working on the other 3, with the white of the candy canes finished. I plan to work on that this afternoon for a bit while enjoying some podcasts.
And I know several of you are participating in the Crazy Sock Lady’s Summer Sock Camp. Camp technically started yesterday (May 28th), but I want to use all my sock projects for things in the Harry Potter group, so I’m waiting to cast on my first projects until June 1st so I can include them there. I did, however, go through stash and pull some yarns, and I’m skeining those up this afternoon. I have a pair of seafoam speckle-dye from Suburban Stitcher planned for my friend, Nic, who is into surfing right now (and this yarn matches her new surfboard); I have a pair of Fire and Ice themed dragon scale socks planned for the gray multicolor; I have the Bevy Socks planned for the Russet (dark red) Yummy base from Miss Babs; and I want to knit a fade pair from the group of purple/teal minis, which are from Spun Right Round’s Advent box last year. I’m looking forward to 3 months of sock knitting!
Have a great week YOP’ers!
Knit One, Spin Too 
So happy for you that your covid wasn’t horrible. Looks like you accomplished quite a bit while being homebound. The baby blanket is so cheerful. The colors make me smile. Your cowl is one of my favorite projects you have going. No wait, maybe it’s the cross stitch. Or how about the spun yarn? Oh my, I love them all.
Yes! I was quite happy that it didn’t get worse. And I’m trying to look on the positive and say it’s another level of immune response to fight off a version of it. Thank you for the kind comment. I really do love all my projects – just like kids, differently but equally 🙂
Love your colorwork cowl. It would make a great sock too. Your baby blanket is beautiful! Have fun with the Summer Sock Camp.
Oh it would! I could see a pair of really fun socks with mix and match use of the charts. I’m really looking forward to Camp!
Oh you poor guys! I’m so glad it wasn’t too bad. I have 2 immune diseases which makes it scary to catch anything. So glad you are on the mend. I love all your projects and the baby blanket is precious. Your yarns for Sock Camp are so lovely. I love your wool applique…I have several WIPs in that category. Your hand spun is so pretty too. Get well soon!
You know what I mean then! I was in hospital for 3 days last spring with some weird rebound reaction to my medication and the vaccine, so I’m really leery of anything that upsets the tenuous balanace. I’m excited to get started on a summer of socks!
I am like you….waiting for June 1st to cast on my socks for the supersock world championship so I can enter them in a Harry Potter class! It was good to hear that your immune system did its job. I hope your husband bounced back as well as you did – my goodness a 5k run right after having CoVid is amazing. And yay for using your time at home to do all that fantastic crafting.
Summer is just the perfect time for socks, IMHO! The supersock world championship sounds like a fun event! I really think we had a very mild case, so hooray for the vaccine. I’m still kind of coughsy but definitely on the mend 🙂
I’m glad to hear you are on the mend. Your projects look great!
Thank you! The power of hot tea and naps!:D
That’s neat that the flowers on your roadside match the ones in your cross stitch! And I love your shawl. It’s so pretty! I’m also glad to hear you’re doing better, and I’m jealous of your spinning. Those singles look great! (I agree that the color of the singles looks more horse-like than I had expected from the braid.)
We tend to have fairly small/close to the ground flowers here but this particular pink one is the exception. Waist-high bushes with all those wispy pink flowers on them. Really pretty!
Glad to hear your bout with Covid was not horrible! Hope your husband is feeling better as well. Your cowl is stunning! The colorwork is just gorgeous. I like the colors in your baby blanket. So bright and cheery for a baby to play on! Cant wait to see what you make sitting SSC. I keep casting on, so don’t have too much progress on any one project, lol.
Thank you! We were pretty lucky – seems like everyone my DH works with is sick, some folks really sick 😦 I’m trying not to put TOO many socks on the needles right now but it’s sooo tempting with all the eye candy on social media!