Progress continues along on various things. I am about 75% finished the Carrasco cowl using the 4-color sportweight gradient from The Unique Sheep. I have 2 more full pattern repeats to go to finish up the first of my Dragonstone Socks (plus the plain rounds at the toe), and I have decided to try to really whittle down those sockweight yarn oddments by making granny squares of the less than 10 g leftovers in addition to the Granny Stripe blanket you saw last week.
In addition, if you saw my Friday post, you know this is the season of cast-ons. New on the needles in the last few days are Ambah O’Brien’s Sherbet Fizz Shawl in a raspberry pink yarn from Garthenor. The Tea Cup Shawl by Kelene Kinnersly using Magpie Fibers Swank DK, and the Copenhagen Cardigan by Petite Knits using Rauma Finullgarn held with a strand of Plum (their mohair laceweight).
Additionally, I am SO close to finishing up the massive Beach Walk Blanket I’ve been working on for almost a year. I have 2 more rounds of border to add and a few ends to weave in and that one will be DONE! (FO pictures to come shortly, I hope!) Still plugging away slowly at my handspun singles of the gradient packs from Hilltop Cloud Fibres, but not much to show there other than some partially filled bobbins.
I have made some progress on Winter’s Encounter, which is still on my worktable, with about 1000 stitches added to it this week. I haven’t met my goal for the month on this one yet, so it will be out until I do.
I was going to work on soap-making for my 30-day challenge for February, but I wandered into some beautiful quilter’s IG accounts who are working on the Dear Jane quilt (I’ve had the book since it came out originally 25 years ago!) and decided that hand-piecing might be a nice way to spend my next 30 days. My plan is to hand sew the blocks using stash yarn I’ve had for eons from Moda (the Papillon collection, which is no longer available from them) and add in a few French General fabrics for the solid colors. I’ll be using Moda’s Ciel Blue from that line, which is a soft dove gray, for the main background color and sashing, and the Papillon fabrics for most of the contrast for the blocks. I’ve finished one block so far – and granted, it’s one of the easiest of them – but it was a nice reintroduction to the hand-sewing and I’m enjoying remembering the process. I think the last quilt I made was one I started in college and finished for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, and which my Gram helped me quilt, so it’s been a while!
All for this week YOP’ers!
Knit One, Spin Too 
So many lovely projects to be inspired by!
Thank you!
So many fun crafts. Definitely lots to keep you busy. Love the idea of making soaps. I do enjoy the goat soaps I have bought. They almost last too long as similar to my yarn stash, I have a few years before I need to buy, or make, any more. Bath bombs are fun to make too. I need to remember those for Christmas gift ideas.
Those would be great Christmas gift ideas! Maybe I’ll wait to work on soap-making and do that for a holiday gift-giving thing.
Granny squares with leftover fingering yarn. Fantastic idea. Thanks! Your projects you have going are all so pretty. Still, your xs is my favorite.
I’m trying really hard to use up all those languishing scraps!!
I’ve been tempted a few times by Garthenor yarn but have resisted so far and not buying yarn this year. That raspberry colour though is oooh so pretty. Hopefully when I eventually need more yarn that colour will still be available. The quilt sounds interesting, one day I’ll make one but probably not in the next 5 years.
I haven’t used this base before so I’m anxious to see how it works up. It is a really pretty color tho!
Love the cowl and socks. Wonderful colors!
Thank you so much!
I also have a serious case of startitis. That raspberry color is just beautiful!
The struggle is real! 🙂
Love the yarns you are working with….I might have to get that raspberry one…. oh, la, la! I also really like the cowl and the 4-color gradient you are using for it. I too need to have different projects on the go….it keeps things interesting. The horse is so beautiful! Your quilt block is lovely. I’m waiting for my red and cream BOM quilt to get here. The little granny squares are so cute!
It really is as deep and rich as it looks – a beautiful color! I enjoy having things of different complexity and weights and size to work on! (Obviously!)
Everything looks great! I’ve thought about getting into hand quilting, but just haven’t done anything with it lately. (I did experiment with it once, many years ago, when I made a couple of quilted pot holders. I’ve been half-heartedly wanting to go back to it for a while.) And you’re really tempting me to cast on something new. I might start a sweater… 😉
Same for me – I haven’t been inspired to quilt in a while so we will see what comes of Jane. Wholeheartedly recommending a new cast-on. 😀
I hope the project goes well!
I did cast on a new sweater. I figure I don’t need to feel guilty about it since I’m knitting from stash. 😉
The colors!! They have me swooning! Winter doldrums be gone.
And hand stitching a quilt!???? That is an epic level project!!
I think we all need lots of color right about now! LOL – epic is my middle name.
Ooh that raspberry color is so pretty! I love Ambah’s patterns; I’ll have to check that one out!
I’m not very far into it – since I’m in this whole cast-on madness thing – but she usually has great patterns and the colorway is delicious.
The quilt is going to be amazing and I love that you are hand stitching it! The little grannies squares are lovely and such a great stashbuster.
Thanks, Lucy! I’m enjoying dusting off my quilting skills with this one!