Tall Gal Knits and Spins

Summer life has its pleasures and its annoyances

Its summer time...the weather is mostly cooperating, and the creative juices get flowing...trying out small projects just to try a technique is always fun....

For example, I'm taking great pleasure in making this felted bag...

A combination of a knit then felted bag and needle felting.  I've felted a knitting project before.  Sometimes I love it, sometimes I don't.  This black bag is made out of stash yarn, some Cascade Pastaza that I've got tons of lying around here.  The flower (which I have been told resembles a lady slipper) is from roving that I have around the house.  The stem is twined sock yarn that looks like stem material.

This was a quick easy project to do...I need to go buy bag handles for it this weekend.  Its just the right size to be another project bag, as you can never have too many of those, or to be a small tote bag for lightweight shopping. We'll see what handles I come up with.

And then there is the annoyance of the summer...and normally I don't share things like this, but this one just irritates me...summer time equals sandals, some new some old.  I bought a new pair over the weekend, the DH and I walked into Harvard Square for dinner the other night, its about 1 mile from our place, easy walk, one we do all the time, literally.

Halfway home the other night I had to take off my new summer sandals because I had rubbed a blister on the top of one of my feet.  No biggie, I've done it before, will do it again.  Went to bed and the next morning woke up to this...

it had cracked and bled...and has done so again today...this drives me NUTS!  I have never had a blister do this to me since I was a kid in Iowa in the freezing winters and my hands would crack...

Now it is covered in antibiotic cream and covered with a gauze bandage for a few days.  Its bad enough it is probably going to leave a scar, no matter how much vitamin E lotion I put on it.  So much for cute feet for a few weeks!

I'm off to go do something else crafty...I cast on a sock for the Summer of Socks for the DH (since I'm obviously not wearing any for a while) over the weekend...should have a progress picture for you soon!

It must be summer..I have time to do something besides sit at the computer....

Its been a busy few weeks since the last little sweater update....but not so much that I couldn't make another EZ sweater for Caterina!

I love Elizabeth Zimmerman's patterns...not only are the easy to do once you read through the whole pattern but the designs just make sense.  This is the Baby Surplice Sweater, a little wrap sweater that you an adjust as the baby gets bigger by moving the buttons along.   Buttons, that I will be purchasing this afternoon....

Yes, I am enjoying knitting girl baby clothes!  Not that I don't love knitting for the two nephews and my Godson as well...but this is a nice change of pace.  Actually, I have two more EZ sweaters lined, up one for C and one for her big brother that I'm planning on starting in July...

And the best bit..I'm using up Stash Yarn!  I've actually been extremely good this year.  No sheep shows so far , although I am planning on going to Rhinebeck, school allowing, in October and I'm only getting my bimonthly dose of STR from the club....I just may actually be able to buy some yarn this fall and not have to pile it up on the floor in front of the cubes!

This adorable sweater isn't the only thing I've done.  I finished my quilt block of the month, which I am also going to turn in this afternoon....

Not bad for not touching my sewing machine in 6 weeks!

It is summer time...and with less brain power being abused by school...I've picked up some lace, I've joined the Summer Sampler KAL over at Bad Cat Designs.

These are the first 2 patterns, one a week, and I'm running a week behind...go figure.  But I'm enjoying this as a chance to explore new lace patterns and its just a fun little stole to knit.  Its an open KAL so check out the link above if you think you want to join in.

And just because one lace project isn't enough....

Can you guess what this is the start of....its one repeat of a border pattern for a specific shawl....

No I'm not going to knit it entirely over the summer...the goal is to have the edging "hopefully" completed before classes start up again mid September.  Then try do a few rows every week.  This was my treat to myself for surviving the semester and getting into Harvard officially.  The yarn is the Gossamer Cashmere Silk blend from Heirloom Knitting in yummy burgundy!

Tonight is the summer solstice and tomorrow is my wedding anniversary...we're heading to Portsmouth NH for the day tomorrow...there's going to be some fabric stash enhancement I'm sure and maybe even a little yarn too....

Have a wonderful weekend..I'm off to buy buttons!