Around the Corner

There have been a few days in the last couple of weeks that have cooled in the evenings, sending the reminder that Fall is just around the corner. (Today being an exception, with the mercury hitting 90º F. Still, something inside stirs when the heat of Summer starts to wane.)

One sign that my body is recognizing the change is my gravitation to playing more with wool. I have started spinning again, surprised that my wheel still turns – it having sat stationary for the better part of the season.

Handspun Superwash Merino

I’m glad that I haven’t completely forgotten how to convert roving into yarn. This superwash merino (dyed by us several years ago) is spun into about 287 yards of 3-ply yarn.

I also must be feeling the need to pack on a little more insulation myself. We’ve revived the Saturday Night, Pizza Night tradition, trying out some new themes, including a new favorite:

Saturday Night, Pizza Night

It’s a pear-greens-caramelized onion-blue cheese collection of goodness baked on a thin, crispy crust that has been coated with garlicky olive oil mixed with sage. We seriously had to restrain ourselves from devouring the entire pan (even though leftover pizza is never as good as fresh-from-the-oven pizza).

Virginia is no stranger to wool, and is constantly working with it. So, season changes do not necessarily influence the amount of work she does with the fiber (although, maybe once the cold hits, she’ll be working more with alpaca, cashmere and other more insulating fibers).

She continues to knit socks, the latest being:

Handknit Socks

Handknit Socks

The rest can be seen, as always (and often before a blog post appears) on flickr.

And, it being the time to start thinking about keeping warm, Virginia is offering some of her handknits for sale on Etsy. Check back often, because she will be listing a variety of items, including shawls, cowls, scarves and (what’s listed right now) hats:

Selection of Handknit Hats

Check it out.

Much to See, Much to Do

The problem with waiting so long between blog posts is that stuff starts to pile up. Unfortunately, I’m going to leave you with a bunch of stuff to look at, but not much to read (it’s a beautiful day and our yard is calling to me).

Virginia finished up another crochet afghan. This one is made up of granny squares, using Jamieson’s Spindrift.

Crochet Granny Square Afghan

(More photos can be found on our Flickr page)

She also finished a tank, knit using Louet’s Euroflax Linen.

Essential Tank

The pattern is the “Essential Tank” by Wendy Bernard in her book Custom Knits.

Socks!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any finished socks. She’s started a renewed effort to knock off 52 pairs by the end of May (I think she’s at 40, having started last June).

Socks (36 of 52)

Socks (37 of 52)

Socks (38 of 52)

Socks (39 of 52)

The Garden
I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to feel the sun and dirt on my skin. There’s nothing like being shut up in a hospital room for three month-long periods, and then told to not go near the stuff for the rest of the year, to really make you appreciate the sore muscles, new calluses and dirty hands that come from playing in the yard.

Brick Path in Cutting Garden

Our “cutting garden” got a bit of a facelift with a newly-bordered brick path. And, speaking of cutting gardens, our house has vases in practically every room. Nothing brightens the room more than a bouquet of daffodils.

Daffodils

I was also given a couple of black raspberries from a coworker’s yard. They seem to be thriving from the transplant, and hopefully will even produce something this year.

Transplanted Black Raspberry

No more talk. Must go play. So, if you are thinking about staying inside today… get off your ass and get out there. Enjoy the fresh air, sun on your skin, dirt in your fingernails.

Of Mittens, Socks and… Weaving!

I promised I’d post some yarn-related projects. So, without further ado, here are some that Virginia has recently completed.

These are Finnish Mittens from Folk Mittens. The pattern is by Marcia Lewandowski. Virginia knit these using Misty Alpaca’s worsted-weight yarn. One of the things that I like about these mittens is that she knit them for me. I like my hands to be warm, and these certainly do the trick.

Finnish Mittens

Also off the needles is another pair of socks. These are made using Trekking, and are based on the Waffle Rib pattern in Charlene Schurch’s book Sensational Knitted Socks.

Waffle Socks (28 of 52)

I knew it was only a matter of time before the weaving bug bit Virginia. It finally did with Mr. Kringle visiting early, bringing a 24-inch rigid heddle loom. No sooner had the box been opened and loom assembled, that a “test” project was started.

Virginia's Foray into Weaving

This colorful weave was created with some Fleece Artist superwash merino. Given the speed with which this project started and finished, I’d say there’s bound to be more to share in the very near future. And, I must say, the bug has rebitten me, and I feel myself being pulled away from the felting fun I’ve been having.

Warm feet

Though not appearing on the blog for some while, Virginia has been knitting socks (working towards a 52 pair for the year goal). If you happen to follow her on Ravelry, you’d see them as they were finished. Obviously, not all of you are Ravelers, so I’ll try to be better about giving them some time here on ScratchCraft.

Here are a couple that she recently finished:

Socks (24 of 52PPIII)

These are knit from a Nancy Bush pattern called “Fox Faces.” The yarn used is Lang Jawoll.

Socks (25 of 52PPIII)

I like these, mostly because of the name of the yarn (but the colors are fantastic, too). This is the “Lichen Ribbed Sock” (also by Nancy Bush, from her book Knitting Vintage Socks), knit using Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball. Say that 3 times real fast.

Birthday Socks (and flowers)

We celebrated Virginia’s birthday last weekend, and I was hoping to have these done by then (it was good motivation). But, try as I might, I did not finish in time. Still, I say delivery within a week of one’s birthday counts.

Norwegian Stockings

These are Nancy Bush’s Norwegian Stockings that I knit using Smart Yarn. The nice thing about DK-weight yarn is that it makes a project like this go much quicker. When I first cast these on, I was a little worried I’d be giving these to her for next year’s birthday.

Norwegian Stockings

Norwegian Stockings

But, as you can see, they are done (and with only a couple of tiny errors).

And, no birthday around here is complete without a last-of-the-season bouquet from the farmers market. With snow predicted for tonight and tomorrow, it appears like we just barely squeaked these in.

Birthday Bouquet

Happy birthday, my dear.