Riding high on the thrill of finishing Whitehorse, I quickly cast on the Roxy Baby Cardigan by Erika Flory. I’m making the 24 M size, because I always make the biggest size I have the yarn for when knitting for a baby. Now that I’m on the boring body portion this will be my playground knitting.
My range shawl has grown a bit, but progress has slowed substantially. I plan on working on this in the evenings, as it is too big to travel with. I like how it is turning out.
I have several other WIPs languishing that I cannot bring myself to knit. I think I need to hold myself to Finishing Fridays until my WIP count is under control. When I have projects I don’t feel like knitting I tell myself I need to work on them on Fridays until they are done. Usually I fall back in love with the project and start working on it regularly.
Had you told me a month ago that I would knit a cropped sweater with bobbles and love it, I would have assumed you were making fun of me. I am not a cropped sweater person. I think bobbles are ridiculous. And yet, here we are.
Pattern is Whitehorse by Caitlin Hunter. I used some yarn that my cousin gave me when she was destashing. I think it is worsted instead of the DK it calls for. I knit my sweater with less positive ease than the pattern called for. I did not go down a needle size on the cuffs or bottom ribbing. I probably should have on the cuffs, but I don’t like tight things on my elbows.
Will I ever wear this sweater out of the home? Maybe. I need to find a dress I can wear it with, which would alleviate the muffin top I developed this summer. Even when I’m back to my normal size I doubt I’ll ever want to wear a sweater this short. That is OK though, as this sweater was very fun to knit.
Now I’m off to knit something else. I’m really glad to have my knitting mojo back.
Yesterday I headed down to Hamilton, MO with my sister, cousin, and aunt to meet up with another cousin for a day of fabric shopping. Hamilton is home to the Missouri Star Quilt Co., a huge company that has transformed the small town of Hamilton. They have 12 quilt shops there. Each of them had things I wanted to buy. I’m so lucky they don’t have a yarn store, because the fabric kept me busy.
They have a loyalty program that allows you to earn money to spend at their shop. Whenever you spend $50 at a shop you get a charm for their charm bracelet (they give you the bracelet when you sign up for the free loyalty program). I earned two charms. After seeing all of the great fabric they have I can’t believe I didn’t get more charms. As an added bonus, I think the charms could be used for progress keepers, so I might try that.
I bought blue and green fabrics for a bag, mixed pink prints for a ruffley ridiculous outfit I think Audrey will love, and a panel with a Halloween apron on it. The best find was clearance Sheriff Callie Fabric. If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed that Audrey is constantly wearing a pink cowboy hat, just like Sheriff Callie. I bought all of the Sheriff Callie fabric they had left because Audrey and Elliot will both want as many Sheriff Callie things as I can make.
When we were in the main store we did a make and take (for free, mind you, which means I love them even more). We made postcards to mail to ourselves. I didn’t mail mine, as I think it will be a great coaster.
The postcard got me thinking, and I decided I could sew together some 5 inch squares with a bit of flannel or batting in the middle and they would be the perfect size for coasters. I wouldn’t even have to finish them because I’m happy with a pinking shears finish. Once I decided I could easily make coasters I decided to go crazy. I’m going to be making Halloween, Christmas, and summer coasters soon. Don’t be surprised if you get some for Christmas.
Readers who quilt or sew: do you think flannel or batting would work to make the coaster absorbent? I don’t want things to sweat through the coaster in the summer. If you have a better idea, please share it with me.
If you quilt I highly recommend a trip to Hamilton. It is a great way to spend a day.
A few days ago I mentioned the sign I saw at the nature center in Minnesota. I loved the sign, as it is a message I try to take to heart.
I decided I needed a version for our house. I found a picture of the kids playing together and ordered a wood print off of Shutterfly.
I am disappointed that the best picture I have of the two of them playing is when they are doing something totally benign. It is especially frustrating because the day after I ordered this the kids managed to do this at the playground, and it would make a much better picture.
I’ve been trying to print off more photos, as I have a tendency to just put them on google photos and forget about them. Do you have any tips for remembering to actually print photos?
I have been knitting away this week. Staying in town and not having any social obligations makes for a productive week, knitwise.
I’m on the bottom ribbing of my whitehorse sweater. I could be done with it, but I have held off. This weekend I’m heading down to Missouri to do some fabric shopping, and 5 hours in the car round trip will require a lot of mindless knitting. I’ve started knitting it on the go, and worked on it while watching the kids go down the combine slide at Center Grove Orchard yesterday.
I’ve been spending most of my time working on my Range shawl. The shawl has proven to be as addictive as every other Andrea Mowry pattern I’ve knit. There is a good chance I’ll be done with this well before the end of the KAL I’m participating in. I’m an overachiever when it comes to KALs.
It has been humid and in the 80s (29 C) this week, but I still want to be knitting. I think that is a good sign that my knitting mojo is back. I have so many projects in hibernation right now, perhaps I’ll pull one out when I finish up the shawl or the sweater. We shall see.
Last week the kids and I headed up to the Twin Cities to spend some time with my cousin and her kids. It was a lovely trip.
On the drive up I planned on stopping to play in a few places. They are much better travelers when they get to run around for a bit. The four hour drive took us seven hours with 3 playground stops and a lunch.
My cousin and I are both doing the 1000 hour outside challenge, which strives to get kids outside for 1000 hours in a year (about 3 hours a day). It was great to spend time with other kids who spend time outside. We went to a nature center with a great play area. We ended up spending 5 hours there.
The nature center had the best sign I’ve ever seen at a playground.
The next morning we walked to another nature center. I am amazed at how many great places the Twin Cities have to get out and explore. It is such an active area. I would like Des Moines to be as progressive with outdoor activities.
The nature center had trails, poems and sculptures along the walking path, and a really great coffee shop. We had brunch there and then walked back to her house to pack up the car and head to our next stop.
I’ve been to Minneapolis dozens of times, but I had never been to Minnehaha Falls. We walked around the waterfall and then hit the road. It was a wonderful walk to move a little bit before the rest of our trip.
I did some of my best bribing on the drive home. In order to keep the stops to a minimum I let them get happy meals. It is amazing how good they can be when they know we get to stop at McDonald’s.
We stopped to play once on the way home. It was at a rest area along the interstate. My kids cannot stop talking about this park, which is odd, as it consisted of a few concrete culverts, a basic balance beam, and two sets of stairs on opposite sides of a five foot tall deck. When we ask them what they like best about Minnesota Elliot always says the goat bridge.
It was wonderful to spend time with my cousin. Our kids are close in age and play well together. I can’t wait to go visit again.
