New Things Abound
October ended a while ago marking the completion of NaCraMaMo and I just haven’t had the time to summarize the month’s happenings before now. I’m happy to say that I was indeed able to meet my goal this year. Although my plan to craft a little each day wasn’t a very lofty goal, I did have a few life-interrupting events pop up that severely limited the time I had to do recreational things. Despite it all, I did find time to knit each day, even if I was only able to get a few rows done.
My first pair of socks are finished and they are quite delightful. People who have never had a pair of handknit socks made to fit their feet specifically are really missing out. It’s astounding how much difference a well-tailored heel and toe can make.
I’ve already cast-on for two other pairs of socks. Another pair for myself using a cotton/nylon sock yarn and a pair for my husband. My only other finished project of October, a few sets of stitch markers, can be seen here.
Christmas is getting closer and closer, so I’ve decided to step my gift knitting into high gear. I’ve got a cabled scarf more than half-way finished and I’ve started on a couple of other projects as well. Last week I stopped by Purlescence Yarns in Sunnyvale to pick up a few skeins needed for gift projects as well as a few things to reward myself for finally getting my stash organized.
From left to right:
- Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in Kawkaw. This skein is all for me.
- Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in Lauma. This will end up as a gift.
- ShibuiKnits Socks in Mulberry x2. Also for myself.
- Dream in Color Smooshy in Midnight Derby. One skein is for a gift and the other was an anniversary present from the husband.
As November zooms on by, I’m really starting to hope that I haven’t waited too long to get everything done on time. The patterns I’ve selected are simple enough but are also quite large. I am thinking that if I concentrate on the things I need to get done instead of doing the things I want to knit right this second I will be able to make it. We’ll see.
I also recently came into possession of a mannequin, courtesy of my sister.
Although I didn’t take a photo of it, there is also a bottom half. Only the arms are missing and I may be able to find a replacement pair later on. For right now, I’m just going to focus on removing the several layers of paint that have left the thing looking like a bit of a leprosy victim. Once that’s done, I will have a rather decent model for my projects from now on (not that my husband isn’t a good model… I just don’t think he appreciates me asking him to model obviously intended-for-female things).
Time to get back to my knitting!
Where would you find a replacement pair of arms?
The mind boggles!
Possibly ebay or there are companies that specialize in restoring store mannequins that might be able to locate a replacement set. If I knew who the manufacturer was, I might be able to go directly to them if they’re still in business, although that would probably be the most expensive route.