Quite the grand occasion

I just finished and sent off some freelance writing I was doing, plus I finished a design last night. This means, for the first time since I quit the day job, I have NOTHING I should be working on. The "yarn-for-designs" shelf is empty, the "to be tech edited" pile is all gone. Granted, there is yarn on its way for a number of new design projects, and some patterns to tech edit are forthcoming from various sources, and there's a bunch of other stuff I'm waiting to hear about....but RIGHT NOW, at this moment, there is nothing particular for me to do. Plus I already did the grocery shopping and the house is clean. ( I still need to go to the bank and the post office, but hey, close enough).

You know what time it is, right??


Yes, time to knit whatever I want (well, gifts, at least)... I'm trying out the chevron scarf in some STR I've got lying around. Funnily, the color names seem to go together (mist and downpour) so I'm hoping that bodes well for the colors themselves.

Halloweeny-ness

Here's Emma in her Halloween costume, for those who wanted a peek. Enjoy!

Socks!

The preview for the Winter issue of Cast On is up, with the little socks I designed in SWTC Tofutsies. Sonya liked them when I was knitting the sample pair back in April and has ever so patiently been waiting for the pattern ever since. (They're the blue socks, incidentally, there's more than one pair in the issue).

As for me? Yesterday I shipped out the design for Knit Simple, and I'm partway done with a design for SWTC. Besides that, I'm waiting on much yarn from Vogue for the Knitting on the Go books (Shawls 2 and Granny Squares, they're called) -- I'm hoping I can sneak in a little gift and charity knitting in between. Since I've been invited to a knitting get-together tomorrow, hopefully that will happen! Before then, I have like 8 yards of red and black satin cut out in the basement, waiting to be Hubbo's and Emma's Halloween costumes... since they're going to a party tomorrow I'd better get busy!

Just what the doctor ordered

I have been Sick, with a capital S, for the past few days-- went to bed feeling fine on Friday and woke up totally befevered and sore of throat on Saturday. I had been planning to finish the design for Knit Simple over the weekend, but instead I slept and watched every single episode of Degrassi High from the DVD's I just got (I totally loved that show in high school). Right now I'm at the "almost better" stage, but still too tired and unwilling to get dressed (sorry Tuesday 'Bou ladies!)

Anyway, as a result I'm still on the last few inches of the Knit Simple project, but since I planned ahead I'll finish in time. The best cure seems to be the emails I got today informing me that SEVERAL of my design submissions for some upcoming Vogue Knitting on the Go books were accepted-- yay! If that's not enough, I also won a small prize in Emma's school raffle. Not a bad day at all.

A day of mourning

BOTH (yes both) of my pairs of Jaywalkers have developed big honking holes in them. Seeing as though they were my favorites, I'm pretty bummed about it. Needless to say, I'm rethinking my "throw everything in the washer" method (except for socks made from Opal and their ilk, I have a pair that has lasted years and years with no pilling, holes, worn spots, nothing). The victims were made of Koigu and STR, which I know need more gentle attentions but I was unwilling to provide it. Lesson learned.

(As for darning? Just can't bring myself to do it, not to mention I lack matching yarn anyway!)

Little Update

Super windy today, I went for a long walk and my headphones actually blew off my head. Anyway, yesterday some drama got resolved... some submissions I had sent out over 2 weeks ago (by Priority Mail, with delivery confirmation) NEVER showed up, even though it should have taken more like 2 days. When I realized the deadline was at hand and they weren't there (according to the handy tracking thing) I was really upset. Fortunately, lovely magazine people let me send scans of my sketches and swatches (yet another reason to ALWAYS do this) so they could still be considered. Anyway, the resolution... yesterday they emailed to say they had finally arrived. I'm happy for that, but still a bit annoyed at the Post Office.

The little project I'm working on for the Spring/Summer Knit Simple is coming along-- I should be done Sunday or Monday, yay.

Oh, and I found out the design I did for the Winter Knitter's has been moved to the Spring issue, so don't look for it just yet! :) I do have stuff in the next Creative Knitting and Cast On, though- can't wait!

Can't think of a title today

Lately I've been feeling the urge to making some knitty gifts, so last week I started (and today I finished) another Ruffles Scarf, this one in Diakeito Diamusee (3 balls) for someone who shall remain nameless, in case they're reading.

Besides that, Saturday I went to see Henry Rollins with Hubbo (always a treat). Somewhere in the audience Marj was enjoying the show as well, though I did not manage to spot her in the throng. Hubbo brought his knitted Henry along as well, which I thought was cute.

Shop!

Since I can, and since some of us might want to knit that silk top I just designed but might not have access to a shop that carries Tilli Tomas, I've decided to put the pattern up on Etsy. Enjoy!

90 degrees

I never would've thought I'd need to send my kid to school in a sundress and sandals in October, but here we are. We're supposed to be enjoying that "no air conditioning, no furnace" time of year right now, you know. I want to wear sweaters and socks!!

Katamari

Emma loves Katamari Damacy, so much that she made a "museum" of the Prince and all the cousins in her room (she drew each one, it covers an entire wall!) So naturally, back in the early bits of the summer I thought it would be fun to make her a katamari. I started it (then got busy with other things) but since I decided to work on whatever I wanted this weekend (no "work" knitting), I finally managed to finish it. It's about 9" in diameter, crocheted in Caron Simply Soft with magnets in each of the little bumps so that she can roll it around and have stuff stick to it, just like in the game. She loves it!

Busy busy busy

Over the past few days I got 3 designs pattern-a-fied and out of here, so they can arrive at their destinations in time for Stitches East. First, we have a top in Tilli Tomas Plie, which I REALLY liked working with. It's plied silk, didn't get worn-looking at all despite lots of handling, and just feels like... words escape me. I'm sending an order of patterns to Tilli Tomas, so the pattern itself should be available soon through stores that carry their yarns. Pardon the less-than-great photo, a better one will be taken the next time Tilli Tomas does a proper photo shoot.

Also, I did a sock design for Hand Painted Knitting Yarns, a small company that sells, yes, Hand Painted Knitting Yarns. The sock yarn, a superwash merino, was nice to work with.


Lastly, I finished a top for SWTC in their new yarns Yin and Yang. I like how this one turned out-- just the right amount of sparkle.


On top of that, I did a couple of submissions and have a few more to do in the next week or so. I've finally whittled down the enormous pile of designs to knit to just a few, so I'm ready for more (cross your fingers!)

More wee socks

Last night I whipped up these, using size 0000 (oh, the pointiness!) needles and some scraps of Koigu left over from my first pair of Jaywalkers. I used the "Los Lobe Hose" pattern that I picked up a few years ago but hadn't used yet. Think I'll wear them to knitting tomorrow, just to be festive.

This morning I mailed off one of the finished tops, wrote some patterns, and started a new sock design. It's raining and gross, so I'm lucky I finished anything, frankly! I'm so good at getting sleepy and dragging around when it's grey outside.