I didn't intend to let over 2 and half months go by since my last post. My excuses are 1. I didn't have much knitting progress to show, 2. we put in a garden this year and I've been spending time out there, and 3. I had cataract surgery in both eyes, limiting my knitting and screen time.
The Over the Moon baby blanket was finished and given to my friend on Monday. She visits her daughter and new grandson every day. She's not a helicopter grandma. She has to go daily to give her daughter a shot for a blood clotting condition. But she says it's a great excuse to get some cuddles in with the little guy.
I am very happy with how the blanket turned out. The pattern is absolutely fantastic. The only change I might make if I make it again is to use a join as you go method for joining the blocks. The yarn was Knit Picks Comfy. It is part cotton and part acrylic, making it machine wash and dry. I have small bits of the blue, green, and brown left and over 4 skeins of the cream. They may become another baby project some day.
I'm making slow progress on the Cumulus Tee. After getting splitting for the sleeves I decided to add bust darts. I've never done those before and thought I'd see how they worked out for me. Because I have a larger bust, the fronts of my sweaters tend to ride up an inch or so. After I completed the bust darts, I worked on the sleeves. Now I can work on the body until I either get to the length I want or run out of yarn. I do have a small amount of yarn from the sleeves reserved for the I-cord edge around the neck. Since this yarn came from a shop about 100 miles away, I have to watch my usage to make sure I am able to finish with what I have.
To break up the monotony of fingering weight stockinette, I cast on a Shakerag Top. The Shakerag Top comes from the MDK Field Guide No. 6 Transparency. I'm making this out of Ito Kinu in the color Mint. I purchased the yarn at the MDK Nash Yarn Fest back in April. My knitting enabler friend and her sister also purchased cones of Ito for their own Shakerags. We may be 'twinning' next year at the 2027 MDK Nash Yarn Fest.
Once I get one of these two tops finished, I'm going to pick up my hibernating Harrisburg Pullover. I think I'm on the second sleeve, which just leaves me the seaming and neckline to finish afterwards. We are having some much loved cool weather and my thoughts are going towards the autumnal knits.
The construction of my sewing room is now complete. We need my son-in-law to come over and help assemble some desks he salvaged for me from his worksite. A few weeks ago Ed and I stopped at IKEA to buy a couple table tops. Once I get the furniture in place I can start moving my stash into place.
As part of the new sewing room plan, I purchased a new sewing machine for myself. I am giving my old machine to one of my daughters. Trisha has started making quilts, bags, and clothing for herself and the kids. My old machine is almost as old as she, but it runs great. She currently has a very cheap Singer that doesn't tolerate heavy usage. My son-in-law says the machine cries when Trisha spends too much time with it. The machine I purchased is still being shipped. I'm a bit unhappy with how long it is taking to arrive. The shop told me it would be a couple weeks, but we are going on a month now. They say it should be in by July 30. If it comes in today or tomorrow, I'll be able to pick it up Saturday. But if it after this weekend, I won't be able to get over to the shop until August 8. The shop is on the far opposite side of town (45 minute drive in good traffic) and is only open until 5 Monday through Saturday. No Sunday hours. Since I work until 4, it is impossible for me to get over there except on a Saturday. You might be wondering why I can't go on August 2. I'm booked up that day with a hair appointment in the morning, a pig roast in the afternoon, and a babysitting commitment in the evening.
To finish off this post, I'll end with a photo dump of some of the activities, little ones, and creatures I've enjoyed in the past few months. The last picture is some strange insect that stared at me the entire time I did my Bible study Sunday morning while sitting on the deck.
