Getting Lots Done!

Does it ever feel like you're so busy that you can't get anything done? Between work, home, garden and life, that's the way it feels to me. Then, I sit down to compile my pictures to blog. That's when I realize I'm getting lots done!

These napkins were made as practice samples for using my Julia loom and playing with pattern and color.

A certain young lady has been asking, "Mama Karen, when are you going to make me some socks?" for more years than I care to mention. Knitted toe up, from either end of the ball of yarn, makes the colors seem different.

Here's another pair of warm tootsies.

My daughter's been fascinated by dinosaurs since she was little. Now, she has some Dragon Scale Mitts to keep her warm while playing "let's pretend".

On a short visit to Phoenix, we went to see an exhibit at the Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery in Chandler. The Museum displays Contemporary Western American and American Indian art.

 

I like the way the baskets are displayed...and wish someone would teach me how to weave like this!

So instead, thanks to the video I mentioned back in November, I decided to give weaving my handspun another try. I used it to warp Julia for this scarf. The weft is tencel. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

This shawl, knit with my handspun, Redfish silk and camel, just needs to be blocked before I call it done. The pattern's from Sock-Yarn Shawls by Lucas.

I'm pleased with the way these summer and winter, paper doll blankets came out. The pattern's one I've done before from Handwoven Magazine. At least one of them will be going to another someone who calls me Mama Karen.

I don't know about walking and chewing gum, but I took a walk while I was talking on the phone and knitting. Doesn't everyone?

 

The kitty, hood pattern I followed has ties that are a cat's paw and a tail.

Thanks, Mama Karen.

Thanks, Mama!

 No, Thank You, Ladies!

I'm still here.

I'm still here. I just haven't finished anything, lately. Along with all of my many projects, my day job raised our hourly cap by an additional seven hours per week. That means less play time for me. So, what have I been doing when I'm not at work or working out or puttering in the garden?

After days of stressing over what I want to weave next, I decided to make a functional sample. No matter how these turn out, I should be able to use them. These are the first two of my sample napkins on Julia. They're so pretty now, I wonder what they'll look and feel like when they're finished. These are four shaft "M and W", 17.5 epi with 10/2 pearl cotton. The pattern is the second threading on p.88 of The Handweaver's Pattern Directory.                                                                                                                               And after making myself crazy over how to get what I wanted, I've started warping Sophie for rep weave place mats. I realized that the reason the design part of weaving is so hard, is that I never learned more than the basics. I learned how to warp a loom and weave and read a pattern. I never learned anything more than that. Maybe one day I'll have a chance to take a class or three.                                                                                                                       I'm still spinning the fake cashmere. It feels so yummy and keeps me sane. Spinning is soothing for me.                               And in the meantime, I'm half way done with the knitted border on my blue lace shawl. I've started designing a cable knit sweater for my younger son. And I'm in the planning stages for a knit angel coat for my daughter. Why an "angel coat"? Well, she sent me an e-mail with a link to a coat she would like for Chanukah along with the comment: "and if you don't make it for me I'll have to buy it and when people buy sweaters that their mommy could make them, an angel dies".