Pre-retreat update

So, before I jet off for another exciting stitching retreat, I thought I'd post what I'd been up to. In my defense, I've kept up my Ravelry statuses a bit better. But actually, I've been mostly stitching throughout october, which means a lot slower progress than I'm used to reporting. Additionally, all blogging sites have been blocked from work, so drafting entries on breaks or over lunch is a lot harder than it used to be. So, what have I wrought of late? A whole lot of starting, that's what.

Finished:

Andes Charity projects: Pair o' socks #3 left me with juuuuuust enough yarn to make a Karlchen top-down hat with the leftovers.

Aurora Borealis Scarf part Deux: I'm wearing it as a fall scarf with my coat.



Sherwood: I improvised a hat to match, and made my boss very happy. She's threatening to put the boys in their sweaters for her Christmas card, which would be cute indeed.



Oak Leaf Coasters: So it's my turn to host supper club, and, over-achiever that I am, I get the genius idea to make coasters with leaves on them, in fall colors. Borealis had some beautiful autumnal colors in Plymouth Tweed, so how could I say no?
Double knitting would be the key--reversible, no zillion fiddly ends like intarsia, and I've been meaning to get more comfortable with the technique.
It felted down beautifully, but rectangularly--I made two more with the extra length to end up square, post-felting. Those two were done juuuuuust in time for dinner on Saturday, which meant they missed their photo op.

Noro Entrelac Hat: My community knitting buddy Judy worked out a nifty entrelac hat pattern that we community knitters have been bothering her to write up for ages. I finally sat down with her over dinner one week, and we wrote it up. This is what I used to test my own pattern-writing skills. I had so much fun, there's another one in the (lengthy) WIP queue below.




On the Needles:

Shadow Shawl: Languishing in obscurity at present. Alas.

Lacy Dolman Sweater: Put a few more rows on it before I got distracted by Entrelac hattery and Oak leaf trivet-making.

Kid's Puzzle Cardigan: My current "big" charity knitting project. I picked up the pattern at the MN Knitters Guild Yarnover fest in April, and thought I'd try it out with the leftover yarn from Matt's Boundary Waters sweater. The folks at Borealis affectionately call it the Baby Surprise Sweater on Crack--which it is. It's knit in one piece like an Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise sweater, but it has a whole lot more zigs and zags in it. I have a sinking feeling my stitch counts may be off somewhere, as I approach a critical juncture--we'll see. Right now, it looks like a crumpled mess on the needles, with a TON of safety pins in it, so no picture.

Entrelac Hat #2: When Borealis Yarns puts their odd-lot balls of Silk Garden and Kureyon on sale, what do you do? You buy one to make another cute entrelac hat, that's what.

Red Rainy Day Scarf: I fell prey to another Borealis free clinic. And it gave me an excuse to buy the awesome merino/silk Sheep Shop Sheep #3 yarn I'd had my eye on. It's my new interstitial project.

Scroll Lace Socks: I have to have some socks available for knitting at all times--though they're pre-empted for other knitting right now, I'm eager to put more work into them--they were my first foray into a picot edge cuff, and I love 'em.

Silent Auction Socks: I decided to put my handiwork in the silent auction at my office this year--my friend Lindsay won my handiwork, and I've cast on "Rainbow Socks" from the October MagKnits. If the pattern doesn't work with the yarn (the striping may be too long), I might have to pick another pattern.

Stocking on Commission: As a favor for Liz's coworker, I agreed to finish a Christmas Stocking for her co-worker. It's knit flat, so it's interesting, but who am I to deny a new grandchild a stocking that matches the rest of the family's?

In the hoop:

Marion Scoular's Blackwork Acorns: No change. I think I'll take it on retreat with me, however.

Bless this Child Sampler: I've ventured back into the land of stitching thanks to the recent addition to the Miller family--I'm about halfway through a lovely traditional sampler for the wee new lass. That's why my knitting throughput has been so low. :)

Obligatory Cultural References
Reading: Still The Monk, but I finished a bunch of other books since I put it down.
Listening to: Cracker. I loves me some Dave Lowry, oh yes I do.