Fall Colors

Everyone I talk with is anxiously waiting for fall and cooler weather.  From my mechanic to the printer to the vet assistant . . . they're all done with summer.

It seems the weather forecast isn't quite on board with that shift, but my knitting has definitely crossed over. Note the colors.

This sample is finished and on its way to hang out in a shop.  I can probably share more details later.

And this Love Note (Ravelry link) is off to a good start. I've lost track of how many times I've made this pattern. I'm smitten with this rich autumn color.

Even though we don't have fall weather just yet, my knitting has definitely turned the seasonal corner. 

Desk Knitting

I've been working away on my Fruit Tingles Shawl (Ravelry link).  It's been my desk project for a while     now . . . good for Zoom meetings and when I'm placed on hold.  My wait time always seems to be much longer than the automated message says.  I make the best of it and consider it bonus knitting time.

I work on this shawl project here and there, and it always gets stuffed back into a bag.  This morning I decided to spread it out for a change.

I'm knitting the last garter band.  I'm still increasing, and there are a lot of stitches.  That's why it's all bunched up. After this I have one more colorful section and then I can cross this sample off my list.  Knitting a little bit here and there really does add up.

Fall Prep

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend. It's been a week of heat, humidity and dyeing.  I cut back on dyeing during the previous heat waves, but this week I had to get busy with the dye pots.  The fall schedule is about to hit, and I feel terribly behind already.

To help with fall prep, I'm closing our club signups after this weekend.

If you were thinking of joining, now is the time.  All the details are on the website.

Speaking of fall, I've updated our calendar in the right sidebar with our first two events.  I'll highlight more details as we get closer.

This week's color inspiration comes from another beach outing.

Swirling clouds.

It Was Just a Warmup

I'm picking up where I left off on Monday.  Apparently a new hat project wasn't enough.  

I don't know what came over me, but I've jumped in with both feet.  To make it even more exciting, there's some deadline knitting involved.  No more new projects . . . for now. 

Bring on the Hats

This morning I took a quick inventory of my WIPs.  It was just as I thought.  I don't have a portable on-the-go project.  I spent a considerable amount of time on Ravelry looking at hats and came away with two patterns.  You know, hat season is right around the corner.

This yarn was already wound, so I'm ready to cast on. What a productive start to the week!

Project Rotation

I find it fascinating that the time of year so often influences our color choices.  Just a few weeks ago I was playing with a hot pink and bright green combo.  Last weekend I cast on this decidedly fall color choice.

This is my weekend project.  I'm trying something new with my project rotation.  I've reserved this project only for weekend knitting.  That doesn't mean I can't work on other projects during the weekend, and I probably will bounce around between a couple of them.  But if I want to make serious headway on this project, I'll concentrate my weekend knitting time on this one.

I'll report back on my little experiment.  Cheers to the weekend!

This week's color inspiration . . .

Magenta orbs.

While Everyone Is on Vacation . . .

It's hard to get much done when everyone else seems to be on vacation.  Emails linger and go unanswered for days.  Why do I bother to check my inbox?  Forget about making a phone call and reaching someone who can actually help.  Does it even pay to leave another message?

At least I can knit while I'm waiting for responses.

This is Ranunculus (Ravelry link).  I'm still on sleeve island, but the first one is almost finished.  I have some momentum now, and I'm sure the second one will go even faster.  I have a lot of unfinished business on my list, but at least I'll be able to cross off this sample.

Monday Update

The weekend went by all too quickly, but I'm ready to get busy for another week.  Here's a quick project update.

Confectionery (Ravelry link).  I think I mentioned previously that I'm using Lillian Pavement and a Mini Multi Bundle.  I haven't worked on this very much, but the rows are short and quick.  The pattern includes instructions on weaving in ends as you go.  A handy skill to have in your knitting tool box.

This has been a fun knit.  Even more fun to spread it out and see all the colors lined up!

For the Weekend . . .

Free Shipping!  Daylight is getting shorter, and summer is winding down.  I thought it would be fun to jump-start fall knitting projects by offering free shipping for a weekend.

The savings start today.  Head over to the website.  No code needed to take advantage of this offer.

This week's color inspiration is light playing on water.

Sparkles.

Knitting and Lazy Days

It's the lazy days of summer, but I'm still trying to be productive.  I have to admit I've been enjoying my relaxing knitting project.  It's definitely not lazy, but it doesn't require as much bandwidth as some of the other projects on my needles.

And I've done the fiddly stitch enough that even those couple rows are relaxing. This is Fruit Tingles Shawl (Ravelry link) in case anyone is wondering.

A Random Collection

Planning new samples is definitely a fun part of my job, but it takes a lot of time.  First I have to sort through a mountain of pattern ideas, and then I have to pick colors. This morning I ducked outside to get a good look at several colors in natural light.

This is a random collection I pulled together.  I need two for the project I have in mind, but I can spot a few combinations that I like.  I'll tuck the extra ideas away for future projects.

The heat wave continues, and I'm back in my cave office. They say this weather will break later in the week.  Until then, keep cool and drink plenty of water.

Do-Over

I'm sitting in my dark office.  The lights are off and the curtains are shut in an attempt to keep out the heat. Beverages with ice are a necessity, and I've rediscovered a child-like love for popsicles.  I have my fingers crossed the power stays on.

The heat wave continues, and the heat advisory has been extended through most of Sunday.  This weather isn't good for dyeing, and I've had to scale back my plans. Instead I'm focused on knitting.  One project hit a couple snags, and I decided the best thing was a do-over.

It's up and running again, and I hope there aren't any more issues along the way.

This week's color inspiration is a reminder of the season.

Blues.

Sleeve Goals

I don't know where the day went, but it's late afternoon and I'm finally settled in at my desk with much-needed coffee.  The broken washer saga continues, and my outing this morning included a stop at the laundromat. With any luck the situation will improve over the weekend.

These sleeves were at the top of my list this morning, and I'm not calling it a day until at least one of them is on the needles.

I'm trying to be realistic with my goals.  I need to check off at least one item on the to-do list, and this one is attainable late in the day.  Tomorrow I'll start with a fresh list.

Before I wrap up, just a quick reminder that I'll have a trunk show at Black Sheep Knitting on Saturday,           1:00 - 5:00.  I'm looking forward to seeing knitters in person.  Check it out if you're in the area.

Just a Few Rows . . .

My week got off to a shaky start.  I spent a good two hours this morning trouble shooting our broken washing machine.  I have a remarkably good track record as a   fix-it woman, but I struck out this morning.  I'm taking a break from that situation and tackling the real items on today's to-do list.

Over the weekend, I spent time with a couple different projects.  I decided one project needed a do over, and I ripped it out.  I didn't even mull it over for a day or two.  I went in and pulled the whole thing back.  It was like ripping off a band-aid.  More on that project another time.

I have a couple projects that are using Mini Multi Bundles. One of them isn't getting equal knitting time, so I spent some quality time with that one.

You can't see much of the actual project in this shot, but this is Confectionery (Ravelry link).  The rows are short, the colors are cheerful and the pattern is interesting.  This project is loads of fun, and I need to keep it handy . . . just to work a few rows here and there.  They all add up.