i'm working on...too much

I have a problem. I cannot stay focused on any one thing for longer than a day. I currently have 5 projects going on in my project basket and the problem is that I want to start more. I always like having more than one project going at once, but I'm really losing my ability to concentrate and get anything done.

Here are the longies I started for my daughter with "Flamingoes" dyed by ...a time to dye:

I tried the WoolyWonderpants pattern and I'm magic looping the legs. This is my first time magic looping and I'm not enjoying it at all. I'd love to switch to my 12" Addi Turbo circulars to finish the legs, but the problem is those are tied up with the "Goblin" longies I started a while ago. I can't bring myself to finish the "Goblin" longies and I'm too lazy to switch the needles, so both are currently in limbo until I figure this out!

I also made 2 soakers for my daughter. The first pair was knit with "Esther" and dyed by ...a time to dye, and I knit the Curly Purly soaker pattern. I really like the fit.

The second soaker was knit with "Alice" on lindon merino and dyed by Three Irish Girls. I love this soaker too--the soaker is from the Juliette pattern by Julibeans. Only problem is that I'm incredibly lazy and haven't finished the drawstring or knit an edging onto the leg openings. Hopefully I'll do this before she outgrows the soaker!

I haven't made any more progress on Wisp, I'm working on a cocoon photography prop, and I have a sock that's half done and needs to be finished before the fall. If I can get this sock done by September, it will only have taken me a year and a half to knit a full pair. Thank goodness for store bought socks.

Check out the originator of What I'm Working on Wednesdays at Cute2Carry!

what I'm working on

It's Wednesday again, and here's what I'm working on...

I made some more progress on the "Goblin" longies I had started last week. I'm learning how nearly impossible it is to knit while caring for a newborn!

And here's the start of Wisp for me.

This pattern is fairly straightforward, but I'm finding it challenging for a few reasons. I started knitting this on straight metal needles. The needles were very slippery and my stitches kept sliding off the needles. I kept dropping stitches and having to count, which I hate. I finally switched to bamboo circulars because that's the only other size 8 needle I have. While the bamboo is an improvement because it grips the yarn better than metal, the cord on the circulars keeps getting in my way. Add to this that I can only work on this after 10pm when I'm exhausted, and I'm finding this a challenging knit, but I'm determined to keep at it. I just love how it's turning out already, so that gives me hope.

Finally, I said last week that I wanted to start on longies for my daughter. I've managed to knit the waistband and I'll be starting on the body soon. Here's the yarn. It's "Flamingos" by ...a time to dye. I hope to have more pictures of the pants next week.

Thanks to Tracey of Cute2Carry for creating What I'm Working On Wednesdays!

road to nowhere in particular

My daughters are planners. Every night at dinner time they ask what we're doing tomorrow. This summer my answer has almost always been "I have no idea." Last summer the girls and I lived at the beach and the park. Since the beach is just minutes away, it was easy to go a few times a week. And since the park is within walking distance of our house, we could easily go to the park too. Since having the baby over a month ago, and with the awful weather we had in June and early July, it's been really hard to get out of the house or to have friends over. We've only been to the beach and park once. Needless to say, my older girls get antsy to do something.

So today, with "nothing" to do, we went outside to ride bikes. But to make things more interesting for the girls, I drew a highway on the driveway with chalk. I included pit stops for coffee (Dunkin' Donuts being our favorite), gas, and hopscotch. We also drew houses for our friends and family so that the girls can stop by for a visit. We spent hours outside today and this satisfied the girls' question of "what are we going to do?"!

friday favorites

To encourage myself to blog more, I'm designating Fridays to be a day I write about my favorite things. I'm taking inspiration from Tracey of Cute2Carry with her "What I'm Working On Wednesdays." On Fridays I'll highlight some of my favorite recent purchases, focusing on handmade items available online or local to me in Maine.

I recently purchased a set for my baby girl from Alchemy on Hyena Cart. The set included Alfabette Zoope's signature heartfeet T, as well as recycled wool longies and soft soled shoes from Aliah's Creations. The T-shirt is beautifully dyed and the batiked heartfeet are gorgeous. There is something beautiful and precious about newborn feet, and Lori's design captures those feelings. In addition to the heartfeet, Lori has a number of other original designs that she batiks on T-shirts. You can check out her work here.

The longies and shoes from Aliah's Creations fit my daughter perfectly. Both the longies and shoes are made from a recycled lambswool sweater. The longies feature ribbing at the bottom that can be easily cuffed to shorten the inseam. The shoes are cashmere lined, so my daughter has been wearing them without socks. They stay on her feet and keep her toes warm but not too hot. The shoes are more breathable, in my opinion, than leather soft soled shoes. The shoes feature a precious suede heart on the soles.

You can find both stores at the congo Alchemy on Hyena Cart.

what I'm working on

Tracey of Cute2Carry has started a new feature on her blog called "What I'm Working on Wednesday." Here's my contribution.

In June and July, I promised myself that I'd do lots of knitting for myself and my family, especially my newest baby. The project I'm working on now for the baby is a pair of "Goblin" longies. The yarn was dyed by Mosaic Moon. While I'm absolutely in love with this colorway and how it's knitting up, I'm thinking that this colorway is just a bit too dark for my baby girl. So half way through the project, I've decided that I'll probably list these longies for sale when I reopen my store next month. I may just change my mind, who knows? They are lovely so far.

I'm waiting on some more yarn from a recent co-op for ...a time to dye. I think my next project will be a pair of "Flamingoes" longies for baby girl, and hopefully I can post about those next Wednesday.

I'm also itching to start a project for myself. I have this single skein of Filatura Di Crosa Baby Kid Extra in the most beautiful green.

It's a fingering weight kid mohair. I'd love to try a lace project, and I'm thinking about Wisp from Knitty Summer 2007. With any luck, I'll also have a picture or two of this project by next week.

Make sure you check out Cute2Carry's blog. Thanks for the inspiration!