Maybe today, Satan

I've been crafting a lot in the week and a half since I posted last.  Most of  the things I did I actually foreshadowed in my last post.  Socks, spinning, finishing stuff.  So, let's get on it.

In finishing stuff, I finished my sweater!

And then knitting attacked.

I don't know if you can tell.  You, a person who also has shoulders.  But there's something not quite right about the shape of this sweater.  It's got a long narrow top.  and most people aren't shaped like that.  In fact, I didn't even notice until I was all the way to the end of this, but the picture on the pattern showcases what's wrong with the sweater.

As written, the collar area is gapey.  It's terrible.  Here, I tried it on for you:

Look how stupid that looks.  Stupid designer.

A friend on discord took a few ganders at it and said instead of ripping it out (my first choice) that I should take out the top 3 or so repeats of the raglan shaping and put the collar in there.

And I did a few more tweaks on top of that (taking out those rows alone makes the head hole a bit large for my liking).  And cut to two days later and:

It worked!

I blocked it and wore it yesterday.  It's fantastic.  So thanks discord friend.  You saved me weeks of ripping and reknitting.

As soon as I finished this sweater I casted on to the cat socks that I told you about, for Hazel.

I kid you not, in about 4 days it went from yarn to socks.  They knit themselves.  the yarn is scraps and leftovers.  I could probably tell you what each of these colors was from, but it would take a paragraph or two and it's not that interesting.  It is nice to use up scraps of old yarn, to knit old memories into new projects.  Hazel loves these, by the way.

They need to be blocked, but I don't block socks.  I just wear them and then wash them and that's it.

My next plan on the docket was to spin.  My polwarth custom order showed up and lit a fire under my wheel.  I moved my wheel and put out the fire, naturally.  But before I start the polwarth, I wanted to finish the project already there.  It was the christmas fractal spin.  Polwarth silk.  (apparently I can't get enough of polwarth)

This is lucious.  I'm glad I decided to finish this before starting New! Shiny!  for two reasons.  1) I absolutely do not want that many spinning projects going and the polwarth sweater spin is going to be a process.  16 ounces needs space and if two of my bobbins are occupied, it's going to get stupid. and 2) I think this'll be a good transition/practice spin.  I notice every year I participate in Tour De Fleece, I get better at spinning.  Then I lose the habit and starting up again there's a bit of a curve to get back into it, doing it *well.* Now, I'm good as I am, promise, but there's always room for improvement.  My muscles remember.

In the meantime, there's sock knitting.  just plain, vanilla, can watch a show or a movie while knitting knitting:

I love this yearn.  It's Dye Mad Yarns and it's gorgous.  I never used to go for speckles, but these sang to me.  They make me think of flowers and strawberries and yummy candies.  I adore it.  I'm actually a ways past this, to the toe of the first sock.  It's my usual, 64 stitch vanilla sock with an eye of partridge heel flap and gusset.  standard.

And finally, there's been some crochet (I told you I've been crafting a lot!)

 

I've finished the body and the first front armhole and shoulder!  (don't mind those ends, they're already woven in)

I still have the other front and the back and the sleeves, but this is progress! It's Very Exciting.

In house stuff, I referenced the backyard last time.  The landscapers finished it last week!

 

We're planning on putting a shed on that concrete slab, and some kind of comfortable chair for the patio back there.  It's going to be nice.  I'm also planning some garden beds along the fence by the shed.  I want to plant veggies.  Should be fun.

And that, as they say, is that.

I hope you enjoy the last few days of January as we head into the shortest, coldest, month.

Cheers!