Yeah, so the outside world feels big and dark and scary.  And while I probably should be doing something to at least pretend to try and help with that, today I'm really not.  Today I'm picking crab apples from the trees in the yard (so tiny, so pretty, so sweet).     Then I'm chopping them up, and burying them in sugar. In a few hours they'll have released a ton of juice (seriously, all that sugar will dissolve and there will be liquid in the bottom of the bowl).  Then in a day or two I'll add some apple cider vinegar [...]

Working on the theory that accessories are better in sets, allow me to introduce Thither. It's the perfect companion to the previous pattern, Hither.  Because really, half the fun of being a knitter is having the cutest, most perfectly matched, accessories you can imagine!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Just like the cuffs, the hat uses a really beautiful leaf pattern and plays with putting it just a bit off center.  The leaf panel is just on one side of the hat, and I've been wearing it with the panel off to the side (over my ear [...]

I don't see any problem here. I mean, I see a new diversion that will totally take a while to work its way out of my system...but no problem. Unless tassels count as a problem.  But I'm pretty sure we don't live in that world. Pattern (which will include a whole whackpile of tiny hats) looking like it's going to come out in late October.  And yes, it will include all the info on how to make the tassels.  Because they're too fun to leave off!   [pextestim pex_attr_set="looking-for-this-pattern" pex_attr_autoplay="false"][/pextestim]

I feel some more tiny stuff coming on... I could blame the yarn (A set of Manos's Fino yarn in Dorothea and a skein of Alegria in Natural), or I could blame my remarkably short attention span. But either way, this should be fun. Don't you think? [pextestim pex_attr_set="looking-for-this-pattern" pex_attr_autoplay="false"][/pextestim]  

So yarn seems to keep finding me (this is, in large part, because I write to people who make yarn and say 'right, so I have an idea, could I please have some yarn'...it's a good system). This is from SpaceCadet (their Capella base in Dark Skies and Tantrum).  And a swatch right now, but it's going to turn into a fun little hat...and an absolutely amazing (and possibly just a tiny bit ridiculous) pompom assortment.  Because I apparently I'm easily amused...and prone to indulge my odder proclivities.  

So it's not cold yet...not at all.  In fact,I ran the air conditioner yesterday and there's a very good chance I'll run it again today.  But there have been one or two evenings where I found myself thinking 'hmmm, it's a tiny bit chilly, a little extra layer would be nice.' Which is just exactly the sort of thing cuffs like these are perfect for.  They're called Hither, they're out now on ravelry, and you can get them for 10% off with the code LEAFY. I know I'm not alone in my deep and abiding fondness for fingerless mitts.  You all [...]

So last time we looked at yarns...and I said the next step was to swatch and see what I liked. Well the short answer is none of them grabbed me once I started swatching. I even went back to the stash and got two other yarns to see if they were the answer.  But no.  Not quite what I was looking for (all lovely yarns, just not the yarn for this project right now).  But one more deep dive and I think I found what I need...but as always, I need to swatch to be sure.  And if that's still not [...]

I have the itch to cast on something new, and that generally means a stash dive.  Now, my stash is actually pretty darn small...like three of those midsized storage bins type small (erm...plus a scraps bin with leftover bits)...like you could lay it all out one layer deep on a twin bed and have room left for a pillow and a cat type small.  So sometimes I get to thinking 'I have no yarn.'  This is never actually true.  The problem is usually 'I forgot what's in there and need to see it all in one place' (which is part [...]

Yup, I totally had enough yarn.  I was worried at first, but then there was a bit of knitting and a bit of math, and I felt better.  But even after that it's always a little nerve-wracking when you know you can't get more yarn.  So I was absolutely delighted to find that I did indeed have plenty. I did a lot of fiddling around to keep the decreases centered (normally decreases lean left or lean right, but neither looked right with this lovely panel in there, so I had to do something a bit unorthodox. And yes, I know [...]