Castonitis

I have it. I finished the Eternity Scarf and the Melody Shawl and immediately cast on two other projects, one of which I thought would be quick and the other of which I thought would be challenging.

Both have turned out to be sitting there untouched as of yesterday.

First, I had this wild idea that I didn't want to use worsted weight yarn for my 16 cable hat. So, I wound up two hanks of Plucky fingering weight yarn to do it instead. The cool thing is, that if this hat is too small, I have a 10 year old in the house that will fit into it perfectly. The not so cool thing is that knitting with two strands held together hurts like nobody's bidness. Here it is so far:



Like the sunglasses? I was too lazy to move them out of the way for the picture. I just took the dog for a long walk, what do you want from me? ;) It's going to be gorgeous, that is, if I ever finish it!

The other project I cast on for, is the Traveling Woman shawl. I was excited to cast on for this one. I mean, I did the Ishbel and it came out great! There are forces, however, that are not working with me in this case. Both of which have nothing to do with this pattern or this lovely yarn. The DOG. She wants to eat it. She is constantly finding it, wherever it may be. Then, she grabs the cake of yarn and runs to the other end of the house. Needless to say, I have not fixed the dropped, or should I say mutilated, stitches yet. This colorway is hard to photograph. It's much more red than rust or orange. It's really beautiful, and I think, if I do end up fixing this or starting over, or whatever, it will end up looking great.

A sneak peek:



And lastly, for your viewing pleasure, here is what I did last evening:

It's My Birthday and I'll Buy if I Want To

Yes, that's right. I will BUY if I want to. So I did. Went a little crazy actually. But it's my birthday, so that's ok, right? Right. First, a little eye candy:



These are my vegan cupcakes, I got the recipe here. As you can see, I didn't make the frosting because I live in hicktown USA and they don't have vegan shortening here. Therefore, my frosting was a little runny. Still tasty though! I made them for my birthday and I'm hoping they pass the kid test because they have no idea what's in them. They are delicious, BTW!

I gave up meat for Lent. It made me think about what else I put in my body that may not be good for me. So...I've been trying to give up dairy as well. This has been a little more difficult because dairy can be hidden in so many things. I am doing my best, however, and will continue to do so ; ) My father's cholesterol was through the roof the last time he went to the Doc and he gave up meat and dairy. In ONE MONTH he brought his cholesterol down into the normal range. On top of that, he's lost a pesky 10 lbs he's been trying to lose for a while! So I bought this book Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. It's been highly recommended and it should be here tomorrow. Can't wait to try it. I need some variety.

That was just one of my purchases. I also bought a buttload of yarn. I mean, a lot of Plucky. I think it's 7 skeins, to be exact. I'll have to post pics once it all comes in the mail.

I also bought a suit from New York & Company and some jeans, which are, regretfully, way too long for me. For some strange reason I bought "tall" instead of "average" length. I'll exchange them though. Got three shirts to go along with that order too.

My hubster actually bought the vegan book and some wedge sandals for me to from crocs.com. These ones to be exact and in brown. I was really debating getting the blue though. If I like them once they get here, I might need a couple more pairs ;)

In knitting news, I cast on for Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante with some Plucky sock yarn I have. progress pics to come another time.

It's time to celebrate the big 3-1 now!!

Back to the future, I mean blog.

Yes, that's right. I'm back to blogging. I'm talking to my millions of readers here?

(echo echo echo echo)

*cough* Who am I kidding?

Well, now that I'm back to knitting, I've finished three projects in the last three weeks.



This is my second Melody Shawl. This one is knit in Cashmere Silk Lace from The Plucky Knitter, someone who has become a favorite indie yarn colorist of mine. This yarn is ferosh. I love this scarf. It's been done for a week and I still haven't mailed it to my sister. I can't bear parting with it. Good thing I have lots more stashed so I can eventually make one for myself.

I've also knit a Darkside Cowl and Eternity Scarf as of late. I'll post pics of those another day. This Melody Shawl steals the show for me.

So, I'm newly obsessed with knitting again. I'm so glad! I really took some time off to get acquainted with my new family and new digs. Being a stepmother is a challenge, but it's also a lot of fun. I think one of the biggest challenges for me has been learning about how different middle school and high school is now, compared to when I was there. There are things they know about at 10, that I didn't know until I was 17! All I can hope is that they grow up happy and well-adjusted. I want to give them what my stepmother gave me!

The wife part of this equation....well, that is the easy part! Especially when you have a husband who is so NOT a typical guy. He works, I am job searching. I have been basically been a homemaker/housewife for five months now, which I love...but he is just the best. Some days are off days, ya know? I might forget to throw in the laundry or just not feel like putting the dishes in the dishwasher after I cook a two hour meal. He jumps right in! I couldn't be more thankful for him! Never complains...gives me all the love I need. what more could I ask for : )

Back to the knitting. I am working on Spring Forward socks currently. I had to take a break from the second sock because I had to restart it TEN MILLION TIMES. Ok, not ten million, but really close! I am going to pick it back up tomorrow.

I want to cast on for The 16 Cable Hat with my luscious Squoosh MCN Worsted in this colorway:



I'm not sure where this hat will fall into my WIPs yet. We shall see and I will definitely keep you posted! It feels so good to be back!