bad battery h-e-double hockey sticks

Ok, so here I am again.  I have not been posting because I don't want to put up *another* pictureless post when I've been doing photo-worthy stuff.  Even if it's not knitting, it's been photo-worthy stuff.  So, I am attempting to take pictures and I get low battery warning.

Three days later, the battery still hasn't finished charging?  In fact hasn't gotten more charge at all? 

Time for a new battery.  Tonight?  Tomorrow night?  Soon, my precious, soon...

In this next 15 short days, I'm feverishly preparing for our one year celebration.  This has been a wild ride so far, and I want to do something special to mark it.  I'm not a great blogger or a great mind, but this has been very rewarding.  Not even counting just being able to put things out there knowing that "this is what I did" and this is how I was feeling, I got to meet a bunch of really fantastic people in the past year directly because of this blog.  I never thought it would happen, and it's totally worth celebrating.

I'd love to give you sneaky-peeks on the stuff that is debuting on the 17th, and am frustrated that my technology turns itself into a brick around me.  On the other hand... if I can't be online or playing with the camera... I do have a lot of knitting time left over.

Speaking of which;  in the middle of this unholy heat we lost power for a few hours.  The guy from the electric company who was running around trying to figure out how far down the line the outage went actually stopped to stare at me for a few minutes while I knit on the front porch.  I heard him telling the guys on the radio "I think the locals are starting to get heat stroke, there's some weird stuff going on" as he pulled away.  I guess my laughter (maniacal, with tears streaming down my face) didn't help.  But seriously dude, it's linen.  I'm not as crazy as you think.... and what do you think the folks down the street were doing that he got really weird-ed out by knitting?  The world may never know.

So, there I was...

Just minding my own business.

No, let me back up a bit.  I broke my arm in December, and it healed up nicely.  With that came some unfortunate weather-wise aches and problems with my tendons. So, since Sunday night I haven't really been knitting.  I haven't really been able to use the hand because the tendons swelled up... and it put off the blog posts. 

I don't have any knitting progress since the tendons decided they needed attention, but I'm back to typing and I can show you what I got done last week at least.

So, this is where the big russet blob is:

And this is where the giant peach blob is:

I'm actually through 8 repeats of the center on this, and working up to edging...  I really enjoy this pattern, and want to try it in a tencel lace-weight next.

For fun, there's this blob:

It's a combination of 2 laceweight yarns, and it's in kid-mohair, alpaca and wool.  I may even get around to blocking it if I can stop petting it.

And last but not least, I';ve been test driving some possible patterns for quickie-gifts:

Aug 17 is coming quick!

I hope your knitting is treating you well & you're not melting in the heat.

what have you been up to lady?

So, last week, I knit a red sweater.  This week, I'm blocking it.

I took 35 pictures of the darn thing, and this is the only decent shot.

At least they don't look fuchsia today.

This is a scarlet knit, and believe it or not those are the same size.  I totally measured them and everything.  The blocking looks wonky, but the knitting is solid enough.

Let's see, what else?

Ah, I figured out how to make window box leaves accessible to people other than myself.  Here's the test knit that let me use the new directions:

photobox prototype in madelinetosh greens

After that, I wrote a spring version of the pattern and am now test knitting it in the pale green that I dyed myself the other week

I enjoy this color, although it's cooler than I usually like to knit with.

And finally, someone came up with a use for left over peeps

it's melting.... meeeelting....

not every crazy idea here is mine...

The NH Sheep & Wool festival is coming up shortly, which is why I've focused on knitting these sweaters.  I want to get them done before the next one, because they're made with some of the yarn that I bought at last year's show....  and with them done I'll have turned over all of the wool purchased by this time last year.  This is a good feeling for sure.

When time files...

Sheesh, I got snowed under again!

This is the knitting that's been going on in the meantime:

A hoodie, size 6 needs blocking and buttons sewn on

Pieces of Gudrid, actual color is scarlet.  I'd ask why I can't capture reds... but I think I should just accept it.

Let's get a closer look at that:

detail of unblocked cable, photo still 100% color inaccurate

And then there's this:

spring shawl version in pale green cashmere

 A little of this:

light fortifications:  1 oz peach schnapps, 6 oz gingerale, frozen blueberries

 So I wouldn't be afraid to do this:

Actually, not too bad a representation of the color.

This will be a sweater for meeeeee.  It was a ton of fun, and I have more dye-days planned.  Speaking of dyers check out Tanis!  She's having a giveaway, and the prize is pretty awesome.  Even if you don't see yourself wearing a Wispy cardigan in silk, I'm sure you  know someone who would and would love it.  Just sharing the love!

Next week should be more calm.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself....

What do you do when today feels like this:

he has a head, it's just hiding in the beast's room somewhere waiting to be attached

Personally, I like to do a little bit of this:

rough sizing a hacked together pattern on my dressform

Then I spend some time admiring this:

oooo, such a pretty color

And then, do a little of this:

soon, my pretty.... soon.

Ah well, who knows what yarn-ish-ness tomorrow may bring?

so wow....

Deadline knitting.  Not as much fun as it sounds...  well not if it is all one color like this:

12 bags, one week.  tired knitter

 On the other ... hand...  ugh punnery...  anyway, my hand is doing much better.  I tend to be both a "shover" and a "poker" when moving around yarn this heavy.  Worsted weight or heavier, and I end up with bruises on my fingers from putting the needle tip on one of them to move the fabric. 

hard to take pictures of your right hand with your left hand....

So, yeah, to crank those out, I have been wearing bandaids on my thumb and finger to protect them from relentless poking.  It looks darn shabby, but works pretty well.

Aaaand I have 12 more of those suckers to knit... but I've scheduled Thursday as dip-dye day.  So, I'm looking forward to dying those suckers something other than bleached white.  Yay color!