Lynn Carson Harris

Too Many Irons in the Fire

Maybe it's because I finished up so many projects in a hurry for holiday gift giving. Maybe it's because it is a new year which is full of new beginnings.

Whatever the reason, I have started a lot of projects the last two weeks. Some are special orders and others are items for myself. I am even trying to write up a few knitting patterns from some of my designs.

 

Maybe I have too many things going at one time.

Today when I got up to get my coat so that I could pick up M from school, I walked through the kitchen and saw a batch of cookie dough in the mixer bowl from this morning. How did I get out of the kitchen to work on something else before I baked the cookies?!?

I am trying not to think of all the OLD projects that I have started...

Focus.

I need to FOCUS.

Oh, yeah, I also ordered some yarn from Knit Picks.

Thoughtful Sunday

"There was no road, there were no marks on the snow but the feather-stitching tracks of birds and the blurry spots where rabbits had hopped. Deep in the still woods axes were chopping with a ringing sound."

Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1933

Walk With Us

P and I visited with neighbors yesterday. It was not snowing on our way down but on the walk home our tracks had been covered.

Walk home with us...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a wonderful day.

Around the House

In making some of my most recent projects I had to dive deep into my yarn supply. I ended up getting ALL of my wool out and taking inventory. I have a lot of yarn for some really pretty socks and need to get working on some of those. I also found quite a bit of odd bits of wool left from other projects. I think I need to make a stripey pair of elf shoes and use some of that up.  The cleaning and organizing has gotten the creative juices flowing for me. I have some designs floating in my head now but my sewing room looks like something exploded in here.

I know you don't want to see a picture of that so I'll show you what we did in the kitchen instead.

 

Peanut butter cups and marshmallows.  There is some great snacking going on here. After all the fuss of filling those paper cups we think that trying them in layers like peppermint bark might be the way to go.

I have stocked up on candy canes so peppermint bark is next on the candy making list.

Super Warm Pink Mittens - the experiment

Two years ago I made P matching mittens, hat, and a scarf.  They are getting a bit small but she has been wearing them this winter. The mittens never were very warm for her so I have been thinking about how to make warmer mittens that will be good for playing in the snow.

My plan was to make lined mittens but to make the outer mitten felted. I used Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino for the inner mitten and made it to fit her hand first. I started with a provisional cast on so that I could start knitting the outer mitten from there.

I knit the outer mitten larger, about the size of my hand, on larger needles but with the same number of stitches using Jaeger spiral spun frogged from a project my neighbor started years ago and said she would never finish. The preknit yarn that I didn't take the time to steam before using gives the knitting a bit of a textured look but I didn't worry about it because I knew it would look completely different after the felting anyway.

The inner mitten yarn is 30 percent microfiber and will not felt.

P wants to make sure you see the Christmas tree made by the space between her hands in the picture below.

 

After a bit of squishing them around in hot water in the sink we have finished mittens! The end result is a more weather proof outer mitten with a soft inner mitten next to the skin.

 

I hear they kept her hands warm on the playground at preschool today.

I just love when this kind of experiment works out.

Now B says he wants a pair...

A crafter's work is never done.

 

Thoughtful Sunday

"You've got to be able to make those daring leaps or you're nowhere," said Muskrat.

The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban, 1967.

Snug as a Bug

We are trying to stretch the winter break enjoyment as long as we can. We love these lazy days at home. We have enjoyed almost two full weeks at home together. Sadly, it is time to prepare for the return of the school/work routine.

Yesterday we packed up the all of the holiday decorations that are not on the tree. Someone has enjoyed the Christmas cds so much that we left those out too. P loves to listen to music while watching the tree.

We will leave the tree up a while longer because we like the glow of the lights at night (and during the day). P says the living room is her favorite room in the house now because of the tree.

I am off to bake blueberry and peach pies.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.