A finished object

So a few weeks ago I took a class at my LYS (The Net Loft) to make a needle felted piece.  They had offered the class a number of times, but I was never able to make it.  So when a friend asked me to join a special class she had set up because her mom was in town, I jumped at the chance! I have done needle felting before (and used to teach a class on it in Anchorage) but I always love taking classes and learning little tips and tricks.  I was able to finish this project in class, minus one small thing…I bought a charm for the center that has the latitude and longitude of Cordova on it.  I wanted it to have something Cordovan without it being obvious and this was perfect. This week I finally took the five mins to sew it on and get it hung on the wall. I could not be happier.

As I was looking at my calendar this week I realized a pretty big event was much sooner than I expected.  I have been so busy getting ready for Sawyer to start preschool Monday and our trip to Anchorage Wednesday that I didn't even realize that it is SEPTEMBER! Which means it is almost Lucy's 3rd birthday! And here I am almost two weeks out with nothing planned. For me, this is nuts. But, it has been a crazy summer for us, oh, and how is it already SEPTEMBER!?!? Anyway, I asked Lucy what kind of party she wanted and she said "Ponies", so I will pick up a few things in Anchorage for that while we are there. I also dug out a knitting project I talked about last week to attempt to finish it for her birthday, her Lovely Rita dress. This is a pattern by Martina Behm (who has a lot of patterns, most notably probably her Hitchhiker scarf) and I have really enjoyed it so far. It starts with a provisional cast on and a picot hem, which took some time, but was worth it. I am using a variety of pinks for the main color (a gradient effect with multiple balls) and white for the accent color. So in my mind, the flowers will wind up white. I wanted to minimize the white because Lucy is a very rough and tumble child who gets pretty dirty. So, while it is unlikely I will get this finished for her birthday, it is getting worked on which is a step in the right direction. 

Another project I pulled out of hibernation this week was Weston's Gansey.  One night I decided to cast on the second welt and just about had a heart attack when I couldn't find the binder with the pattern I had designed in it. I searched everywhere. I was frantic, convinced I had misplaced it in the move and I would be unable to find it until I moved again….then I searched one more random box (a box with preschool stuff in it) and found it. Whew. So, I got the second welt cast on and finished and now it is waiting to be joined in the round. I am hoping to do that tonight so I can take it with me on my trip next week.  It will be the perfect carry along project because it is just knitting for a million inches now. 

Next week will be eventful for us, so hopefully I have fun stories to share next time! 

Happy knitting!