Knitting to stay sane

Starting something, when I had many others on needles, is the thing to do, just to make oneself happy...  Most of all, I need to have socks on needles in case I have to go out.  But who's going out these days?  Not me.  So I started socks with this beautiful yarn only to discover that it was SOOOO beautiful that I couldn't stand the thought of wearing it on my feet!

Using my book of  Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders I found this pattern called Celeste Shawl.  The photos in the book really didn't do it justice, and I was fully prepared to get to a point where it would be disappointing and I would rip it out.

But it didn't disappoint, and with blocking to bring out a pointed edge, I LOVE IT!  And the color!!!

 Yarn: Rockshelter Sock by Meadowcroft Dyeworks.  100% merino. YUM!
And speaking of YUM...

I'm learning about sourdough bread making.  This is definitely my best attempt at making the "big hole" type of "rustic" sourdough.  A friend shared her starter, and recipe, and with the help of the Internet I've been making bread 2-3 times a week.  

Plus, the need for face masks... I've made 4 so far, for ourselves.  I've been tempted to make them in great numbers like my friends have, to give to the many who are requesting them, yet, when I get done with 2 (at a time) I'm not as eager to continue.

Stay safe!

Unfinished Symphony

Good news! After starting and restarting my Las Cruses cardigan (Laura Nelkin design), and ripping out parts 3 times because of bad calculations on MY part, I came to the point where I ran out of yarn. That's the good news? No, good news to come:

Yes... the rookie mistake. And not just ANY yarn! A dye lot created for the Taos Wool Festival 2019 in beautiful bamboo. Limited supply... and where did they go? Well, a close friend bought some for a project, yet NO ONE BUT ME, entered it into Ravelry!

So, tracking down enough yarn to knit the collar, which is a thin band down the fronts and around the neck.

The tracking begins (even before I ran out, because I could see it coming):
1) I give a shout out to my friend but she hasn't finished her project and is hesitant to commit. Friendship only goes so far!

2) An email to the dyer, and to the shop where I bought it. Dyer replies I should try the shop.

3) Shop owner of Mooncat Fibers, in Taos, replies (the GOOD NEWS) that she thinks she has almost a full skein left at home!

4) This morning, she's sending it my way. Last night I dreamed I used that leftover to "begin" the finishing. A bit of a restless night...I never got past the first three stitches of the collar, redoing it over and over...

5) I got plenty of time!

6) A drawback to Nelkin's designs... They are difficult (or maybe I should say impossible) to try on for fit, and upon finishing, I discovered the sleeves were WAY, I mean 8" WAY too long.  And had I known that, I wouldn't have had to buy more yarn.  Bamboo, drapey, and nice but difficult to judge how long it will be...I ended up shortening the sleeves, and now, it's finished.