Friday Finds

It is a little light this week, but that is only because I am waiting on a couple of things to come my way.

Two sock bags for my Sock WIPS can be easily identified amongst the other WIPS.

And yarn from Legacy Fiber Artz in one of their Elf color ways.  Even though, I have never watched the movie, I wanted to try the yarn out.  I am thinking a shawl.

Don't you just love it when you find an outfit that goes so well with a sweater you are knitting?!  I am knitting a little vest for Poppy's first birthday next month.  Of course, I picked out the colors of the vest and figured I find something to go with it in a button down shirt.  But, I was super stoked to find this piece at the Carter's shop locally.

It is drop dead cute and so GQ. 

That's all for this Friday!

Friday Finds!

 It was a good mail week this week.  A little something I'm going to in October.

And when I open up the box, look how neatly packaged it is.  Don't you just love the cool ways things are coming packaged these days?!

 And what is under the tissue, well this new Fat Squirrel Bag is to dye for and the yarn, oy, I can hardly wait to wind and start it, but I can't because first, I gotta get some socks off the needles. Or at least one sock…

Surprise!  Another sock yarn!  But, this one I have been eyeballing for sometime…when it is knit up, it looks like a pencil with an eraser.

And finally, my fave find this week.  Janine's, aka feralknitter, book that has been years in the making came in the mail this week.  Oy, this a fantastic book!  Janine is a color expert extraordinaire and oh her fair isle work is unbelievable…Move over Alice, you've got competition!

Happy Friday All!  Hope you find some great things in your mailbox this week!

It's Official!

So We've Got To Say Goodbye To The Summer

It is hard to believe that Fall/Autumn starts tomorrow.  Especially when today it was almost 90.  But, I know that before we barely turn around, we will be complaining about how cold it is!  With the change of the season, at least on the calendar, I am thinking back over the Summer and the Summer of Shawls, along with where I wanted to be weight wise, and I am a bit disappointed as I did not realize all  any of my goals.

Let me say emphatically, I am not getting down on myself because of not achieving them, just more determined that for the next season, I do a little bit better.  Just a little bit.  I believe that one does not have to make major changes, just small changes, and then a few more and then, hey, then big changes all of a sudden have happened and you wonder where the time went.

Kind of like this cutey!  In just a few weeks, he will be one.  Really, how did that happen?

And in Grandma fashion, I've decided that he may need a vest for his birthday.  I'm playing with some color ways this week to see what I like and then I'll see about some cute chinos and button down to go under it.  This is going to be some fun.

Other things on the horizon for my Fall knitting are some sweaters for me to wear now, not in 20lbs less. And there are a boatload of shawls for Fall for Shawls that I want to knit and finish.  There is some cool stuff happening with Hospice Prayer Shawl knitting and designing, Socktober is coming up along with multiple KALs that I seem to be involved in, some super cool stuff coming via the mailman soon that I cannot wait to share with you and before you know it, we will be talking Christmas knitting.

Stay tuned, because we are going to have a heck of a Fall knitting.  For now, say good-bye to Summer and welcome to one of my most favorite seasons!

Finally Finished Friday

The Hospice Blanket is done done done.  This was a bit of a knit as it was single strand, but it has also doubled as my InASknit KAL entry for the #batterupkal, while I watched some Cardinal games.  

This entry makes it to third base in the KAL,  just have to now come up with a home plate one between now and the end of the World Series.

The knitting on Tea Leaves is also finished, but I am going to save it for next Friday, as it really needs the buttons on it along with some blocking to really look good.

Happy Friday!

Surround Yourself

I am so lucky/blessed to be surrounded and have met so many great friends through knitting!  Isn't that the case for most us?  At least I hope it is so for you.

Dear Friend, Victoria was the recipient of one of our local t.v. station's 25 Women in Leadership Award last Thursday.  I was so lucky to be able to attend with some of our friends who knit Hospice Shawls.  Victoria is so deserving of this award!  What a gem, a truly kind woman.  And I am not just saying that because she reads this blog.  I truly, genuinely would feel this way even if she didn't.

To read about Victoria, please check this link out:
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/391079921.html

Also, along my knitting way, I became acquainted with Janine Bajus.  Janine is a Fair Isle Knitter extraordinaire, and just self published a book that I cannot wait until it hits my mailbox.  She knows how to put colors together along with many of her other amazing knitting talents.

Please follow Janine along here:
http://www.feralknitter.com

Knitters are the best.  Stay tuned for more surround yourself this Fall.  And I hope/wish that you all are as blessed as I am!

What's On The Needles This Week?

My Tea Leaves! Still on the needles, but hoping by the end of the day all it needs is to be blocked and some buttons to be found.  First, I'll need to shop for those.  Funny thing…in order to do the bands, I had to go deep into my Knit Picks needles, because all of my Chiagoo Red Lace small cords are in use?!  It may be time to check out the WIPS...

Also on the needles is the Hospice blanket,  but I do believe in the next couple of days this one will be finished too.  We've got the next three games at home with the Cubs so I should be able to knock this one out by then and hopefully smack the Cubs down at the same time.

And last but not least, a little shawllette that I am trying out that Susan Rainey designed a nice new long tab start for.

 
Hope you are having a great weekend!  Here in Central Illinois, it is a drop dead gorgeous day out and perfect for knitting on the porch.

Easing Into The Workweek

It was a nice relaxing long weekend at Chez PJKnits.  Early on the weather was drop dead gorgeous enough to sit on the front porch and do some knitting on my Smooth Operator Socks.

Afternoons were spent watching my Cardinals win and knitting on the Hospice Blanket that is part of my InASknit Batter Up KAL entry.  I've got about 1 1/2 sections before bind off.  We had the Tall Guy's Mom over for dinner Sunday night.

And then Monday morning was for catching up on podcasts (which seriously had me stash enhancing, I'll show you what when the postman delivers).

Monday afternoon was for some Birthday and Holiday Knitting planning.  I took advantage of this nice plastic shopper to bring some yarns down from the Yarn Room so I could contemplate on them.

Poppy is going to have a new hat for Christmas.

My purse project is going to be one of the 40 cowls/scarves that I want to knit for the Girls Holiday Bash (hopefully my final one as the MC) in 2020.

 Then all these lovelies came out of the stash and leftover bin for a vest for Poppy for his birthday.  And if I have enough, I may knit a second one for his cousin's first birthday that is a month later.

With the help of my friend Debbie, we decided on these three colors for the vest.

It was a great long weekend and today it is back to work, hopefully, the masses will be kind this week, but if not, there is always knitting!

Unofficial End To Summer?

Word is Labor Day Weekend is the unofficial end to Summer, even though the calendar says Fall doesn't start until September 22nd.  But, if you are a knitter, you really got to start thinking about Fall/Winter knitting right now, you know in order to have them done, when the weather brings with the "real, official" end to Summer.

And you might think that the Summer of Shawls is over here at Chez PJKnits, but no, we will just extend it into what I like to call Fall for Shawls!  

My mailbox was full of Fall Clothing Catalogs today, a sure sign of Fall and I've got a couple of things earmarked to maybe buy.

On the way home from knitting today, I made a side stop to do a bit of shopping for some things I can wear to work this Fall.  (I'm getting kind of tired of my Summer wardrobe).  What I came home with is not what I thought I would, but still some nice additions.  Which really got me to thinking about my Fall Shawl wardrobe and what I need to be knitting on that I can wear with some of the things I have in my wardrobe.

When I got home, I decided to get a plan on possibilities for Fall Shawls just to see what I may still need for the wardrobe ---

Multanomah - this shirt and shawl is perfect for blue jeans and casual Fridays.

Quicksilver by Melanie Berg out of Sun Valley Fiber Yarns.

A Liberty Wool Shawl, pattern by Jaala Spiro back a few years.  I sense the Teal top is going to get a work out.

But, the same shawl can go for a while over the Limey top.

I am sensing I should have bought a couple of the Teal tops.  Because this new yarn is going to work so well with it!

See what I mean!  Here's another shawl for the Teal Top.  Okay, Okay, I can hear you readers, "maybe you ought to knit something besides teal.  Black is always an option for both this one and the one above.

But, hey, I gotta new teal bag…I got to get some mileage out of it!

The Bermuda Shawl has multiple options for Fall!  Maybe,  I ought to look at the stash and see what else could go with these tops.  Or stop buying these tops!

The cream top will be perfect for the Dinner at the Eiffel Tower shawl for Fall.

The white will go with the Folio Shawl.

And in progress is The Fog shawl, which I'm gonna love wearing over the Aqua top.

It looks like I may have this Fall Wardrobe thing under wraps, you know when it gets here.

Because I Have No Self Control

I've been waiting for a few things to make their way to PJKnits so I could post about all the things that I just had to have.

This one is for Hospice and is going to be a take off on the Heavenly Heathers Blanket, only I am not going to Heather them.  But….it cannot be started until the Vet Blanket is finished.  No, really it cannot!

Also jumping into my pile is this subtle variegate with a sparkle to it.  The shawl is going to be Snow Prints, I believe.  I just had to cast on as you can see from pic.  It is super soft and I am going to just love it when it is done, down the road.

When I got Carol Sunday's newsletter last Friday, I knew I was ordering her Seacoast Stole - new color way  and the pattern to go with it.  I just need to make some time to get it going.

My new SucreSucre Miniatures arrived.  They were for a friend's  birthday, but it took almost a month to get them.   I just love these gems, but man, it is not a fast ship.  And I thought I requested stitch markers and not progress keepers.  I ordered on July 31, they shipped on the 13th from California, and finally made there way to my mailbox two days shy of a month.   I've decided to keep them for myself.

And because I cannot pass up a Snoopy bag, I ordered this one from Molly Klein Design.  It is going to house some nice Fall type knitting in it!