Stash enhancement by trade

These three skeins of yarn came to me by trade on ravelry, in exchange for some stash I've had for at least a year, maybe longer.

My favorite, a skein of MadelineTosh Tosh Sock in the Scarlet colorway. I've never used this yarn (but recently purchased another skein as well, in the Mourning Dove colorway). It feels squishy soft, and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Two skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn, in the Velvet Port and In Vino Veritas (great name) colorways. This is another yarn I've never used before.

Sorry for the lack of posts around these parts. I do have some things to share, but time, that's the tricky part!

I'm hoping to have some craft time this weekend, and I've got a new knitting project to share, as well as a (nearly) finished object.

I've been thoroughly enjoying the cool nights here in Houston (all week, lows in the sixties!). Welcome, autumn!

Progress Shot of Lila

Somehow, as busy as the weekend was, I found time to finish the body of Lila.

I did several increases after hitting my belly button, since I omitted the pattern increases past the bust.

I'm still on the fence regarding the sleeves. I've got plenty of yarn left (2.3 balls), so any length is possible. As soon as I make a decision, I'll finish this one up.

Thoughts on the sleeve length?

FO: Grellow Echino

Between being Maid of Honor for Jenny and craziness at work, I haven't had much crafting time lately. The bachelorette party was this weekend, and the wedding is this Saturday, so the craziness will subside soon.

In the meantime, I did manage to make a pillow for Jill's new house. She moved in to her first house a few weeks ago. We went fabric shopping last weekend, and I have orders for several sets of curtains, as well as a full- and half- apron. Long before she moved in, I purchased half yards of the awesome Echino camera fabric.

Jill is an awesome photgrapher, and has recently started working towards professional status. She's had a few paying gigs, and is trying to branch out with her most beloved hobby. I knew she would dig the camera fabric, so I made her a pillow using the gold version, along with Kona scraps from my quilt.

I think this is a great way to use the camera fabric, and it leaves me with a ton of fabric for another project. I used the same layout for the back of the pillow, a gold zipper, and used bamboo fiberfil for the stuffing (it needs more, though; I ran out).

I hope Jill enjoys her new pillow, and her new house!

Upcoming projects

I know I'm not alone in this, but planning for projects is just as fun, if not more fun, than the actual crafting process. I love browsing through patterns (sewing and knitting), finding inspiration through blogs and crafty sites, and selecting the ideal materials to make my project.

Knitting

-Audrey In Unst, in either Silky Wool

or Shine Sport

-Tempest, from Knitty
For this light cardigan, I'm thinking of using my gray Palette

with stripes in either pink Yarntini sock

, the Brooklyn Handspun I won from Girlwhoknits

or Wasabi Shibui Sock

Sewing

-I cut the pieces for Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt (the A-line version) in this Heather Ross fabic from the stash (man, I love her Underwater Sister's line):

-I also promised my sister some curtains and a couple of aprons (she just bought her first house!)

With these new projects in mind, I'd also really like to finish the following before the end of the year:

-finish Lila (I'm nearing the halfway point on this one!)

-finish my CPH (on the needles since July 25, 2008-that date is engrained on my brain until I can finish!)

-finish my quilt

Yeah, I think that will keep me busy until the end of the year. Damn, I had some Christmas presents planned, so I may have to re-prioritize. I guess having too much to craft is a good problem to have.

FO: Pebble Forecast

My plan was to have this finished in time for Oliver's Texas visit last month. As I was nearing the end of the knitting, I started thinking it might not be big enough for him. While he was here, I put it around him to check. Although it won't fit him for very long, I hope it will be a good transition piece for the cool fall in D.C.

If you remember, the yarn was some handspun I purchased from whimsyknits on Etsy. I found the perfect little blue buttons (I still need to sew on the top buttons). The pattern, Pebble, is so easy to follow, and I've already cast on for a second in Malabrigo Worsted, also for Oliver.

The only modification I made was to add twelve extra rows before binding off the buttonhole and edging rows. It's no wonder this is such a popular pattern on ravelry. It's darling!

I love knitting with handspun. It makes me want to get a wheel, which I've been trying to avoid (only because I already have to split my crafting time between sewing and knitting!). I have less than half an ounce of the handspun left, so this is a good one-skein project.

In other handspun news, I was able to snag a skein of Sam's (aquaknits) handspun from her etsy shop, GLBLF. I just love her style. I truly feel my stash always needs at least one skein of handspun!

Raveled