FO Friday... Back to the Blog!

I'm baaaaa-aaaack!
Sorry for the week+ of radio silence here on the blog. A lot has been happening in the work and personal realm. I'll write a few sentences about that at the end so that those of you who are here for the knitting can get right at the good part!

Today's FO Friday is a bit of a cheat... I actually had it finished in time for last week's FO Friday, but then the aforementioned "life happens" bit... happened. So, for your perusing pleasure, behold my Malabrigo Mitts!

These mitts are made from a partial skein of Malabrigo Worsted in Shocking Pink that I had left over from my Brattleboro Hat. The pattern is 75-yard Malabrigo Fingerless Mitts and is available for free. Mine only took about 64 yards, but who's counting? If only it weren't nearly 100 degrees this week, I am just dying to wear them!

Now on to other news. TMG and I are going through some major life changes (all good, just stressful). I recently accepted a new job and am working on the transition out of my current job, as well as trying to find a new apartment in PA where the new job is. Meanwhile, TMG has to try to find a new job as well, and is crunching all of the numbers to figure out how we will stay afloat financially in the meantime! The move is very exciting, especially because it will take me closer to my family and friends, but is always stressful, particularly because I start there in less than 3 weeks and we don't have an apartment yet! So, for those of you who are inclined to say prayers, cross fingers, send good thoughts, or whatever, they would all be much appreciated!

WIP Wednesday

I have been working diligently on my Shift Tote this week! Unfortunately, I am knitting at somewhat of a tighter gauge than specified in the pattern, so my bag is turning out a bit more "squat" than I would like. I've read some other Ravelers' notes indicating that they had plenty of yarn left over, so I am going to do one more "repeat" (one more fully stripe to the end of the row) before I start going back the other direction. Other than that, I am really pleased with how it is turning out. The color changes are really beginning to show which is also very enticing to see! So, without further ado, here's this week's project photo:

The photo is not great quality this week because I had to take it with my iPhone, but I think it shows the progress just fine for those of you who are keeping score at home! I hope to have it ready for a FO Friday post very soon!

Sunday Steals

TMG and I spent this morning looking for treasures at The Elephant's Trunk in New Milford CT. While we were there, we saw a camera crew filming a TV show called "I Brake for Yard Sales," but we didn't find anything to buy. Just next door was the Maplewood Indoor Flea Market, where we didn't do much better, but I found a copy of the Reader's Digest Family Songbook (truly a steal since it is now out of print) and a few trade paperbacks, as well as a music textbook to resell for profit (kaching!).
On the way home, we saw signs for a used book sale, and I pestered TMG to go. Luckily, he obliged, and we found a few treasures (vintage knitting patterns for me, vintage video games for him). On the way home from there, we saw signs for another used book sale, but I knew better than to press my luck at this point, so we went home and I went back to that one on my own. Here's a photo of the day's knitting-related haul:

I am most excited about the booklets in the top row on the far left and far right. I think I paid $1 for one of them and 50¢ for the other. They both have great classic patterns and are worth far more than I paid. Some of the vintage patterns in the bottom row are more useful for laughs than for making garments, but I didn't pay more than $1 apiece, and one never knows when these things will come back into style!

Thursday Thank-Yous!

I have been incredibly blessed over the past few weeks by the kindness of my fellow knitters. I said to TMG the other day that the kindness of knitters restores my faith in all of humanity, and I truly meant it. The last few weeks have been difficult and emotional due to a variety of things, and I have been overwhelmed by the kindness (How many times can I use that word? Yikes!) of total strangers. From words of encouragement to knitting patterns, to handmade stitch markers and even delicious sweets from across the pond, I can't adequately express my gratitude to those people who lifted my spirits with their kindness (there I go again!). But, I'll try. This week's Thursday thank-yous go to (in no particular order):
Crystal
Diane
Susan
caps4queers
Penny
Polly
kementari

I wish blessings for all of you! Thank you all so much :)

WIP Wednesday

Not much knitting progress to report this week, as we spent a few days visiting PA for the holiday weekend. I did spend some time last night working on my Shift Tote, which is pictured above. It's tough to see in the photo, but the yellow stripe near the far left is starting to change color to green. I'm doing okay so far with managing all the bobbins, which was quite a challenge at first.

Tour de Fleece Tuesday!

I'm getting back in the swing of things today after a wonderful (and very busy) holiday weekend. TMG and I drove to Pennsylvania to visit with my family for a few days and had a great time. Highlights included mini golf, numerous games of Solitaire Frenzy and The Game of Things, a cookout in the woods, and lots of good food! Believe it or not, I did not do any knitting the whole time we were there! I did, however, deliver Cecil, who was a HUGE hit. Here's a picture of him in his new happy home:

While we were away enjoying all of the fun and festivities, July 1st marked the beginning of the annual Tour de Fleece spinning event. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the Tour de Fleece runs each year concurrently with the Tour de France bike race. Wheel and spindle spinners alike participate in this event for fun and prizes, and post photos of their daily progress. Many spinners participate in different "teams" to enhance the fun! I must admit that I am far behind the peloton this year, as I have not yet made it to the starting line, but being able to go at one's own pace and set one's own goals is part of the fun. Here is what I will be working on first:

The photos just don't do justice to this beautiful Miss Babs BFL! I am going to spin it as a 3-ply and, as visible in the second photo, I already have one bobbin finished. I don't remember offhand what the colorway is, but I purchased it at Stitches East last year. I hope to finish spinning and plying this sometime this week, and then start on something else!

FO Friday

Happy Friday everyone!
It has been a crazy week and I didn't manage to finish any projects this week. So, for this week's FO Friday feature, we're venturing into the recently-finished project vault!

Make sure to duck your head; the ceiling is a bit low!

 This week's featured FO from the vault is my handspun Citron Shawl. I spun the yarn, a laceweight single, from some roving that I bought on eBay from Frene Creek Farm last spring. This yarn was begging to be a Citron from the moment I started spinning it. I added an extra section and extended the ruffle in order to use up more of the yarn. I think it's such a shame to waste handspun. In the photo, it is unblocked, and remains so. If anyone has any good tips on how to block a Citron, please let me know!