clean slate and a few more favorite things

i never intended to a gone a couple of weeks. classes have started back for me, so that means a lot of reading right now. to be honest, by the time i finish reading according to my daily schedule, all i have the brain space for is sitting down and knitting. in fact, i'm trying to pace myself right now, making sure that i stop and take breaks because my eyes and brain are so tired ;)

but...i managed to get some knitting done.

i am knitting-a-long with the girls from the just one more row podcast and their clean slate challenge. the goal is to get old wips and stash down so that you can knit the things you want without the guilt of old projects hanging over your head. almost every knitter has an abandoned project or two and maybe some old stash....right?!

>>>CLEAN SLATE PROJECTS<<<

1. cakewalk skyp socks are done and i love them! it's a shame this dyer isn't dying right now (or anymore?). i've been checking her rav group and the stash pages to see if anyone is destashing some of this amazing yarn. just checked again and no one wants to get rid of this awesome stuff...darn! anyway...back to the socks. it's great pattern and the socks turned out great. however...after finishing the second sock, i realized that it was a little bit larger than the other sock. i did realize that i make a mistake in the ribbing of the foot, after the heel turn and the toe is a bit longer. but honestly it fits so perfect that i didn't want to rip it out. i did start these socks last May, finishing the first by the end of the summer. i didn't cast on the second sock until our trip down south at thanksgiving. after knitting these socks, i will start casting on the second sock as soon as the first is done.

2. after finishing the skyp socks, i realized that i didn't have any other socks on the needles, i like to have a pair or two going to enhance my sock drawer...i tried a patterned pair but i just didn't like having to look at a pattern. i like a vanilla sock, so i ripped them back and started a vanilla sock with knit picks stroll handpainted in "punky". it so reminds me of punky brewster and the late 80s/early 90s tv that i watched as a kid. i'm loving these socks and trying to make them extra long to ensure i use as much yarn as possible.

3. i also managed to get some time in at my spinning wheel....i'm spinning knittyandcolor "ultralight at night"...its a merino/silk blend and i love it! i'm taking my time and spinning it pretty thin. i wear a lot of black and this would make a great shawl to compliment all that black. i'm planning a two-ply fingering weight yarn and have a couple of shawl patterns in mind but we will see what i end up doing. i've still not completed a finished object in handspun yet but it's something i want to remedy this year. i finished the first bobbin and am spinning the second. i'm really trying to take my time to get a thin single.

i managed to knit two more barley hats for some girls at Sam's gym. they purchased the yarn and paid me a little for my effort is knitting them. they still need to be blocked and then i'll send them out. i still have two more to knit to fulfill this set of commissioned knits and i'll probably get those done in the next week or so. i have the yarn for one hat but need to make an order for the second. these hats were not for the clean slate challenge but they counted in my mind. once those hats are done, then maybe i can cast on a sweater i've been eyeing (and purchased the yarn for)....we shall see. i really want to get my wips down and i have 2 (?!) cardigans in my wips basket to work on.  feel like i can't start any new projects until ive got some things crossed off my list....i guess i'm a knitter with a conscience ;) well you can't be selfish and only knit for yourself all the time, right?!

and last but not least, i promised a "favorite things" post once a week until my birthday....obviously that didn't happen but i have some time before i finish celebrating so ill leave you with a few things that i'm lovin' right now....

this bag....it's jordana paige's "QUINN" bag and i have fallen in love with it. i've been eyeing it for months. not only is it the perfect knitting bag/purse combo but it would also make a good purse/diaper bag for you mamas out there. Sam gifted me the bag for my birthday so when it comes in, i'll show it off. don't be put off by the price..watch the video at the bottom of the page before you make a judgement....trust me.

artifact uprising... i came across this company's instagram via jess over at bohobabybump...a great mom blog that i follow. the concept of this company is quite amazing...do you ever take really great pictures on your iphone, post them on instagram, and think..."i wish i could print these out". well, with this, you can...you can actually do it straight from their app on the iphone. and they give you the ability to make cute little books too...wow! this would be perfect for trips, day to day photos...the possibilities are endless...you should also follow them on instagram for some beautiful, snowy pictures of colorado and other beautiful shots....so inspiring, so please check them out.

noodlehead's open wide pouch DIY tutorial...i have been reading anna's blog for a while now. i can hold my own on a sewing machine, but her quilts (which i will probably never do) are so beautiful! a while back, she released a tutorial for this zippered bag and it would make a great project bag. she even provides another post on sizing. i haven't made a bag yet, but i have a couple planned for the future...she has lots of great tutorials.....i love a good tutorial...

and through anna's posts about her many bags she's been making, i found this cute etsy shop, sewfreshfabrics, full of cute fabrics. it seems pretty reasonably priced as well.

hope you enjoy these favorites!