WIP Wednesday

What a beautiful morning in North Carolina! We were up and out the door "early" this morning for a well child check which called for long sleeves and warm coffee! It actually feels like fall is here to stay, so much so that I am making sure to leave the house every day to enjoy the cooler weather. I honestly wish that fall was around all the time but it seems to be one of the shortest seasons....

I thought that it was high time for a WIPs post. I have A LOT of things on the needles right now. I keep seeing beautiful projects and become so inspired that I must cast on right then. Another barley for xander, a couple pairs of socks for me, a shawl, a gift for my soon-to-be niece, and a sweater from the already-over luvinthemommyhood kal that needs to be seamed and the sleeves finished. I also have some handspun things on the needles as well but I am undecided as to whether I will keep knitting on them or just rip them out and try something else.

And of course I am dreaming of other things while knitting on my WIPs
*another cardigan for me
*sweater for xander
*baby socks out of scraps
*hats for the niece
*another lonely tree shawl for a dear friend

In order to get things done and make a dent in my ever-growing list, I need to set goals. Finish a couple of projects before I cast on something else. As much as I love knitting, I find myself getting overwhelmed if I have too many things going. Not to mention that I really don't have the space to store languishing WIPs. I'm thinking that it should be like a 3-for-1: finish 3, cast on 1. So this week I plan to finish Xander's hat since it only takes a day or two, work on seaming my sweater and knitting the sleeves, and maybe finishing my shawl. Then I'll cast on a small project for the niece so I can work on finishing some other things. That's sounds pretty simple.

Right???

What are some things that you are working on? Knitting related or not. Grab your current WIP and let's chat! 

WIP Wednesday

For most of you what I am about to say is going to come as quite as surprise.

I knit. Yes. I knit. (Enter all the "my grandmother does that" comments.)

For the most part, I have kept my hobby from this space because I was ashamed of what you might say or think. In fact, when friends of mine or my husband makes comments like "She knits. You should see the pair of socks she just made", I shrug it off like it's no big deal. But it is a big deal because I love it. I'm addicted and completely obsessed. And about not sharing the knit with people...guess what??? I don't think I care what you say or think (I promise, not to offend you). Knitting is a part of who I am and that's all there is to it. And guess what else? I am going to start bringing more of "my secret life" to this space.

Moving on...in the world of knitting or crochet, many refer to what they are working on as a WIP (Work in Progress). So because I have WIPs and because it is Wednesday, I'm introducing WIP Wednesday. So here we go.

The Cooke Cardigan 

I am not so good with knitting along with other people. For you normal people, it's where a group of people choose the same project, the same yarn, etc. and knit along together during a specific time period. Luvinthemommyhood is one of my favorite blogs to read and Shannon is hosting a summer sweater KAL (knit-a-long). So, I choose yarn out of my stash since I don't have much extra money right now to buy yarn and started this sweater. It's knit in pieces which scares me to death. Crossing my fingers that it actually fits when everything is knit and done. It's also being knit out of my favorite yarn, Quince and Co. Lark in a colorway aptly named Frost. This yarn is 100% American wool and was purchased from a small company, making it even better in my humble opinion. If you are interested in the community that is the online knitting world, or you just want to look at pretty pictures, you should click on over to Shannon's blog and see what she is up to. Not only does she knit and design knitting patterns, she is also an inspiration to sewers everywhere.

Cakewalk Skyp Socks

Another great project with yarn from an etsy seller. Cakewalk Yarns* is an interesting dyer because her yarn really do look yummy enough to eat. Okay, maybe not, but if you check out some of her sells on etsy, you'll see that she really does have an interesting technique to dying her yarn. This colorway is called "chalkboard" and makes me think of the blackboards in my old school classrooms growing up. I miss chalkboards and must add a couple more to my house....Anyways. This is the first sock of the two. I always said I wouldn't knit socks but I am addicted. I have found that I love hand knit socks in the fall and winter to wear with my favorite pair of grey boots.

So that's what I've been knitting on this week. It feels good to let all of you (or the 3 people reading this) in on my secret life.

I am curious to know if you have a secret life that you have been hiding. Do you love to craft? Are you a DIY addict? Do you love to run or repel from tall mountains ;)? Please share your "secret" if you care to. I would love to know if there are even others who knit or crochet or want to learn. Especially if you're local to me. Leave a comment below and let's chat! 

*Cakewalk yarn's etsy shop is currently closed because she is in the process of moving states. For the life of me, I can't get her shop to come up in etsy but just trust that its beautiful!