Bless me, readers, for I have sinned. . .

It's been a month since my last entry.  A lot has been going on.  Everyone's home,  recovering and improving, but it was a family game of musical chairs at the hospital for pretty much the entire month of May.  I'm praying that everything will be calm for a little while at least, so we can all rest up.  There's nothing like driving to the hospital every day to make me think about stopping in at one of the churches along the way.  Just for a minute.  No matter what my faith.  My jealousy of religious persons is a topic for another time.

What's new with me?

I've been crafting.  I've been listening to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks - the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, and lots of Stitch It podcasts. Meghan is just wonderful, and so crafty, and she gets so much done. I find it so soothing to listen to her talk about moving while I'm freaking out about moving.

I've been preparing mentally to move, and a little bit practically by going through stuff and throwing out what I can.  This morning I washed and put away all of the pots and pans that won't be leaving with us when we move out of this house and into my aunt and uncle's house for the summer.

I ordered yarn and fiber, since last I posted, and they have arrived!

I ordered five skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Iris, for the Vine Yoke Cardigan.

AND

I ordered a bunch of stuff from Crown Mountain Farms.  Do you KNOW what that MEANS?  It means. . . that I have beautiful, lovely, scrumptious fiber to play with.

BUNDLE OF JOY

Before Sunset BFL

Black Magic Woman Superwash Merino

Nirvana Corriedale

undyed Corriedale

That big box of fluff is like. . . the ultimate squee.  I've only spun the Nirvana Corriedale so far, but it is just lovely.  I got that colorway in the pencil roving, and while I do like it, it needs almost no drafting. . .  I thought that would be nice, but it takes away from the experience a little.  I can basically spin even singles from it with my eyes closed.

On the culinary side of things, a couple of weeks ago, I made a Gooey Butter Cake, inspired by the Knitmoregirls Podcast. Eating it was. . . an experience.  I knew from the comments on the recipe that there was a healthy version, so I looked it up and made it this morning.  It's really not up to par.  A gooey butter cake needs two sticks of butter, not one teaspoon.  I'll suffer through this version (it's not bad enough that I won't eat it), but I've learned my lesson.  Gooey Butter Cake needs butter.

On the needles?

Part of what I love about listening to knitting podcasts is the commonly-present On The Needles segment   I find it intriguing to know how people prioritize, organize, and plan for their knitted items.  Another thing I love about podcasts? Their super cute accents.

My method seems to be thus:  Have one of everything on the needles all the time so I have knitting to suit any mood.
For example, on my needles now are:
1. Amigurumi Tomato
2. Secret Christmas project.  Pictures soon, I promise!  Chris is so patient - partly because my gift isn't done yet either.  At this rate, we'll end up having fake Christmas in July.
3. Lace shawl with worsted weight
4. Lace shawl with lace weight
5. Two at a time toe-up socks
6. The Talia vest, which I cast on during our Snow Day Outsourced Marathon.  But I cast on in acrylic, and do I really want to do that?  It's purple and soft (Berrocco Comfort), but wouldn't I rather work with wool or something that I'll like better?  But it is machine washable, so. . . I just can't decide.

Some people have even more projects on than even I do, I have found.  Jasmine over at the Knitmoregirls Podcast seems to have all the projects ever - and socks hiding around every corner!   Not all of them are active, but there are still many.  This sounds like a wonderland to me, where your house is just full of beautiful half-knitted items and you can pick and choose as you like. Meghan at Stitch It! Podcast said early on (I'm still catching up) that she can only ever have two things on the needles. . . which sounds much more productive to me, but then I would have to choose!

The spinning wheel update is that it will ship this week, so I should be able to pick it up at the shop the week after.  Two weeks!  I am practicing deep breathing.  Two weeks is only a very small amount of time, right?  Right?!