Crafting is a hobby that has these periods where you get to a point and have to remind yourself to just keep crafting because you want the final product. And I hit that point at several project over the past few weeks. On top of that there were also quite a few stressful personal events this week. My husband started a new job this past week which is really exciting but has changed our routines a bit and we are starting to find our new groove. And Ellie slammed Gwen’s finger in one of our doors and it required stitches so that was fun. I also managed to not bring any projects with me and my electronics were kidnapped so that was a fun four hours being bored in the Children’s Emergency Room (she is doing great now and the stitches have been removed and it is healing well). Anyway, onto the crafting!

Linen Top

The flat knit portion of this top has been a SLOG! I was so excited when I finally reached the shoulders/front and got to start the lace portion of the pattern. But I am even more excited now that I finally have the front and back joined together and can now knit in the round! It is such a relief and so much faster now that the majority of the stitches are knit. It is looking great and I can’t wait to wear it!

Crochet Cotton Top

I finished the crochet cotton top because I wanted to start a new project. I love it! I don’t know if I will do something with hairpin lace again because while it is stunning it was also a bit fiddly and I found it a bit boring and annoying which made it hard to want to do/finish.

Gardening

I have seen hide nor hair of the corn we planted and I suspect we either tried to sow it too early or it was eaten by wildlife. But I wanted to fill in a patch of dirt that looked like it used to have some flowers or something in it and Gwen said we should make it a rainbow garden. So we went plant shopping and decided to utilize pansies as the majority of our colors. We also got a few roses for pots and maybe for planting later and some veggies for pots since the corn has yet to sprout.

Tunisian Crochet

I finished the crochet top so that I could start a make-along with the Jillian Eve discord server for Tunisian crochet. I have not done much of Tunisian crochet but I enjoyed the little bit of it that I have done. I wanted to use some of my handspun that I didn’t have any project plans or ideas for and this seemed like a good time to do so. I also wanted a cardigan because I tend to reach for cardigans over pullovers. This is the start of it. I am using purple that I have left over from Grammy’s cardigan and some of my early homespun on the drop spindle. It is not super consistent but it works.

Tunisian crochet almost a mix of crochet and knitting. You use a crochet hook with a long tail attached. I have definitely made mistakes but am chalking them up to still learning Tunisian. This is also going to be a celebration of learning a new skill both with it’s construction as well as it’s spinning. I am not 100% sure I will have enough yarn for it but that is ok. I can always add more when I have a spin that I don’t know what to do with.

Spinning and Processing

I also started sorting my Icelandic fleece into the Tog and Thel just by pulling them apart by hand. I am thoroughly enjoying the process of separating them by hand it is a really relaxing and almost mediative task. I have also been working on spinning up singles for a three ply that is finally finished (just needs soaked and thwacked). The three ply is dark purple, medium purple and a teal blue. Along with a small section of combed Tog wool, medium purple, and a teal blue. I am really pleased with them and they may also end up in the cardigan.

Learning to Weave!

One of the other stressors of the past week was having to rapidly figure out childcare as I found out that the weaving class I was wanting to take was going to run with just me as a student because it is the last class before September. I had a blast taking this weaving class even though it was just me and the teacher. I took the class at Three Bags Full yarn shop and couldn’t recommend it more. Roberta was amazing and I learned so much about how to weave and enjoyed my class so much. I made more of a table runner rather than a placemat because we fudged the warp measurements a little to make it the length of the table to be a little easier and because I was the only student things went a little faster than usual. The plaid effect was due to the long repeats in color of the yarn itself rather than an intentional pattern by me. But it turned out so great and I absolutely love it and now want a loom just to play with and learn more about what I can create with one.

Other Updates

A few other brief updates on other works in progress. Still no thumbs on the mittens. Still no waistbands on the shorts. My squares for the paper piecing were played with and are now spread about the room…sigh. And I am still working out what is going on with the “new” wheel.

Upcoming

I am hoping to keep chugging along with the linen shirt and Tunisian cardigan. I am hoping to start spinning up the merino and tencel soon. We also are having family visiting in July and need to get the guest room cleared out and set up in preparation for that. I am hoping to pick up some nicer wool combs soon so I can start combing and spinning some of the other new wool that I got.

Thanks joining our adventure!

Lots of Love,

The McMullin Family