Then, of course, there is the beautiful Sólás Caomh with the trim edge from my Aragon Tunic.

And one more photo, because my darling kitty is in this one…

My Sólás Caomh blanket is just about finished.  I just need to weave in the ends.  It turned out beautifully–just as I’d imagined.

I started another baby blanket for yet another friend that is expecting.  I’ve got a bit of a tight deadline with this one, so of course I’d choose to knit it.  Yikes!  This will take me forever, but it is going to be so darling, while still looking simple and boy-ish.

And finally, I’ve taken on a commission (sort of).  I’m acquainted with the owner of a LYS near my mom’s office.  Last year she asked me to crochet a sample for her to display at her booth at Stitches West.  The sweater was a huge success, and I enjoyed making something that wasn’t just for myself, so I offered my services again this year.

I just got the yarn yesterday, so I got started this afternoon.  While the yarn is very beautiful (the owner of the store does wonderful dying), it’s been a bit frustrating to work with.  The twist runs very thick and thin, which gives the fabric a wonderful texture, but makes the stitches difficult to see.  I’m also not crazy about how thick and stiff the fabric is turning out.  It would probably be better if I went up a couple of hook sizes, but then the gauge would be WAY off.  It’s already off enough that I’m crocheting two sizes down from my desired size and I’m eliminating some rows.

So, I’m not sure what to do at this point.  I’ve gotten about half the back done and am just really worried about how it will fit and look once it’s done.  Like I said, it’s a great yarn, but would be much better suited to something structured.

First off, I’ve gotten my first Ambrosia sock finished:

I didn’t have quite enough yarn to make it long enough to get past the largest part of my calf, so I may need to get a bit of elastic to put in the top to keep the sock up.  Other than that, the fit is pretty good.  Again, I really do feel like I’m starting to get the hang of socks.

On the crocheting front, I’m almost finished with the Sólás Caomh baby blanket.  I found out that my friend is expecting a girl just in time to make the trim color pink.  I don’t have a picture of it with the trim yet, but here is one that shows the body pattern in progress:

The flash washed out the color a bit.  It’s a much brighter yellow.  Hopefully, the mistakes early on in the center knot pattern are only noticeable to me.  The pattern had a very lovely chart to follow, so after getting started with the written directions, I went straight to the chart.  Unfortunately, the chart was not entirely accurate in showing which stitches were supposed to cross over and which behind.  I managed to find and correct the mistake, but not before I’d gotten far enough that I didn’t want to rip back.

Once I get the blanket finished, I plan on starting on the second Ambrosia Sock and maybe getting back to working on my Spanish Moss Coat.

Of course, the nice thing about being a teacher is that I get two weeks off of work this time of year.  So, even though we are really busy, I always find time for my hobbies.  As I mentioned in my last post, I spent the better part of our vacation knitting and crocheting.  I’ve slowed down a bit since we got home, but there have always been a few moments of down time to pull out a project.

One of the best gifts I got this year was a sturdy velveteen project bag that my mother made for me.  It’s big enough to carry around even my largest projects, though I tend not to work on anything larger than a baby blanket these days.  in fact, just yesterday, when we went to my in-laws to celebrate Christmas, I put the Sólás Caomh blanket in my new project bag.  I only had time to crochet a couple of rows, but babies take awhile to arrive, so a few rows at a time should still get this blanket done with time to spare.

When space is an issue, I also have a little cloth purse that I can throw my smaller projects into.  (Another bag that my mother made for me made of two layers of cotton/linen.)   The tightly woven cloth means that I can put my double point needles in there without worrying that they will work their way out through the fabric.  I’ve currently got my first Ambrosia sock in that bag.

The added benefit of keeping my projects in these bags is that my yarn tend to avoid getting tangled.  No matter how careful I try to be, when my skein is sitting right next to me, out in the open, the end of it always wants to tangle up.  When the skein is in a bag, the fabric shelters the skein and keeps the yarn from shifting as it loosens up from that perfectly formed ball, which means I can knit or crochet to the very end of the skein without having to stop to untangle a knot.

If you don’t sew, and don’t know anyone who does who could make you your own project back, fabric shopping bags work just as well.  I’ve developed quite a collection of canvas bags as well as those other lightweight bags that stores are now selling as a substitute for fabric bags.  (Most places I’ve seen sell them for just a $1–a much better price than the prices on official “project bags”.)

Every one of my projects gets its own bag.  (See, I told you I had quite a collection!)  Then, when I’m on my way out the door, I can just grab what I feel like working on.  I know that everything I need is already in the bag…hooks, needles, yarn, pattern instructions, stitch markers, and a small pair of scissors (the kid ones that you can buy by the dozen that have a blunt nose so that they don’t puncture the fabric of the bag).  I find that I do a lot more knitting and crocheting when I don’t have to go hunting for everything I need.

Overlapping Leaves Sock

I have also finished my Curried Cables Jacket, but that was before vacation started.  I’ve even gotten quite a bit of use out of it, with the recent cool weather.

Curried Cables Jacket

So, with those two projects finished and wearable, it was time to start a couple more projects.

My next crochet project is a blanket for my friend Bridget, who is expecting her first baby.  I’m using the pattern Sólás Caomh from Interweave Crochet’s Spring 2009 issue.  Thankfully, I’d already mastered crocheted cables before attempting this pattern, because this one takes a bit more attention than the jacket.  I’ve already switched some around, but that isn’t entirely my fault, since the chart doesn’t match the written directions in a couple of places.

I’ve also decided to do a different edging for the blanket.  While I was reading the pattern and mulling over the edging, my eye came across my Aragon Tunic; I think the edging on the tunic will be perfect for this blanket…a more substantial edging while still being lacey enough that it won’t add too much more weight to an already heavy blanket.

My  next new project is another pair of socks, since I’m totally addicted to making and wearing wool socks.  Of course, the first thing I did when we got to our timeshare was look up an LYS.  I found a couple of different yarns that I thought would make great socks.  As soon as I finished the overlapping leaves socks, I started a pair of Ambrosia Socks.  I’ve already finished the foot and turned the heel.  I’m anticipating that they will be stretchy enough that I can make them a bit longer than the other two pairs I’ve made.

Yep, I’m having a pretty good vacation.