Saturday Post: Baby Squirrels

So today, after working on one of my many final papers for a few hours, I was walking across the square when I noticed not one, but two baby squirrels sitting and eating an apple underneath an oak tree.

One of them was... uhm... squirrelly (please forgive me) and ran away pretty soon after I started taking pictures.  That's the one whose tail the first is using as a hat.

But the other little dude stayed there for a bit, calmly munching on her apple.

After a pretty crappy Friday and an afternoon full of work today, baby squirrels were just about the perfect pick-me-up.  And really, the only thing better than one baby squirrel is two baby squirrels.

I'm hoping that since they were little, but big enough to run away effectively when they wanted to, that they'll be okay.  It's always a little worrisome to see babies without their mom, but dudes were pretty spunky.  Not to mention freaking adorable.

Happy weekend!

FO Post: Waving Lace Socks

Finally: I cast off over a week ago, wove in the ends last Saturday night, and finally got around to photographing these this morning!  The pictures were sort of hard to take, because despite the sun, it was really windy this morning.  The weather has been crazy here lately.  Somewhere before dawn this morning I woke up to what sounded like a freight train whooshing past on the street outside.  Lumberjack, who has never encountered tornado weather before, said, "Hey weird, it looks like the wind is blowing from all directions!" and in response I practically fell down the stairs while incoherently muttering something like "BASEMENT DEATH BLANKET WHERE ARE MY SHOES".  Everything is fine, but the rest of the night was spent on the couch, as far from windows and removable roofs as possible.

Anyhow, socks!  I think it took me about three months to make these in total.  I had some trouble with the second sock because of tendonitis, but then cast on again about two weeks ago and was able to finish pretty quickly after that.

I really like this pattern.  Although my first pair was made from a semi-solid, I think it really suits variegated yarns too.  I was inspired to use this yarn for the pattern when my mom was knitting a Waving Lace Christmas stocking out of Manos Del Uruguay silk merino, and I loved the way the pattern showed through despite the variegation.  It's also super stretchy, always a plus for me because my feet are big and I'm finicky about how my socks fit.  Another bonus -  I made my first pair almost three years ago, and they are still holding on!

Finally, another pair for the sock drawer!

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks, from Interweave's Favorite Socks

Yarn: Pagewood Farms Yukon bamboo/merino/nylon, in colorway Rainbow, probably 380-400 yards of a 450-yard skein

Needles: Kollage size 1 (2.25mm) DPNs

Anticipated Stash Enhancement

A couple of days ago, I was on Etsy, staring longingly at this skein of Seasilk from Lunayarns.  I have a little bit of birthday money, so I popped it in my cart and bought it.  It's already been sent out, so now I'm just waiting with bated breath by my mailbox.

In the meantime here are some other of my favorites from her shop:

Bedoin Swiss Silk and Baby Camel laceweight in She Wore a Raspberry Beret

Elysium DK Superfine Merino and Swiss Mulberry Silk in Peacock Feathers

River Nymph Silk Wool Lace in Bilberry 

Bedoin Swiss Silk and Baby Camel laceweight in Deep Time

I almost bought the last violet skein, but it got bought up while I was waffling.  I love how luminous the colors are, and as you can probably tell, I have a thing for jewel tones!  I'm super excited to get my Seasilk - I haven't decided what to cast on for, but given my previous experience with Handmaiden Seasilk, I'm pretty sure that I'll love it.

What are your favorite Etsy sellers?

All images copyright Lunayarns.

WIP: Ishbel Commission

This weekend, I was bad.  Instead of working on my religion paper like a good student, I stayed with my friend Ondrea at our mutual friend Sparkle's house to take care of her cats.  I got a ton of laundry done, ate some really great food (pizza with caramelized pears, onions, and gorgonzola cheese) and cast on for a commission I got a few weeks ago.  The pattern is the ubiquitous Ishbel, and the yarn is Artyarns Mohair Splash.  It's definitely more in the novelty category of yarns, and it's not the most fun to work with because of the multiple strands of yarn - there are quite a few knots, and the difference in the fibers makes it so certain strands get used up quicker than others, creating excess in one strand but not the others.  Annoying.  Also, the yarn label says to dry clean only, but that seems weird to me.  I washed my first Ishbel in the same yarn in cold water with some woolwash, and it didn't affect the yarn adversely at all.

I would also say, that although I really like Ishbel as a project, I don't like the increases at the sides.  I've found that the tension difference between yarnovers from knit to knit (where you move the yarn to the front as if to purl, then knit, creating a short excess of yarn) and knit to purl (where you have to bring the yarn to the front as if to purl, then loop the yarn around counterclockwise, which creates a longer excess of yarn than the other type) is enough to drive the perfectionist in me absolutely batshit crazy.  As an experiment, I've been skipping the yarnovers on the wrong side row, then picking up an extra yarnover on the right side row, which doesn't introduce as much wonky tension.

However, nitpicks aside, I would definitely still recommend both the yarn and the pattern.  The fabric is light as air, except for the little glimpses of bead and sequin that gives it a lovely drape and sparkle, and the pattern has a really nice balance of lace and stockinette.  I hope the recipient likes it.