WIP Wednesday: A Plea and Gloves

Knitting:
The chocolate socks seems stalled, perhaps permanently in this iteration. I did indeed find more yarn, ordered it, and gleefully began knitting with it. In the poorly lit room I knit it I could tell it was a little lighter but that didn't seem to be too much of a problem. The next day I took it with me to fighter practice where I could work in the sun. There I realized just how light the new yarn was. Even Lynn commented on it. He also pointed out, as I sat there contemplating, that I needed to be happy with the final result. I realized I wouldn't be happy with the color change, and I'd probably never wear the socks, so I ripped back all the new yarn and set it aside. I do have various plans for the new yarn as I 2 skeins of that and thus plenty of yarn to make a pair of socks. In my mind though, the cubes pattern, for me, really needs to be in a dark brown. You know how it is when your heart is set on something.

So ... I have a request for my friends that have knitting stores somewhat close to them. Would you be willing to call them and see if they 'happen' to have Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Chocolate, Dye Lot 6094? You can contact me via ShadowsKnits@gmail.com. I'll pay the cost for somebody to purchase the yarn and ship it to me. I'm well aware it's a last ditch hope and that it may not pan out. But I've contacted Lorna's Laces and the yarn stores here that carry it and none of them have that color. If this doesn't work then I'll pull the socks out and set the yarn aside for gloves for me or something and move on.


(The finished sock, the half done sock, the lighter yarn)

So since I can't work on that I've been working on other things that have been patiently waiting for me to have time for them. Case in point, a pair of wrist / arm warmers for myself. These are working up super fast, just a couple days for the first one to be finished.



Writing:
Fey Led - More Edits.
Thanks to Kathy and her incredible notes as well as a bit of help from Kara, I've got some really good feedback and I'm working my way through those.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) is coming up and at first I wasn't sure about participating this year. I was considering focusing on my editing and getting my current stories cleaned up. And then a voice pipped up in the back of my mind with a question ... so I may have an idea after all. We'll see. If nothing else I do have a fantastic background that will surely inspire me to write courtesy of  Dragon.

Reading:


World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. I'm 'really' not a fan of zombies, honestly can't stand them. I'm a fan of cerebral horror, not the blood, guts, and gore horror. But, this was one of those books that was a big hit and I like to grab those and read them when I can. So far, and I'm about halfway through, it's not focused on the ew factor. Between the writing style, the layout, and the focus of the subject matter, it's more about the collapse of society, how it happened, and the aftermath. It makes it a story of humanity and how humans deal with everything falling apart. Certainly there is the ew factor there, as the zombies are described, but with it being a sharing of other people's stories it's not an immediate feeling with the guts shoved in your face, so to speak. I'm really enjoying this book, which is a happy surprise.

WIP Wednesday: Colorfully Skewed Socks Part 2

Knitting:
That tiny little toe I had last week? It's all done with and has been put aside for it's sibling. Between the construction and the desire to see how it affected the colors the knitting on these has just flown by.



Reading:

Dune by Frank Herbert. Progress on this hasn't been quite as fast. I'm past the halfway point and still very much in love with the story. There just needs to be more hours in a day.

Writing:
Fey Led - another round of edits. Of the 5 or 6 people that said they'd gladly read it and make editing suggestions, only 1 ever replied with anything. So, I'm going through and working with their suggestions to make things more readable.

WIP Wednesday: Colorfully Skewed Socks

Knitting:
I was happily knitting along on my chocolate socks, fairly certain that I'd finish them by Friday since I'd just started the foot on the second sock. And then the end of my yarn popped out of the bag. :( Apparently going up a needle size and losing a repeat from the leg does affect the amount of yarn used that much. *sigh* So I've hit up Ravelry to see if anybody there that has it marked as "willing to sell / trade" will reply. If you happen to have Lornas Laces Shepard Sock in Chocolate and are willing to sell, I'd be interested.

So, yesterday when I had my little yarn disappointment I was frustrated. Nothing else in my stash really appealed. I didn't want to start a new project, I wanted to finish the one I had. But picking through my stash I finally came across the yarn that Dragon bought me for my birthday last year. Seeing it made me remember the smile he had when he handed it to me. "Yarn, lots of colors, colorful socks for you." So I pulled the yarn out of stash and started a pair of Skew socks.



They shall be 'very' colorful socks,

Reading:

Dune by Frank Herbert. This would be a delightful story if I could give it more time. I've been so distracted with other things lately that I just haven't had a whole lot of time to sit and read like I'd like to. I did end up taking it to the bath with me one day just so I could relax and read. I need to get a move on though because the rest of my to read list is getting antsy. Plus I 'might' have fallen down and bought 2 more books last night ... I submit that it's not my fault since I 'had' to buy one since the author was there to sign it and since it was the second in the series I needed to get the first one as well, for completeness sake.

Writing:
Nothing just yet. But, after a good talk with a friend yesterday .. and the realization that I've let a rude, mean person stop me from something I enjoy ... I will start again. So this is a note to say that if I don't have something going in the writing section next week you should offer, and follow through, with beatings.

WIP Wednesday: Head and Feet

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 21,391

Current Word Count: 21,391 (Up 0)

Two weeks in a row ... the brain is just not having it. I think I'm going to take a break from this and do some of the suggested edits on Fey Led instead. Perhaps then my mind will be more willing to go back to this world.

Reading:

From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris Over halfway on this one and still enjoying it. I love her writing style and it's nice to see Sookie again. I'm gleefully looking forward to the return of True Blood soon. I also managed to catch the Q&A Panel with Kristin Bauer at Comicpalooza this past weekend. It was a very ... amusing time as she shared what she could with us about story lines and antics on set.

Knitting:
Not a Decepticon Scarf!!! I almost finished it at Comicpalooza but had left half of it at home (no sense in carrying it around after all). So earlier today I finished that up and grafted it together (would have 'never' been able to do that at con). Final pictures of it soon! However ... that meant I needed something to work on. Naturally I'd planned ahead and grabbed the yarn and stuff for Fi's beret that she's ordered. Except I didn't have her measurements. Doh! Ever the over planner I also had sock yarn and I happily cast on a pair of socks.

Caprica Circles


I think they're incredible! I'm in serious love with them. They'll be moved to my travel project since I managed to get Fi's measurement today and started on her beret.

Fi's Beret


Such a simple looking thing .. and yet it took me 2.5 hours to cast on and knit the first row. Insanity I tell you. I'd started with a circular like the pattern called for but all of my stitches fit easily on one needle because my needles are far too long. I love my interchangeable set but the tips are quite long and not at all suited to smaller projects. Good thing I had DPN's on hand.

WIP Wednesday: More Decepticons

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 21,391

Current Word Count: 21,391 (Up 0)

My mind has really not been able to get into this lately, just way too much stress in other areas.

Reading:

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris. I love the Sookie Stackhouse books and simply eat them up. They're like brain candy. I'm also a fan of True Blood, though it's interesting to see where they diverge. I haven't forgotten about the book I was reading last week, I just have no comfortable way to read it at the moment.

Knitting:
So much progress! The hardest part of these types of projects for me is to Knit for X Inches. I need a goal, an expected # of rows. When I don't have that it feels a little endless and seems to drag on forever. But! I have the number I need for the second half of the scarf now and I'm almost halfway there after just one night of chatting with friends. 

WIP Wednesday: Decepticons & Not Much Else

Writing:
Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites
Previous Word Count: 20,390
Current Word Count: 21,391 (Up 1,001)

Honestly I'm surprised it's that high. I wrote some Wednesday after updating and some on Thursday but I was having a really hard time focusing. There was no writing on Friday due to driving to Austin and Saturday and Sunday were spent being 'very' Dragon Distracted.

Reading:

 

Fall From Grace By Matthew Munson I'm really not far enough into this yet to say much. My problem at the moment is it's a PDF version and I primarily read at dinner or in the bathroom. I 'could' use my phone but that's a really small screen. I am working on it though.

Knitting:

Because of the previously mentioned travel and reasons for not writing .. I've also not had a ton of knitting time. But there has been progress, I should have plenty of time to work on it tomorrow as I'll be spending a good chunk of time in a waiting room.

WIP Wednesday: So Many Things

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 18,474

Current Word Count: 20,390 (Up 1,916)

It's the calm before the storm. 

Reading:

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. Fans of the Bloggess will know why this is an awesome and hilarious book. A huge thank you to Dusti for letting me read through the book before mailing it off to her. 


Knitting: 
A new scarf!! It's more double knitting but this time it's for Decepticons, not Autobots. So far it's working up a lot faster. I'm not sure if it's because I've had more practice or because it's a little less fiddly at this stage than the other design was. It's most likely a bit of both.



Dreamcatcher:
I've had a couple of commissions for dreamcatchers so I'm trying to keep those moving along as well. Particularly when I'm out and can't work on a complicated chart that I have to check every row. I managed to get this whole ring wrapped Monday night while we were out doing some of the con planning with the director.



Space City Con:
We're still in the planning stages but things are really ramping up for the first year of Space City Con. Lynn and I are in charge of the volunteers and I'm really glad we've had this chance to help out. The committee planning all this is awesome and the guests that we are bringing in are simply incredible. If you're a geek of any sort you should check it out. We're adding guests, dealers, and entertainment on a regular basis. This is going to be spectacular.

WIP Wednesday: Autobots x2 & Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 17,196

Current Word Count: 18,474 (Up 1,278)

The problems the group will have to deal with are cropping up more and more, the ripples of their existence is spreading, and action will have to be taken soon. Some are looking to ignore it ... but how long will that work?

Reading:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest I'm closing in on the end of this one. I happened to pick up another book from this series this weekend so I'm looking forward to reading through them and seeing what happens to a lot of the big characters in here. The world created in these stories is interesting.

Knitting:
A respite for my overworked brain! I really struggled through the double knit portion of the scarf simply because I'm used to being able to keep track of knitting while watching a tv show and chatting online and reading various blogs. This? Not a chance. I had to hyper focus on each row that had pattern. The non pattern rows were really easy though, as long as you remember to knit with one color and purl with the other. I do think the next one will go a lot easier both for simplicity of design and for practice.



That's the second pattern I've had on the neck portion. The other one was ripped out after about 8 rows because I really didn't like it. I think I somewhat worried the guy next to me at the theatre when I did that since I slipped the needles out and simply yanked all the progress out. He didn't realize I'd put in a lifeline after finishing the logo portion so that any ripping I did would stop there. The look on is his face was rather amusing when I got to my lifeline and slid the needles back in before winding up the excess yarn.

WIP Wednesday: Autobots and Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 14,156

Current Word Count: 17,196 (Up 3,040)

That's a nice healthy number! The main characters are fitting into the Fey society and finding ways to be useful, even if there is a relationship snag. I've cut a lot too. It's amazing how much I refused to use contractions when I wrote this, just so that I could hit that magic word count. I also cut a couple of scenes that were ... not necessary to the story but a lot of fun to write. They might come back.

Reading:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. I'm about halfway through and still enjoying. It's really interesting to see her world building and how her characters interact. Because I've read the author's journal for so long there are bits I'll recognize scattered here and there which is always amusing, though wouldn't cause anybody else confusion. I can't wait to see how the movie plays out as I think it's going to be really awesome.

Knitting:
Well ... There was knitting sadness yesterday, which I posted about. I was really happy with my progress in terms of row count and looking forward to sharing those pictures today. But the more I thought about it ... the less I liked what I held in my hands. It was wide, bulky, and a lot of stitches seemed wonky. I knew some of the wonkiness would be fixed in blocking and I considered felting the logo sections of the scarf a bit to lock the stitches in a little closer. But it was still just too wide at a little over 10.5 inches and wouldn't have been something I was happy to mail out to a customer. So I went back to my design, poked at it a bit to make it smaller, went down a needle size, and ripped it all out.

  

That's how much I managed to get done yesterday before going to a book signing. Well, a couple rows were done when I got home too. The stitches are still a bit wonky but blocking comes later so I'm not worried. It's about 7.5 inches wide and I'm a lot happier with that. Plus the fewer stitch count should mean that I make up for the lost day a bit faster, provided I can follow the chart which apparently I was having major issues with last night.

WIP Wednesday: Scarves & Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 13,685

Current Word Count: 14,156 (Up 471)

Killer migraine for a couple of days puts a huge kink in productivity.

Reading:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. I haven't had a lot of time to read, since we were out of the house most of the weekend and I was pretty useless the last two days but what I have read I've enjoyed. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes and reading more. I enjoyed the last novel I read by the author, though it was a different genre. I have high hopes for this one as well,

Knitting:
You kind of get a two for one special here:



Yes that's the piano scarf as the background. I decided not to focus on that for this week's picture because, honestly, it looks the same as last week, only longer. I'm a bit over halfway through repeat 5 out of 6. I predict it being done very soon.

I couldn't take it with me this weekend though and I finished my traveling project (pictures on Friday!). I needed something to do. So I got Lynn to help me wind up the yarn for the Autobot scarf I was commissioned for. Why yes, I am the freak that takes a ball winder with her when she sits in line for tickets, it's easier that way.

Anyhow, while we traveled or waited for various things I played with the yarn to figure out how I wanted to do things. I cast this on 3 separate times while trying to nail down the technique. I'd get part of it but then have to figure something else out. I wasn't bothered by having to start over though. 1. I knew it was something new and 2 I never knit more than 3 rows before I ripped back. Less pain that way. 

WIP Wednesday: Piano Scarf & Magic Balance The Return

Writing:
Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites
Previous Word Count: 13,254
Current Word Count: 13,685 (Up 431)

Woo! Look at that word count soar! </sarcasm> *sigh* Not been very free to write lately and it bugs me. Tomorrow's another day though, no?

Reading:

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld Still enjoying this world and the way the people interact. If I could figure out a way to prop the book open while knitting I'd be thrilled.

Knitting:
So ... you may not have believed me about the Piano Scarf last week. Can ya see it now?



Still no? But it's right there! Oh fine .. How about now?



Play me a song! *laugh* I'm having entirely too much fun with such a simple knit. Sure I'm juggling 5 balls of yarn (Which Dragon says is far too many by the way.) but it's still fairly simple. I'm nearly done with the 2nd repeat of 6. There have been some learning moment, such as I must twist the yarns together every time I switch colors because otherwise I end up with a big hole that I'll have to go back and fix but once I got the numbers figured out I was pretty much good to go. 



I am completely enchanted by the back side, a side that once I finish and sew it up nobody will ever see. It's good that I'm charmed by it though. Currently the scarf and I are at that awkward stage where's it's too big to just sit on my lap and wants to keep slithering off. Then all the weight is on the needles and makes it hard to keep even tension. It's also just a touch too small to fold up to fit on my lap easier. Hopefully soon it will have a growth spurt.

WIP Wednesday: Piano Scarf & Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 11,214

Current Word Count: 13,254 (Up 2,040)

Yep, I'm back home and vacation is over. At least I'm still getting in decent writing time. Monday and Tuesday of this week though have been pretty full of stuff that had to be handled. Story-wise the two cultures are learning about each other and trying to make it work.

Reading:

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld. I read Uglies last year and really enjoyed it so I was glad to add this one to our library when I found it on sale last year. I've just started it so I've not gotten very far but I'm glad to be back in this world and enjoying aWesterfeld's portrayal of it.

Knitting:
It's a piano scarf. Yes it is. Don't look at me like that ... it's totally a piano scarf. It'll just take a little while before it's obvious. Trust me okay?



The observant of you will notice that it's 'not' a giant shawl, as I posted about yesterday. That is because it's currently stretched out in my living room floor taking up room as it learns how I want it to drape. If it behaves pictures will be forthcoming. 

WIP Wednesday: Chinook 2 & Magic Balance Part 3

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 7,141

Current Word Count: 11,214 (Up 4,073)

Holy ... wow! Yeah, I'm very happy and pleased with that number. A quiet house, the music I want to listen to, and no interruptions means I can get a lot done. A secret world's been found and the group has talked a very closed community into accepting them, for a time.

Reading:
 
Deceive Not my Heart by Shirlee Busbee Yep, still on mindless romance and considering where I'm staying lately it's the perfect companion.  I'm getting more time to read these days as I've been taking lunch in the backyard and reading there for a bit each day. It's wonderful! 

Knitting: It's not done yet ... but it's getting much closer. I had hoped to have it done by Friday to get pictures and all but it's not looking terribly likely, it may have to be put off for a week. As Dragon says, "we'll see". On the plus side, if I do manage to get it all done ... he's agreed to help with pictures. Win! I have made a lot of progress on it though. I'm on my next to last color and have only 2 more color changes to go. 

WIP Wednesday: Chinook Shawl 2 and Finding Magic Round 2

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 6,261

Current Word Count: 7,141 (Up 880)

That's up more words than last week! Win! The house was empty for a large chunk of morning the other day and I got a good bit cleaned up. The main group is about to finally find the people they've been looking for. I can't wait! Of course that's just because I know what else happens.

Reading:

Deceive Not My Heart by Shirlee Busbee Yes, yes, I know, trashy romance. Trust me, my brain requires it now and again, especially when I feel really busy. It's a nice little break for a bit while I deal with a lot of other stuff going on. Plus, this one actually has a fairly decent plot and a nice strong female lead.

Knitting:
I haven't gotten quite as far on this shawl as I'd originally hoped. Part of that is the whole I leave in 2 days and I completely forgot how the days of the week work apparently. I have a secret project that I need to also get done, blocked, and photographed before I leave. I believe I can but it takes a bit of rearranging. Anyhow, here's current progress on the shawl, look for the secret project in a couple weeks when I can share it.

WIP Wednesday: Chinook 2 & Finding Magic

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 5,519

Current Word Count: 6,261 (Up 742)

I'd have added more to the count this morning but apparently we need to stop by the store before Miss Kid gets here.

Reading:

The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor I'm nearly done with this one. So far I've loved it, enjoyed seeing how Cassie's changed, and not, as she's grown up. The US has just joined the war in the book, making it December 1941, so it'll be interesting to see how that affects her and her family.

Knitting:
I know it's been all Chinook Shawl around here for a few weeks and that's why today I bring you ....... another Chinook Shawl. I finished the last one just last night and instantly cast on for the 2nd one that's been requested. Completely different colors though, it's what keeps this a fun knit. I'm of the opinion that unblocked lace doesn't look all that great or interesting so I tried to give it a little interest. Check back on Friday for finished pictures of the other shawl.

WIP Wednesday: Chinook & Finding Magic

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 5,175

Current Word Count: 5,519 (Up 344)

I managed to figure out how I wanted to write the meeting of the 4 main and got past that. Hopefully it'll flow a bit easier now.

Reading:

The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor. Here we read about an older Cassie, in her teens, who's going away to school and dealing with the affections of a long time friend. So far I love it and really enjoy reading about the family and how they've aged.

Knitting:
I am simply amazed at this point. I've flashed through the first 5 color changes and I'm currently in the middle of the 6th one with 5 more to go. Look at how much it's grown! It's folded in half to more easily fit into the frame, so it's much wider than it appears.



I've currently put in 34 hours on this shawl and I've got 42% of the pattern left to do. I am simply thrilled at how smoothly it's going and how well the yarn is behaving. It's not adding stitches or dropping stitches. It's not randomly tangling or being willful about being knit up. It's lovely when yarn agrees about how it should be used. Here's a closer shot of the last color change because I love the way the blues and greens look.

WIP Wednesday: Shawl, Gloves, & Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 5,175

Current Word Count: 5,175 (Up 0)

I decided to rework how the two main meet the third and ... I'm stuck. I've been letting them argue it out while I dye yarn and knit. Hopefully they'll figure it out and I'll be able to just write it down already.

Reading:


Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor. I'm closing in on the end and the story lines are getting wrapped up. It's still as wonderful of a story as I remember it being.

Knitting: The shawl and I have had ... words. Somehow it snuck an extra yarn over in a line and I didn't see it until I went back across the row so I unpicked quite a bit before realizing I could just take up the slack and use a sharp needle to tighten all the stitches back across. A row and a half later and I was back on track. I'm only a few rows away from a color change so that should be interesting. I love watching how this shifts through the chosen colors. It's knitting up quite a bit faster than my first one did. Part of that is going and buying sharper needles for the lace work. Now I have no clue how I managed the whole shawl the first time on such blunt tips. *laugh*



Designing:
It looks like mostly nothing so far since it's only 5 rows but it's a design that's been poking at me. It's something I can work on in the car or other times when I can't focus on a pattern (so far) so it's probably not going to grow very fast since I'm still putting most of my time into customer stuff.



Dyeing:
Another experiment ... this time with kool-aid rather than food dye. If nothing else the yarn now smells of grape. If the yarn turns out the way I'd like then it'll be made into one set of mitts, if not then I have a different pattern in mind for it.



It's no wonder I'm tired ... wow.

WIP Wednesday: Gloves, Chinook, & Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 4,892

Current Word Count: 5,175 (Up 283)

I tried. So hard. I managed to get some work done on Thursday. I could blame Dragon, I mean, it's him I was so excited to be able to see .. but no. I'm a big girl, I choose when to work and when not to. Besides, I'll not attach blame and sully such a lovely weekend.

Reading:

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor. I actually made more progress on this since I took a long bath on Friday and was able to soak and read for a bit. It was sinfully delightful and so needed.

Knitting:
You get two pictures today .. and neither of them is a baby blanket. Perhaps you'll see that on Friday. First up is a sad lonely cuff of a glove. There can only be one. See, one of Dragon's fingerless gloves that I knit him jumped out of his jacket pocket and ran away. Its poor mate is crying. We can't have that. Luckily I 'think' I have enough of the grey to reknit a cuff and plenty of the black to do the rest of the glove. At least Dragon has something to wear, should he need it since I pulled out the fingers on his other gloves and reknit them longer this weekend. The man has 'very' long fingers.



Second we have a Chinook Shawl. I only started it last night but I'm already up to row 7. Pretty impressive considering that my brain was a wee bit broke. This whole "start my own business" thing is hard. Nothing like a little lace to soothe my beleaguered mind. You know ... if anybody ever needs proof of my insanity, I think I just gave it to them. Lace is not calming to most people, and given the anguished whimper I let out at nearly midnight it wasn't very calming when I realized I'd knit the wrong row and had to undo it. At least I'm working the shawl on straights for a little bit, long enough to get the pattern established before I put it onto circulars and the yarn over start floating over the stitch markers and I lose where they belong.




Also?

WIP Wednesday: Baby Blanket and Magic Balance

Writing:

Magic Balance (Working Title) - Rewrites

Previous Word Count: 3,285

Current Word Count: 4,892 (Up 1,607)

Still working on that balance. The adventuring party is about to grow by two and that'll have to change quite a lot from the original writing. I think I know what direction it's going though.

Reading:

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor. This is an old favorite of mine, one of the few books that has lasted through now since my childhood shelves. My copy is very well loved and has been often read. I've read the preceding story, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry many times as well. I was unaware, until recently, that there was a third book. That's found a place on our shelves and I wanted a small refresher before grabbing that story.

Knitting:
Every time I do this pattern I'm amazed at how it grows so quickly and how fast it seems to go, it's one of those great projects for watching movies and TV while working on. Plus? I think I've found a new favorite yarn. I'm using a cotton yarn from Knit Picks and it's so soft and cuddly. It'll be perfect for wrapping a baby up in.

Balancing Act

Day 15 in A Month of Craft Photos by Untangling Knots is A New Skill.

With commissions on the table to be done as well as my normal stuff I'm working harder to find that balance between my reading, writing, and knitting. Most of my reading these days is relegated to when we eat. I've been rather lax on the writing area but I'm making more time for that. Knitting is the one that gets the most of my time. I'm fairly okay with that as I do enjoy it so much but I do still want to have time to be published, which does mean writing and reading are necessary beyond me simply enjoying them.

Alternately I was going to post a picture of my word doc where I'm keeping track of all commissions and the details for each but I couldn't manage to take a picture of it that was recognizable without having to go back to blur out personal information. Because keeping track of everything in this particular habit of mine is a form of a new skill ... though somewhat a hold over from those anal retentive days of being an administrative assistant.