Queen for a Day

I'm dating myself by mentioning an old TV show, Queen for a Day. If I were even older, I would mention the radio program. After watching The Crown, I've come to the conclusion that, like youth being wasted on the young, royalty is wasted on the royals. They have no idea how good they have it. I would not mind being queen, or at least a princess, for a week or three: breakfast in bed everyday, beautiful clothes, exotic travel for which someone else does all the legwork, etc. The nannies alone would be worth the effort of attending fancy balls, ribbon cuttings, and state dinners (which someone else cooks!) While jetting around the world on a private plane, there would be plenty of time for fiber arts, too.

Crochet: Judging by comments on Ravelry, I am not the only hooker perplexed by the instructions for the border of the shell stitch baby blanket. I will just have to make up my own.
Knitting: Still trudging along on the Lithuanian mittens; about halfway up the fingers. I had repaired one of my granddaughter's baby blankets, planned to redo it, but she deemed it adequate (plus I think she just wanted the blanket back).

Needle felting: My granddaughter and I worked on needle felting a snowman ornament. The core is made up of styrofoam balls; all I did was help add white roving. She added all the accouterments. (Oh, for cryin' out loud. I didn't get a pic of the finished project, just one of my bandaged fingers. Erk.)

Spinning: It occurred to me that instead of three-plying the 'Jailhouse Rock' singles, I could two-ply, and also two-ply the black merino top, then weave instead of knit something with them. The idea of spinning 8 oz. of black yarn leaves me a bit cold, though.
Weaving: I'm still working on warping the rigid heddle loom. I'm not ignoring it, I'm really working on it, just not yet satisfied with the results. If the warp isn't up to snuff, the weaving will be torture.

I hope you all had a safe Thanksgiving. It was just my SO and me here; dinner took about half an hour to prepare. My kids stayed home, my brothers stayed home, my neighbors went camping to avoid eating with maskless relatives. The numbers of new Covid cases per capita in Indiana is one of the worst in the nation - last week, the local school system went totally remote because there were not enough healthy bus drivers - although the numbers may be leveling out. We'll see if it stays that way through the holidays. Stay safe!

Copy cat

Last weekend I took my granddaughter on a gem and mineral field trip at a local county park (outside, masks, social distancing). One of the other families were all wearing the same hat that I assumed was hand knit. But then I noticed a tag on one that said "CC". I looked it up online and discovered the CC Beanie. Now I am seeing them everywhere, including in the clothing section of Kroger. There are also copy cat patterns avaible on Ravelry with hundreds made. I will probably make one someday, after I get something else finished first.

Crochet: The body of the lavender baby blanket is complete, but I am a bit flummuxed over the border instructions. I'll figure it out... eventually.
Knitting: The thumb gussets are almost done on the Lithuanian Ribby Knit mittens. Knitting mittens on US1 needles is a bit tedious.

Spinning: No luck finding black dyed superwash merino top. I'm debating on how to move forward: 1) buy undyed superwash merino top and dye it myself, 2) go ahead and use the non-superwash black merino top I already purchased, 3) not include a black ply while also deciding whether to ply the 'Jailhouse Rock' singles into 3a) 2-ply or 3b) 3-ply, etc. I'm open to suggestions.
Weaving: No progress on either the sari yarn runner or the warping of the 8/4 cotton.

Indiana is a Covid hot spot and the county I live in is now "red". My SO and I will enjoy our turkey Manhattans and pumpkin pie while "double bubbling." I'm not much for holidays to begin with, and I'm lucky my kids are close enough I see them with some regularity anyway. As far as I'm concerned, everyday should be one of thanksgiving.

Feels like March

It is wet and wild outside today - rain with high winds - which reminded me of March, until the temperatures started to drop. I am not a fan of wind. It is a good day to stay inside, do laundry, read, knit, crochet, etc.

Crochet: Nineteen inches out of 24 are completed on the lavender baby blanket.
Knitting: The 'Past Peak' mittens are done; details here. I am about halfway through the thumb gussets of the Lithuanian Ribby Knit mittens.
Spinning: I purchased some black merino top from Dharma Trading Company only to realize upon delivery that what I ordered is not superwash. The mistake is entirely mine. I posed a question to my spinning guild about mixing superwash plies with non-superwash plies, but no one had any experience doing that. However, a source (local, no less) was recommended.
Weaving: I sent the sari yarn swatch through the washer and dryer with no mishaps. The cotton warp and weft shrunk a bit, which is what I would expect, to create a denser fabric.

I put on my big girl panties and got halfway through warping the rigid heddle for some cotton towels. I have so much 8/4 and 8/2 carpet warp that I would like to use some of it up.

I read the saddest story in the local paper today, about how some people who are donating to a local charity for xmas want to first know the voting preferences of the adult recipients or don't want to choose a child with an unusual name from the giving tree. I'm astounded and shocked and horrified by these so-called Christians who are being so petty and cruel, especially during the holiday season. I only hope the article spurs others to counteract these mean spirited gestures.

Past Peak mittens

When I purchased the yarn I used for these mittens, I thought the tag read "Past Peach" for the colorway. It was August, peach season, so this sort of made sense to me. More recently, "peach" seemed too long, so I thought maybe it said "Past Pear". That made less sense. With autumn upon us, however, the colorway became obviously "Past Peak" as the green leaves gave way to gold and red and orange, fading to brown. I could not find the designer anywhere online, so I'm guessing she gave up her hand dyed yarn business.

Pattern: Basic Mitten by Ann Budd
Yarn: Vermont Farmhouse Designs worsted in "Past Peak" colorway
Needles: US7
Modifications: Used a ribbed version of a long tail cast on; fiddled with the thumbs to make them less pointy

If I were to knit these again, I would go down a needle size, as the fabric really relaxed after a warm bath (sort of like I do). Apparently, I didn't notice this when swatching, although if I had, I might have adjusted the stitch count up, in which case I would be in the same place.

Zoomless

I intended to attend last week's weavers guild meeting. They have been hybrid meetings: some people show up in person and the rest of us watch from afar. However, the person in charge of the Zoom portion came down with stomach flu (not Covid) and there is no backup. The December meeting would ordinariy be a carry-in (that's Hoosier for potluck), but that ain't happening this year. I'm not sure what they are going to do instead.

Crochet: Twelve inches out of 24 are complete on the main part of the lavender baby blanket.
Knitting: I had to take a break from knitting because my shoulders were protesting. So the thumbs on the 'Past Peak' mittens still have to be fiddled with, but I have completed the cuffs for the Lithuanian mittens.
Spinning: I finished the 'Jailhouse Rocks' merino top. Hopefully, I will be able to find some black merino top for the third ply.

Weaving: No progress on the sari yarn table runner. However, I did work up a quick sample to send throught the laundry, so make sure nothing weird will happen when I wash the runner.

I confess to being relieved that the Biden/Harris ticket came out on top; that particular nightmare is over. What really appalls me, though, were the attempts at voter suppression. That is about as un-American as one can get. I am also disturbed over how divided the nation is. Maybe it is time for the United States to split up?