Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

Yesterday had me baking and cooking - fried chicken for the next 2 of hubby's dinners, brownies and a large Irish soda bread, which I haven't made in ages and love - warm with butter and/or jam, or cold - I'm not fussy!

Still working on holiday gifts and I think I'll be making a pair of EZ's tights soon. It's gotten darn nasty out (24 degrees in the mornings), and the wind just sucks the heat out of the house. I'm debating whether to make them in Lamb's Pride (too fuzzy probably), Cascade Eco, Plymouth's new Homestead yarn or something else, like Berroco's Ultra Alpaca.

I don't want them super soft, as I find the more rustic wools are warmer (though alpaca is soft AND warm), and I want the 5 sts/1" gauge to not be filmy. I'm not gonna spend all this time knitting them, only to have them not last many years. And either in a brown or a grey color, so I can go to the mailbox without looking TOO odd.

I love how EZ mentioned wearing them under her dress to go shopping and looking *almost* like the other moms! My DD teases me about wearing *normal* clothes. My clothes are normal. So what if I wander around the house with my sweater inside out half the time. Her eyes roll. But I'm always pulling it on and off - so half the time, the sweater IS RS out.

I mentioned previously that I was refelting one of my Pillbox Hat samples - a grey tweed Plymouth Yarns Alpaca Boucle one. Yarn was held double, and when felted, ohhhh how thick and cozy that hat is! And it still comes down far enough over the ears and forehead to be effective against the wind. I think that sample was originally a larger women's size and my head is average size, but with no hair, it needed to be smaller, for sure.

The fabric is talking to me, though. It's saying what a nice felted coat fabric it would be! Uncrushable, thick, warm, light. I have some bits that I can swatch and felt to see how, HOW many of those 50 gram balls it would need to make a jacket/coat. I'm guessing tons and tons.

In the meantime, I have 3 hanks of Briggs & Little's Atlantic coming to swatch a stranded jacket design. And I haven't forgotten about that Sylvie coat, as well. I may get to that later this winter, need a warmer coat in the meantime, and I just don't do normal coats. They're always lined in some cold-to-the-touch fabric. I was wearing my Women's Sweatshirt Jacket sample for a few winters, but it's too voluminous on me now.

DOG was up early again today, the little pisher. So, I opened the bedroom door and let him out. Heard him go down the stairs, through the dining room and heard hubby open the family room door to let him in, then I dozed til nearly 9:30 - hubby wanted me to get more sleep - what a guy! I think the heat coming on wakes him up - never used to, though.

Am busy printing up a book order for Unicorn Books & Crafts, after which I need to get back to holiday knitting, online shopping, and perusing the USPS' site for Priority Mail box options, for mailing gifts.

I also want to try out a free online pattern for a knit turban, after I recalculate for a sport wt. yarn. Wish it had a photo.... And a few yarns from Webs are sitting here waiting to be more chemo hats - one is Blue Sky Organic Cotton - SO soft.