Wool in the Summer??! Hope so!

My first post of the new year! And it's in January even! Whoa!

So it's been longer than I thought. I have still been active on my projects but nothing is complete yet. Here's a photo of the Mobius Shrug so far.

I'm really happy with how it's turned out so far. It just needs a couple more inches of length and a border. I ran out of yarn but luckily was able to get another three skeins at BaananeWoolWorks- whoo hoo! The color is just so brilliant! The picture does not do it justice but I would describe it as a really warm red with blue undertones. I think it will go with a few of the black halters I have for evenings out in the summer. I know that that sounds just ridiculous - wool in the summer. I'm still waiting to pair them up so that I can see if the two very different (aka opposite-type) fibers will work together. Here's the thing. It is usually so "cool" here in San Francisco in the summer that dresses and skirts get passed over for jeans and a light jacket. Everyone over here likes to recite a quote attributed to Mark Twain, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." (Unfortunately, it turns out the famous "quipper" didn't really say it but it fits all the same.) I'll post a follow-up picture once I get it finished.

Also up is my first BWOF skirt. Well, I guess it's my first skirt. period. The outer layer sewed up in no time. I've just been stalling on working on the lining. A trip to Tahoe prevented my finishing this last weekend so we can hope for this weekend. I think I'll really like it except for the fact that the fit wasn't adjusted for petite (except for the hem). I wanted to get one under my belt before messing with fit details. Hopefully, there will be a picture on this early next week!

On the stitching front...I've had to postpone the Dutch Farm. One of my best gal pals is having her first baby in March and I think it's time to get started on the gifts for her baby. She's from Ireland and I'm told that they generally wait to give the gifts until the baby is born. That's good for me on the sewing front as I'd like to try my hand at this romper from the June 08 issue of BWOF.

In the meantime, though, some American friends have announced a baby shower for her next month (like 3 weeks away - panic!). Gotta come up with something quick and easy for that one so I'm thinking some sort of baby plushie. I really love the idea of an embroidered plushie like this whale from Pimp Stitch. Not sure how it would weather a teething baby but we'll see. As DB said, "They've been doing it for years." : ) I'm also quite taken with the crayon tinting too. My goal is to have the idea and the supplies sorted by the end of the weekend.

Crochet: made this bucket of a hat on the Tahoe trip. Something told me that it was working out to be gargantuan but you really never know until it's a little too late. I'm not too adverse to ripping so I'll be trying to get to that over the next couple of days as well. It's a shame but that's the way it goes. *shrug*


One last "have to show".. have you seen this Mixed Tape iPod Cozy? It's from Crafting with Cat Hair (a GENIUS name, I think) and it is just too cute! I have a stash of felt that is calling to me. Just have to find some time now..

That's it until next time. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some crafting goals up for the year. Happy Thursday!

Rachel S.