WIP Weekend

I wish I had a completed project to show you guys this weekend!  I'm in the middle of three very different, all fun projects I'm working on right now, and while they're all great, not a single one is complete.

First, I've been working on my Grace cardigan since the snow came a couple weeks ago.  I know, I never blogged about it, but we got about nine inches of snow the week of Valentine's Day and I had a lot of time to putt around the house!

The pattern is by Jane Richmond and the yarn is Tanis Fiber Arts in Grape Bubblegum, a OOAK color from her Boxing Day Etsy update.  I know you're not supposed to do variegated yarns with lace but the lace isn't super intricate and the colors go so well together!  I don't think it loses anything.  I really like how this is turning out and I love the feel of the fabric--fingering on size 4 needles makes a great drape!

Also in the realm of knitting, I'm on my second pair of socks for Nick!  I know, second--I didn't blog the first ones (I'm getting to be really awful at this, sorry!) but you can see my Ravelry notes here.  The pattern is the basic gusset heel socks from Wendy Johnson's Socks From the Toe Up (best sock book ever!) and the yarn is Miss Babs Cosmic sock in Coffee Break.  Nick loves coffee and he loves hand-knit socks, so really it was like worlds colliding.  I tend to fly through these while watching Six Feet Under every night with him (I'm re-watching, he's watching for the first time).  I'm trying to make as many pairs for him right off the bat so I can focus on socks for me after and not feel bad!

Finally, I was asked to make a quilt for a friend.  She fell in love with Sarah Jane's Wee Wander collection and asked me to make the quilt Sarah Jane featured on her blog.  She also asked for some open-wide pouches, which are just the most fun things ever.  I've been piecing everything together for it, but here's a little sneak:

Isn't rental carpeting the best?

I'd like to finish it this weekend, but after spending like two hours at Ikea earlier today, things are looking iffy.  Fingers crossed!

What are you working on?  Also, what do you think of the recent rash of bloggers calling it quits in favor of other social media?  I like this space and feel that I need to visit more.  What do you think?

WIP...Thursday?

I really did think about posting this WIP Wednesday on Wednesday...you know, when it's supposed to be...but I have a giveaway winner to announce!  What's one more day?  My WIPs certainly weren't going anywhere.

So, without further ado...Amy is our winner!  BUT, Sara at Knotty Gnome was the only other person to enter, so I'm going to send you both something!  If you two awesome ladies could email me your addresses, I'll get everything sent out to you!  (My email address is in my About page.)

So what unfinished projects do I have laying around?

First is my Spooky Halloween Sampler from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery!  You'll notice I ran out of gray floss before finishing the frame, so that's cool.  It didn't stop me from working on week one!  I'm working on it one color at a time.  That just seems to make more sense to me than doing it frame by frame, plus it's a little bit more organized that way.

Tule quilt, I promise I'll be there soon!  These have sadly sat on my sewing table for a week, just waiting for more love.  I have everything cut out except my white 5" squares.  It's been a busy week!  In addition to cross-stitching, turning 26, and having guests, we also went to see the National for the third time since we started dating.

We saw them at the Fillmore uptown, and it was an awesome and terrible show.  Awesome--it's the National; Matt walked right next to us during Mr. November; they always kill it; it was a different setlist than the other two shows we've seen.  Terrible--standing room only; I'm old and can't stand that long; after the opener about fifteen people pushed themselves in front of me, obviously not realizing I'm 5'4"; the guy next to me smelled so gross and had no problem dancing out his problems.

I'm not a fun concertgoer as it is, even when conditions are perfect, so if I sound cranky, that's why.  Oh well!  It was a great show though, and I hope to see them again soon.  We've gone every year except 2012, when they didn't tour anywhere near us.  They're a Nick and Emily tradition!

Congrats again ladies!  I hope everyone's week is going well!