All Done!

It feels so good when I can cross things off my list, like I did this weekend.  I feel like I'm not making much progress on projects because I've been putting most/all my effort into Mom's shawl.  It's not that the shawl is really difficult, it just takes all my concentration and I don't want to risk putting it down to work on another project because I don't want to lose my place or go a really long time before I pick it up again.

In reality, I have been doing things other than knitting the shawl (which is turning out so great!).  I just haven't been able to share any of it.  Most of it I can't share for about a week, but once my swap partner gets her last package, I'll have loads to show you! :)

So in the past 2 1/2 - 3 months I have knit 5 projects (not including Mom's Haruni), sculpted 2 sets of stitch markers, sewn 3 swap projects, started/completed a custom Etsy order, baked a batch of cookies and dyed 2 skeins of yarn.  That's not so bad! You've already seen the cookies and the yarn.  Now you get to see the Etsy project!

It's been awhile since I've really sat down to my sewing machine and dedicated a little time to my projects.  I guess it's taken some fast-approaching deadlines to get my butt in gear!  I had a woman convo me on Etsy for a custom ordered KnitBook.  She liked the idea of the case I had posted, but wasn't a fan of pink.  After showing her the fabric I had at home, she picked out a design and I went in search of coordinating fabric.

Now, usually I feel pretty confident in my skills to find aesthetically pleasing combinations, but I struggled with this one a little bit.  The fabric the woman chose had many colors in it, and my natural inclination was to go towards a neutral, darker fabric.  But she didn't want dark, and she liked red (luckily there was red in the flower print).  And she liked sparkly stuff.  I spent  a long time in the fabric store, pouring over all the reds and lighter neutrals I could find that might work.  I finally found one and confident in my decision, I purchased a half yard.

I took it home and quickly got to work, cutting all the pieces and laying them out together.   She wanted extra pockets included since she had so many tips for her cables, which wasn't a problem - that was an easy solution.  But as I began sewing everything together, I started doubting my choice.  You see, I'm not a huge fan of red.  I like it sometimes, but I tend towards blues, greens, purples, browns and black.

Long story short (or maybe not so short), the woman loved the finished product.  That's most certainly a happy ending to this story! :)  She should be receiving it in the mail today - I can't wait to hear what she thinks after she's had the chance to flip through it, play with it, add some needles, etc.  And the more I look back at pictures, the more I can appreciate it's look.  It just goes to show you how different people's tastes can be!