The countdown has begun...

Boy, am I glad I've gotten rid of so much stuff over the past 9 mos or so! Packing/moving is so tiring, but definitely less so with less stuff to move! Yesterday, I started hauling stuff to storage:

This is my storage unit (5x10... well, almost) after three trips with my Jeep. =) Still room on those shelves for the stuff I'm still working on here. The third trip was basically the chair and those two wire shelves. I actually made one more trip with my rocking chair and a few other oddly shaped items. It's looking like it'll be a perfect fit with the addition of my washer and dryer, antique trunk and the mattress that's currently in the rv. The storage space always looks so small until you start loading things in and realize just how much fits in there if you pack well! This morning, I loaded the Jeep with the two plastic dressers from my closet and two suitcases with clothes I'm just not ready to part with, but that didn't make the extreme cut to going in the rv closet/cabinets. Some are sentimental - yes, I still have my band jacket from high school. Others I really like but don't want to squeeze into the rv - that lovely chocolate brown wool pea coat! I've also packed a small suitcase with winter items, but that will be going in one of the lower storage compartments in the rv for when the temps dip. Amazing how little you really need even when planning for office wear and casual items.

Yes, I said office wear. Now that I'll be mobile, I can actually start working offices again... which nicely coincides with my employer's need for someone in Oregon. On the downside, that means I need office-appropriate clothes, will have to be gone all day working rather than working from "home" and I won't get to choose where I go. On the up side, I make more money when working offices than I do when I work remotely, they'll be paying for my rv parking whenever I'm working somewhere for them and I'll get per diem. They'll also provide me with a rental car so I won't have to tow anything (and they cover gas for that car). Big bonus there! I haven't yet sold my Jeep thanks to someone at the licensing branch messing up my title. grr I've pretty much come to the conclusion though that I'll be putting it in storage while I head to Oregon for work since I really do need transportation this week, getting the last things into storage and getting things settled to leave. When I finish in OR, I can drive the rv to wherever I plan to hang out for the winter and then fly back and retrieve my Jeep when I can. That way I'll be able to take a bit more time selling it and hopefully get a decent amount for it. I still plan to take it to a dealer though and see what they'd give me. Might be worth getting rid of it quickly and avoiding that hassle. We'll see.

Home Sweet Home!

I'm a little scared...

but also SO very excited!

I was happy to discover it felt just as roomy inside as it did last weekend when I first saw it. I was actually afraid I'd be disappointed. lol

Looking forward from the bedroom:

The cats are going to LOVE that loft above the cab!

Looking toward the bedroom from the front:

Reilly got the grand tour and seemed pleased. I definitely need to put a stool at the foot of the bed though for him.

The bathroom:

is across from the shower:

where the kitty box will live. =)

I know it's going to be a huge adjustment, but I know I can do it!

a little slower now

Well, the craftiness has slowed a bit the past week. Other things have taken priority lately - things like showing my trailer, packing up and shopping for an rv. I bought an rv this past weekend! It's a 28' class c and I really, really like it. I can't wait to get in there (and out of here) and start personalizing it a bit and getting the critters adjusted to the space. I have a feeling the cats will LOVE the loft above the cab. Thankfully, it's new enough that the decor is not hideous so I get to work around neutrals. =) Pics will come soon. I pick it up on Friday!

Craftiness has not completely come to a screeching halt. I've been working a bit here and there on my crochet bag and made some progress:

I love how the yarn is flashing. =) I just started the 3rd ball last night. I'd originally thought this yarn would make a good summer purse, but things have changed in the year since I started this. lol I'm considering tossing out that idea and instead turning it into a basket/bag for the rv - bathroom maybe? I'll make it a bit taller and work in some slit handles so it can be folded over for sturdier sides or left tall and carried by the handles.

MORE socks?!

Seriously? The last ones sat on the needles hibernating for over a year. These? Four days start to finish. =)

 

Okay, sure, they're knit on much larger needles (US sz6 rather than sz2), but still. Working them two-at-a-time was definitely the right idea and I have every intention of doing socks in this manner in the future. 

Love finishing one sock only to have a finished pair! The self-striping was fun too.

I love the afterthought heel with self-striping. My heel needs a bit of fine tuning, but these are meant as slipper socks so it's all good. =)
(Ravelry project link)

So... what's next? The crochet bag I haven't really touched since March! I've been working on it a bit since finished those socks and am nearly done with the 2nd skein now.
(Ravelry project link)

That leaves only one other project on the needles and that's going to have to wait until it cools down... a LOT. Alpaca and 95+ temps? Not gonna happen!

an afterthought

This morning, I set up my little loom as a 7" square to make some dish/wash cloths:

I used a strand of Lily Sugar 'n Cream in "country stripes" along with a strand of white. I really like how they turned out! Super quick, super easy... and a great way to use up some of my dishcloth cotton. =) I could easily get 5 of these from one skein of the stripes held along with a solid and have extra for another project.

(Ravelry project page)

The project I mentioned winding yarn for in my last post? I started these on Friday and they're coming right along!

These are my first socks done two-at-a-time... also my first afterthought heels... AND my first time working with my own hand-dyed self-striping yarn! =)

(Ravelry project page)

FOs! knitting and weaving

Yes, really! I finished multiple items!

First up, socks that I started back in March 2011!

I finally pulled these out this past Sunday (they looked just as they did in this post) and started working on them, finishing them up this morning. =) LOVE them!

(more pics, yarn and pattern details on Ravelry)

I also tried out my new loom kit!

I set this up as roughly an 11.5" x 18" rectangle and got to work. I followed the instructions in the included booklet and while this process was okay, I'll do things a bit differently next time and probably be happier with the results. I'd intended to make two of these and send them to my mother to be used as place mats, but I think this is a little loose for that and I'm not loving the edge. The drapiness of this fabric makes it a good towel though so I added a loop to hang to dry and it's now living in my kitchen with my sheep towel.

I doubled this yarn up, but I think a thicker yarn would make a nice fabric using this method. I will place the pegs on the right side as I go next time rather than setting it all up beforehand. There just isn't much space between pegs for the tool to pull the yarn through with them in place.

(process pics and yarn info on Ravelry)

While winding the linen for the towel, I also wound a skein of my hand-dyed self-striping yarn for my next knitting project... =) 

socks! and baking

Well, sock and a half... almost. =)

After I posted Sunday, I finally pulled out the sock that's been hibernating for well over a year (since mid-April 2011!) and started working on it! 2 days and I'm to the heel. =) Should have that finished tonight and then it's the home stretch! Woo! Still a super easy pattern to memorize (Ravelry link) so it's pretty brainless which is good since it's still pushing 100 degrees here every day.

What else have I been up to in this unwanted heat? Baking. No, not me thankfully. My new-to-me a/c is keeping me almost comfortable, but weirdly I've been itching to bake. Could be the three eps of Cupcake Wars I watched yesterday. lol Anyhoo, as long as I bake early in the morning, it's not a big deal. So, this morning, I made up some bread dough and while that was rising, I made up a batch of cupcakes!

These are the "Chlostess" Creme-Filled Cupcakes from Chloe's Kitchen:

Next time, I'll thin my creme filling out a bit more, but these are yummy as is!

That bread dough?

That became cinnamon swirl bread! This one's a bit more wonky than usual, but tastes just as good. =)