Cricket in a Biscuit

A basket full of singles and two plied skeins, that much closer to a finished sweater. It's safe to say I underestimated what, exactly, a spindle spun sweater from raw fleece would entail. I started carding fiber in October of 2015, and the project is still not complete… but it's getting closer! My first miscalculation was the amount of time it would take to card an entire fleece by hand. Hint: it's a long time, especially when your husband is allergic. I did not see that coming! I've processed other wool around him with no trouble, but something about this particular fleece put him in a bad state. Generally, I prefer to work with wool outside, so I didn't think it would be a big deal, but the fall of 2015 proved rather rainy. When there was time, there was rain. When there was sun, there was no time, and working inside wasn't an option due to allergens. Still, by summer, I'd made some decent progress, having carded approximately 2/3 of the fleece ...

We've been breaking from our usual patterns at the Dahl house. I switched gears a bit with my fitness, and decided to give 21 Day Fix * a go. I resisted for a long time, fearing regression, but it's been a fun change. Granted, I'm not lifting the heavy weights, but it's a challenge in a new direction, and the shorter workouts feel great. I'm taking on a new challenge in my knitting as well, stranded colorwork. When I've dabbled in the past, the results have been less than stellar. Sometimes, however, the right motivation is all that is required. Russian dolls, matryoshka, are "a thing" in our house. Laney and I love them; we built her fifth birthday around a matryoshka theme. So, when doll leggings landed on my radar, they were immediately elevated to unicorn status. (The first pair I saw were the wrong size.) Now, I've been trying to curtail unnecessary spending due to unexpected expenses. Darren has needed a slew of dental work — I...

We are generally a pretty hardy bunch, so the last few weeks have been overwhelming and a little bewildering. At least one person has been stay-at-home sick almost every day since the middle of January. A dental crisis and some overtime hours tacked on for good measure was more than I felt equipped to handle. But, as I explained to Laney when she was wondering why Daddy was out shoveling even though he was in misery, being a grownup means doing what needs to be done, even when you don't feel like it. It seems like the worst is behind us now, knock on wood, and I'm looking forward to everyone being back to normal. There is, however, an upside to an entire family requiring rest and unable to leave the house: plenty of time for quiet hobbies. We may have been under a self-imposed quarantine, but I got so much accomplished! Before, the illness, I finished the two cowls on which I'd been working. The Bear Hug is wrapped up and waiting for Ainsleigh's birthday, ...

Startitis, like the cold, must have been going around this week! I cast on three new projects, all cowls, but all very different. The first was, Fear of Commitment , a chunky knit which can be styled in a variety of ways. Taking a "Selfish Saturday," I added stops at Caribou Coffee and JoAnn Fabrics to my usual errand run. I got the yarn, Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Tweed in Oatmeal, and buttons for the Fear of Commitment Cowl. Two buttons, one large art button and one toggle, tied together with stretchy cord act a shawl pin used to style the cowl. I started the cowl the same afternoon, and finished it late Saturday night. While I knit, Darren and I watched the new, Magnificent 7 — another selfish Saturday splurge. A fan of the classic, I had misgivings about a remake, but it was great! We enjoyed it very much. Darren said I have redeemed myself. The last movie I bought, Bone Tomahawk, was awful. Sadly so, because it had definite potential. The dialog was ...

January is well underway, and it is cold! When the temperature gets this low, our poor furnace struggles to keep up, which can make finding motivation to do more than cuddle under a blanket on the couch difficult. It is really hard some mornings to slip into those workout clothes and get started, but I'm keeping up with Hammer and Chisel * despite the chill. Into the third week now, I'm starting to see the progress and can feel it when I strap on my belt. Even better, I'm getting stronger! This week, I set a new personal best for both pull-ups (overhand) and chin-ups (underhand) with eleven each. I do use an assist band, but it is still a huge improvement. The quick and measurable increases in strength, balance and flexibility with Hammer and Chisel are quite empowering and why I love the program so much. Darren had to spend a couple nights away from home due to road conditions, and he noticed a difference in just the three days he was gone. Also seeing a lot of pr...

Over the course of the week, I've had a chance to ponder and come to conclusions on a couple things. First, I'm going to continue with this video-blog for a while, and just see where it goes. Also, I've decided to call it, the Dahlhouse — not too clever, not too punny. It's how I refer to our home, so it seems an appropriate title for a chronicle of our goings on. With that all covered, it's been a busy week, so let's get started! Finished objects The first Owlie sock is finished. Barely! The toe decreases in the pattern continue until eight stitches are left. I generally don't like to decrease that much. The sock fit at my usual 24 stitches, so that's where I stopped — with less than five yards left! Hopefully the skein for the second sock has better yardage. I also finished knitting the Ignot cowl , which will be donated to our church bazaar. The yarn is a spindle spun 3-ply from a polwarth silk blend by, Darn Knit Anyway, wrapped with baby ...

Three years ago, I wrote an excited post about spinning for leopard print mittens. I spun the yarn almost immediately, and then it sat… and sat… and sat.  Enough was enough, Tuesday, I decided; it was time. I wound the skeins and cast on. I knit almost an entire mitten that day, only to remember why the project had been sitting so long.  The original idea had been to make a pair of these felted mittens. I've made them before, and they're super warm and cozy. The problem was, I wasn't sure I'd get the color play envisioned when I started the yarn. Then I made the mistake of looking at mittens online. I found a pattern that would probably do exactly what I wanted, but it was out of print. So, I remained mired by indecision for three years.  I started knitting happily enough. But then there were stripes, and more stripes. No spots, just very regular, un-leopard-like stripes. Hmmm.  While the pattern for the other mitten is out of print, the stitch pat...

Before my mom taught me to knit, crochet and sew, that knowledge was passed to her. My Grandma Hansen was a tough lady. The kind who wouldn't tolerate rude behavior or disrespect from anyone old enough to control the tone of their voice. She could still a child squirming through church with an outstretched hand. She was also the kind who, with a wink and a smile, would slide an M&M across the table to a kid to shy to ask for one, then elicit a whispered, "Thank you," with a gentle, but expectant, "You're welcome." Grandma Hansen in 2005. Grandma was also a crafter. She gifted many crochet dolls to her grand-daughters. One Christmas, each grand-kid was given a pillow case. Mine, a black and white panda print with lace on the cuff, is still in circulation. Another year it was a pajama set, wrapped and topped with a little crochet animal. My brother's gift topper was accidentally sent out with the wrapping paper, and she made him another. It sh...

My current pride and joy. I posted a pattern on ravelry yesterday! I'm pretty excited about it. I actually followed through with something. Here it is: my baby hat! It's listed as a paid pattern right now. Offering it for free would probably make it more likely someone would actually download it, but if nobody does, it doesn't hurt me at all, because I've already accomplished what I set out to do. Now if I could just buckle down and finish writing a pattern I did a couple years ago for some owl fingerless gloves. All the charts are made, but I will have to knit another pair to remember what the written instructions are supposed to say. Maybe this sense of accomplishment will get me motivated. That and the hot pink washable wool I saw at the yarn store the other day. Edit: I decided to make the pattern available for free, so crochet on!

She wants to spin so badly. This has been one of the busiest summers of my life. Every time the weather starts warming, I think, "This is going to be the summer we relax and just have fun." Wrong. I'm not even sure why things get so hectic. I did add story time at the library to our Wednesdays, but… So much has been put on the back burner. Like this poor baby — my spinning wheel. I picked it up in July and still haven't managed wipe off the dust, let alone get it working. The spinning wheel police are going to storm in and whisk it away citing my gross negligence. A lot of my time has been devoted to cranking out projects while I still can. Projects for the new baby must be finished before arrival. So far I've cranked out a blanket, sweater and teddy bear . Just booties and a hat to go. I spent an inordinate amount of time on this broomstick lace jacket from the crochet issue of, Vogue Knitting , for me, then started an Ashley slouchy beret with ...