Yarn Along: Stashbusting

So how did the rest of you Northeasterners fare in the blizzard yesterday?  We didn't have it too badly, to be honest.  We got a bit of wet heavy snow overnight (maybe a couple of inches) that was then following by a lot of sleet that then froze very hard over night, so basically, whatever got shoveled *during* the storm is what got shoveled.  The kids had a ball shoveling in the front of the house, and then playing around in the back patio.  

Birdie's snow pants are hilariously too big on her, but that's what happens when the children who are 16 months apart are head and shoulders apart in height!!  (She is wearing Boo's pants from last year)

~making~

I'm starting to work on Birdie's warm weather dresses, as she's outgrown nearly everything she wore last summer.  The advantage of her and Ponchik being similarly sized is that Ponchik can wear her clothes from last summer this year, so at least I'm not having to make everything twice this year.

I had some vintage fabric scraps that I had bought from Lily at Mode De Lis sometime last year, and some broadcloth and chambray that happened to coordinate rather well, so I got three dresses worth out of some odds and ends in my bin.  I made up this dress today and I'm really pleased with how it came out.  These dresses are great stash-busters as they are also good for using up random lengths of bias tape and trim that I have in my bin.  

The pocket is so cute!  I also made a red dress that is almost identical, but it doesn't have rick-rack yet, so I didn't want to photograph it because it looks a little unfinished without it.  But here is the pocket:

Isn't that cute?  The rick-rack is royal blue and I think will make a nice contrast.  I have a chambray one cut out of a different pattern that I'm eager to try, plus I have Palm Sunday/Pentecost and Ascension dresses in the plotting stages for both girls.

~reading~

I started Constantina Palmer's latest book, The Sweetness of Grace this morning and it does not disappoint.  I'm a couple of chapters in and I'm really enjoying it.  I've already dogeared a few pages!

I also picked up a copy of Thirty Steps to Heaven at our church book sale two weeks ago and have read the first six (out of 30) steps.  It is a very good and accessible book.  It has given me much Lenten food for thought.

~knitting

I am still working on my Gemini cardigan/pullover, and have completed one complete repeat of the lace chart, and I haven't lost my mind yet, so I think I'm doing okay!  The fingering weight linen is a little tricky to keep tension, but it gets easier the more I work with it.  

I also decided to use up the last little bit of sock yarn from my Hitchhiker scarf; I gave the scarf to a friend and wanted to use up the yarn.  I decided there was enough to make leg warmers for the girls to share.  I think the stripes are really pretty!!

I'm playing a bit of yarn chicken with it, as I'm on the second warmer, and it is going to be close, but I think I'll be okay.  I'm counting the brown and white speckled sections and I have a second one left in the skein, so I should *just* make it.  I will say that knitting these has gotten me over my fear of fingering weight yarn.  The first warmer went surprisingly quickly, and I actually found it easier to keep tension than on the Gemini, which I attribute to the fiber being wool instead of linen and a bit stickier.  I even ordered another ball of Berroco Sox yarn to make more leg warmers and maybe a shawlette or something.  I might have unleashed a monster. 😉

~random~

While sorting out Pascha dresses for the girls on ebay, I found two matching Hanna Andersson sweater dresses in their sizes and got them.  Given the weather we are having, I think they will get some good wear yet this year!  Both girls are very happy with them, and the Scandinavian folk art lover in me gets a little thrill every time I see them.

~cooking~

Vegan mushroom gravy!  I made this recipe a lot during the Nativity fast (sometimes with mushrooms, but mostly without) and decided to make again.  It is so tasty.  It is nice on grechka (buckwheat) or potatoes.  My mods to make it vegan are to use culinary coconut milk instead of dairy milk, margarine in place of butter, and to add 1/2 tsp of soy sauce for additional flavor.  Grechka is one of those protein grains like quinoa, and I like it quite a bit (and tolerate it rather well, considering the state of my GI tract), so I've been making it very often.   I did have to take a break during the last couple of weeks because of my dental surgery, but the stitches came out this morning, so I promptly made a batch!

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along!