Projects... A picture is worth a thousand words...

This picture is the sum of what I've been up to. Several "half-done"s. Each project is a joy, so the finishing of each is anticipated with eagerness. From the right, going clockwise. An old (quite old!) macrame instruction booklet from D.M.C. and 2 past issues of "Wild Fibers" magazine (one from 2006 and 2008 each). The story... I stopped by Brooklyn General this afternoon after my cello lesson and found these treasures in a box of giveaways. Yes! Free! Who ever heard of such a thing? Well, there they are. The owner is rearranging the store and clearing out unwanted items. Lucky me (us)! The stars must be lining up. In fact I saw some of the meteor shower last night (it was in the morning hours really) when I got up to visit the powder room.

If you do not yet subscribe to Wild Fibers magazine, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that it is one of the most beautiful, interesting and awesome magazines you can subscribe to. It is, as a friend of mine says, the National Geographic of the fiber world. Every issue is 100% fascinating and gorgeously illustrated. It's an absolute treasure.

Just to the left of the magazines is my first hank of Wellington Fibers "mystery roving". 62 yards, 3 ply. Oh. Oh! OH! This fiber is so fabul-o-u-s-! Wool, mohair and alpaca. I am so well pleased with the result and so look forward to working with the yarn. My current plan is to spin enough to weave some cloth with it.

Continuing along the bottom of the picture is the progress I've made on a pair of slippers. The pattern is a recent issue from Kriskrafter. I have one slipper completed. The other sole and top are finished knitting and remain to be joined. It's always exciting to stumble upon a perfect recipe -- this is one of them. An instant classic in my opinion. It will be in my book of essential and favorite recipes. It's simple, quick and easy. The results: fabulous! Just what I want in a pair of slippers. Aren't they exciting?!

To the left of the slippers are the fingerless gloves I was working on. As you can see they're musically themed. The left is done except for weaving in the ends. The right is getting there, albeit on hold until next week most probably. I am using these to practice holding a color in the left hand and another in the right. Left: Continental, Right: English. It is pretty nifty when it works, and it works really well when there is a row of alternating color on every stitch. It also makes carrying the dormant color on long stretches wonderfully facile. It's a bit of a challenge using such short needles, I have to admit that. How many times have I taken this knitting out of my bag to find fallen stiches?! Discovering fallen stitches on stranded knitting unnerves me somewhat, but I'm getting practice putting them back on the rails. I'm getting conditioned to it.

In the top left corner is Intergrated Practice by Pedro de Alcantara. I'm about half way through it. One of the best books on making music I've ever read. If you're a musician this book is not one you want to miss. My only grievance is that at the moment it is difficult to find the time to do all the exercises described and written about in the book. I would love to take 6 months off just to immerse myself in these methods. I will manage it... over time, since taking 6 months off is not a luxury I can afford.

And at the top of the picture are 2 skeins of new wool for another pair of slippers! :)