Project Statusess(Stati?)(What is the plural for status?)

{Insert obligatory apology for not posting more often and traditional whine about not having enough time.}

Now that that's done, let's take a look at what I've been doing:

(Huh. I seem to have run up against a limit to the number or size or total volume of images you can post at once. How odd; I don't recall this happening before. May have to do this in two or more pieces.)

First, we have a project that has been around quite a while:
I started this sweater-coat for Candace about 20 years ago, the last time sweater-coats were in fashion. It's made with purple worsted sayelle held double with grey wool-ease worsted. I made one, low these many years ago, and started this one for Candace immediately after finishing the other, but somehow I got sidetracked, and it was never finished. This is a close-up of one of the sleeves; they're done, as is the back, so all I have left to do is the two fronts. Really want to get this one done this year, as I have decided that this is my year to clean out the backed-up queues in my various crafts. I'll post about another one later.

O.K., next we have some scarves that I made to be sold at the Family Flea Market at my daughter's school. I gauged my interest just about right; I was only getting really annoyed with them on the last two or three out of a dozen. Six were fun fur knitted on huge needles, and six were these loopy scarves that are crochetted, and were in style a few years ago:

Next we come to some fabulous slippers that I made for my daughter and myself. I don't usually do the "mother/daughter matching" thing, but we're going to a costume convention in April at which the theme for the Friday night social is Victorian underwear. Now, very few rocket scientists can boast as large a collection of Victorian-style undergarments as I can, but my daughter is only seven, so I stole an idea from a friend in the same situation (she has two small daughters and is going to the same con) and am making us matching Victorian nightgowns to wear. Of course, we must also have nightcaps, wrappers and slippers; nightgowns are about 90% done, wrappers and nightcaps aren't yet started, but the slippers came out great, if I do say so myself. I started with a period pattern (well, period-esque; it's from 1916, which is a little late, but I doubt that slipper styles changed all that much), but wandered away from it in a lot of ways. The result looks like the picture on the pattern, though, and we both like them and they're done; what's not to like? :-)

The final picture is my latest foray into dying with foodstuffs: my sister-in-law asked me to make some rainbow-stripped leg warmers for her granddaughter/my step-great-neice. Very frustrating, because it is almost impossible to find yarn that is a) affordable, b) feels nice, c) is machine washable, and d) comes in all the requisite colors. I finally gave up and bought three skeins of Knit Picks Bare, in DK weight, and dyed them with Wilton's cake decorating gel, in my crock pot. Five of the six colors came out quite nice, if a little uneven (in the trade, they refer to that as a "semi-solid" or "mostly solid" yarn), but the red just wouldn't work. The first time out, it ended up way too "tomato", so I put it back in with a little blue in the bath. At one point, the color was perfect; however, fearing that it would all come out in the wash, I left it in longer--and got mauve. It's not a bad color, but it certainly doesn't complete my rainbow. And since I intended to start with the red, I'm having a devil of a time getting myself to start the knitting while I ponder what to do about the red; I keep feeling I'm going to be knitting them upside down.....

You might ask, why this flurry of finishing? BECAUSE SOCK MADNESS 2 STARTS TOMORROW! Not that I'm anxious or anything. Just because they freaked me out by saying the first sock requires a solid or semi-solid yarn, but think "scary"; what the heck is that supposed to mean?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Calm. Breathe. I'm going to my happy place now.....