Year of Projects: Week 18

Sorry its been a few weeks since I posted.  I got sucked into Outlander and its taken over, well, everything.  I watched the 5 seasons available on Netflix in two weeks, then went right back to the beginning and I'm watching it again.  I'm already into season 4 again.  Once I'm done this time I'm going to get Starz so I can watch season 6 and the half of 7 thats out.  Then I can experience Droughlander til March of 24 with everyone else.

Onto the crafting I did get done in the last three weeks.  I finished everything and mailed out my swap package.  The recipient received it on Halloween so I can post what I made for her.  I made Sackets Harbor Mittens with Briggs and Little Heritage.  Sackets Harbor is a little town here in upstate NY, not too far from me actually, that was strategic in the war of 1812.  Two important battles were fought there, the battlefield is now a historic monument and the barracks are said to be haunted.  I found the pattern in my swapee's favorites and once I figured out the designer was referencing the Sackets Harbor, I knew it was the perfect pattern for this swap.  I talked a little about the mittens in my last post, but was vague on purpose.  Here the are completed:

And I lined them with fleece.  I really like how they turned out, so I just started a pair for myself last evening.  I also sewed a project bag for the swap.

It's a fully reversible drawstring style.  I've made several of these now in various dimensions.  It's one of my favorites.  I also whipped up a few pairs of earrings.

I made extra so I could keep some for myself and my daughter.  Other than a skein of yarn and some candy from a local shop that was my swap package.  

I received mine a few weeks ago.  Here's what I received.

Lots of skulls and skelletons for me 😀.  The project bag was filled with chocolate.  

I made another petal cloth with the new dishcloth yarn, but with US5s.  I like the fabric a little better with the 5s, but the jury is still out with this yarn.  I don't think I'll be getting more.

That's the two of them together, the needle size doesn't really make a noticeable difference.

This past week I cranked out another pair of 

Drops of Spring Mitts.  I used Malabrigo Rios in Indiecita, Whales Road and Solis.  I ran out of Whales Road on the second mitt, so I used Dewberry on Sock held double.  It wasn't a terribly great match. I probably should haved used the Abril instead but I wanted these mitts to be some of my favorite Malabrigo colors and I love Dewberry.  I still want to wash and block these but they are actually done, as in I wove in ends.

That's about it for crafting.  We got our pig back from the butchers.  I actually had the cut list this year so we ordered more things than last year.  We got Canadian bacon, three different flavors of sausage and half the pork steaks jerked.  We use Red Barn Meats for our pigs.  We've been very happy with the sausage flavors and the brine for the jerked steaks doesn't upset my stomach like some of the other places around here can.  I think its probably a niche upstate NY thing, but every butcher shop up here has a slightly different jerked pork recipe and BBQ chicken for that matter but that's a whole post in and of itself.  Anyway some recipes give me wicked bad indigestion, so I have to be careful.  Red Barn and Eddie's Meat Market are my two favorites.  Typing about food has made me hungry.  Off to find a snack and watch some more Outlander.

Until later.  Happy Crafting.

-Q