WIP Wednesday

Ah, let's see... what have I been up to lately? Eric and I have been seeking snow a lot lately. We went to Mammoth Mountain for a long weekend and have been to Sierra Summit to ski a few times. Eric is really excited about telemark skiing and has been improving his skillz rapidly. I've been working on my downhill skiing and I've improved a lot this season. I'm lucky enough to fit into some loaner boots and skies from Eric's friend so that's nice. I'm pretty confident on blue runs now and I'm really enjoying the days on the mountain. And on the other end of the spectrum... It's springtime in SoCal! Everything is green and blooming. Vibrant patches of wildflowers have been popping up on the hills like strategically placed paintbrush strokes. It's beautiful and I'm having fun wildflower hunting... I have to invest in a macro lens reeeeally soon, I think. Here are a few photos from last weekend in Visalia...

Oh right! Knitting... WIPs...

I have four five projects in the rotation right now.

1. Bird In Hand Mittens - These mittens are plagued with tension and gauge issues. I also dislike the braids... they just don't look right to me. I LOVE the colors I'm using though. So I'm stalled right now. I can't decide whether to trudge on or to rip back and start over. Hmmm.

2. Gathered Chocolate - I'm having gauge issues with this one too. I started a sleeve as a swatch on US7 but it's too tight. It took awhile to buy some US8, but I think I'm on the right track now.

3. Mingus Socks - Kinda complicated for a carry-along sock pattern so I might start a simple sock too. But I adore the yarn... Smooshy... it's awesome. And the color!!! Beautiful.

4. Print O' The Wave - I've been working on this one a lot lately. I'm halfway through the main body repeats. It's a nice relaxing knit since I have mostly memorized the pattern repeat. I only need to glance at the chart now.

5. Thorpe for Tom - Eric's friend Tom expressed interest in my Swell ear flap hat and suggested a trade. He is a wood worker so I agreed. I'm hoping this turns out well. I'm using DK weight yarn doubled instead of chunky yarn. I seem to be getting gauge so I think it'll work out.

And one more from the weekend...

Click me for more photos from the weekend!