the sewing I do in the middle of winter...

Yep - summer skirts and capri pants. Perfect for February!

(from left - white, teal, pink and orange border print , drawstring waist skirt, black/white border print - also drawstring waist skirt, Rust linen skirt with bias cut waistband, and black and yellow border print capri pants. All fabrics from my local FabricLand).

I do have some more weather-appropriate stuff cut out and waiting, but I just wanted to sew these up. I love them, and can't wait to wear them this summer. Of course, now I'm eyeing some black silk yarn I have for a sweater to go with the black and white skirt, and the capris. It's almost a worsted weight, and I don't have a lot, so maybe a shrug of some sort...

I am still knitting - not only am I chugging away on a couple of pairs of socks, but I have started the American Safari Hoodie, using the Drops Silke Tweed I had in my stash.

I plan on making longer sleeves, and possible lengthening the body and maybe adding some waist shaping. It's knit from the top of the hood down, and I'm partially through the hood right now:

You start at the top. using what the magazine calles an Eastern cast on. After reading through the directions, I realized it is the same as the Turkish cast on I use for my toe-up socks. The only difference is that you don't work circularly like I would with socks, as one side needs to be open for the front of the hood. Here's a shot from the top:

(the colour is most accurate in the first picture). The ridge at the top of the hood is the actual cast on. You cast on half the needed stitches, using two circular needles, then work down from there. Once you get far enough (about 3 inches or so), you can put all the stitches on one needle and just continue back and forth until the hood is the desired length. I'm liking this so far - it's a simple K4P1 rib, and the Silke Tweed is nice to work with. I know it will soften and bloom upon washing, and the taupe colour is versatile enough to get lots of use. (It will look stunning with the rust linen skirt above...)

Today is Sunday, a rare weekend post, and tomorrow is my last day off before starting the new job. I know it will be better than the last one, I just hope it's as good as I want and need it to be. Personally I think I could handle staying home a little while longer. This past week wasn't nearly enough time to do everything I wanted - it just showed me even MORE things I want to do around here, and also how much I enjoy the extra hours with my son.

Off to by a lottery ticket or two...