Delicious pizza, modal verbs, and a very large bookshelf

This week has been a bit light on crafting for us (this seems like a regular occurrence, maybe we should re-frame what a week of crafting should amount to).  On the not-so crafty side of things, we went for our first run outside in 2018, and it was cold.  I think we're going to stick to the treadmill a bit longer.  We also demolished our pantry space in our kitchen, the first of many steps for our kitchen remodel that we'll be working on in bits and pieces in the coming year (or two or three).  We also attended a social event, watched some videos, read some books, and made some delicious pizza.

Knitting

Guess who didn't finish her sock like she said she would last week?  Stacey!  To be fair, she said that she 'might' finish her sock this week, but when does she ever say that she will or won't?  It's always those modal verbs with her....  Regardless, the second of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Twinkle Twinkle Little Vampire colorway socks are soooo close to being done, as the toe decreases are only ten rows from being completed, then its just some kitchener stitching and weaving in ends.  

Surely, Stacey will agree to having these done for next weeks post.  So long as something tragic doesn't happen in the meantime.  She refuses to make assurances that it will be completed if she happens to meet her untimely demise.  She hopes you'd understand. 

Woodworking

Lee was able to get the second coat of stain/poly on the bookshelf. The customer stopped by today to take a look and give final approval. The bookshelf has been moved out of the garage for the time being so other work can progress without getting it dusty or dirty.

Lee also spent a bit of time helping his father out with the last of the cabinet carcasses. They built one for over the fridge as well as a riser to bring the fridge up off the concrete. 

Halfway through February

Another week, another crafty update!  We hope everyone is having a wonderful February so far.

Knitting

Stacey has continued to make a fair bit of progress on her second sock out of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in the Twinkle Twinkle Little Vampire colorway.  She knit the third wedge of Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato Heel, and continued down the foot for about 3".  There's about 1.75" left to knit before the toe decreases begin, so this one may be off the needles next week!

Since Stacey is really awful at getting things started, she has begun thinking about what will be next up on the needles.  Another pair of socks, for herself or for Lee, are of course an option.  Pfeilraupe by Alpi Alpenrose is another option, though will require a considerable amount of brain power, as the instructions are not very clear on first glance, and while their are charts, knitting from charts is not currently in Stacey's skill set.  The third option would be to move on to another craft for a while, and come back to knitting when a project calls out to her.  Of course, there's always the other 147 patterns in her ravelry queue to be considered as well.

Woodworking

Lee has made a lot of progress on both of his projects over the last week. He has been helping his father make cabinets for his new garage, and staining a bookshelf that was commissioned by a co-worker.

Lee made a sketchup model of the garage and cabinets that were built. This helped out quite a bit when it came time to cutting down the 13 sheets of plywood that would make the cabinets in the picture below. There is one cabinet left to make that will go over the fridge. The doors need to be installed on all of the cabinets and the counter top needs to have a sheet of formica glued on it. There are a couple odds and ends beyond that, but the cabinets are basically finished.

The bookshelf had a coat of stain/poly applied to it and the shelves have had two. The plan as is stands today is to get the second coat on the bookshelf this coming weekend. 

Extending the woodworking season and a finished sock

Knitting:

Stacey attended her first knit night this past week, and made a lot of progress in just two hours on her first sock out of  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in the Twinkle Twinkle Little Vampire colorway.

Knit Night Sock Progress

The knitting didn't end there though.  Stacey kept knitting while we watched some television shows in the evening and cuddled with the critters, and she finished the first sock. 

 

Finished first sock!

Then, she started the second sock... that's right, no second sock syndrome here!  She even made it to into the heel, so about 3/4 of a sock was knit in just one week, which is amazing, since Stacey normally takes about a month to knit each sock.

One week's progress on second sock.

Sewing:

While folding some laundry, Stacey noticed this gaping hole on one of Lee's favorite sweatshirts.

I don't think this cuff will hold on much longer.

So, the sweatshirt was rushed off to the craft room for some emergency surgery.  The surgery was successful, and Lee was very happy to put it back to use.

 

Woodworking:

Lee and his father installed a heater in the garage last weekend. There was a pellet stove in the garage, but it was kind of a hassle to run. Having a natural gas heater with a thermostat should make the garage much more usable. 

Since there is a heater in the garage now Lee put it to use and spent some time out there staining the bookshelf that he was commissioned to build. 

All Woodworking

Happy Thursday everyone!

This week has been all Lee on the craft front, as Stacey hasn't been feeling the best and has chosen cuddles with the cat and dog over crafting.

Woodworking:

I have a wooden wallet that I made for myself around 6 months ago, and I love it. I hardly ever carry cash on me, so the wallet only needs to be big enough to hold some credit and insurance cards. The original wallet was made from walnut and cherry. The two below are made from purple heart, maple, walnut and padauk. The inner stripes are maple and padauk. The purple heart and walnut are used on the larger pieces. They still need to have some corners sanded off and to be sanded up to 220 grit. Once that is done they can be finished with a couple coats of tung or danish oil.