I’m a day late in getting my YOP post written. Which I am ok with. You see, I was out of town and spent 2 days both driving and enjoying some quality time with my friends. On Saturday, I was disappointed to find out that Knit With in Chestnut Hill is now permanently closed. Saturday was also the day my dear friend and I set off on what we thought was a stroll through historic Chestnut Hill on a slightly misty afternoon, and managed an 8 mile adventure through multiple different neighborhoods after deciding to follow a closed road into the “woods”. Whoops! Oh well, it was serene and beautiful and we didn’t get hit by cars when the sidewalks abandoned us. Lucky for us, we were kept warm by some really great knit hats. Warm head, achy feet. Darn plantar fasciitis. Unfortunately, we were so enjoying our time together that nary a photo was taken. The changing trees glowed in the diffused light of a gray day; no where is quite as beautiful as Wissahickon Park in Philadelphia in the fall.

Sunday a different friend, from my Sunday D&D group, got married. She was a beautiful, glowing, majestic, cottage-core fairy princess. I didn’t take any pictures with my friends on Sunday either. The apron I made my friend looks like it was jus the right size! She posted a picture to our group chat today.

So in addition to having an epic amount of fun, not drinking enough water (I’m still a bit dehydrated), and just living my best life, I have some fiber-y stuff to share!!

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When I feel stuck on writing patterns, I create a new hat pattern for release. Maybe because I feel I have the “template” down on hats. Or because they are so quick. Regardless, I’m making a 3rd version of this hat currently. I’ve had so much fun picking out different stash yarns and partial balls to work with- my next one I think will be have a striped body. And I bet it’ll look cooler in real life than the idea in my head! I hope to share THAT next week!

But the BIGGEST news? I finally made flowers for the “Hobbit Blanket”/House at Bag End Throw for my friend. AND I GAVE IT TO HER, she loves it!! I had been agonizing that it wasn’t good enough (because sometimes I get too deep into my own head and feel like an imposter). It was one of the few commissions that I have taken on in recent years- because her timeline was fluid, I had creative control, it was a creative challenge. She also respects the time and talents of artists.

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FINALLY!!!! I’m so excited to show off this piece! 13 skeins of yarn (mostly Plymouth Encore Chunky) for the body, plus partials for the flowers (Simply Soft) and the door knob (Hometown USA??) in the center. I’m super proud of this work.