Top of the bucket

Not a bucket list though.  I am much more of a 'live in this moment,  occupy it fully, no matter where I am or what I am doing, explore the small pleasures of right now' than a bucket list kind of person. Living in the moment is a hard thing to master, but I do work on that skill. No I mean this bucket.

The one I crocheted a while ago.  (Which is another project I mean to make more of)

I use this bucket (its what it looks like most)to hold things that I am seriously thinking of working on.  Doing this often helps me direct my project planning and keeps my focus on the next thing.  It doesn't always work and there are always new directions, but this happens after every stash dive and the bucket usually gets knit.

I have been thinking about knitting more warm shawls.  In my thinking this is a whole class of shawls though the words come from the Estonian way of naming heavier warmer shawls. 

This is a alpaca/wool blend from Custom Woollen Mills.  I bought it while on a yarn crawl around central Alberta and I think of knitting it constantly.  Its a wonderful thing knit up, keeping its very prairie wool roots but having the lovely soft slippiness of alpaca.  Its such an interesting thing and very different from the mills more usual all wool Mule Spinner yarn. Each skein has 226 metres so the plan is for a nice large shawl. I am thinking a Hap shawl.  I might just go one colour but I do think about adding another of the lovely natural colours for the edging.

Down at the bottom of the bucket are some very nice skeins of Silky Wool.  We used to play skein and colour matching games at the yarn store on quiet days and I have some wonderful combinations of Silky Wool

to make another Northampton Neckerchief.  3 skeins makes a very  nice sized shawl, though when I do it, I am going to just do a half size version to be a little larger.  These may or may not be the final colour choices.  The colours are much more subtle in the real world than this picture and work really nicely, but I am less sure of the colours as pictured.  I  do love the feel of this yarn snuggled close though and this shawl plan will happen shortly.

At the top of my bucket are some wonderful new things.  Bright cheery, and bought on one of my very worst days on a mid day escape from my desk.

Two skeins of Alegria from Manos Del Uruguay. Whatever else this yarn might be, the range of colours is absolutely stunning.  I know that one on the right will be for my Sweet Thing.  I will add another plain colour, navy I think, and make a nice little stripey cardigan for her that mimics Undercurrent or Tempest.  I originally bought the one on the left for something for mamma, but you know, wouldn't it be cute as a striped sweater for my littlest wee prince and wouldn't they look a pair if I used the same plain colour yarn?

I am past the heel turn on my current sock obsession and I am having the absolute best time with them, but you never know when one of these projects will pop up.