Knitting
I’ve progressed a few inches on my Arrowhead sleeves. I try to knit four rounds on each sleeve every day, which is a decrease repeat, but missed the last two days. I’m going to try to make it up today.
Freya liked my Lodge sweater so much, she asked me to knit her one with a few modifications. I told her it would have to be her birthday present. She wanted purple yarn, so we picked out this Cascade 220 superwash together in Purple Heather.
Dyeing
I wanted to join in on the Who Ya Gonna Shawl? knitalong, but needed the yarn to come from my stash. I decided on 80’s neon with this skein of black and red variegated, which I overdyed to be solid black, for the contrast.
To exhaust the dye bath, I grabbed a variegated skein from my stash which I’ve never liked. I think the resulting yarn is lovely: a deep charcoal with hints of the blue, yellow, and pink showing through. I see a beanie in my future.
Sewing
I did sew my PJ pants in the floral flannel I shared last time. They came out great. I only had flimsy elastic, but in the spirit of using it up, I serged the elastic directly to the fabric edge to prevent it from rolling. I also sewed this gift bag for Bob’s Valentine’s Day present.
DIY Hair Care
I like natural skin and hair care products, but they are so expensive. I decided to start making my own. Today I made a natural conditioner from avocado and argan oils, emulsifying wax, and water. It seems good, but the real test will be how it performs on my hair tomorrow. I also made some beard oil for my middle child (another March birthday gift) based on his favorite kind, which he says is too expensive. This is a mixture of avocado, jojoba, and argan oils, which was easy. I scented both with bergamot and amyris essential oils. Next up is shampoo with Bob’s homemade castile soap, argan oil, and water. I found this website with some great recipes. Once I get the basics down, I’ll start experimenting with other ingredients, like aloe gel from my aloe vera plants and soapwort from my garden.
Gardening
We had a couple of nice days this week, so I spent some time in the garden. I made a dent in the weeds and managed to get daikon radish, lettuce, kale, broccolini, and mustard planted under the greenhouse. Today, Bob and I moved the Elderberry bush out of the garden and into the yard. It was getting too big where it was, but not getting enough sun to flower. Hopefully it will do better in the yard. We picked a place where the drainage will keep the ground moist like it likes.
Yesterday, Bob and I had our Valentine’s date. We went to our favorite theater to watch Saturday Morning Cartoons: Cupid Edition. It included old cartoons from our childhood plus old commercials. Some were before our time. Included were Underdog, Pink Panther, Popeye, Schoolhouse Rock, and an oldie from the 1930’s. This one made me cry nostalgia tears. It was fun seeing them on the big screen. Then we went out for Thai food. I just received my gift, which is an Addi Express knitting machine! I’ll play around with it and report back later.
This has been a Year of Projects update. You can read my updated project list at this link. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry.
Snakes & Cranes 
