Current WIPs and summer projects

Summer is finally starting for me, and I will be staying in Korea for the foreseeable future. That means I’ll have a chance to visit some of my favorite cities (Busan, Seoul), as well as take a short trip to the historic city of Andong, a plan that I had to abandon last year.

At the moment, I am doing my best to finish up some stitching projects and not take on any more big ones – I’ll piece together a blanket, as well as finish a stole and some other lingering things. I am going to add a few small items to my list, which are comfortable to work on in the hot weather. Those ideas include a mosaic crochet belt and a zippered pouch; a small cotton bag; a big crocheted birthday cake with room for LED “candles” (more on this fabulous idea in a future post); and I am going to dive in to learning Tunisian crochet after several years of promising myself to do so.

I just began a throw called Flight of the Dragonfly, using a Scheepjes Whirl in color 755 Blueberry Bambam, and Whirlettes in a complementary blue shade. It’s definitely not a pattern I can do in my sleep – there’s a fair amount of counting, but I think the pattern is so pretty that it’ll be worth it.

PHOTOS: L: Detail of throw pattern, beginning with dragonflies and flowers made from popcorn stitches. Pattern by Auburn Craft. R: A peek at some of my gradient yarn cakes, including Scheepjes, Lion Brand, and Yarn Art.

We’ve had some muggy rain here recently, and I think we are on-track for monsoon season in a couple of weeks. That could mean some stunning cloud photos! So stay tuned. Meantime, I’ll leave you with a view of local rice paddies and grapevines at the edge of the forest, near “Pip’s Pond.” Wildflowers are in profusion all over my neighborhood.