Week of April 16th-22nd

Finished the Mossy Jacket today! I probably could have gotten it done yesterday or Friday, except we were on overnight dog-sitting duty at my in-laws', which always seems to put me into vacation mode. Instead of working, I spent a good chunk of yesterday afternoon finishing Mockingjay, the third and final book of the Hunger Games trilogy. It's really a brilliant piece of work. At any rate, here's the photo of the finished jacket in the lovely Starry Night colorway, plus one of my hubby modeling the men's vest, which I still need to finish writing up. My only excuse for not getting to that pattern sooner is that it's not sweater vest season and won't be for a while yet, so I have time to devote to other things. But what shall I work on next? I started my Pink Zebra jacket, but I also have a crocheted dragon on the hook (is that a pun?), and both are vying for my attention.

Has the holiday season begun?

I sincerely hope so - and my sales are starting to reflect it. After a couple of practically dead months, they're finally picking up again. I'm actually feeling the stress of trying to actualize all my ideas for this fall and winter. That is definitely a good thing! It's amazing how a few sales can really take the sting out of being unemployed.
As for today's achievements - one pattern sale (catnip toys) and three listings: a new pair of men's gloves, a pattern for men's and women's gloves, and a men's beanie. I'm really working on stocking up on knits for men, because I've detected a real lack in that area. From my experience, men like handmade stuff just as much as women do, and it's a fun challenge for me as a woman to design and make guy-friendly items.
Speaking of, I'm thrilled about knitting a sweater for my husband using a pattern I found in The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book. It's based off a 1952 dolman sweater produced at OKM. Since I have so much to do beforehand, it'll probably turn out to be a Hanukkah sweater, but oh well!

Branching out

Men are often very picky about what colors and patterns they'll wear, which is why I've stuck to solid, neutral colors in my hats so far. However, since colorwork is more interesting, I'm experimenting with the hat you see here - dark green with a band of Fair Isle. It's still on the needles, but I should have it up early next week. Wish I could stay home and finish it tomorrow instead of going to work.