In which no one is surprised

While I'm trying to be "good" this week and not start any new projects, this clearly wasn't a priority last week.



The beginnings of Anemoi mittens in Louet Pearl (or whatever they're calling it now). For the record? I hate purling in colorwork. But I'm through the cuff now, so I get to start the chart.




The beginnings of the Superlong Wrap (Ravelry link) from the Knitting To Go deck, with the yummy alpaca I bought on the crawl. This one is on temporary hold because the lovely big cake of yarn was pulled apart by one of our four-legged friends (and not the usual culprit, as he was in his kennel when this happened), and I have to rewind it. Blech.


There is also a new sock around here somewhere that hasn't had its picture made yet.

I'm trying to stay true to the finishing feeling I had Sunday, but I haven't finished anything but the socks yet. I'm hoping for some good knitting time after school today, since we don't have meetings and I'm caught up on my grading.

Don't worry though, I'm sure a new project will sneak in there sometime. Wouldn't want to let y'all down now.

Stress can kill. Or make you start a lot of projects

We all have seen how I dealt with the kitchen stress this summer.

School stress has been at severe levels for the past two weeks or so (really, all year), so you can imagine what I did last week. Besides the three new scarves, it is apparently sweatertober as well.



Wicked started in Malabrigo. Can we all say YUM? (Hubbo really wanted to know why my book was in the picture. 'Cause I'm reading it and knitting it! Duh!)



Union Square Market Pullover (three million stitches on eeensy needles - this one may take years).



Bristow (something easy for when hubbo's around and I can't work on his sweater).



Somewhat Cowl (because it's pretty)


Where are the folks in the white jackets?

I did finish some socks this week, but since it is o'dark thirty, and I have a four hour inservice tonight (after school - just what I want to do on a Friday), and all day tomorrow, and hubbo has a soccer game tomorrow night, it will probably be Sunday before I can take their picture. It's probably better that way - it will allow me to take pictures of everything else I start this weekend.

Scarftober?

It's not all socks around here these days - several scarves have jumped on the needles this past week.



Out of the frogged Claudia's Sport - Isobel from Cider Moon's free patterns. I am really enjoying this, and it is working up fairly quickly.



Also from the failed Chevron scarf - Branching Out, restarted for the upteenth time. I'm finding it much easier this go-round.


And finally, I could resist the call of the Noro no longer. Two colors (for now) for a Striped Scarf. I love it. My only disappointment is that one of the colors has pulled apart on me FIVE times since I started. That's way too many freakin' ends to weave in for a scarf. It'd better stop it.

Sweater weather?

I know I really shouldn't be complaining, after the mild summer we had, but can fall hurry up and get here already? It's been over 90 every day for over a week and a half. Luckily (according to the weather idiots), we're having a "cold front" today and it's only supposed to be 86. Brrrrrr. A breeze.

However, these warm temperatures haven't prevented me from starting a few new fall sweaters (nor have they enabled me into finishing my summer sweaters, but that's a topic for another day).



Several weeks ago, when I wanted something to just go around and around on, I started Devon out of Rowan Cotton Glace. I love it. I love the colors, and the stripes, and it's taking me FOREVER. But that's OK. I don't have to knit any sleeves!



Ariann out of Ella Rae Classic. Love the yarn. Love the color. Love the pattern. Not very far yet.


Buttony out of Debbie Bliss Cashmernio Chunky. I'm a bit nervous about this one, since it's really a "wing it" type of sweater. My fingers are crossed that I can pull it off. If not, I'm sure I can find another sweater to use this yarn for.



And finally, Jarrett (from Rowan Vintage Knits), for Hubbo, out of Ella Rae Classic. I've had a bear of a time trying to get gauge for this. I originally purchased Silky Wool for this sweater, but came nowhere near getting gauge (20st/4in) with it. After much perusing of the internets (and of Ravelry), I realized that 20st/4in is WORSTED weight gauge. Not DK/Sport. I swatched with the Ella Rae, he picked a color, and I haven't looked back since.
I'm trying to knit this one in secret for Christmas. I plan to work on it at the shop on the weekends, and when he's not around here (for example, I plan to go do a few rows before he gets up this morning). It may take me until next Christmas, but I am determined to get this done. Of course, last night he told me that he really liked this sweater Monk is wearing.

Practically the same people. He's so predictable.

I do have other grand fall/winter knitting plans, but this will have to do for now. I've got to finish some projects first!

Sock-tacular!

I may have started a few new socks. In my defense, I did rip a few out this weekend as well.


Ripped: Knee High to a Grasshopper - I was trying to change this into a top-down pattern, and my skillz just aren't up to it right now. Ripped.
Monkey - Love the pattern. Not sure it looks great in this yarn. Ripped.
P-word socks - too small. Rippppppp



Started and ripped: Wandering Cable Knee Socks. Started, and decided that they were too small. Ripped, and I hope to restart soon.



Started: Monkey socks in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie - not much to look at right now, but soon....
Plain socks in Trekking, Sock-it-to-me, and Scout's Swag. Yum. Plain socks.
Smokin' Socks in Fearless Fibers. Love this yarn.
Embossed Leaves in Sweet Georgia. I've had this yarn in the stash for months, marinating, trying to save it, since you can't get it anymore (for now, hopefully), but the pull of the pattern I had purchased it for was too strong. One repeat in, and I love it. Yay!

Some things never change

If the rate at which I cast on for new projects is in direct proportion to the slowness of kitchen progress, what do these photos say about this week?




In the interest of full disclosure, there are at least two projects that didn't show up for the photo shoot.

Dudes. This has to stop.

Perhaps this is how I'm dealing with the stress of the kitchen?

I'm just a girl who can't say no

All started this week. And there may or may not be more where these came from.

A socky summer

I missed the sign-ups for the Summer of Socks (and I'll admit, since I only finished one pair of socks last summer, I wasn't really motivated to sign up this year), so I'm not officially knitting along this summer. However, that didn't stop me from casting on three new pairs of socks this week.


Some simple stockinette socks to knit during baseball games (already ready for the heel flap), another pair for Hubbo, and the very beginnings of a pair of Monkey socks for me.

Thanks to many hours spent at baseball games I have three pairs of socks with the legs knit, one with the heel turned, one ready for the heel turn, and one pair almost to the toe. Now if they can each get a mate, I'll be doing great!

This brings my total number of socks in progress to 10. Yikes.

Where do they come from?

Imagine the scene: You're knitting along peacefully on a (or a few) projects. Out of nowhere, a ball of yarn jumps into your lap! It demands that you knit it - even daring to bring a pattern and a needle with it. What choice do you have?


Three new sweaters were born this weekend. Rusted Root, Picovoli, and the Camisa top from the Fall '06 Knitscene.

What could I do? The yarn was begging to be knit. I had to take pity on it and do something.

New Knits

Really, it's like a disease. I finish one thing, and I feel the need to start 10 more. (Ok - in my defense, I did finish several things recently. But still.)

So what have I started recently? Let's take a look around.


The pink thing (long ago this was the new project that was not a sweater?). Yeah. It's a sweater. When it grows up it will be Vanessa (scroll down) from the RYC Classic Art pattern book. I'm nearly at the armholes and really enjoying this knit. Of course, that didn't stop me from starting another! The green thing will be a simple tank from an old issue of Knit.1, with some lovely Cotton Ease.

The blue sock is knit from Jawoll, and the teeny brown and yellow blob is the beginnings of the Yarrow Ribbed sock from Knitting Vintage Socks in Austermann Step.

The red blob is the beginnings of the Rutabaga Bag from the spring Knitscene, knit out of the hemp that my last Sockapaloooza pal sent me.

There is also a bottle cozy around here somewhere that didn't make it into the photoshoot.

I'm trying to keep myself from casting on anything else right now. We'll see how long I last!

Project Spectrum

I'll admit - I wasn't too gung ho about PS this go-round. I think a lot of that stems from me "forcing" myself to work on color-oriented projects last year. I know that it is what you make it - I just made it too stressful for myself (and I still haven't finished my August grey socks). I wanted to take a more laid-back approach this time, to the point of not even officially signing up. I did still want to work on at least one project in each color triad (though I have to admit that the red/black/metallic grouping is not appealing to me, though I have at least one red and one black project. I digress). But I wasn't going to "force" myself to do anything. If something got done - great. If not, it's not like the PS (or the knitting) police would come and get me.

So.............

The grey cabled scarf was perfect for February March (blue/grey/white). As are my Feather and Fan socks - long languishing, I managed to finish up the first one this weekend, while waiting for my yarn to finish Hourglass.


I wasn't overly fond of the tencel yarn (and I'm still not, though this sock will have a mate). It seems to stick to my needles - perhaps it is because they are bamboo? It also caused some wrist pain, especially in the heel flap/gusset area of the sock. The tencel causes the yarn not to have a lot of "give," so I found it especially difficult to k2tog, and feared every time that I was going to snap a needle. That said, this sock is very cozy and soft.


I also started a pink knit, out of the RYC Luxury Cotton DK that the lovely Ruth sent as a contest winning. It was all set up to be the Razor Cami, in an effort to maximize the yardage and not have to buy more yarn. However, I have since discovered that my LYS carries this yarn, and let's face it - I'm not much for camis in public (all that action in the love handle department and all), so it will be ripped and reknit into something else. I'm considering Glee, though Lolly recently had trouble with hers. It's such a cute pattern, and this is such wonderful yarn, that I'm hoping the pairing will work out. What do you think? Any other summer tops that this might look better in?

In other PS news, both my new project bag and my new project fit right into the new colors of pink/green/yellow. The color I'm using for the Surplice Lace top is Curcuma, which is a green shade. The yarn is lovely, and I'm enjoying the pattern. Photos soon!

Thank you for all the sweet comments on Hourglass. I do really recommend the pattern and the yarn. Now if I could just figure out a new "fo" pose - that one is getting really old!