Sunday, January 27, 2008

It can be done.

The scarf happened. Thursday night to Saturday afternoon, it got done.

However, considering I was weaving in ends in the car on the way to the birthday shindig, I didn't get a picture. However, I am entirely in love with chunky Malabrigo and may need to do that again some day soon. Meanwhile, I'm back on the Slippery sock and it's going fine.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Knitterly denial

Grading papers, prepping lectures, and making sure I have things like roll sheets in order shouldn't stop me from trying to knit a scarf between now and Saturday afternoon, right?

Chunky yarn, big needles? Why not?

Friday, January 18, 2008

Confession.

The reason I haven't posted is because I haven't really finished anything. At all.

unfinished pink blob

That's the pink Tuscany shawl. Ends are not woven, blocking hasn't happened.

And then there's those nagging cabled socks.

not-quite-finished

The toe of the first was reknit, and there's a little wonkiness there. They need blocking and end-weaving too.

Of course, not finishing these things hasn't stopped me from starting others. First there are the Socks That Mean Nothing to Me, whose simplicity I reveled in when those brown ones got too demanding.

The socks that mean nothing to me

There's not much to them, but they have their use.

And I started another lace project. Well, but for the actual lace. I got as far as the hem, then stopped about a week ago. I need to get back to it.

But I got distracted.

slippery

Slippery socks, the pattern is from the winter Knitty, and it's fabulous. The yarn is Woolly Boully Softie in Lunamoth, I got it from the Loopy Ewe a few months back. The two work together beautifully. The colors are super-bright, and the pattern helps them step up individually in a way they might not otherwise.

So that's the story of the past few weeks. Nothing finished, but something might be soon.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Drat.

Second cabled sock has two mistakes, the first I was going to live with, the second I won't, so I'm figuring while I'm frogging I might as well deal with both. Which means tonight needs to be all about the dratted sock, since there's 20 rounds that are going away in a few minutes. I am feeling the need for a different sock pattern in my life, so I want this thing finished. The pattern is written but for the toe, which needs reworked from the first sock anyway.

Pink shawl needs ends woven in. And blocked.

And I have to get back into work mode today, because I have class tomorrow night and training the next.

Pictures eventually.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Twelve degrees

Now begins the time of year that I feel I'll never be warm again.

I must need more wool.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Knitting Resolutions

So it's my second year knitting, for all intents and purposes. I was still hammering along at my garter stitch scarf at this time last year, but I knew I wanted to try and knit socks and find a group of people to hang out with. Then I stumbled upon the Indy Mad Knitters in the middle of my second scarf. Between the people and the knitting, it's been a great year. I've learned a lot, and I want to learn more.

So, my knitting resolutions, in no particular order, are as follows:

1) Finish the cabled sock pair and pattern.

2) Knit up some of the laceweight I've been stashing but am really not yet comfortable using (i.e., play lace!).

3) Be more deliberate and purposeful in my general yarn-buying habits.

4) Meanwhile, hold off on the sock yarn some for a few months.*

5) Make another sweater. Or three.

6) Make my socks longer in the leg. It's not just the 10 degree (F, -12 C) weather saying this. But it's definitely part of it.

7) Knit for my in-laws next Christmas. They gave me yarn and knitting books for Christmas this year, they totally deserve the handknits more than the parental unit whose mailbox apparently doesn't work.**

8) Keep the WIP count reasonable. I'm thinking fiveish.


That sounds like enough for now. I'm working my way through the pink Tuscany shawl pretty fast now that I'm wanting its stitch markers for something else lacy. I'm not sure I'll get eleven repeats, but I'm planning on getting a lifeline in at ten-and-a-half, so if I run out I can still end at a pretty place without too much fuss. I've not taken a picture of it in a while, but it still looks about the same, it's a pink triangle with a leaf lace going on. It's just gradually getting bigger. Pictures once it's done, I promise.

*I have enough sock yarn for eighteen pairs. I've only knit twelve pairs so far, with two pair in progress. If I keep buying sock yarn this much faster than I'm knitting it, it's going to be problematic eventually, because I have no intention of stopping knitting socks, but I think having more sock yarn available than I ever have knit into socks could get cumbersome.

**Seriously, the great grey socks have gone missing. I mailed them two weeks ago, no one's seen them since. The other package of knitting mailed the same day made it to the same city just fine. Apparently somebody in Dad's apartment building steals packages. I'm trying to decide if Dad gets socks for his birthday or not, but if he does, they don't get sent to that address!