Blue, da-ba-dee, da-ba-dai

I've had that song running through my head since I started spinning this stuff back in late January!

A fellow Posh Knitter was destashing, and I'd never tried Falkland fiber before. It drafts beautifully. And Spindlefrog's dye work is amazing, though a little internet searching tells me she's no longer selling fiber. A shame - I really enjoyed this!

Some stats:

100 grams
327 yards
n-plied

This is the finest 3-ply I've done yet. It actually beats a couple of commercial sock yarns (coughcoughJitterbugcoughcough) in the yards per 100g category, making this my first true sock yarn. I'm not going to use it for socks, of course - there's no nylon in it, and I don't think it's sufficiently tightly plied to withstand so much wear. But I'm getting there!

I think I'll probably knit a shawl with this. I know, don't all faint in shock. Me? Knitting a shawl? Surely not!

2009 round-up and 2010 plans

I decided to have a real holiday over Christmas with very little time spent on the computer, so this post is a few days late. Still, better late than never!

The scores:

38 finished projects, 9 less than 2008, broken down into
9 skeins of handspun yarn
5 pairs of socks
5 shawls
5 scarves
2 hats
1 pillow
2 hotpads
2 toys
2 crocheted blankets
3 pairs of mitts
1 wedding dress
1 pair of garters

2009 was the year in which I learned to spin. I made a wedding dress, something I'm probably never going to outdo. I didn't finish a single piece of embroidery or garb, but I made more gifts this year than I have in the entire time I've been knitting. This was also the year I learned to knit and crochet without looking at my hands, which led to much better conversation and tv-watching.

2010 is going to be all about me. I plan to finally get around to knitting all the lovely things I've been stashing for myself (okay, maybe not all of them...) and finally having enough handknit socks. I'm planning to do a lot more spinning, predominantly looking at the technical side of things. I'd like to be able to produce a wider range of yarns on my wheel, from cobweb to chunky. I'm also hoping to knit up a good chunk of my stash and buy as little as possible.

2010 is also going to be the year in which I take my first formal knitting and spinning classes. My mother and grandmother have generously bought me spaces at classes at Knit Nation in the summer, so I'll be learning about Baltic fancy stitches with Nancy Bush, funky cast-ons with JC Briar, and spinning yarn for socks with Judith Mackenzie McCuin. I've also indulged in a ticket to the evening preview shopping, since the Wollmeise is going to be in attendence. I'm hoping to get some yarn for a sweater!

Hey look, a photo!

Thank goodness for packages in the mail, 'cause I've actually got something to blog about! A while back I was lucky enough to win a skein of handdyed yarn from Sheepy Time Knits, and the mail system being what it is it's just arrived. I present 490yds of fingering-weight superwash merino, colourway Pansy Ass.



The base yarn is astonishingly squishable and bouncy. I won't be using it for socks since I don't wear socks without nylon content. But that's ok, because this is pretty enough that I want to wear it where it can be seen! I'm thinking either an Ishbel Shawl or a Boteh Scarf would be ideal. Admittedly I'm leaning toward Boteh because I may have cast on for an Ishbel over the weekend...

More squares

I fished out all of the squares I've finished for the blanket and played around with arrangements. I'm about 2/3 done with square-making! I've also rejigged my planned layout so that there are more white squares and fewer coloured than I'd originally planned. First because I'm running low on scraps, and second because the white are quicker to make and finish. I still really like the way it looks, not too plain or boring.

In fact, thanks to the rejig, I've only got 13 coloured squares left to make! Lots and lots of white squares, but I can make about 6 an hour if I'm concentrating on it. Hoping to make 40 or so by the end of the weekend, including all the coloured ones. Then I need to wash this last batch of coloured squares, sew in millions of ends and finish the white ones next week. Then on with the sewing up!

A personal best

One of my Ravelry groups tracks the total yardage of all yarn that each person knits or crochets into a project or otherwise destashes. I've chosen to only count yarn once the project is completely finished. This means that there are months where I've done a ton of knitting but have a very low total. There are also months like this one. Total yarn knitted, crocheted or gifted out of stash - 4889 yards!!!!!!!

Goals for the coming month:

• Finish the Franken-Mei Socks I'm working on
• Make 20 more granny squares
• Make progress on two other WIPs
• Work on a piece of garb
• Finish another section of the Santa embroidery

It's too hot for spinning, my hands get all sticky and mess up the fiber. But I'm trying hard to work on all of my hobbies, not just knitting. Tomorrow I plan to do a big photo update, since I've started a couple of projects that have never featured on the blog...

Sock Madness*

I need new socks. It's wretchedly cold and damp this summer, to the extent that warm woolly socks sound delightful rather than nauseating. I plan to keep working on other things in and around socks, but it's going to be pretty much all socks, all the time for the foreseeable future. For my own reference I'm making a master list of all my sock yarn and the patterns that go with. I reserve the right to select new patterns, of course!

• Austermann Step - Circle Socks
• CTH Multi - Coupling Socks
• CTH Lime Green - Oak Leaf Socks
• Jitterbug Brown - Spring Forward Socks
• Jitterbug Green - Leyburn Socks
• Frankentwined - Kai-Mei Socks, cast on last night
• Monster Stash - Mad Colour Weave Socks
• Embers - Nutkin Socks
• MMM Grey - Plaited Points Socks
• Blue Wool-Ease - plain ribbed bedsocks for camping
• Kroy Socks - Extreme 2-in-1 Socks
• Opal Blue/Grey - don't know yet
• Red Heart Red - Rick Socks
• Red Heart Blue - don't know yet
• Regia Red - See You Later Socks
• Regia Blue - don't know yet
• Schoppel-Wolle Dark - don't know yet
• Schoppel-Wolle Light - Vilai Socks
• Kettle Drum Aegean - Absinthe Socks

I've also got my Tsock kits, but they are less of a priority because really, they are for fancy wear. My regular socks are for schlepping around the library and walking. And of course, all of these socks are going to generate leftovers, so I need to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with those.

*Not the actual Sock Madness, just my own personal sockstravaganza.

Ravelry consensus says...

...that June and July are months for tackling WIPs. Not to be confused with 'Februarys are for Finishing', which is an entirely different task. One of my stash reduction groups is having WIP reduction as this month's challenge, and then July is the WIPs Wrestling Smackdown. Having ended May on a high note of finishing three projects over a single weekend and then making surprise progress on the garters, I've decided to go for it.
In June, I hope to get through the following:

• The green/purple/blue Monkey socks I've currently got going
• Mum's garters, about 3/4 done after last weekend!
• The mittens that went into hibernation after post-test-knitting frogging
• The big batch of powder-blue spinning fiber I've been working on for the last couple of months
• One granny square a day for my granny-ghan
• As much progress as possible on the bedspread

I plan to devote July to shawls and a pair of not-yet-cast-on simple socks, since I have two shawls on the go right now, desperately need more socks, and have committed to knitting 4 pairs this year for Mission:Possible.

Finishing all of the above would take me down to 4 WIPs. And depending on my energy levels and free time, I might even get through the bedspread - leaving me with 3!

The next big thing

One of my Mission:Possible goals for the year was to knit a sweater. Any sweater. I have sufficient stash for four, possibly five, adult-sized sweaters, but I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to make next.
One option was a Cobblestone pullover for my husband. He likes it, I have suitable yarn. But it's miles and miles of stockinette, and the yoke is garter stitch in the round. That means lots and lots of purling. Ick. I should have just enough yarn, but I'm currently not feeling like improvising some sort of emergency colour pattern if I run out.
Another was the stranded Ivy League vest I bought all the yarn for last year. 6 colours of yarn makes this far too bulky to carry around, so that's out.
I decided to weed through my queue on Ravelry a while back, and happened to find a cardigan pattern called 'Celtic' from Rowan 40. I'd marked it as "to knit later", but then I noticed that it called for Felted Tweed. It just so happens that I bought two sweater's worth of Felted Tweed in the after-Christmas sales with a gift certificate from my best friend. One lot is going to become Camden (I have to knit this sweater, it's gorgeous and I live in Camden), but the rest? Well, now I can make my lovely cabled cardigan!

Or can I? Looking more closely at the pattern this morning, I discovered that the cuffs, collar and front bands of this cardigan are knit from Kid Classic, rather than Felted Tweed. I'm not a huge fan of this yarn (it was the green I used for the Dr Who Scarf), but it's only around the edges. But I will have to buy some in. And I'm trying to reduce the volume of my stash currently.

So, to justify purchasing two new balls of yarn, I'm committing to finishing:

• The shawl for hub's Granny
• The bedspread
• Mum's shawl
• The purple hat
• The fluffy scarf

Once these are all done, I shall shop for two balls of Kid Classic and cast on, guilt-free!

Planning, planning

I don't know what's happened, whether it's Spring or finishing the dress or the FSM invading my brain, but suddenly I'm inspired to blog lots. I don't expect that the trend will continue, but there's no point in wasting words that want to come out!

For the moment I seem to have settled into a comfortable pattern of scarf at home, Thuja sock while out and about. Once I finish either of these, I plan to work a few repeats of my Aeolian Shawl, then finish the other one. You see, I have high hopes of actually achieving my Mission:Possible goals this year. I've thus far completed 2 of 12, although the wedding dress was by far the biggest project on the list. I've another 5 in progress. These are Thujas, Monkeys, the drop-stitch scarf, the ripple bedspread and Aeolian. I should have the first 4 done by the end of May, and possibly even the shawl if I get really into it.

Other than those, my commitments for the year are a sweater for someone, another shawl for me, 3 more pairs of socks for me and a lace shawl for hub's granny's 90th birthday. Anything else is gravy! Of course, I finished 47 projects last year, and 27 the year before that. Much as I'd like to continue the trend and finish 67 projects, I'll settle for 50. After all, I can include spinning in that list now!

State of the WIPs

I just realized it's been a while since I had a good long look at everything I'm working on. Part of the sudden introspection is the imminent Spring - there are snowdrops out, and daffs and crocuses are poking their spears out. The other part of it is that over the weekend I did something I've been putting off - I sat down and went through my entire stash. It's all on my Ravelry account now, there are photos of everything. I took so many photos that I used up my Flickr allowance for the month. No, I will not disclose how much yarn I have! Suffice to say I have plenty and I really need to knit up a bunch of it. Plus I'm spinning, and that produces more yarn.

I actually only have 8 WIPs right now. (Knitting of course - embroidery and sewing get their own post someday when all of my embroidery stuff is in one country.) And they are all actively being worked on! It feels so good having that cushion done. It was really making me nuts, not being able to finish it.

So, here are the 8 current projects.

• The Wedding Dress. I've nearly finished the top front. It's a mostly backless style, so the back should work up very quickly. The slowest part of this is having to count and recount stitches on every row. I'm not nearly as good at crochet as I am at knitting, so I'm trying to be careful to make it perfect for S's big day. Once I get to the point in the skirt where I'm repeating two rows of a lace pattern things will get much quicker, as the lace stacks up and I don't need to count it. The yarn is fabulous, which makes it a much more enjoyable project.
• The Ripple Afghan. I'm more than halfway done now, and I have to say, I'd really rather be working on this! If I were to sit down and crank it out, I could probably have it done in a fortnight. But I need to finish the dress, so I'm being good and only working on it while waiting for the Spouse to come to bed. I have two very fat stripes and two-and-a-half thin stripes left. Then I can crochet granny squares with the leftovers!
• The Moccachino Shawl. This is the replacement for the shawl I gave my mother, and my current handbag project. It's going swimmingly, as I've said before. I love working on it. I'm looking forward to wearing it.
• Mum's Warm Shawl. I cart this around whenever I'm going to be knitting and chatting. It's just garter stitch for the time being, so I don't really have to pay attention to it. I'm looking forward to getting to the lace pattern, but not just yet.
• Totoro. I swapped this out from my handbag because it requires row counters and scissors and fiddly bits. I've finished one of the pieces and started the second. It'll get there.
• The Test Mittens. I knit, I tested, I provided feedback, then I ripped. I wanted the finished mittens to be a bigger size, so ripped and am reworking the colour pattern. (The ribbing fit perfectly.) I work a couple of rounds on this each week, but since I seem to have missed mitten season they are not an urgent project.
• Cable Ribbed Socks. I cast these on because I couldn't bear to not have any socks on the needles. I'm not really in a sock mood right now, so I work a round or two while watching tv or listening to the radio. I like the way the yarn is knitting up, though!
• Garters the Second. Good for hauling around to SCA events, as they require no thought whatsoever. And they are in period. Right now they are on holders because my only set of 2.25mm needles are in a pair of cable ribbed socks. I may go get more of these needles so I can get back to work.

Good variety and good progress, so I'm happy. I'll be happier once I've finished a few of these so I can get on with other things! I've some gift shawls planned, since all of my friends seem to have gotten engaged all at once. Plus this was supposed to be the year I made things for me, so I have lots of projects in the works!

I tidied up my queue on Ravelry last weekend too. I've gone through, tagged everything, noted which projects require me to buy the pattern, and put things in order. Everything for which I've got yarn and pattern is at the front of the queue. And since all my stash is now on Ravelry, I've gradually been going through and finding patterns for everything. I'm now excited about finishing because I'm ready to get on and start new stuff. It's great.

A year of needlework

2008 has rocked on the making front. 47 finished projects, some started this year, some started a long time ago. Rather fittingly, the last two projects of the year are my oldest and newest! I had hoped to squeeze in the second Rock and Weave sock, but decided that there were other things I wanted to do more.

So, the breakdown. In 2008 I finished:

• 2 embroideries
• 4 baby projects
• 6 hats
• 3 shawls
• 8 scarves
• 7 pairs of socks
• 4 pairs of fingerless gloves
• 2 'home' projects
• 6 pieces of garb
• 5 'other'

I have 8 WIPs, more yarn than I started with, and many, many plans for the year to come. I'm joining Mission:Possible again, but this time I'm having a much more general list.

1-4: Socks for me. I'd really like to get to a point where I have enough handknit socks that I don't have to wear store socks unless I want to.
5: A sweater. Either for me or the hub, but I want to knit more real clothing.
6: The ripple afghan. Bored now, would like to finish.
7-9: Shawls for me. I have a ton of yarn designated for shawls, I should really knit some.
10-12: Gift knitting from my 2 bags of gift yarn.

These projects can include WIPs, since my other knitting goal for 2009 is to get all of my WIPs finished.

Additionally, I'd like to finish at least one major piece of embroidery and make more garb, since we're going to more events now. Especially summerweight garb and stuff appropriate to my persona.

I find that I'm much more picky about yarn purchases now. I still enjoy shopping, but I tend to only get things that I know I'll knit. I suspect that most of 2009's yarn will be from the sock club membership my grandmother gave me (thanks Grammy!), and for the Christmas stockings I want to make for the hub and myself. I've also been destashing some stuff that I know I'm never going to knit with. The cotton is pretty much all gone, because it hurts my hands. The remaining acrylic is going to become granny squares when I'm between big projects, eventually being turned into a second cushion.

Here's to 2009!

Planning for next year

Yes, it's early to be planning, but I have time to think right now and I might not later! So, planning it is.

I am nowhere near being down to 60 balls of yarn as I'd originally hoped, and it doesn't look like I'll be getting there by the end of the year. Karma swaps are certainly helping, though - I've gotten rid of 12 balls this month and only brought in 2! (I also got a book, but knitting books don't count as stash.) I am, of course, still knitting and hooking away, so there will be a further reduction before the year finishes.

As I realized earlier this year, I have enough yarn to make about 50 projects. That being the case, I am going to attempt 2 months of knitting exclusively from the stash in January and February. Depending on how that goes, I'll hopefully continue to do that for 2-month blocks. There is a project I've committed to knitting that will require a purchase of yarn (one of my reenactment friends needs some stockings), but other than that I don't have anything planned that needs new yarn.

Mission:Possible is coming back for another round in 2009, so I will be joining that again. I've got a few projects that I've absolutely committed to, so I thought I might as well post the tentative list here!
1. S's wedding dress. Yes, one of my friends is getting married and has chosen a crocheted wedding dress - a backless 40s style number in green Alpaca Silk. Yum! I'll be starting that as soon as the yarn arrives, but I am quite sure that I will still be working on it next year.
2. Gansey for the husband. I have decided that until I know exactly what he will and will not wear, I'm going to make a Gansey rather than an Aran sweater. Half the yarn, half the time. Plus he doesn't have nearly enough sweaters. This will be using the giant balls of cream wool I got last year.
3. A shawl using my Sundara silk laceweight. I haven't decided which one yet, although I'm leaning heavily towards the Icarus Shawl from the Best of Interweave Knits. (Really ought to pick up a copy of that book!)
4. Stockings for Reenacting Friend. Need to get about 200g of black fingering weight silk/wool for these - I'm leaning towards Regia Silk. I can get that here in London, so not a problem.
5. Swan Lake Stole. This was the Mystery Stole that I signed up for ages ago and never knit because I didn't have the right yarn. Well, I have the right yarn and the right beads, so I'm good to go!
6. and 7. 2 pairs of socks for me which are NOT MONKEYS! Enough with the Monkeys already! :D
8. Cabled gloves for the husband. I've been promising these for over a year, I really need to just make them.
9. Scraps. I have a lot of yarn left over from various projects, so I would like to make something exclusively from scrap yarn. Hub is rather enamoured of my granny square pillow, so I might just make another one.
10. Shawl for Reenacting Friend. Assuming that I don't end up making it this year, I'll be doing another Shetland Triangle with the Kauni yarn I got last month.
11. and 12. - No idea yet. Will wait until inspiration strikes!

I will hopefully be attending iKnit Day and the Knitting and Stitching Show next year, so would like to have lots knitted up by then so as to allow guilt-free shopping! (I didn't make it to the Knitting and Stitching Show this weekend thanks to a miserable cold. Boo.)

Interim photos

I'm participating in a Stashalong, which in theory is supposed to be helping me with the not buying of yarn. I think we all know how that's going! :D Anyway, one can earn yarn purchases by participating in themed knitting over the course of a month, and I earned three skeins in August by completing some WIPs.

I was picking up some new circular needles that I needed for a couple of projects in the pipeline, and decided to pick up two of my three skeins. This one is going to become yet another scarf, and this one is going to be some over-mittens for my too-thin gloves.

Going well over the weekend

I decided that since I absolutely cannot work on my Swallowtail Shawl anywhere other than at home, I would take advantage of the horrible wet weather and work on the shawl all weekend. I completed the 14 repeats of the second chart and have moved on to the first beaded chart. And my goodness is it slow. I've got over 200 stitches on the needles now (in fact I've moved over onto a circular needle for just that reason!), and each row takes forever! Still, it's looking good, and I'm enjoying working on it. I have high hopes of getting it finished soon.

Poms are started, but I didn't really do much on them since I was working so much on the shawl. I've done a few more rounds, and am really looking forward to getting stuck in.

I finished the heel flap and turned the heel of the second Monkey sock last night while watching the Seventh Seal. It's true what they say - you can't watch subtitled films and knit from a chart at the same time! Still, the film was fabulous, and it's good to make progress on the sock. It's now back in my handbag. I'm hoping to finish it up over this week's lunch-hours.

Ravelympics and the Yarn Harlot

The plan was to make the Ivy League Vest to wear to meet the Yarn Harlot, just because I have this thing about wearing my handknits whenever I go somewhere knitting-related. Then my best friend gave me enough cotton for a tank top, and I thought that a tank top would be quicker, so I'd do that instead. Then I discovered that I didn't have any needles that would give me the correct gauge for the top. Back to the drawing board.

Then I was looking over my WIPs, and was pondering the possibility of WIP Wrestling in addition to my Sock Putt entry. You see, I could wear my Swallowtail Shawl to meet the Yarn Harlot. And that would mean that I wouldn't have to race to finish an entire sweater of some description between now and the first weekend of September. I was looking at the shawl last night and discovered that I've actually completed 10 of the 14 repeats of the main chart, and they are going quite quickly now that I've got the pattern memorized and the centre stitch marked. Then it's just the charts with the beads to finish, and a bit of edging. I think it's doable. Plus I really, really want to finish the Monkey socks I've got on the go at the minute. I'm halfway through the heel flap of the second sock, and they are going to be SO COMFY!

So, I've now signed up to attempt all three projects for the Ravelympics - my original Pomatomus Socks, the Swallowtail Shawl, and the Monkey Socks. I can wear 2 of the 3 to iKnit Day to meet Ms Pearl-McPhee. And it will be good. Fortunately, tomorrow night (the first big session for me of Olympic knitting) my spouse is going to be spending the evening at a beer festival. I will have the flat to myself, and can knit away to my heart's content. Or discontent, depending on how well my chart-reading goes.

There is only one question left to be answered. Which project will I work on first?

Plotting and scheming

In one week and 48 minutes, the Ravelympics will officially start. I have my yarn, I have my needles, I have swatched. I will be attempting to make Pomatomus Socks in 17 days. I have never made a pair of socks that quickly, and this is a very fiddly pair of socks! Wish me luck!

I've also been reevaluating my stash. It's amazing what a moratorium on new projects will do for one's forward planning. I've got two skeins of pink-and-purple Posh sock yarn that I'm thinking I'll turn into a Pi Shawl, a very clever pattern based on principles of Pi. My remaining 4 balls of Rowan Tapestry will become a snuggly warm cowl. And the rest of the ball of Rowan Calmer from which I made my Odessa hat will become a baby hat for someone. Don't know who yet!

I've very nearly finished the first of my Monkey socks. Will do that over lunch. Just 3 more rounds, grafting the toe and sewing in the starting bit of yarn! I've also brought the rest of the yarn with so that I can start on sock 2.

For the weekend I'm planning a blitz on the flag. I'm hoping to get it finished so that I can mail it off on Monday. I'm also planning to go pick up the needles I need to make my Ivy League Vest! If I manage to finish the flag, I'll do my swatch for that. Definitely need a swatch, since I want this vest to fit perfectly. Also, it involves steeking, and I'd really like to practice that on a swatch before attempting to cut up my vest!

Reality Check

A while back I blithely decided that I wanted to finish the year with no knitting or crocheting WIPs. Well, it's nearly August, and I've got 13 of the buggers outstanding. Plus at least 3 more that I absolutely want to get done this year (2 pairs of socks for Mission:Possible and that Fair-Isle vest I bought the yarn for in March). 16 projects to be finished in 5 months. Well, let's think about this for a minute.

• The booties are a quick win. I cast on the second last night and will probably finish it this week. No Problem.
• The flag is half-done and is just garter stitch and a tiny amount of embroidery will finish it off. No Problem.
• The coatigan needs both sleeves and a collar, plus I need to do 10 minutes of work on the lapels, make button loops and sew the buttons on. Time-consuming, but doable.
• 4 pairs of socks - Monkeys are about a third done (finishing up the foot on sock one), the socks I'm making for Mum are at the heel flap of the first sock, and the other 2 pairs (Anne-trelac and Pomatomus) are not even cast on yet. But Anne-trelac is toe-up stockinette until I get to the foot, and I'm planning to do Pomatomus for the Ravelympics*. Challenging but possible.
• The mitts I'm making for Weaving Friend are barely started, but it's 2x2 rib on 4mm needles. No Problem.
• Red Swallowtail is about a quarter done. However, I love it totally and utterly and WILL NOT ABANDON IT! Doable.
• Chenille scarf is a mindless tv-watching project. It's fun, it's chunky yarn on big needles, and there's only 1 skein of the stuf. Doable.
• Seed stitch pillow that I'm making for Best Friend is a toughie. I really enjoy working on it (yes, I'm one of those sick people that enjoys seed stitch), but it's barely started. Will really have to crack on in order to finish this. Possible, but challenging.
• Slippers - doable. I made the last pair in about a week, so there's no earthly reason not to finish these. Other than the boredom factor. Doable.

Then there are the last four projects. There is the lacy grey scarf that I've been working on forever out of Kidsilk Haze. I keep thinking I must be nearly done by now, but I swear the ball of yarn is getting longer as I knit from it. It just doesn't shrink! I think I'm going to need to find a set of scales that measures in grams and figure out how much yarn is actually left to knit up.

There is the rippled bedspread that would go really quickly if it weren't HUGE. I'm working on it every so often in the evening while waiting for the spouse to come to bed, but right now it's just too hot to work on an acrylic blanket.

There is my half-hexagon shawl of loveliness that I am absolutely not going to get finished this year. It's just too big, and the rows are getting too long. I will finish it someday, but not right now.

And then there's the vest. Ideally, I'd like to have this done before I go to meet the Yarn Harlot the first weekend of September. Which would mean that in the next 5.5 weeks I need to knit 2.5 pairs of socks, 1 booties, 0.5 of a flag and an entire steeked Fair-Isle vest. Yeeesh. Wish me luck!

*Ravelympics - a fun(!) thing organized on Ravelry where you choose a knitting or crocheting project, cast on during the opening ceremony and finish it before the torch goes out at the end. And you're supposed to choose something challenging. I've never finished a pair of fingering weight socks in less than a month, much less a pair this tricky! I have strategically taken the last 3.5 working days of the Olympics off, just in case...

Back in the saddle

The sewing marathon is finally over. We all had garb to wear to Coronation, where much fun was had. People even admired the stuff we made! Pretty much everything got done, too, which surprised me greatly. The spouse's red tunic is not finished, but it is going to require a great deal of ripping, redesigning and resewing. Frankly, I'm just not into it right now! Also didn't get the garters done, but mum ended up managing just fine without them.

I'm devoting my last day of vacation to doing things that I want to do, rather than things I have to do. I just finished my Odessa hat, for starters! It came out as more of a beanie than I was expecting, but that's alright. I didn't have any beanies. I still think it's pretty. I'd like to make one without the beads, since they were a bit of a pain, but this pattern is definitely going into the "make again" pile. Not many patterns there, truth be told!

Later today I'm planning to cast on for some socks, possibly wind some yarn, and perhaps cut out a new skirt. There is much more garb being planned, now that I actually have time to enjoy doing it.

Sick of lists yet?

I've concluded that because I'm about to go on holiday my brain has gone into overdrive when it comes to list-making. I think it's because it's the only way to still the voice of panic saying things like "No, wait, it's not really Tuesday!" or "You didn't print out your ticket!" or "Go buy a new toothbrush!" or my personal favourite "Must not fall asleep! Might miss flight!". This despite the fact that I'm not leaving for TWO MORE DAYS!

So, listy listy listy to silence the voice.

Still to do for Coronation, needlework-wise

• finish hemming veil (tonight and tomorrow)
• finish teal gown
• hem and embroider handkerchiefs
• make blue court tunic for the spouse (while at mum's)

Holiday needlework stuff

• all of the above plus
• make two pairs of garters for mum (working on the airplane)
• cast on for Anne-trelac socks on the 21st
• finish Odessa hat
• finish booties
• finish Calorimetry

Many things to do. Fortunately I have the day off tomorrow. Let's see just how much I can get done in the next 36 hours!

Tidying again

The sewing was making me nuts, so I spent a goodly portion of yesterday and this morning sorting things out in my stash. It's been productive in an inverse way, for I have been frogging again. The Clapotis and the Interlocking Cables Sweater are no more. I didn't like the Clapotis. It was boring to knit and I don't really like working with that yarn on something so big. So it's been ripped.

The sweater was a little more of a surprise. I was rereading my old blog entries (looking for typos!), and found the one where I was musing on the kind of knitting that I actually wear. And I was looking at that sweater. I don't wear heavy sweaters. I certainly don't wear off-the-shoulder sweaters. So why, for goodness' sake, was I knitting an aran-weight, cabled, off-the-shoulder sweater? Mostly because the pattern looked like a lot of fun and I wanted to knit something with obscene amounts of cables. Great, but not on something for me.

My husband, on the other hand, loves heavy Aran sweaters. And I just so happen to have several patterns that he loves. And I've got 2700 yards of this yarn, which is more that enough to make him a suitably ornate and baggy sweater. So, the yarn will hibernate until the weather is cold enough that working on it will actually be fun.

Of course, now that I've ripped out the sweater I was making myself, suddenly I don't have anything on the needles to wear to meet the Yarn Harlot. That's ok - don't forget, I have all that 4-ply wool that I got back in March to make myself a Fair-Isle vest!

I also ripped out the experimental sleeve that I'd been working on for the coatigan. It really wasn't working. So it's gone, and I'll make normal sleeves for that, again once it's cool enough to have a lapful of sweater. Socks and lace in the summer.