Knitting in Halves

I finished Simurgh--two weeks ahead of schedule. It was not a difficult knit, but I did have to pay attention to what I was doing. I'm not so used to that. Photos will come when I block it, hopefully this week.

This stole is knit in two halves, with a provisional cast-on in the first half. Once you finish the first half you unzip the cast on, slip the stitches on to the needle, and begin the second half. It's a great design, but I was kind of miffed as I started the second half. I felt like I had already finished the pattern--and now I have to do it again.

I have no explanation why I had such a negative reaction to the second half of that stole. I knit pairs of socks all the time without resenting the second sock. I often feel that the first sock is a bit of a practice knit, and I can perfect it with the second sock. I'll have to keep this in mind when choosing future patterns.

Another project halfway done is this pair of Mitts:

The pattern is Monica Jines' Fingerless Lace Mitts, and you can buy it here at The Loopy Ewe. The yarn is special--numma-numma's Toastyboo in colorway Elvis. The base yarn has been discontinued, and this skein was a one of a kind, gifted to me by Allen. I was thrilled to receive this yarn, and now I'm more than pleased that I turned it into something so pretty. This is one of my proudest pieces. You can buy Allen's yarn here and here.

Next up is a pair of socks, and a recycled sweater!

Book #41 Mediterranean Summer
Book #42 Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper
Ravelry Stash Count: 88

The Clap is Back!

This will be year 5 with my old friend Clapotis. It was 37 degrees on the playground this morning, but I was toasty warm.

Book #39 Bread Alone
Book #40 The Light of Evening
Ravelry Stash Count 80

I'm a Winner!

I correctly guessed the number of skeins hiding in a drawer, and my name was drawn at random. Thank you yarn4socks.com! They've published an interview with me on their blog.

A prize is on it's way to me--I'm so darn excited!

Next post will include finished photos of Calvert--hurrah!

Book #38 Left Bank
Ravelry Stash Count 60

It's All Mine

Calvert Sweater, 50% complete--mine!

Oak ribbed self striping socks--mine!


numma-numma self-striping Saucy yarn in Carrot Cake--also mine!




Book #36 Golden Country
Book # 37 And Baby Makes Two
Ravelry Stash Count: 59

Nearing the End of Christmas Knitting

Only one gift left to knit, thank goodness. Off the needles and blocked already is Da Man's sweater:




Nothing exciting, just your basic top-down knit in Cascade Eco Wool. Not a very pleasant yarn to knit, but it did soften quite a bit after soaking.

Also finished are my May Woolly Woolgirl Sock Club Kit--Froggin Socks:

That's some crazy yarn!

My next sock project is a pair of self striping socks from Sknitches:



The Colorway is Juicy, and the pattern is Nancy Bush's Oak Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. This is my first pair of self striping socks, and I think these will be one of my most favorite pairs.

Before I start the last Christmas gift, I'm knitting a sweater of my own. Calvert by Nora Gaughan.



Not much to see here, I know. I've got another 8 inches of stockinette to knit in this back panel before it gets interesting.

Hopefully that will be done by my next post.

Have I Learned Anything?

Well yes I have, quite a bit.

Firstly, and most importantly, there is no reason you should torture yourself with your knitting. Knitting is a hobby and a love, and there is no reason it should fill you with bad feelings. I realized that when writing the last post, and I made the changes.

So the rest of what I've learned will go towards avoiding that problem in the future. An opportunity has presented itself for a baby blanket this fall. I was thinking that a mitred square blanket would solve all of my previous problems. The pattern is simple, yes, but the squares are small blocks that can be accomplished quickly. I'll be using 4 colors to stripe, which means a number of color changes will keep it interesting. I wonder if this will work?

I did eventually finish the blanket, with plenty of time to spare. It's still waiting to be blocked. I also started a sock for the afternoon project. It's one of my Woolgirl sock club shipments:


Crazy colors huh? I'm trying to complete, or, at the very least, attempt each one of my sock club shipments. Otherwise I will feel they were a complete waste. This one isn't one of my favorites, but it's sport weight, and is going fast.

Also on the needles is a new morning knit:


This is Da Man's Christmas gift. A simple top-down pullover in Cascade Ecowool. This sweater is going fast--I'm just a couple of rows away from dividing for the sleeves. I hope to have this done in another week.

On a completely different note, those of you who follow the sock yarn craze may know that there was a humongous "Wangdoodle" as Sheri calls it, over Wollmeise. I've pulled my Wollmeise stash off Ravelry. Call it preventative medicine, but I'd rather not be flashing my stash right now. If you've been following the Ravelry boards, you know what I mean.


Book #34 A Friend of the Family
Book #35 Dream When You're Feeling Blue
Ravelry Stash Count: 60

Know Your Limits, or, I can't knit this &@$*$^ blanket anymore!

I'm beyond bored with this blanket. I've been knitting about 25g per day, and I have 3 50g skeins left. I'm not going to make it.

What's wrong?

1. Yarn. Please do not think, dear reader, that I am dissing acrylic. Acrylic has it's place in this world, just not in my hands. This yarn even smells bad.

2. Pattern. I memorized the 24 line repeat on the first day. I've knit 11 pattern repeats so far. I know how this story will end.

3. Color. There is only one, and I don't particularly care for it.

Add these three together, and what do you get? Despair.

I will finish this blanket, I assure you. I'll even finish it before closing ceremonies on Sunday. But I just can't continue at the current rate.

What's my solution?

A. Make it smaller than my original plan. What I was going to do was knit until I ran out of yarn. Uh uh. I will finish the 25g left in my current skein, and knit another skein, that's it. That will give me a blanket approximately 25 inches wide by 30 inches long.

B. Knit it only in the morning. Leaving the afternoon for a more interesting project. At the very least, it will be a different project. I've used this tactic before, and it works. Sure it takes longer, but at least I have something to look forward to at noon.

It's 11:42 right now, and I just can't wait!

Book # 32: The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extrodanaire of Fairway
Book # 33: Posh
Ravelry Stash Count: 118