A Little Yarn On The Side

Even in my fantasy knitting world, having just discovered an additional 1375 yards of yarn, it didn't seem likely that I could knit up an additional 1375 yards by the end of the year to even things out, but I could knit up an additional skein of yarn, so.... Actually, this Mock Men's Aran hat used just about 130 yards, so I'm scaring myself with the mental discussion that if I could already have knit up one-tenth the amount of yarn I found, am I positive I couldn't knit up maybe half?  Two-thirds?  The entire stupid amount?  I am nothing if not stupidly optimistic.  So, meet the new scarf.  It's on size 8 needles, fairly simple design, and in some of the new mohair yarn.  If I get it done by perhaps the 27th, that will be another 245 yards, then I would only need 1000 yards in the last 4 days of the year to reach 1375, which seems completely reasonable to me as I'm currently on my third cup of coffee this morning.  What could possibly go wron...

Meet finished project number 111: which is what ALL the fashionable oatmeal containers are wearing this season.  What about project 110, you ask?  Shhhh--it's a secret.  It is Christmas, after all. I have finished 111 projects!!!! I am not yet willing to concede that there is anything good about throwing one's back out, but I will admit that it gives one lots of knitting time.  And speaking of, guess what arrived yesterday? And the timing couldn't have been better.  Between the pain, the pain pills and all their side effects, Thursday's set-back, and the fact that I can never accept that things don't just heal quickly because I want them to, I have been a bit low the last couple days.  Being able to bribe myself with new yarn is helping--especially since it will be a while before I'll be able to sit enough to sew again.  I'm sure I'll be much more cheerful Monday evening once I've been to physical therapy and have learned what I can do to...

This has been my view much of the last 2 weeks: Theo has been quite a good get-well kitty, though I think he's a bit relieved to see me making enough progress that he feels he can leave my side--or my chest--for a while.   And I'm quite relieved that Andy headed him off with the live mouse get-well gift he found the other day.  Kitty nursing has a few drawbacks. I had a bit of a set back yesterday so there were pain pills AND valium (though not at the same time, obviously), but after they wore off a bit I was able to finish project number 109: and of course, I have immediately cast on another project.  This will be a new hat with a doubled-over band, which explains the teal yarn used as waste yarn.  I'm almost there!  And some pictures of past projects that haven't been on here yet.  The latest chemo cap: and the red hat: It's really a pretty cute hat, especially for a free pattern .  I saw the spine specialist yesterday, a...

Seriously, now that I'm this close to hitting my goal for the year, ever time I log onto my blog to update it, the theme from Rocky keeps running through my head.  Not that it's a bad song, but then it's stuck in my head the rest of the day, and by the third hour of the darn thing I start to get a bit cranky.  However, it DOES make me want to knit faster, so I guess in some way it's helping.  The chemo cap is done ( da da DAAAAAAAAAA, da da daaaaaaaaa), so I just need FIVE more projects ( da da DAAAAAAAAAA, da da daaaaaaaaaaaa) to hit my goal for the year.  ( da da da da da DAAA, da da da da da DAAAA da da...) THEN I hope to work on something-- anything --big and without a darn theme song..... da da DAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, da da daaaaaaaaaaa........

As I get closer and closer to 111, I'm fantasizing more and more about quilts and sweaters and big lace shawls.  After 2 years of mostly small projects, I am really ready for some bigger projects. Yesterday I started the day by finishing up the new set of mitten ornaments: then cranked up Jeeves for a couple more towels, partly because it's a fast way to get a finished project, but mostly because I am totally in love with this design.  I bought several musical embroidery designs from Embroidery Library ,  so then it was just a matter of finding a quote to go with it.  I've always loved this one from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, even if it is uttered by Orsinio, whom I have always considered to be one of Shakespeare's biggest drips.  Still, it makes a nice towel AND finished project number 105. For project 106 I thought it might make a nice change to make something that isn't "one of two," so I'm making another chemo cap.  I've alm...

With only 8 projects left to finish to meet my goal, I'm actually a bit ahead, but today I am still a bit freaked out.  Only 44 days left in the year--YIKES!  For a few days last month, I was knitting a little mitten ornament every morning over coffee, which was fun but it got derailed when I decided to knit the Christmas stockings for my friends.  But now that the stockings are both done AND delivered, I thought it would be a good time to revive "Mitten Mornings," though this poor little guy has been in progress for two days now.  In my defense, yesterday (thanks to Theo) I was up at 5:00 and making breakfast and canning and cleaning and vacuuming and doing laundry--so  I wasn't really slacking.  I have also started a birthday present for next year, as so many of the Christmas basket stash-dash projects are coming out of the basket as gifts almost as fast as they go in, so these babies are for a February birthday and can stay in the darn basket f...

Normally, I've counted small things like ornaments as 1/2 a project, but for this one there won't be a second, so meet finished object number 103: It's cute enough, but as you can see from the grid, it's too big for a Christmas ornament and too small for anything else..........and I might be just a bit soured on it as the pattern called for grafting on both the toe AND the heel after suffering through colorwork on DPNs which is always a bit of a challenge if you don't want any tension problems.  The pattern calls for some duplicate stitch red berries on the holly leaves which I may or may not get to.  I think just for the sheer "crankiness" factor, this gets to count as an entire project. 8 more to go!!!!

I finished another towel last night, and am hoping to finish up a set of wash cloths today, so I'm now at 100 and closing in on 101..................but there are some stupid red tomatoes that will need my attention shortly.  Darn real life chores--they keep interfering with my crafting. Thinking more about the "Twelve twelves" idea in 2012, my current list idea: 1.  12 sweaters and/or shawls 2.  12 finished sewn apparel items 3.  12 decorations 4.  12 Christmas ornaments 5.  12 hats 6.  12 bags 7.  12 pen sleeves 8.  12 washcloths 9.  12 embroidered towels 10. 12 placemats 11. 12 WIPS (any craft) 12. 12 gifts Of course, with 6 weeks left in the year, this list might change as well, but I am already excited about knitting sweaters after two years of little items.  I think if I have a few fairly loose categories--gifts, wips, decorations, I won't feel too limited for the year.  And I think I could finish up the ...

The new Christmas stockings are DONE! And there is a finished towel that needs to be removed from Jeeves, and if I can get a second one done before having to call it a night, I could have project 100 done today as well! 111 projects might not be so insane after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today has only been half a Finishing Friday, as my morning was taken up with canning (again!), but I have managed to finish one ornament that I'm happy with  finished the one I'm not overly thrilled with, but which can hang on the back of the tree,  and made one that counts as a whole Finished Object by itself because it was such a blasted pain in the neck: It's less in a state of "finished" than "in the Ornament Protection Program for its own safety."  I think I will be spending the evening with something less irritating.......which could be anything really..

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts.  The online knitting community just simply rocks.  Today I am just thankful I have so many friends in so many avenues, and I'm thankful that I have special people in my life who mean so much to me that I genuinely mourn them when they're gone.  I don't think everyone has that. So today I am doing things that make me happy.  There is now a second red mitten to make a full "finished project." I got the garlic out of my closet (which is a long, rather weird story). I have a new music ornament for our tree: and my Christmas bin is slightly fuller than yesterday: Okay, REALLY slightly as one mitten and one ornament do not take up much space.  But in VERY happy space-related news: I have used up so much yarn from my fingering-weight bin that three  bags of yarn that were not originally IN the bin are out of the closet and into the bin.  This is even MORE exciting because my temporary wire shelving is starting...

The mitered mittens from Elizabeth Zimmermann's brilliant pattern are finished and blocking: and I have continued my mitten mania with these:  Mitten ornaments !  I started these yesterday and am up to 5 now.  I'm counting 2 for a finished project, so I'm one mitten away from finished project number 90 , so of course that makes me even MORE obsessed with them.  The mitten ornaments aren't doing much for my stash-reduction as they use up so little yarn that they don't even make a dent in the monster balls of Red Heart and Carion acrylic that I'm using, but at least they're counting as finished projects AND filling up my Christmas bin.  If I start to talk about having an entirely knit-themed Christmas tree, though, you are to immediately send a therapist!

I was actually able to finish a Mardi Gras themed Christmas tree skirt finished today--though not so much able to get it photographed without Theo.  It's a gift that I've been planning to do for about 3 months, so I seem to have stayed on the time frame I adopted with Andy's birthday sweater.  I have another gift that is now 2 months behind schedule, so I guess that should be my next project............ I did manage to get two more tribbles done mostly because Theo isn't interested in them.  I think these would be really cute as a gift with some bath salts or bubble bath.  They're also pretty quick to make, which is also very nice, although........... they're not filling up my stash-dash basket very quickly.  The tree skirt would take up a nice chunk of space....but unfortunately it will be packed up and mailed off next week.  Oops.  I think I'm seeing an inherent problem in trying to fill a basket with gifts when one is making gifts that are month...

When one has a burning desire to cast on a new sweater, it's a good time to revisit the WIP pile.  This, has been waiting for seams and buttons for 4 months, which made it the easiest one to complete. I'd like to say that I then moved on to other WIPs, but...... I then moved on to quick and fast projects to start filling up my Christmas "basket."  which is going to take some effort.  A few more dishcloths and the bottom will no longer be visible, at least. While I've been knitting, I've had Jeeves making ornaments: They're free-standing lace being done on wash-away stabilizer.  When they're soaked in water, the stabilizer (which is just starch) will wash away and make them very stiff.  Perfect for ornaments.  At least, I hope so...... I'm counting 6 of these as one finished "project" as they take some effort on my part, but not too much.  They're small so I can do 3 of them inside one hoop, so that makes them go pretty quickl...