A Little Yarn On The Side

Okay--I was looking through my knitting pile, and have decided I'm really going to do this.  With only 21 WIPs now, it isn't the worst I've ever been, but there is some really good stuff in that pile, and unlike previous times, most of them are not there because of any problems,  The oldest is one is in there because since we moved into this house, I've never been able to locate the extra yarn and the sweater at the same time.  It's a quite adorable toddler sweater, and the yarn is lovely to work with, and I think this time I have it narrowed down where it all got to and--even better--think I can locate it. Two more: are actually the backs to the exact same toddler sweater, but in different sizes.  I think I still have the rest of the yarn for the cream one, but the green one is doubtful.  It's Lion Brand Wool-Ease, which is usually not too bad for dye lot issues for their major colors like these, but that still means the green one doesn't have muc...

Anyone remember this? It's an Alice Starmore (she of the lifetime-commitment sweater patterns) design on size 2 needles started in September of last year AND it is the WIP getting attention today.  While I'm incredibly pleased that I am working on an existing WIP, it's not a WIP that I'm going to be able to finish soon.  Unfortunately, that means I am unlikely to stay committed to finishing WIPs.  But I am pleased to say that I finished the sweater yesterday, so one WIP is finished.  My WIP-finishing record is 14 and I have 21 knitting WIPs and a huge stash of unlimited sewing WIPs.  Could I finish 14 WIPs of any sort in a row?  I'd possibly have to make an exception for ornaments so I don't fall behind, but could I do some serious WIP wrestling for the second half of the year................?

Though, to be fair, I haven't relaxed quite as much as Theo. My little sidekick is finally his old self again.  I'm still giving him two kittty meds, but mercifully they are capsules that can be sprinkled on his food.  Of course, being a cat he can still make that extremely difficult, and has pretty much decided that if he has to eat wet food, it must be the most expensive one I can find (Fancy Feast Appetizers but ONLY the fish flavors--can you beat that?), and there are days when I chase him around the house with the container to try to get him to eat enough to get the drugs down, but it's still better than the continual trips to the vet or the antibiotics.  Andy is away on business for a couple days, so there are some new ornaments.  My freehand embroidery skills are still rather poor, but as we have TWO Christmas trees, we also have two backs of trees, so felt ornaments seem like a good way to practice. And--brace yourself--after the ornaments ...

Meet finished WIP number 3! I'd like to say that this encouraged me to try to top my own personal record of 14 WIPs in a row (finished, not abandoned--that record is probably much more frightening), but in order to convince myself to get this thing finished, I promised myself this: which uses some FABULOUS cashmere/merino/silk yarn that a friend gave me, and is now finished, and severely in need of blocking.  It's a quite adorable pattern, which is available for free here .  Right now mine currently looks like some ramen noodles had an accident with Pepto Bismal, but if you click on the link, you'll understand why this worked so well as a bribe.  In fact, it worked so well that I'm working on another WIP!  Being my entry for the March Sweater Madness, it's a fairly recent WIP, but I finally got some issues with the pattern figured out, and the sweater is now zipping along again.  With bigger WIPS like this, I've promised myself a quick little rewa...

Okay, so in March I failed dismally on my March Sweater Madness, keeping up with the ornaments, the sewing streak, and just pretty much anything crafting related.  But I swear to do better this month.  Ahem... There was a last-minute ornament catch-up frenzy, which still didn't get me to 90, but I did reach 70 so ended less than a month behind.  There was a second tree ornament: which would look better with a flat star button, but as usual, I don't have any of those.  There were also 6 new treble clef lace ornament, which I hope will STOP smelling like desperation once the stabilizer is soaked away.  Today I decided to try some of the new ornaments Andy gave me for Christmas, so while I write, Jeeves is merrily working away, on what will hopefully look like this: Okay, I don't actually know what eggs have to do with Christmas, but it was the only pattern that didn't require applique, and I wanted to figure out one step at a time.  Somehow o...

Be vewy, vewy quiet.....I'm hunting WIPs. I have, right at this moment, 21 knitting WIPs.  I got to count the new socks as a WIP for the Spring Flower Basket Dash, so I earned an azalea:   That motivated me to continue on with the lilac baby sweater, AND to dig out a scarf   that has been languishing since January for no good reason.  These could be finished WIPs 2 and 3, and I'm hoping that finishing 3 WIPs in a row might just allow me to catch that very illusive fever known as finishitis .  It's the most rare condition known to knitting world, but I know it exists--I was lucky enough to catch it once , and finished 14 WIPS in a row.  If I can manage to catch even a light case, it would be marvelous, and I'm starting to feel that little finishitis twinge ........... If I'm vewy, vewy careful, maybe I can catch a wabbit finishitis..........

I finished my Waterfall Rib socks, and without even trying, they are as close to identical as I have ever gotten with variegated yarn: I had actually given up on the whole idea as it never seemed to work, so of course the Knitting Gods decided I shouldn't get off that easily, so now I will be haunted by how very close these came.   Of course, my first impulse would be to grab another ball of yarn and see if I can repeat my success, but luckily that involves moving many bins of yarn and I have distracted myself by this:  The Spring Flower Dash has entries for 3 WIPs, and the socks count as 1, this baby sweater is close enough to be within striking distance for the second AND would count for "Lily" as well because the yarn color is "lilac," AND it's a gift so it would fill "Carnation" as well.  The fact that I have crept back up to 21 existing knitting WIPs may also be a factor in my new-found finishing determination..  Well, that and the fac...

I am down to 16 WIPS. For some, that might be overwhelming.  For me, having once been around the 40-WIP mark, this is almost knitting monogamy.  One project was actually started yesterday, so I was down to 15.  Without trying.  Remember when I worked for months just to get DOWN to 14?  Having these crazy finished project goals for the year might not be so crazy after all...........

Frogged.  Twice. As soon as I posted yesterday, I dug out the yarn for Andy's sweater and cast on.  Knit two rows, checked gauge, WAAAAAAAY off, frogged.  Dug out needles two sizes smaller and cast on.  The gauge is fine but You know how stockinette rolls if it doesn't have ribbing attached?  Well, the designer doesn't.  I was willing to give the designer and Interweave Knits the benefit of the doubt here since there is ribbing on both sides of the stockinette patch, but NO.  Like ALL stockinette, it rolls.  I have frogged it for a second time, and cursing all designers I cast on a lace scarf instead.  NO designer to mess things up or not double check.  Just a stitch pattern I like, a nonrolling edging, and I'm a happy woman. And it's NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So....I didn't have the cast-on frenzy I thought I would, and technically am only at 11 WIPS right now, and I might just finish this scarf before having another go at th...

Two--count 'em, TWO--WIPS done, leaving me with....... ONLY TEN WIPS LEFT!!!!!!! (I realize that for some, having 10 WIPS would be a reason to start a WIP marathon, not the conclusion of one, but I've chosen to be realistic) I have met the Double Dog Dare Challenge!!!!  I'm down to 10!!!!!!  And I'm off to cast on something new........

I'm down to 12 WIPS. The bad news is.... the green shawl is no longer with us.  See all those little bits of yarn that don't seem to be attached to each other?  Well, they aren't.  After my boasting about the first finished repeat last night, I noticed that the yarn had broken off.  No problem--sometimes that can happen when one isn't paying attention.  So I spliced and went on for another row....then there was another break in the yarn, and this one I was positive I hadn't done.  Unwinding, I found another--and there were ends sticking out of the skein in odd places. When I made the retirement shawl for my mother this summer, I wound the ball too tightly with the ball winder, so I had breakage everywhere--which was totally my own fault, so though I whined a great deal, I was willing to splice over and over to get the project done.  This yarn, however, was in the original skein and call me grouchy, but I just don't enjoy playing "knit the crappy ...

With the kimono shawl finished, I am down to 13 WIPS....or 3 away from meeting the Double Dog Dare Challenge.  I have THREE projects that are really, really, REALLY close to being finished: Fleur, which is down to sewing on the beaded band, and doing beaded neckband & cuffs--exactly where it has been for the last year..... The alpaca sweater which needs a sleeve cap & some seams and a few buttons and I could actually be WEARING the darn thing..... and one of the cutest baby sweaters EVER, which needs seams and maybe the neckband and one buttonband.  ALL of them could probably be wrapped up with 2 weeks of serious application. And what am I doing with myself? Working on the baby sweater I cast on THE DAY BEFORE the Double Dog Dare Challenge began.  I have finished the back, and am zipping along on the front but it still isn't as far along as any of the more "matured" WIPS.  The upside is that I am about to finish off another skein of yarn but as ...