A Little Yarn On The Side

I am still holding strong and have not cast on anything new. It's possible....just possible...that I could finally get through all this before I cast on something new: Not very likely, I'll grant you, but possible. Wouldn't that be fabulous! The odds are better than normal as my case of "finishitis" is still going strong. Let's hope it's both contagious and incurable! To help spread this new condition, I have decided to sponsor a contest for number of WIPs finished in a row WITHOUT casting on anything new. Some consideration will be given for the size and complexity of the project, but they must already be in progress as of this moment. The winner (or winners--I reserve the right to award multiple prizes if it is called for) will receive a knitting bag with his or her name embroidered on it. I'd post a picture, but I haven't made it yet as I just thought of this yesterday. Keep me posted through the comments and let me know how many project...

I have finished 3 projects in the last two weeks--including tonight's blocking of the plum scarf-- and instead of diving head-long into the stash to start 3 new things, which would generally be my next move, I have apparently contracted a little known disease called "finishitis." This is possibly the first ever documented case in the knitting community. Unlike "starteritis," with "finishitis" the victim is irrationally compelled to finish projects--a very desirable state, of course, but the long-term effects of this condition are as yet unknown. High on the thought of finishing four or even five projects in a single month, I pulled this out of the WIP pile: and have knit 3 rows already. This is the start to Fir Cone Square Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls book, which was abandoned about 7 months ago when the intended recipient said she didn't actually want a shawl for her birthday (which later led to the music quilt--which she will ...

The plum scarf is really just a simple moss-stitch border with a lace pattern from one of Barbara Walker's treasuries, which you could actually see if I could ever keep Theo off of them. The one I'm using is the one directly under him. which could explain why this scarf took more than a year to complete. By best guess left me with just a tiny bit of yarn left over and a scarf on its way to being blocked. And now that my cold is all gone, a toast to three finished projects in a row! And I have not cast on a new project. This is a personal record indeed! Could I perhaps be growing into a responsible knitter????? Heaven help me, bring on the laceweight!

It's finished, blocked, furred, the ends are woven in, and it's wrapped and ready to go. Theo is in mourning. This is the second sweater I've made from Elann's Shawl Back Shrug pattern, which can be found for free here . It's definitely one of my favorite patterns, and I used 6 skeins of Elann Peruvian Quechua DK-weight alpaca. I'm distinctly proud of myself this month. I have finished two projects, and have not yet cast on a new one. I am choosing to view this as personal growth rather than a reflection of having run out of room in knitting bags for any more projects. I cling to what I can. Instead, I have chosen to continue working on the plum scarf (and Daniele is right--I do seem to be having a purple lace obsession lately), which is this far from being done: It will be a decent-sized scarf, I think, but it will definitely be done when this yarn is gone because I don't have any more and don't remember what it actually was. I have narrowed it d...

Bright and early this morning, I added the ribbing to the shrug, and with Theo's "help," washed and rinsed it-- which is very thirsty work-- blocked it and finally got Theo away from it. which I'm sure is only a temporary situation. Nothing excites him so much as blocking knitting or something without a layer of cat hair covering it. There are still about 3 loose ends that need to be woven in, but I like to do that after blocking--I always think that there's less chance of causing any tension problems that way. Tomorrow I'll wrap it up and ship it off to the birthday girl. As hard as it is to believe after the Marathon Mohair Monster that is the Lady's Circular Cape, I found myself missing working on lace, so this long suffering scarf has gotten some attention this weekend. I started it sometime last year, but have never been very excited about working on it as the lace pattern is a bit too fussy for me to have memorized, so I have to sit with the Barb...

Totally flattened by this silly cold, I spent yesterday in bed with Vicks, both cats, the BBC production of Middlemarch , and the Top Secret project, which left me well rested, smelling of menthol, dreaming in English syntax, and with this: Top Secret just needs ribbing done around the edges and some severe blocking, and it will be done & on its way to the recipient. I believe it is safe to post this now as I don't think the new owner follows my knitting blog too closely. I have never been good at keeping gifts as surprises anyway--I'm always too excited about them. Recipients are probably lucky I don't open their gifts for them! And, the new stash depletion totals: 65.5 balls and 9388 yards of yarn used so far this year!

OK, and I'm working on the Top Secret project which I cannot post pictures of until it is done & in the recipient's hot little hands. But Top Secret will require just about HALF the yarn of the Mohair Monster, so it's all good. And it isn't mohair, which is even better. I need to get back to the Hibiscus for Hope test knit, but I think I have about a week left on the Top Secret project which really needs to get done and shipped--then I can go back & do some edits for the test knit. Which probably works out for the best, as I'm taking cold medicine and math and tiny needles are probably not a good combo for me right now. The next attempt could result in something truly outrageous--like a "willy warmer" or other things my knitting is a bit too G-rated for...... The worst part of the cold (besides envisioning a willy warmer), is that I didn't get my celebratory white chocolate martini to celebrate finishing the Lady's Circular Cape! Dang ...