A Little Yarn On The Side

The Albatross Swan Lake MS3 stole is finally done!!! It will look a bit better after being blocked, but how much depends on your perspective. I am a "symmetry" sort of person, so this takes top honors as my least favorite knitting project ever. But, it's done, and I get to add 1000 yards to my tally for the year. YAY! I might have been doing a little swearing while working on the last few beaded rows--Theo obviously thought it safer to wait outside the sewing room. I've had a little difficulty deciding what to work on next. After finishing 5 projects in a row, I would love to cast on something new, but I'm hoping to get to at least 10 WIPs in a row before I crack. So, I did a few rows on the Fir Cone Shawl which can't be finished without buying more yarn, then on to Fleur which I have a love/hate relationship with. It's a lovely cashmere blend yarn, but because of the shaping, it is really fussy knitting and yet boring stockinette stitch, so I los...

And another evening out with truly wonderful, but (alas) non-knitting , friends instead of knitting. That's it, I'm just going to have to start converting people. ....Come toward the light....there is wool and mohair there....you will be warm.....and have great sweaters.....

....but we were out with friends tonight and I have had zero time to knit. I know what you're thinking--if I recruited them as knitters I could have done both tonight. Same thing crossed my mind....

If you are participating in the WIP-finishing contest, this post is not going to be helpful at all. The lovely Hibiscus for Hope pattern is now available. Ramona has designed the luscious sock pattern as a thank-you gift for those who sponsor her in a walk to raise money for breast cancer. To get a copy of the pattern, you can sponsor Ramona here . There's a place on the form where you can specify that you would like the pattern, and give her your email address so she can send you a copy. If this: doesn't make it tempting enough for you, consider According to the CDC, in 2004 (the most recent year numbers are available), 186,772 women and 1,815 men were diagnosed with breast cancer 40,954 women and 362 men died from breast cancer Supporting research to cure any type of cancer is one of the most heroic deeds humans are capable of achieving. Let's make it a thing of the past--not the future.

Recognize this? MS3 - started over a year ago. 13 rows to go, and this bad boy is done!!! And do you want to know the best part? WHEN IT'S DONE I GET TO ADD 1000 YARDS TO MY STASH-BUSTING TALLY!!!!! I knew somewhere in the universe was something that would finally motivate me to finish MS3. Turns out it took the Year of the Stash AND the WIP marathon to force me into it, but it's going to be done!!!!!!!

Aside from needing a button (which will have to wait until the spending ban is over), Sitcom Chic is DONE!!!!!! So, my 4th WIP in a row has been finished! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And even better, I haven't found any more WIPs lurking any where. That's a nice feeling Callisto seems to be enjoying the huge WIP pile, but I find it a little intimidating. Still, there's one less of them. YAY!!!!!!! So, how is everyone else doing?

So last night I was cleaning the sewing room--obviously not having yet learned that cleaning is never really a good thing--and I found yet another knitting bag, which was holding this: Besides a giant yarn snarl, I found this: an ABC sweater from Debbie Bliss's Nursery Knits that I started for a future niece or nephew who was ultimately miscarried and I put away because I didn't have the heart to work on it any longer. Enough time has passed--and the fact that I now have 8 healthy nieces and nephews plus 2 "honoraries"--to make this an acceptable project again. I also found two green baby sweater pieces, and my first thought was "Wonderful! It's almost done!" Then I noticed: Not parts of the same sweater. What possessed me to start & abandon 2 sweaters in the exact same yarn is anyone's guess. I just hope I wasn't making them for specific children, as the intended recipients would now be of school age & way too large for either of ...