A Little Yarn On The Side

* Your only fantasies about a tall, dark, stranger involve the aran sweater he's wearing. * Your spouse knows the term S.A.B.L.E. and knows whether or not you've reached it. * When you pet your cat, you can't help thinking what a nice yarn his fur would make. * When June is unseasonably cold and rainy, you're torn between worrying the tomatoes might die and being thrilled that you can still wear wool socks. * You're genuinely surprised when spell check doesn't recognize "tink" as a word. * You re-read all of the Harry Potter books because Hagrid, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley all knit. * If your cats can't find you, they wait for you by the yarn. * It's easier to give up processed food than buying yarn. * You can knit lace while still coming out from under anesthesia. * Your spouse knows that a yarn catalog in the mail will be the highlight of your day. * When you travel, you spend 4 weeks deciding what knitting to take and 30 minutes ...

Yesterday being the first really nice day in quite a while, the sock, Theo, and I decided to spend a little time outside: Theo is actually the lump under the blanket, but he finally decided that was a bit too warm. The second sock is progressing nicely: and is speeding along now that I have figured out that if I finish it in June, I could technically cast on something new, which really defeats the whole idea of WIP Wrestlemania, but it is getting the sock knit, so it works. I generally don't have second-sock-syndrome, but I generally don't graft toes either. I see a distinct connection. So I'm holding in at 19 WIPS, and as Daniele mentioned, it hadn't seemed like I cast on that many projects this year. As it turns out, 10 of the current WIPS are leftover from my previous WIP pile--the 10 left after I finished the 14 in a row last year. I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse, but it does explain where all my size 4 needles went....

Ta da!!! And you know why this is especially impressive? Because I kitchenered the toe together! (Which, incidentally wasn't named for the room with all the dirty dishes but for someone presumably named "Kitchener," which doesn't make it one iota more fun) In general, I despise grafting in any knitting, and in specific, I REALLY hate grafting toes together. Oh sure, it looks nice, but so does a bikini wax and I'm not ABOUT to do that.

I have 19 WIPs. Granted, that's slightly less than the 24 I had at this time last year, but not by much. I think it's time for an intervention. I am joining Ravelry's WIP Wrestlemania , set to kick off on July 1. Basically each team tries to finish as many existing projects as they can during the month of July. No prizes, really, except that my knitting might once again fit into my knitting bag--always a good sign. My first entry: the blanket for my youngest nephew, which will just need a few rows & I think I'll crochet a blue edging around it. It could really be done this month, but my Project of the Month is perhaps going to need a bit more attention to actually be finished this month, which is really the whole idea of a "project of the month." The first sock is now at the foot, and this picture shows the stitch pattern: but this one shows the actual color: I'll honestly be quite glad when they're done--not just because I'm not impresse...

Yes, there is a new project on the needles, and No, I haven't finished any of the WIPs yet.... I can't even come up with a good excuse for this, except that it's a one-skein lace shawl that will use up 250 yards and it's going pretty fast....and I have the willpower of a child.....

So the sock "Project of the Month" is progressing, and some might be wondering why I put a sock in a "Project of the Month" bag, as I have generally made the projects things I might not get around to doing otherwise and I am almost always up for knitting socks. These socks I decided I wanted to use and actual sock pattern --something I haven't done in years. When I make socks, I generally use a basic toe-up pattern and make a plain foot, a short-row heel, them pick a pattern for the leg. Works brilliantly, but there is a lot to be said for branching out, so I am using a pattern from this book which I've had for a while but never used. I have to say, I'm rather disappointed in the book. I think it's confusing, and would confuse a novice sock knitter--possibly to the point of driving them to crochet. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) The author asserts that you can't have an odd number of repeats in a pattern for a sock, assert...

OK, yes, there are several projects still on the needles, and it might look bad to be starting two NEW projects, and this is indeed a new lace stole, but since I did finish the retirement shawl, this isn't so much a NEW project as a REPLACEMENT project. And this is the June Project of the Month, which I really needed to cast on, so that's fair. So really, I haven't dived off the cliff into the great WIP abyss again, but it might not be too distant from the great state of Denial.....