A Little Yarn On The Side

The July Project of the Month is FINISHED. I know--quite a record for myself and probably never one to be repeated. I ended up not doing half with navy thread, because for some inexplicable reason, there are seven napkins--not eight. Having bought these quite some time ago, it's impossible to know what happened--were there eight and one got lost in the laundering process (which would have been more than a year ago anyway)? Were they on clearance and I could only find seven? Did the eighth one get sucked into the sewing room black hole that now contains--among other things--2 pattern instruction sheets and a half-finished pajama top? Did I only buy seven because there are only six placemats and I was just looking to have a spare? This is a great mystery, but I embroidered the seven I had, wrote down the thread color I used in the off-chance I find the eighth napkin (I know--planning ahead! So unlike me!), and called it good. Another project down!!!! (And yes, groping around...

* When one starts getting a bit too confident about one's knitting, one's probably about to get one's arse kicked by mohair. * Even when one hasn't liked any of the patterns in the last year and a half, it's still really hard to cancel a subscription to a knitting magazine. * The difference between "collecting" yarn and "hoarding" yarn is about 3 skeins. * Attention Deficit Disorder is in the eye of the beholder. I like the term "diversified knitter with options" better. * Checking gauge is a lot like flossing one's teeth. Even though I know it's a really, really, REALLY good idea, I don't always do it. * No matter what your hobby is, at some point during your lifetime it will probably be considered "cool." * Even if one hardly ever wears them, one can't have too many lace shawls. * The fastest way to end up with a sweater one doesn't really like is to get caught up in the pattern buzz on Ravelry. * My c...

I HELD STRONG!!! I did not break down at 11:59 last night and fling myself into the laceweight, but it was a close thing. The yearning for a lace scarf was very tough to resist, but already having 4 lace projects on the needles made it a bit easier. This morning bright & early I closed my eyes and reached into the Project of the Month bin and groped around until I had a bag that didn't contain yarn--no sense blowing my WIP marathon on the first day--and I pulled out this: Eight white napkins that I bought quite some time ago, intending to embroider roses on them to match our dishes--which of course hadn't happened. Since I have to change the sewing machine to embroidery, and I was pathetically close to finishing my last sewing project, I buckled down and finished a cotton pique jumpsuit for wearing around the yard. The pique is a bit heavier than I would have hoped, but it is nice & loose for hot summer days and.....IT HAS POCKETS!!! I love pockets--probably because...

Technically, I could cast on something new today, and I don't really have any good "stoplight" knitting.....but I'm trying to hold strong. I decided it wouldn't hurt to move one of my WIP Wrestling entries a little farther along The Luna Moth shawl has 4 1/2 pattern repeats, and I just finished repeat number 3, so it's getting close. And the most marvelous part--NO EDGING!!! Theo thinks I'm cheating and doesn't condone such behavior. To make amends, I did some sewing while he guarded the material for the next project-- some summer clothes for Andy. Around here, our clothes are furry even BEFORE they're made. I also did a few rows on the Kimono Shawl, which has now become a Top Project because it's just about the only thing I can work on without having to consult the pattern for every row. If I can just make it past today without going near the yarn closet.......

And only in my world could that be a GOOD thing. The June Project of the Month socks are done, washed and blocking with 2 days to spare. I'm feeling positively giddy...and had fleeting thoughts of casting on something new before the July WIP Wrestling begins, but I refrained. For now... Theo refused to have anything to do with the socks. He presented me with a dead bird this morning, and seems a bit disgruntled with me after I threw it in the trash. I did praise him and let him play with it for a while, but I think he expected me to treasure it a bit longer. Maybe a little sewing in the morning will smooth things over....

The sock is fine, but I have lost my favorite cable needle--the one I bought 20+ years ago to make my very first sweater--has been lost while mowing the lawn. When last seen, the needle was hooked on my shirt, where I had placed it while knitting and forgot about it as I went out to mow the stupid lawn, which will just need to be mowed again next week. Sigh.......

There are four days left in June and most of a foot still to knit, but I think I will still get the June Project of the Month finished in June--which is sort of the point of the whole thing. Granted, it hasn't gotten much attention this week, which you can blame on this which represents four days of work, seven batches of jam, three burns, and an insane number of cherries. Theo doesn't really enjoy canning much, and has started an outright lobbying effort for sewing: The ham.