Stocking Up
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this on the blog yet (though at this point I’m quite sure what I have/haven’t told anyone so don’t feel left out), but I’m moving on Saturday.
And then again on Wednesday.
Basically, I’m headed back up to school with a pit stop at my parents for a few days of sleep, laundry and repacking.
But all of this moving and packing and repacking and leaving, is giving me the feeling like I need to hoard things. Things like yarn and knitting projects of course. But also things like ideas and feelings and possibilities, mostly in the form of sketches and charts and swatches. I sort of feel like I’m stock piling these ideas and this yarn for later. For a time when I’m out of yarn (ha!), or out of ideas, or both.
Whatever the motivation, these feelings have led to yarn buying, and yarn swatching. And we all know that yarn obtaining, means a post with lots of pictures, and who doesn’t love that. So, onwards to pictures and yarn!
Piles of washed and blocking swatches. I always get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I see a pile of swatches (or any pile of knitting really). There’s something about a large quantity of knitting all in one place that somehow simply makes my day better.
One skein of Madelintosh Prairie in the colorway Chamomile. This skein is 840 yards of a heavy single ply lace weight, and is destined to become something bright and cheerful in the middle of December or February, when everything is grey and drab, and knitting a lacy little thing in bright yellow will feel fantastic.
Two skeins of Cascade Heritage Silk, in black and an electric blue to be knit into mittens. A second sample of the not quite argyle mittens. Speaking of the not quite argyle mittens.
They’re done!
(they’ll get their own post once I wash them and weave in the ends, but they are done)
Part of a skein of Wollmeise Lace-Garn, won (awhile ago) in a blog giveaway from Wendy Knits. I’ve never used or even seen Wollmeise before and I’m super excited to get the chance to work with it. I’ve got about 500 yards that will become a shawl/wrap of some sort. This swatch was worked on a US 5 (3.75mm) needle, but I’ll probably go down to a US 4 (3.5mm) or even a 3 (3.25mm) for the actual piece.
Another ball of new to me yarn that I’ve been eying for a month or so, and finally picked up. It’s from Alisha Goes Around, in the Riches (of Martens) Fingering base. I don’t know the colorway, but it’s stunning shades of purple, and I simply can’t wait to work with it.
Three skeins (one is hidden under the swatches) of Madelinetosh DK in the colorway hearth, that is destined to become a large cushy, comfy, not quite lace, sort of circular shawl, perfect for fall.
Some beautiful yarn that will be worked up into a pair of cushy, warm fair isle mittens. I don’t have the name or colors of the yarn with me (sorry!).
And finally a small sweaters worth of Cascade Greenland. It’ll become a simple stockinette, top down, hip length, short sleeved sweater, with skinny white stripes starting at the waist and finishing at the hem. Finished off with an i-cord cast on around the neck, and ether i-cord or a hem around the sleeves, and a need finished hem. Closed with a large metal statement of a zipper.
I’m also making good progress on my sanity keeping garter stitch shawl, and I’ll try to get those mittens washed, blocked and posted this weekend (can’t promise though). Either way I think that’s enough for this morning. Until next time.
WS: Knit
All I want to knit right now is garter stitch. Simply knitting, back and forth, with great yarn and good needles.
For the moment, life is simply too nuts for anything else (plus I’m getting tired of purling back across on those reallllly long rows at the end of a top down shawl.)
So I’m knitting a shawl. In beautiful yarn, and great needles. Entirely in garter (plus a handful of eyelet rows). And it is the only thing keeping me sane right now.
(that’s the swatch, not the real thing. I’ll see if I can get a couple pictures of the real shawl posted within the next couple of days or so, when there is sunlight and I’m not blogging at midnight)
A more complete update coming soon-ish. Just as soon as life calms down a touch. (but expect some FO pictures over the weekend, which FO? you’ll have to come back to find out)
Avoiding Second Sock Syndrome
Or in this case second sock, and second mitten syndrome.
I generally don’t knit socks anymore. There was a period of a year or two where I only wore hand knit socks, and consequently I knit a lot of socks, but not anymore. However as part of stash dash (still need to post that latest shawl) I had a ball of sock yarn hanging around that I decided to knit up. It wasn’t quite right for a lacy scarf, which was my first idea, so I figured I’d give socks one more go.
Unfortunately I decided to knit these socks while on vacation, and the only set of DPNs with me were the ones I was using for the No-Longer-Springy Mitts. So I very quickly finished up the first mitten and slipped it onto an extra circular I had laying around, promptly cast on the first sock, and then I remembered why I don’t knit socks anymore.
I think they’re boring.
Now, this is mostly because of my own sock wearing preferences, and because I didn’t want to knit socks I wouldn’t wear. Personally I wear two types of socks, either black or white ankle socks, or crazy knee highs, not much in between. Needless to say, these socks I cast on during vacation were not knee highs, they were basically-black ankle socks with a two inch ribbed cuff (which I think is almost too tall).
Anyway, I powered through most of these socks while on vacation because they made great knitting while reading knitting, but then vacation was over and I didn’t touch them again. Until the other night.
Remember when I used the needles from the mittens to knit the socks? It turns out that I don’t have another set of DPNs in that same size, and the other night I really wanted to knit on the mittens. Mostly, because it’s really easy to see progress on them after an hour or two of work, and everything else I’m working on is lace, and a shawl, and not easy to see an hour or two of progress on.
So I reluctantly pulled the sock out of it’s bag, stuck it on my foot, realized it was slightly too wide for me, decided they would be a Christmas present, and that it was time to start the toe. In less than an hour I was done with the toe, had slipped the sock onto the circular also holding the first mitten, and was happily working away on the cuff of the second mitten.
Until about an inch into the colorwork of the mitten, when I realized I had written down nothing about how I knit the first sock, and if I want the two to match enough to give as a gift, I should really knit that second sock before I forget all the numbers. And with that realization, I’ve been knitting like a maniac on that second mitten, hampered only by the fact that the two shawls on the needles both have deadlines.
So now I have one mostly done sock, one mostly done mitten, one half done mitten, and a sense of urgency, which seems to be kicking second sock (mitten) syndrome in the butt.
(yes the big black blob, is really a sock)
