Fickle Knitter

I've been a fickle knitter lately. I've had a hard time sticking to one project, and also to really loving the project at hand. I'm a one-project type of knitter normally but lately things haven't been working out that way. Case in point: I started the Bed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks and have completely stalled out:



Okay, really I have completely run out of yarn and have had no success in finding more in the same color. I'm going to give it a week, go back to the yarn store, and then make some decisions. I may have to order off of the internet.

I recently finished the Target Wave Mittens:



These are made from Debbie Bliss Tweed yarn in a pink colorway, from the Norah Gaughan pattern in the 2006 Winter IK. I'm sort of lukewarm about the pattern and the finished mittens and the yarn. Let's start with the yarn. It's hard. It's even a little bit rough. Frankly, it feels like acrylic. The mittens themselves are knit flat from the wrist up to the tip, the tip is seamed, then you pick up stitches around the opening left for the thumb target. Then you knit flat and eventually seam up the rest of it. I'm not a big fan of seaming in general and this seemed (a pun!) like a lot of work for a little pair of mittens. Plus I think the end product looks a little...puckered. I may not feel that way if I had actually knit the stripes (like the pattern is written) but I doubt it.

Speaking of Nora Gaughan, I think I've found my way out of my knitting funk:



That's one little pink swatch, made from RYC Wool Silk DK. It's my swatch for the Vintage Pink Cardigan, designed by Norah Gaughan. I've been wanting to make this cardigan for a long time now, and I'm really excited about it. I'd like to leave you with one last picture of my weeping cherry tree:

Breathing.

I am still alive. Still breathing. I will be back posting here very soon, Saturday, I expect. My in-laws were here, but left on Tuesday and I still haven't fully recovered. I also have a serious bit of work to do at the office, and it's stressing me out. I have a case that is scheduled to go to trial the first week of June and so it requires some serious attention from me.

I have been knitting as well. I finished the Target Wave Mittens, but haven't blocked them yet. I have also started the Bed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks, but ran out of yarn. I have cast on for Shedir from Knitty. I finished the Monkey Socks, and have worn them a couple of times even. They are fabulous.

Oh The Places You'll Go!

We went, we saw, we came back. We were gone for less than 48 hours, and spent 28 of them traveling. Isn't it funny how all airports basically look the same, smell the same, and have the same food? I can't complain though. We didn't have so much as a late flight the whole trip. I was still so tired last night that I fell asleep with the lights on in my bedroom, and didn't wake up and notice until about 5:00 a.m.

On the trip I finished the Monkey Socks. They are lovely, really lovely. I like them a lot. I haven't worn them yet because they are not yet dry. That's the consequence of using medium weight Socks That Rock and having no air circulation in the house because it's too warm for the furnace to come on. It was 85 degrees yesterday when I came home from work. I really can't believe that it's already way too hot. It's also spring. The peach tree has leaves, the maple leaves have unfurled and the weeping cherry tree is blossoming. I promise to post pictures as soon as I can.

I also started a new project: the Target Wave Mittens from the Fall 2006 IK. I knit one mitten up Sunday evening. A fast knit. I'm using Debbie Bliss tweed yarn that I picked up on sale back in November or December. I think this may be my first Dulaan project. I haven't cast on for the second mitten yet but that's because we've been cleaning the house in preparation for my in-laws visit. They will be here probably tomorrow night. So, I've been rather busy lately.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

I'm taking a little trip. I will actually be spending more time in airports and on planes than visiting the people that we're going to see, so it should be a perfectly miserable trip. Plus we're leaving the dog (you know, our child) with the neighbors. Totally freaks me out.

For a short time there I had four different projects on the needles. I've reduced that number down to two: Monkey Socks by Cookie A. (from Knitty) and Bed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. Why all the project chaos? I don't really know. Part of it is that I'm trying to knit from the stash and it's not really going very well. Part of it is that a couple of these projects are long overdue presents for other people. Part of it is that I kept getting frustrated with my projects and casting on new ones.

I'm knitting on the Monkey Socks pretty enthusiastically right now. I cast on for them because I really wanted to use up the rest of the Socks That Rock skein that I used to make Pomotomus (in the Sedona colorway.) I really love the yarn, and the color and the leftovers of that skein were really calling to me. Additionally, while I love my Pomotomus socks I rarely wear them out of the house because they don't fit into my shoes. I wanted to make a tighter pair of socks. I knew that I wanted to try casting on only 48 stitches for a pair of socks using the Socks That Rock. When I was flipping through my pattern stash I saw that the Monkey Socks were knit in repeats of 16 stitches, so I decided to try it out.

I really like this pattern. It's easily memorized and looks really good. Of course, I discovered all too soon that I didn't have nearly enough yarn to finish the pair, so I bought another skein of Socks That Rock in the Pop Rocks colorway. This colorway, I swear, has my name written all over it, and it incorporates the same peach color as the Sedona colorway. Best of all, I've finished the first sock and after trying it on I would say that I got the size just right this time.

Also, on the knitting front, I have a question for all of you. I have a small stash of handspun yarn. Most of it is pretty thick and thin and slubby. What should I knit with it? Do you have any pattern suggestions? I want to use it. I just can't decide what I want to do with it.

The Reason Why All of My Projects Are In Time Out

This is Sheldon the Turtle from Knitty:



I knit this for a friend's baby (only six or seven months after the birth.) I've been meaning to knit it for a while now, but just got around to it. I actually enjoyed making this project, except for one thing. The shell is supposed to be attached to the shell attachment piece (the harness apparatus) with an attached I-Cord edging. Now, I hate attached I-Cord. I think it pretty much sucks to knit the same stitch three times. However, I am willing to do it if a pattern calls for it. On this project I. Could. Not. Get. It . To. Work. I ripped and re-knit at least five times and simply could not get it right. Finally, I gave up and whip-stitched the shell to the edging. See:




I'm glad that he's done and he's cute. I may even make this again. But I won't even attempt the I-Cord edging.