2007, 2008

At the beginning of 2007 I made a list of resolutions - and I went back to check them out because 1. I did not remember if I did, 2. I had no idea how they went.

So, I wanted to knit more for me because in 2006, out of 84 FO's only 8 were for me. 2007? 3 out of 67. No comment. (But I swatched for this cardigan last night, even got gauge!)

I wanted to knit from stash, and I think I did. I still have 470 balls of yarn in my stash, and I still have sweater quantity of Malabrigo, hemp, Karabella Aurora 8, Blue Sky Alpacas, Debbie Bliss, Jo Sharp - but I manage to use all my Pakucho, I made this, and almost all my Karaoke for Sursa. Why still 470 then?

I wanted to finish all my 2006 UFO's, and I still have two (or three, it depends how I count) standing. Among these, the only one that really bothers me is the SKB: I finished the first sleeve at the end of September, and then I got sidetracked by the x-mas knitting, I am so close! (If I do not start three more sweaters because I am going to knit for me this year, for sheep's sake!)

2008? I have 19 FO's (plus one "in time out"), among which 6 are for me (if I do not give them away), and 470 balls of yarn.

Just for the record.

More WIPs

I know I said "tomorrow", but in my world "tomorrow" means "sometime this week". So, here I go, two more WIPs:



Felted Bag, made in Lion Brand Lion Wool, one skein in Sage and two skeins in Majestic Mountain. I am at the very boring part, the loooong I-cord, and that is the reason why I haven't finished this since August. I did not have anybody particular in mind for this when I started it, but I am thinking now I could use it as x-mas gift. Umh, a gift 95% done? That will make me finish it!



Perfect Pie Shawl by Veronik Avery from Weekend Knitting in Tess' Designer Yarns Silk & Ivory. This one IS NOT A GIFT, so it is kind of low on my priority right now, but I love it, so I have to stash it away otherwise I am going to work on it. The yarn is fabulous and the pattern is so easy to memorize, it is almost mindless.

More WIPs tomorrow in few days.

P.S. I am soldiering on with the cardi for my niece, as Jennifer suggested. Penny asked about the pattern; I am just making it up as I go, but I am taking notes on what I am doing, so it may become a free pattern.

April?

Seriuosly? And where did March go? And if someone finds it, can they check for February too?
This past week has been especially blurry because I fell sick on Sunday night and I slept until Thursday morning. HWME needed to be the "mom" for few days, and he is still shell shocked. I do not think he realized what a number 10 years of full time working mom guilt had done on me, and so how complicated the kids' schedule has gotten this year that I am their full time driver.

There was some knitting while I was sick (not much, HWME was very worried), it's time for the monthly check on my knit-along.

My March projects were:
- Reynolds Dover Pullover
- Debbie Bliss' Mia from the book "Junior Knits"
- Jaywalker
I finished the sleeves of the pullover, I just have to finish the edging of Mia (already picked up the gazilion stitches), and I finish my Jaywalkers:



They have been renamed "the ugly Jaywalker" - have you ever seen more hideous pooling? Knit Picks Sock Garden. So appaling I like them.

The plan for April? Keep working on Mia and finish the Simple Knitted Bodice. The list is getting shorter!

Well, the ugly Jaywalkers are for me - I can't certainly give them to someone else!

Green, pink, and yellow? I am still working on two of my blue projects. Green and yellow are not really my colors, but I have sign-up for the ISE again and I making a scarf with this:

Stash and burn

A week or so ago, or maybe more since I think it's January and the calendar says March, I started listening to Stash and Burn, a podcast based in San Francisco. The two hostesses, Nicole and Jenny, are funny, nice, smart, and on topic. I really like their podcast, the fact that they are from around here, and that they are on a stash consumption mission.
Many knitters think that stash can be viewed as a "collection", with "core stash" that will be never be used, and "memory stash" that is a souvenir from some special place. Nicole and Jenny do not subscribe to this philosophy, and I have come to the conclusion that I do not either.
When I look at yarn that has been in my stash for many year some time, I think it must feel so sad and disappointed, lying there waiting to become something. It's a dream that has not come true, an unfulfilled promise. I bought the yarn telling it, "I'll make this or that with you". And then I didn't. Poor yarn.
Jenny and Nicole made a spreadsheet with all their yarn. What a good idea, I thought, I'll do it too. I have photos of (almost) all my stash, but I can't believe I have not a spreadsheet!
So I made one. With yarn, yardage per ball, number of balls, total yardage. And I looked at the total yardage: 86,933 yards. That's a lot, right? Yards mean nothing to me, but then someone reminded me that a yarn is pretty much a meter. 80 km? Holy yarn! Knit from Your Stash 2006? Make that "Knit from you Stash until 2020!"
In a feeble attempt of reducing the magnitude of the discovery, I have assigned a lot of it to "projects". Like writing "Central Park Hoodie" in the "Jaeger Shetland Aran in #38 (lilac)" row makes 10 balls (1800 yds) go away.
Like I do not have 13 projects on the needles already.
I started 2007 with 16 projects, and if there is something sadder than unused yarn, that is project languishing around with no hope of being completed. I frogged 4 projects since I joined UFO Resurrection 2007, and completed 4 more. It is time now to choose my projects for March:
- Reynolds Dover Pullover
- Debbie Bliss' Mia from the book "Junior Knits"
- Jaywalker
The Jaywalker are for me, so they count for the "It's NOT a Gift" KAL - I am really doing poorly in that one. The only project for me I have worked on in 2007 is the doomed Debbie Bliss Simple Jacket, doomed because ...... the collar is still wrong. I sewed together the fronts and the back and tried it on. The collar does not look right, again. I know what I have to do: rip those darn fronts and try again.
And I know what I'll do: I'll put the jacket in time out until I am ready to deal with it again. And cast on for Adriann. 1,250 yards.

It's February

Someone must have stolen January, or maybe I just misplaced it - my family suggested it could be in my stash.
February, so ..... Project Spectrum. February/March is Blue, White, Gray, and I am starting with blue:



DK weight cahsmere almost solid, hand dyed by me, 1,000 yards of it. I have looked at all my book to find a shawl pattern for it, and then it struck me, why not my shawl? The original one is at the store, and it's not really my color, so ..... my shawl for me. Because this knitting for me business is not going too well - look at the finished projects 2007? Do you see anything for me? I don't. The Debbie Bliss Simple Jacket with Collar? Still waiting for the final touches. But I did work on it in January, so it does qualify for UFO Resurrection 2007. I was really good in January with this UFO business:



1. Debbie Bliss Simple Jacket with Collar from Book 2
2. Reynolds Dover Pullover
3. Inspiration Scarf - DONE!
4. Logcabin Blanket
5. Larkspur Hat
6. Simple Knitted Bodice
7. Debbie Bliss' Mia from the "Junior Knits"
8. Lacy Scarf - FROGGED
9. Jimmy's Baby Gift Sweater Set
10. Twin Set
11. Tiger Eye Lace Scarf
12. Foot in the Door socks
13. Jaywalker
14. Watermelon Socks
15. Sock-ret socks - DONE!
16. Lake Taneycome Sunset Socks - FROGGED

I frogged two projects and finished one. Now it is time to lay put my February plan - let's attack #9 (Jimmy's Baby Gift Sweater Set) and #14 (Watermelon Socks).

Yarn and no photos

Not only I am working an several non bloggable project, but I am sick, so the chances of me finding the camera and then actually work it are pretty slim. Yesterday I was at the store while I was starting to feeling not so well, and it was pretty clear to Hollis I was getting worse by the minute: she laid the new shipment of Handmaiden Seasilk in front of me and all I said was "Hum."

So, while I have no photos, I have updates on my 2007 resolutions:


I have seamed one side of my Debbie Bliss Simple Jacket with Collar from Book 2 (item #1 in the photo). Being sick right now, not seaming, but ...... I should see my mom tomorrow, maybe if I beg and I play the pity card ......


I have bought no yarn (remember, sock yarn is not sock yarn) and I am plotting the use of the one I have. Principessa has asked for a cardigan that will use about 20 balls of my Karabella Aurora 8 - either the designer was on drugs or it will fit her all way through college. I am using a lot of sock yarn since I have joined the L&V Sock Marathon 2007 (sock yarn is not stash yarn when I buy it, it does count as stash reduction when I use it - it's my stash, so my rules).
I have started a EZ Surprise Jacket last night (or at least I think so, it's the "knitting while I am sick" phenomenon again) with Lorna's Laces Sportweight in Bucks Bar, another pair of sock with STR in Fire on the Mountain and that brings me to ...


I finished one project from the 16 I had at the beginning of January, and now I have 17 in progress. Ops! In my defense I will say that the Debbie Bliss Simple Jacket is really close (all the knitting is done), I have worked a couple of rounds of the Logcabin blanket (and there I realized that since I am leaving the stitches on hold instead of picking them up, I really need the new Options needles), I almost decided to frog the SSS socks, I did work on the twin set, and socks are just socks.