Falling behind

Whoops. It's the end of February, and I've actually finished a grand total of 2 projects for the 52 in 52 in 2011 group. Between being tired and being an ADD knitter, not much is getting done. I have to be in trainings every day next week, so I'm putting together yarn, needles, and patterns and gearing up to get several small projects going so that I can get caught up.

I've had several single skeins of Malabrigo worsted and chunky sitting around for quite some time now. I've gotten them over the years when I needed one more skein to get free shipping, saw a color I really liked but didn't have much money to spend on multiple skeins, or had some vague idea of what I would do with x-and-so colorway but never wrote it down. I pulled all of those out the other night and started pairing up patterns with yarns, knowing that I have a week of training coming up. I've heard from others who have been to this training that the trainers provide Play-Doh, pipe cleaners, crayons, and such for everyone since they figure you have to have some form of ADD in order to work in social services. (If you've met me, you know it's true!) I figure I'll take my knitting, since it's my way of keeping my hands busy. If they're going to let folks play with Play-Doh or color, I should be able to knit, right? Plans are for hats, fingerless mitts, and cowls over the course of this week, so I'm hoping that I'll have at least 3-4 new FOs by next weekend! Maybe I'll actually get around to posting some photos on this blog! SHOCKER!

Better get back to pairing, winding yarn, and getting cast on rows done. I figure I can knit simple patterns to my heart's content, but worrying about casting on the proper number of stitches should be done when I don't also need to be paying attention to my trainers. :)

Better get moving...

Ha, as is typical for me, I started something new and quickly fizzled out. I do have several projects to work on, I just don't seem to be getting stuff done.

I did go and visit a yarn shop that opened last fall. It's over an hour from where I live, so I doubt I'll visit often, but I wanted to see what it was all about. I haven't really found an LYS that I feel a connection with since leaving North Carolina. There's something about finding a yarn shop where I feel comfortable and connected that helps keep my knitting mojo in high gear. The new shop is cute and I did enjoy chatting with the owner, but once again it's not the kind of shop that makes me desperate to go back and visit again. At this rate, I'm going to have to visit every yarn shop in Iowa in order to find one! *sigh*

I did find a skein of Kauni Effektgarn in a colorway that's incredible, and I can't wait to start a new shawl with it. The shop had a shawl on display made with a different colorway and I can just envision it in my colorway. Alas, the pattern calls for the same needle size I blogged about earlier. I may have screamed and swore a little. UGH. Here's hoping I can finish the blasted Citron and free up those needles to get started on new wonderful things!

The plight of the knitter...

Second week of the year and I'm already on my third project cast on. I'm definitely an "ooh, shiny!" kind of knitter, which means I go through some serious fits of cast on-itis. Deciding to be a part of the 52 in 52 in 2011 group means I have even more excuse to indulge my inner ADKD (attention deficit knitting disorder).

This weekend the plan was to indulge the desire to cast on and start a lace project. I haven't done any large lace projects in a while and it's high time I start another. My first choice wasn't really a "lace" project, but it is knit with lace yarn. It's a lovely little shawl and I knew I had the perfect yarn for it. I pulled out my yarn, patiently wound all 1400 yards of it, looked up the necessary needle size, pulled out my needle case... and discovered that I don't have the correct size circular needle in the right length. Funny thing, since I have an interchangeable needle set. The reason I don't have what I need is that my needles are currently tied up in other projects. Oh, the pain of being a multiple projects at once knitter. Theoretically, I could take the interchangeable tips off of the current project, but I know me and I know I'd NEVER finish if I do that.

Feeling a little annoyed, I worked a few rows on the offending project already in progress, remembered why it was still in progress and not finished, and put it back in the box it came from. I was a good knitter and pulled out the baby sweater for a while, and then did some other things around the house. So now I have a nicely prepped ball of yarn and pattern, but no needles. Strike 1.

Later in the day, I found an INCREDIBLE lace pattern that I have to cast on as soon as humanly possible. It's beautiful, it's amazing, it's complex and intricate, in a nutshell, everything I've been looking for in a lace pattern. I have a gorgeous cone of dark green, merino/silk blend lace yarn and I just know it will be the perfect yarn for the pattern. Look up the needle size... and... CRAP. It's the same size required as the first non-started one. Dang, dang, dang. Stuck again.

Knit a few more rows on the offending project already in progress, which is now taking up the needles I need for TWO projects I REALLY want to start. Was reminded even more forcibly why that project is a pain in the butt (even though I know it will be lovely once complete).

Today, I didn't bother with lace, didn't bother with patterns that would have anything whatsoever to do with lace or those confounded needles, and looked for a quick project that will easily be finished in a couple of days.

I'm knitting a hat with Malabrigo Chunky yarn and big honkin' needles. I feel (mostly) better.

I did it!

On New Year's Day, I started a hat because working with the cotton for the baby sweater was driving me bonkers. Oh, how I love Malabrigo yarns- gorgeous colorways, SUPER soft, and comes in several different weights. It's wonderful stuff. I decided to make the Thorpe hat (Ravelry link) with some Malabrigo Chunky in the Purple Mystery colorway. It's knit from the top down, which is a bit different than most hat patterns, so getting it started was a bit of an adventure. Once I got through the first few increases, the hat flew off the needles and was finished rather quickly.

Well, almost.

See, to finish the hat, I needed to do a crochet border. Previous attempts at crochet have resulted in me strangling my crochet hooks with the yarn and being extremely frustrated that I just couldn't figure it out. I knew the hat just wouldn't look complete without the border, so I pulled up You Tube and watched a couple of videos of the crochet stitch I needed to perform.

After a couple of viewings, I pulled out a swatch and started working. Somehow, my hands figured it out and I was working the half double crochet on the swatch. When I picked up the hat tonight to attempt to finish the actual project, I somehow remembered what I needed to do and managed to not put too much tension on the yarn!

I still need to weave in a few ends, add the braids (and possibly a tassel if I feel like it), but the hard part is over and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Keep an eye out here for photos of the finished hat!

52 in 52 in 2011

This year, one of my goals is to knit more- more gifts, more fun stuff, and more things to show off. I adore knitting, but sometimes I need some motivation to pick up the needles and string. Even though I know it calms my troubled spirit, some days I just don't pick up the projects when I really should.

Through a friend (Thanks, Ria!), I found a group on Ravelry that's all about getting projects done. The idea behind the group is to start and finish 52 projects in 52 weeks, or about one project per week. There's no specific type of project that has to be done, so it's entirely up to the knitter's whim. Theoretically, small projects which can be completed quickly make up for larger projects which may take several weeks. Also, if I decide to learn a new type of fiber art (i.e. crocheting or spinning), I believe completing these projects count as well.

I have several ideas for gifts throughout the year, so this will be a good motivation for me. I pulled out my entire stash today and matched up some yarn with patterns, so I've got several things ready to start. I don't have anywhere near 52 projects specifically planned, but I fear that may overwhelm me, so I'll just pair up 5-6 projects at a time.

Today I started the first of the projects, Plymouth Yarn's Baby Placket Pullover, a baby sweater for my niece who is due in April. It's a kit I purchased a couple of years ago and comes complete with yarn (Plymouth Yarns Cotton Kisses), pattern, and buttons. The pattern has two versions, one a pullover and the other a traditional cardigan style. I chose to go with the pullover style since I liked the styling better in the photos. I'm doing the 6-9 month size, that way it will be big enough for the baby to wear for a while and there's less risk that it will forever be too small for her. This project has already reminded me that I'm not a fan of cotton yarns, because they naturally have less stretch than wool and can be much harder on the hands. I'm glad this is a baby project, because it will be done faster and then I can go back to my beloved wool and wool blends!