Oh Hai Blog!

Sometimes it's tough to blog about my knitting.

Firstly, if your me, and you have projects that you're working on, but they look essentially the same since the last time you posted photos of them, well, it doesn't make for very interesting blog fodder. The white blanket looks the same as it did last time... only longer. Except, not long enough to tell you what the next step is or something interesting about it, just long enough for me to know I've made progress but not really talk about it.

Secondly, it's dark out. And as you've probably already noticed- it's tough to take photos in sunlight, when there's little of it. (I have tried, for the most part, to take my photos in natural sunlight so you can see essentially true colors etc.) It's dark when I go to work in the morning and it's dark when I get home. My office lighting is ATROCIOUS. So, if I'm inspired to do something, like for example rip out a scarf that's been languishing in my unished object pile because I'm inspired to knit these mittens instead, you have to hope that I can catch a sprinkling of sun on a weekend to take a photo.

Bye bye scarf of many colors... back to the stash you go. (Side note- ripping out Noro Silk Garden after it's been sitting in a knit state for over 2 years isn't pretty- I'm happy I was able to salvage most of it...)

Thirdly, I've been increasingly frustrated by my Blogger skills. I am very, VERY basic. I know this looks flashy and exciting to some of you- but this is very low level, goofing off and hoping it works kind of layout and format. What I find INFINTATELY frustrating is that lately I've been receiving comments and questions on the blog from strangers and for some reason I have been unable to respond to commentors. If you have left a comment on this blog- and do not leave an email or a Ravelry name, or a blog you're with, I have NO WAY to respond to you. I don't even know how to find out who you are. I AM NOT TRYING TO IGNORE YOU or keep all the knitting secrets to myself! I just have no way to respond. I AM REALLY SORRY. I swear I'm not an a big jerk who doesn't want to respond. I DO! BADLY! I just don't know how.

What I need is a "blog person." Someone who I can pay for their time who will sit down and a) build this site into something palatable and viewable and b) set it up so that I can post photos, text and respond to comments and make it my little space on the internet but also something that is easy for my lame-o computer skills to manage. (Hello birthday gift idea!!)

So there you have it. I'm hoping for a flurry of excitment/progress here soon. I also know that 'tis the season for doing 96 gazillion different Christmas events that suck on knitting time. So cross your fingers I'm able to survive with a little knitting along the way.

Too Much White

Blog posts have been less than my regular frequency lately, because I'm kind of in a state of knitting ennui. I did liberate myself from all the unfinished items hanging over my head, shaming me- but the projects that remain aren't exactly thrilling me either.

Maybe it's because they are all the same color.

Behold- the latest baby blanket, where progress is made, but there isn't much to say about it. (At least it's a very VERY simple knit.)

Behold the backup project- a pretty shawl... also white. (But cashmere... mmmmm)

Making this whole "meh" feeling worse? I can't get away from white stuff. BEHOLD- the view outside. (At my sister's house.)

At least this view is doing one thing, it's so cold to do anything else I'm essentially home bound and left with only an option to knit. So that is what I'll do- hopefully there will be some interesting stuff happening around these parts again soon! Next project will be colorful- promise!!

Closing Some Circles

Sylvia in my KnitWits group told us a story last knitting night that kind of struck home. She was unsatisfied with a few things in her life and it was stressing her out. Her doctor gave her some very sage advice- "close your circles Slyvia". It turns out that there were unfinished things in Sylvia's life and when she starting finishing them, she found that she started feeling better.

As you can tell from my last post, there are a lot of open circles in my life right now. The sheer idea that there were so many projects in various states of completion was stressing me out, I didn't want to knit because it was so overwhelming to figure out what I should work on- so I decided to take the advice and close a few of my own circles.

Firstly, I had to admit defeat. I could not finish all of the projects on the needles and so I had to let some projects move to the frog pile. It's not to say I won't ever attempt these again, but they are no longer weighing on my concience.

Goodbye Doggy Mittens

Goodbye Charade Socks

Getting those two projects off the needles was oddly relieving. Now I can knit knowing that they aren't there, wondering why I haven't worked on them. With those off the needles I'm able to better focus on the projects I do have on hand.

Knitting Therapy, which is delightfully simple to knit, and I love feeling the soft cashmere. Progress is slow but steady, and it's looking like this these days.

I did also start the knee socks that I discussed in my last post. They're a rather slow process also, but I will admit that the colors are tremendously fun. And once I get the calf shaping figured out, I'm on easy street with the rest of the knitting.

AND, yes, I did cast on a new blanket. The baby is due at the end of December and the pattern is also very simple to knit, so I cast on, ready to face the challenges.

Not all my circles are closed, but it feels like my "circle count" is more manageable these days. The sheer act of letting some project go has lifted the weight of my current "to finish pile" and I find myself considerably less overwhelmed with what I do have to knit. (It helps that what I'm knitting is all very simple.) Hopefully this is the sign that projects will again begin flying off my needles and I can stop regaling you with stories of my distraction!