Missing Mojo

I got an email from faithful blog reader and fellow Knitwit Mary today- wondering if I was ok, because the blog had gone a little silent there for a bit. With the blankets off the needles and a new sweater to tempt me- you should have been seeing nearly daily updates of me excitedly telling you about what was new.

But... you haven't. And as I told Mary, I have no excuse. Life is not inordinately busy, there is nothing keeping me from getting my knitting hours in. Nothing keeping me, but ME. Folks we have a case of missing knit mojo here. I just don't feel like knitting.

I KNOW!?!?! I'm just as upset about it as you are! Maybe it's all the blankets, or the books don't have me as glued to my seat or something or this odd bright thing in the sky people are calling the sun?!? I just don't know. I'm just not feeling it. Last night I watched television without knitting. I will say that again so you understand the severity of the situation. I. WATCHED. TELEVISION. AND. DID. NOT. KNIT. I cannot remember a time when I have done this.

There is very small progress to show you. The hat for March is complete as part of the hat pact:

And the left front of the Fireside sweater has seen progress.

(Although over-achiever me has decided to add considerable length to this sweater so we should expect a freak out in the next month or so when I run out of yarn thanks to this decision.)

What really frightens me is that it's the end of March. It's the end of March and I've not completed one project for Stampede this year. I had planned to enter 2. At the moment I will be lucky if I enter 1! Not to mention I'm going to lose 2 weeks prior to Stampede when we go to Italy (!!!!!!!!!!!) which we just booked today. So what I'm really saying here is I need my mojo back. ASAP.

So- if you see my knitting mojo lying around, give it a swift kick and tell it to mosey on back over my way. I need it to get this sweater done. I need it to get ANYTHING done. I just need it back.

Rainbow Connection

Every once in a while I knit something that even exceeds my expectations for it. I have learned that it's not only just how stunning the project is, but a project is also made by the colors you select for it and the yarn you choose.

In this case- I chose well.

Pattern: Classic Ripples by Meredith Montross
Yarn: White- Sirdar Snuggly DK (0251), Red- Sirdar Snuggly DK (86532), Orange- SR Kertzer Northern Sport (140), Yellow- Schachenmayr Nomotta Brava Baby (57135), Green- Sirdar Snuggly DK (414), Blue- Sirdar Snuggly DK (0415), Navy- Sirdar Snuggly DK (0224)
Needles: US 6
Listened To: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
Notes: I've made this before but this time this project just blew my mind. I was so pleased with how it turned out and how relatively fast it came off my needles.

It even looks good on the WRONG side!

The whole time I knit this project, and even as I admire it now- I fully admit I had this song in my head. (It's a personal favorite.) I can think of worse things than having Kermit sing along to your knitting! :-)

You would think that with this off the needles and myself experiencing a little blanket reprieve that I would be all over my other projects. You'd be wrong. I'm not sure quite what's with me but I hardly knit a stitch with this off the needles. The good news (if you look at this way), is there a massive snow dump (*sobs*) forcasted for this weekend and I foresee some forced knitting time coming my way. Hopefully it bring a little progress along with it. In the mean time I might pull this out and look at the cheerful colors again.

Sweaters for Everyone!

As we all patiently wait for the Rainbow Ripples blanket to get off the blocking board so that I may take glamorous photos of it, you are instead treated to a post about something that does NOT include a baby blanket. (I KNOW! So exciting right?)

I think we all needed a break from the baby blanket deluge, me especially, and since I seem to be caught up to the demand, I can now, turn my attention to sweaters. I appreciate it is entirely too late to be thinking about warm sweaters given that spring is technically upon us, but alas, I want to make sweaters, so sweaters shall be made!

First I started with a quick little distraction.

This is a dog sweater for Kevin. Kevin is a co-woker's dog, who is a super skinny Italian Greyhound. Needless to say, this cold Calgary winter has been really tough on Kevin, who doesn't want to go outside (who can blame him?) and do his business. Sadly he's choosing to do his business inside... which is where I can hopefully help. I told Kevin's mom, when he was a wee tiny puppy that I'd knit him a sweater when he was more full grown. Well- the time has come, and hopefully this cute little sweater will be just what Kevin needs to WANT to go outside again.

Second up is a sweater I've been wanting to make for a long time. LONG time. Finally, FINALLY the Fireside sweater is at gauge swatching stages. I have the right yarn now, and I decided that NOW is the time to make this cozy, lovely sweater. I even got gauge on the swatch! So, there's nothing stopping me from casting on and making some room in the stash!

So that's what I've been up to lately. A little bit different from the regular parade of blankets I seem to have been working on.

*Can I get a big "YEAH" for daylight savings time? Now that the sun will still be out when I get home from work- blog posting and picture taking should become MUCH easier. Let's all cross our fingers!

Uncle

Sometimes you just need to leave well enough alone.

The football blanket has been done for weeks. Ends woven in, blocked to a lovely degree of flatness and just sitting here. I mentioned here that I wasn't happy with the size of the blanket, it turning out to be smaller than the usual blankets I make. But, after looking at this for weeks and not being able to marry the idea of adding on a border to this blanket, I've decided to cry "Uncle" on the whole project and leave well enough alone.

SO- Football blanket is DONE. (It also helps that I have met wee Zachary and he is such a tiny little man I do not think he or his mama are going to take issue with the blanket measuring at 26" tall.)

Pattern: I adapted Lisa Vienneau's football pattern and decided to go with simple blue squares. The "Z" is my own graph handy work.
Yarn: Berrocco Comfort Solids & Heathers in "Blue" (9707) and "Brown" (9720) {purchased locally at Gina Brown's!}
Needles: I wanna say US 8's, but I can't be certain, I didn't write it down! (But I did use my lovely, LOVELY Addi Turbo Clicks needles. Which I cannot say enough positive things about.)
Listened To: "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick (which I HATED.... so depressing) and "Looking For Alaska" by John Green (which I really liked).

The footballs- look like footballs:

The "Z" looks like a Z (although careful to self, because on the wrong angle is also looks like a good "N")

And the Blue squares of happy, simple stocking stitch- well they look right too.

Finito!

Progress on the rainbow blanket also continues a break neck pace.

This too, will be shorter than I'd like, but only because I do not have enough color leftovers to do another repeat. I'm hoping by the end of this week- this will be on the blocking board too, and up for show and tell in the next blog post. I'm loving this blanket a lot, it's a show stopper, but I'm ready for something new! and! exciting! to cast on.