Turtles, Snails, Sloths, Molasses in January...

I think the title of this post adequately sums up my progress lately.

There are times when I can knit for hours uninterrupted. Days of sitting in my spot quietly knitting and churning out project after project. I am a knitting machine. It feels like those days are over for the moment. Life has once again gotten away of knitting time and I have never been so behind on things in my life! Apparently a part of being a "responsible, mature" adult (let's use those descriptors loosely, shall we?), means doing "responsible, mature" adult things and not just sitting around and letting my poor husband do all the work. Life is busy at our house these days.

There is progress- but it's so miniscule I am almost embarressed to show it off. Here is the sweater- about 5 inches longer than last you saw it.

Here is the sock- which is lucky if it sees an hour a week, instead of the hour a day I have vowed myself to.

I am hoping to cast off the toe tonight. But... that feels like an idle threat at this point.

I also have a charity blanket that needs a section knit for it (when!?) and I've only got a swatch for my Stampede blanket,

which may not happen for Stampede this year.

On the upside my rennovations, which have been sucking my time dry, will begin next week. Our new couches, as part of our "BUY GROWN UP FURNITURE" resolution for the new year, have arrived. I am hoping against hope that I will get to host a knitting night with the KnitWits this summer and show off my "new and improved" home. (Now with more seating!) Things are getting done around here- actually a LOT of things are getting done around her, sadly very little of it is knitting progress.

I'm still a Knitter. I still want to knit. I still carry needles and a sock in my purse on the off chance that there are a few spare minutes I can "whip out the sock" for. I read Ravelry everyday, stalk the Loopy Ewe frequently and swing by yarn shops. But right now- it's a slower progression for me than usual. Hang in there- I'm sure before you know it, I will be back to my "whip it off my needles in no time" stage again soon.

Slow But Steady....

Well- as me and sweaters usually go- progress is moving slowly. BUT there is progress to share so it was time to update you on where I was at with this sweater.

Viola! Two fronts and just under half a back! NOT BAD. I would really like to capitalize on the long weekend (as I have thus far) and finish the back soon. I am beginning to get antsy about yarn amounts, as usual, right now I'm knitting on ball 6 out of 10. I imagine I will have to crack into ball 7 before the back is done- which could or could not leave me enough for sleeves.

I'm quite charmed with the decreases in the back and the way the cable starting curving together.

Yeah for interesting pattern writing!

But that's not all on the needles! I got around to knitting my April hat for the Knit Wits Hat Pact- and I thought it turned out pretty cute and springy!

And, if that wasn't enough to show for, I've also invested myself in the sock.

My lunch time knitting dates with Merlperp (and special guest KnittingWater and adorable Althea!) have picked back up again and when I pulled out the neglected purse sock- I realized that I actually really liked the project. So, in effort to not give up on socks entirely- I have committed to one hour a day to knit the sock. Sure, this is going to slow up the sweater progress a little- but one hour does see a lot of progress in the sock. PLUS- if I'm ever going to get through my sock yarn stash I need to make a time commitment or it will just grow and never shrink.

Speaking of stash- I'm happy to report that after getting out six balls, thus far, of wool out of the bin- the drawer now opens easily and without challenge. I still have a ways to go for stashing down- but knowing I'm one drawer with a smooth open, helps keep motivate to continue to stash down!

Hope your Easter's are just as productive as mine!

I See Progress!

It was like the universe wanted me to blog today. Work wasn't busy so I got to leave early, the sun was shining when I get home so I could take pictures and there was, afterall SOMETHING to show you.

Fireside progress continues. Not a break neck pace mind you... but it continues.

That is a lovely right front side of the sweater. There is a newly inspired motivation to move along with this project as I want to start something else. (SHOCKING!) I bought the yarn for my Stampede Project this year and I want to get that under way.

BUT, as a motivational tool, I'm not allowed to even LOOK at the yarn or the pattern until I have a right side, left side and a back side of a sweater completed. Since my fingers are itching to cast on... I'm hoping that's the kind of motivation I need to devote any and all non-work hours to this project! (It helps that hockey playoffs start on Wed and we'll be hanging around the old tube to see what happens there anyways.)

I also did my section for the WCOBB blankets this weekend. This blanket has a special theme- Super Heroes! We collectively decided to do the "Justice League" and so I knit my section- BATMAN.

Not bad eh? (Although it is evident that my intarsia skills leave much to be desired. I'm hoping whatever kid gets this doesn't look up at his mom and say "mom- this lady's intarsia skills aren't all that great!)

Since the only reason that I'm off early is that I'll have to work later tonight (*sigh*) I'm going to quit gabbing on here and get back to knitting on a right side of a sweater! Ciao!

Snow Day

When last we left our fearless knitting Heroine (me), I confessed to you a loss of mojo. A rather "meh" feeling about my knitting. And, quite frankly, I didn't know when it would return.

And then, on Friday, as a cruel NON April Fool's joke, the weather man broke the bad news. Snow. A lot of snow. A METRIC BUTT LOAD OF SNOW. The kind of snow you just stay home in. We planned carefully Friday, buying our groceries for the weekend and then we waited. Saturday we woke up and it was gross. Any snow in spring is gross... but this was really gross. There was so much snow. It's like spring regressed into winter. (Not that it's acted much like spring anyways.)

I tried to capture what it's like to wake up to a metric butt load of snow but this picture does not do it justice. This is halfway to the 25 cm of snow we got. (25 cm = metric butt load) There was a lot of snow.

As good Canadians do, we just bunkered down and stayed home. There was absolutely no reason to drive in this weather- so we didn't. We stayed in our pajamas. We ate junk foods that I lie to my doctor and tell her I don't eat. (If she ever asks... tell her I only snack on veggies.) We watched movies. We maybe didn't shower....

The point is we were homebound. It was ideal "forced knitting time". At first, I will admit I just wanted to lie on the couch and watch the movies, but I forced my hands to knit. And soon, like an old friend, knitting came back to me. There is nothing, NOTHING more cozy than wrapping yourself in a blanket, in your "jammies", knitting in your lap listening to Jane Austen being read to you while the snow falls, (admittedly beautiful) outside your window as you watch from your cozy spot. And thus... mojo engaged again and a left hand size of a sweater was born. VIOLA.

This kills me to say. K.I.L.L.S ME- but thank you snow day. I think I kind of needed you.

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.

Rainbow of Happiness

I can't believe I'm saying this out loud, but I can barely tear myself away from knitting the Rainbow Ripples blanket to stop in and blog about it. I am LOVING this project.

It seems like only last year when I was here, knitting this very pattern and lamenting and agonizing about how bloody bored I was. I thought I'd never finish. Now, here I am, same pattern, similar yarns and I do not want to put this baby down. Maybe it's because it looks spectacular.

SEE!?! It looks spectacular!! I attended the Gilli Hook knitting guild meeting with this blanket and lovely women, complete strangers, came up to me to tell me how gorgeous this blanket was. Even my own sister, a non-knitter, gasped when I showed it to her. She loved it. I'm clearly on to something here.

Maybe it's the change in colors? Even the massive amount of end weaving can't make me love this project less. I'm going to have a hard time parting with this project, so I'm going to need you to tell me to cut the chord when the time comes. (What does a childless woman need with THREE baby blankets? This is getting ridiculous!)

I was hardly able to rip myself away from the project last week, where I set goals of turning the heel on my sock and blocking my blanket. None of that happened, too enchanted was I with the color progression on my rainbow masterpiece. This weekend I couldn't allow myself the same inactivity... and so I quickly whipped up a February hat for the hat pact

and also a section for the WCOBB blanket "Spring Flowers".

(You can tell how distracted I was because I knit garter ridges.... only because it was fast and I could get back to my and only true love, Rainbow Ripples.)

I keep waiting for the novelty to wear off. To wake up one morning and feel this overwhelming sense of gloom over having to knit one more stupid row, of a stupid 2 row repeat pattern. But it doesn't happen. I actually wonder how early I would have to get up to sneak in a row or two before work. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE TO SLEEP AND HOW I WOULD NEVER DREAM OF SACRIFICING ANY OF THAT TIME? The sheer fact that I am thinking of committing the unspeakable act of getting up early to knit this speaks volumes about my enchantment with this project!!! (I suppose we could credit it in part to listening to "The Hunger Games" which has also gripped me recently...)

The one little thing that worries me- that sits in my brain reminding me that I am only a mere mortal, and despite my knitting a little piece of magic, I worry it's going to be short. I'm looking at how much yarn I have left in the colors and I don't think I could pull off another repeat. So that leaves me a little nervous. Hopefully next blog post won't be me here wailing to you here about just how short it is. BUT- this week we focus on the positive and talk less and knit more.

Back to the blanket....

Slow Progress

Blog fodder has been hard to come by lately- there really isn't anything super exciting to talk about. Also, progress has been slow, mostly because husband and I have shifted our weekend focus to finally getting furniture for our house. It means Sat and Sun day long sojurns to various furniture places in Calgary, but eats knitting time like crazy.

Fear not, there are some things to discuss!

The Football blanket is OFF the needles, but I have discovered a rather unsettling problem. It's too small.

My calculations and gauge (DESPITE A MASSIVE GAUGE SWATCH... grrr) are off- and this blanket is considerably smaller than what I normally give to friends.

Adding an extra batch of squares would throw off the Z in the middle pattern and most borders with crochet seem to be better suited to little girls. I think I've decided to do a similar border to what I did with the white blanket; wherein I pick up stitches along the various edges and add some length. I'm still not sure what stich pattern will compliment, but I really neeed to get this thing cased. My goal this weekend is to weave in the remaining ends and block the blanket, so I know exactly what size I'm working with.

Making it hard to focus on finishing up the football blanket is the fact that in a fit of starteritis, I cast on a new blanket. Rainbow Ripples, which blessedly uses STASH leftover from the last rainbow adventure, could not wait to get going. It started like this last Monday:

And by this Saturday it looks like this:

I've knit this pattern before and while I found it rather boring, it does go rather quickly. The only downside (and it's huge) is that it leaves a mess of end weaving to get done.

*sigh* I need to make a friend who's only joy in life is to weave in ends. That way I can just hand off that duty to them! Second goal for the weekend is to get the first color reapeat on this donezo and weave in the ends. I refuse to allow myself to start knitting the next red row until the ends are woven on the first section of colors.

I even found a little time to get some purse sock progress this last week- thanks to a glorious few days at my parents while I was taking a course. (I am moving back home. Being an adult is a total scam. It's much better when you're parents insist on catering to your every need! *Thanks mom and dad!)

This little pattern is really great- it looks complicated but it's relatively simple. I'd love to have a cute pair of socks to model for you eventually. (Do you like how I've NOT committed myself to a timeline here?) The other goal for the weekend is to get the heal flap finished and the heel turn done.

I know that slow and steady wins the race, even though my progress is slowed by the distraction of other things going on in my life, by setting these small and acheivable goals, I should have something finished to show off here eventually. The greater goal is for March 1, to cast on my first Stampede project of the year. I need to start or I'm not going to get 2 out the door. It's easy to focus on a project when there isn't the distraction of other things guilting you into knitting. I just need to sit down and hopefully find the time to get a couple of things finished.

So to recap, the weekend goals are:

1) Weave in the ends to the football blanket and block it
2) Get a whole "rainbow" repeat done and woven in on the new blanket
3) Knit the heel flap and turn the heel on the Pointelle socks.

Think I can do it?