emchick

Things have been a bit hectic over the past week or two, since my sister, my roommate, moved across the country. Very sad! I have been doing absolutely nothing in the way of crafting, be it knitting or spinning or painting, but I reeeeally want to change that. On reorganizing the apartment, though, since my sister moved out and I moved into her (bigger) room (it has a closet! how luxurious!!), I noticed just how many unfinished projects I have around, and know that I need to really get on that. Looking at all of them, there are none that I regret - they're all pretty exciting, even if my initial love for them might have faded.

So now, my first step towards reducing this pile seems obvious: document the disaster. Here they are, vaguely ordered from oldest to newest, as precisely as I can remember.


BLANKET: My own design. Initially it was modelled after one I saw on Kerrie's Place - I loved the idea of a colorful blanket, all in stockinette. I started with blue checkered squares, then developped a whole plan with some striped squares, and some squares with little intarsia pictures. I was using Rowan's Handknit DK Cotton and All Seasons Cotton, but in interest of this project not costing $100, bought some acrylic for the intarsia squares. So far, as you can see, I finished a few of the checkered guys, a few stripe guys, and two intarsia squares: a chick (on the left - I'll embroider on his eyes and feet I think) and a whale (who'll eventually have a face, and maybe a little squirt of water at the top). I love this project so much - the colors make me so happy - but the squares get so boring. Maybe this summer I'll finish, or at least get more squares done. The plan is for 25 total.


ROGUE: I started this...I don't know, a year ago? A year and a half? I'm knitting it with Auracania(?) Nature Wool in some pretty maroon-ish yarn...You can tell the age of this project by the source of the yarn. I got this yarn from Windsor Button in Boston, last winter when I was still in college. Sigh. I totally miss my Boston-area yarn stores! Anyways. Rogue started getting so so annoying to me once the hood was started. I'm really sad about that since I do have this whole body done and I'm sure if I was more interested I could finish the sleeves in a reasonable amount of time.


PHILDAR CARDI: I have had a bag of Rowan Calmer in black ("squirrel") for almost two years. Several months ago, maybe last summer, I started this cardigan from Phildar, planning on making the button band go up the middle instead of the side, and maybe shortening it a bit. I finished one sleeve and it's super pretty - the Calmer knits up so nicely! - but knitting it was bothering my hands so I put it aside. If I ever finish this...well that'd be awesome. I don't know how to deal with it hurting my hands though!


PURPLE SOCK: It's getting hard to order these projects; I feel like several months I was starting things with a vengeance, putting each aside in turn for my latest obsession. I don't know if this sock pair will ever be finished. I love the yarn so much, though, and the finished sock. You'd think that'd be incentive enough to get moving but - nope!


ENE'S SCARF: I had a grand idea to knit my mother, grandmother, and aunt shawl's for the holiday's this past winter, and started with the desire to knit this for my mom for her birthday in October. It's really exciting to work on such a serious lace project...Well it's exciting in theory. I mean, how do people deal with hundreds of stitches per ROW? And if I ever made a mistake...that'd be it. It'd be over. So far so good, but...as you can see, I've done very very little so far. I think I'm something like 10-12 rows in? I'd love to finish this, but don't feel inspired.


CASCADING LEAVES: Such a pretty pattern! I envisioned this as a present for my aunt, but got frustrated holding the book open to the lace pattern only a few repeats in. I could go make a copy of it but I'm pretty hopelessly lazy. I love all the finished versions of this scarf I've seen online, so hopefully eventually I'll get back into this!


MON PETIT CHOU: From this pattern in Knitty. I had loved the lace pattern, and thought the idea of knitting underwear was awesome, so when I found skeins of Fixation in a nice purple shade at my LYS, I jumped on the opportunity. The pattern is so hard to follow though - no chart, just directions. I can kind of see why that's understandable for this pattern, but still, it was pretty frustrating, and I kept making mistakes. I'd still love to finish these. If I could just concentrate better, I'm sure it'd be manageable.


FRIEDA: I had loved this Debbie Bliss pattern for ages, and constantly checked prices online for the Debbie Bliss Alpaca. After knitting a cardigan in Jaegar Shetland Aran and considering its gauge, I realized it would be a good substitute. After putting together all the pieces and starting the neck, however, I was surprised that it looked just how it looked on several other people I saw modelling it - and not in that good nice way. Ouch. This is my UFO that's definitely closest to being done (just a few more inches in the neck) but I'm not sure if I want to even bother with it. Maybe I should frog it and find another use for the yarn someday? It's too bad, the stitches are all so pretty and even, and the cables look so nice. For now, I'll remain undecided.


BALLET WRAP CARDIGAN: I love this pattern, and I love that recycled yarn I'm using, but knitting with those size 10 1/2 needles hurts my hands. I have two sleeves done and am a few inches into the back but unless I find a way to make the knitting more pleasant, this will remain unfinished indefinitely.


EAU DE NIL: I had such nice plans for this sweater, but it was pushed aside for the Deep V Neck Argyle Vest. I think I'll finish it eventually, since I love the color and think the pattern I'm writing will look just fine. But I'm interested in a quick fix right now, and those tiny (ok, size 6) needles aren't gonna cut it for me just yet.


VEST: Definitely the knit I've been most excited about finishing. But picking up those stitches sounds AWFUL.


RED SHRUG: Knit with Rowan Kid Classic, in my own pattern. I wanted something like a One Skein Wonder, but with a longer back so it wouldn't get stretched out and stick out like mine tends to do. I also wanted more of a collar. So far so good. I just have to knit the sleeves - I'm not sure exactly what I'll do with them. One thing is sure, this Project Spectrum-inspired knit will not be finished by the end of March, tonight.

Good news!

I finished knitting the first sleeve of Haven, ran it through the washing machine a few times, and it looks like it'll fit into the front and back of the sweater. I haven't approached seaming yet, since it's such a daunting task. I'm not a very meticulous sewer, and this sweater offers new concerns. Assuming I can set the sleeve in well (not impossible, but still something that scares me - how do people deal with the corners at the top of the sleeves? I can never make that look anything except...pointy), there's still the issue of the yarn. Should I seam with Denim, even though it might shrink? If I use this yarn to seam, I'll use the yarn from my gauge swatch, or maybe from a new swatch I knit and throw into the washing machine. But what if it still shrinks? If I use another yarn, it won't shrink, but what if the rest of the sweater does, and it puckers? This is why I put both pieces through the wash twice. Maybe I'll put everything in one more time before I start seaming. Either way, it looks like I'm going to finish the second sleeve before I start seaming. I'm about 1/4 done with it so far, so it shouldn't be long now.

I also finished 1/2 of a pair of socks:


It's kind of great, the way I've started and not finished so many projects. Finishing them has been so easy and quick and fun! This sock is my first knit from a skein of Trekking XXL I bought a few months ago. Plain stockinette, using bits and pieces of different patterns I found online. It's not perfect - I've only ever finished one pair of socks, in Koigu KPPPM, although I've started and stopped others. I'm not sure if sock knitting is for me. Maybe with a pattern? But then there's swatching involved, and my hatred for swatching in the round...For now I'll put this sock aside and consider knitting it's partner.