WIP Parade

With the turn of the year, I often find myself making plans or setting goals for the coming year (but never resolutions–I don’t do resolutions). This year, other than some concrete reading goals, I find myself floundering a little more than usual. Maybe it’s just that I don’t have anything “big” to reach for this year, as I did with the Architectural Registration Exam last year. Or maybe I just haven’t put enough thought into it. But as it comes to knitting, I’ve decided I really need to focus on what I already have. So here, to refresh my memory, and perhaps shame me into finishing some things this year, I present my WIP parade.

Monkey Bread Hat

Snap Dragon Flip Tops

The first two knits are the newest of the bunch, but also the most urgently needed. Yes, we’re in January and I still don’t have a hat or mittens to wear. Thankfully, I haven’t had to go out that often, it hasn’t been cold more that a couple days, and I’ve been able to make do with some fingerless mitts and a non-matching  scarf. The hat is close–I just need to weave in ends and block it. I will also be knitting a Monkey Bread Scarf to match.

Rock Island

Started this summer, and stagnated as I moved on to more urgent projects. I was loving it though, so it will take priority after the winter knits are finished.

Aeolian

Revived this summer, it also was abandoned in favor of other projects. I only have the edging left, so it’s close.

Ondulé

Sunk by gauge issues, I think I’ve worked them out. Only…the needle I need is in Rock Island. I really love the yarn and pattern, though, so once Rock Island is finished…

Lerwick Lace Shawl

I don’t want to think about how long it’s been since I last worked on this. If I remember correctly, I was over 1/3 through the edging. I’ve just been too distracted by other projects.

If you look at my Ravelry page, there are a couple other UFOs, but most likely they are all headed for the frog pond, either because the yarn doesn’t work, or I want it for a different project.

And then there’s the yarn. I have a nicely sized stash. I haven’t added to it since May, excepting the yarn which went straight to projects, but I really shouldn’t have added to it then. (At least not based on my current knitting rate.) I’d like to get to some of the yarns though, they’re so lovely. I have several sweater’s worth of yarn–which has already been designated for projects–and quite a bit of laceweight. I also have a couple lace ideas percolating in my brain which I haven’t had a chance to get to yet.

Chances are, I won’t get to everything this year, but it looks like I have plenty of knitting ahead!

To Finish Off the Year

It’s been ages ago now (and perhaps seems even longer), but this summer I participated in the Summer ’11 edition of Seasons of Lace. It was fun to knit lace along with others, even if I still haven’t finished Rock Island from the KAL. (Soon, I hope!) But that was summer, and this is winter, so I was very surprised a couple weeks ago to receive an e-mail that I had won yarn in the Resurrection Lace Raffle! Just before Christmas I received this little beauty, a skein of Twisted Fiber Art yarn, Muse base (wool-silk), Warlock colorway, generously donated by Cathy Cate of Hither and Yarn.

Thank you Cathy! Now I just need to decide what to do with it…

In other knitting news, I successfully finished a pair of Hot Waffles Knits for my brother for Christmas. I didn’t get any pictures, but this:

is what they look like. Yes, they are exactly the same as my Dad’s Mitts. I think my brother likes them; I know he’s been wearing them already. So that was a success.

Not so successful:

Two of at least three short sections from the middle of my ball of Cascade 220 Superwash. They were only holding on by a single ply, which meant more ends to weave in. It looks like maybe the yarn snagged on a piece of equipment or something. I’ve never had this happen in commercial yarn before (although I have knit with yarn from mom & pop companies that’s been broken and knotted). I’m not overfond of weaving in ends, and in black it’s just torture. So I wasn’t too happy by that, but I bought the yarn so long ago, that there’s nothing I can do about it. (And none of the other balls I bought from the same dye lot had that problem. Weird.)

There is one thing I can do–I swear, no more knitting anything in black that requires seaming or weaving in of multiple ends. I mean it this time!

Merry Christmas!

I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much, that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant. Take Peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy. Take Joy.

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

Attributed to Fra Giovanni
A.D. 1513

First Snow

You can probably tell I’m from the northern US if I say that it doesn’t feel like it can possibly be time for Christmas if we haven’t had any snow yet. Granted, we don’t usually have an actual “White Christmas,” but there’s usually been at least a little snowfall in the weeks leading up to December 25th.

But this year we’ve seen nothing. Further west, further north, further east (even further south) they’ve had snow, but not us. Not until today. Now it finally feels like the holiday season!

Of course, to be fair, I’m not really ready for cold snowy weather this year. So it’s been fortunate that there’s been a delay. My gloves finally wore out on me at the end of last season, and the coat I bought last year desperately needs a hat to go with it. I mentioned previously that I was going to knit up a complete winter set, but so far, this is all the further I’ve gotten:

 

I guess it’s good that it’s a cold snowy day—the perfect excuse to curl up in a comfy chair and knit!