Saturday, July 14, 2007

Wait, it hasn't been anywhere close to six months yet!

Ah, yes, but rediscovering the wonders of your blog through Ravelry means more updates. Whee. In short, I'm still a project-starting fool (so many babies, so little time), and I'd like to get some of those WIPs out of the queue so I don't have quite so many projects on the needles. Since it's July, I'm starting with the smallest stuff first. :)

My Ravelry stash organizing pointed out that, although my Ikea cube storage thingy is indeed full of sock yarn, when you pull it all out to catalogue it, it really doesn't seem like all that much yarn. (Shock! Horror!) So, my temporary sock yarn diet got thrown out the window, thanks to a new shipment of Great Adirondack Silky Sock arriving at Borealis. (So pretty. The most recent acquisition is "Sugar Maple", which reminds me of nothing so much as rainbow sherbet or spumoni ice cream.)

So, what have I been doing lately?

Finished: Nothing finished. But progress is being made, dammit!

Requiring Finishing:
Butterfly: Still in the seaming pile.

On the Needles:
And yet still more socks: I am in the process of turning the heel on Sock #2. This is the project I default to after completing my "required" knitting on the baby blankets. (Read on for the most anal-retentive plan in all of knitting.)

Shadow Shawl: No change to speak of.

Lacy Dolman Sweater: No change. It's in line for finishing behind the sock.

Rambling Rows Baby Afghan: Fourteen out of fifty-five units completed. My plan is to do one unit (Rectangle, or Large or Small Square) of knitting per day on this afghan, stopping to weave in the ends after every ten blocks. That way, I should be done with it by Labor Day. Even though it's cheap acrylic, it's starting to look really cute. I'm hopeful I calculated my yarn needs appropriately, but we'll see. It's a quick trip to Michael's if I need more, anyway.

Bear Claw Blanket: Well, I got word that my white yarn has shipped from where I ordered it (yay!) and it should arrive today or Monday. In the meantime, I've made all the little center squares (3 green, 3 yellow, 3 purple), so I'm ready to go bonkers as soon as the white yarn arrives. I'm hoping to follow the same kind of "one unit per day" rule on this blanket as well--though once Rambling Rows is done, I'll probably pick up the pace, as the individual pieces on this one tend to be made out of fewer stitches.

Andes Charity projects: I finished sock #1 of pair #1, and cast on sock #2. The pattern I chose is why I'm glad I understand sock mechanics--I stayed with the short row heel, but instead of doing a short-row toe and grafting 36 stitches together, I did a traditional toe and only had to graft 12. :)

Aurora Borealis Scarf part Deux: Still a lonely row or two.

And yet another started project!

Sherwood: Out of some lovely robin's-egg blue Cool Wool--my boss who adopted the baby (Recipient of Pea Pod #2) this past winter? Is adopting another little boy in a few weeks! Evidently, the paperwork came together more quickly than anyone expected it to. So, I can't let this baby go unloved by handknits! I chose Sherwood from Knitty, because its construction results in a super cute result with fairly simple construction. And, since this little dude is 22 months old, it had 4 year-old sizing. :) It's just a few rows off of cast-on, but it will need to see regular rotation as well.

In the hoop: Nothin’ much.

Obligatory Cultural References
Reading: The Monk and The Bourne Identity.
Listening to: Interpol.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

The Ravelry Effect

Boy, there’s nothing like an invitation to participate in the Beta of a website that allows you to catalog all of your past, present, and future knitting to turn up the volume on your hobby. (And remind you of all the things you’ve knitted.) The Yarn Harlot has gone on in more entertaining detail than I could about the wonders of Ravelry.com, so I’ll just link you instead of attempting it myself. It’s had a wonderfully rejuvenating effect on my desire to document and blog my knitting habit, so you may be seeing more of me here—at least for a while. As I was cataloging my works, I found this blog really handy for answering the “so, when did I knit that?” question. Also, I’ve had a TERRIBLE attack of start-itis since I last updated—you’ll see why below. If (by some chance) you’re reading this, and you’re also on Ravelry, I’m PirateLemur. Friend Away!

Finished:
Aurora Borealis Scarf: The Wednesday evening clinic at Borealis on June 6th was a nifty lace scarf that also ends up long enough to be a keen belt. The Noro Aurora was so pretty, I had to buy a few balls (okay, four), with the intention of making them be Christmas presents for my various and sundry nieces.

Requiring Finishing:
Butterfly: Still in the seaming pile.

On the Needles:
And yet still more socks: Sock #1 complete. Sock #2 underway, and we’re tooling up the foot.

Shadow Shawl: No change to speak of.

Lacy Dolman Sweater: On a sleeve-to sleeve sweater project? Those body rows get reeeeeeeally long. Luckily, I just divided for the front and back, which makes things a bit more manageable.

Rambling Rows Baby Afghan: I have a pregnant immediate family member! Yaaaay! I’m using my acrylic stash to make a modular afghan that’s pretty much baby-proof. (Pastel shades of pink, blue, purple and yellow.) I foresee many more projects for this wee one in the future. I have four out of fifty-some units completed. . . .

Bear Claw Blanket: I think this might actually be proof that I’ve lost my mind in excitement over my pending niece or nephew. It’s a beautiful finished project, but it’s a lap quilt. Knit out of fingering weight yarn. Can you say “heirloom”? It will be, if I ever finish it. Three center squares so far, and my white yarn is still on order.

Wool of the Andes Charity projects: One Mason-Dixon baby sweater completed—used just about one ball. Next up? Socks. I cast on for the first of the pair this past Sunday. I’m using a pattern for Children in Common, and was bummed to discover it was a short-row heel—I was looking forward to a turned heel. I think I just might turn the heel anyway. :)

Aurora Borealis Scarf part Deux: I cast it on so I could take a picture of it for Ravelry. I’m kind of sick that way.

In the hoop:
Nothin’ much.

Obligatory Cultural References
Reading: The Monk, the first horror novel ever.
Listening to: iTunes on shuffle. Right now, The Communards.