Just a glimpse

Of what's on the needles.

Progressing Quietly

We've been fairly busy in the household this past week, I've been working but with less time free, I'm valuing my free time even more. I have been trying to focus on one project at a time, and that project has been these mitts.

The yarn is just gorgeous, Wisdom Poem's Sock. The colour is Cruise, I believe.

Look at that!

Stocking stitch all the way, but the colour changes make it fun.

And here's what Taryn's been up to, this gorgeous blanket!

  

I offered to weave the ends in, and, uh, I still need to do that.

  I should probably head off to lunch with the others, and then work.

No excuse for it really

I'm afraid I have both a lack of photos for this post, and a quite astonishing case of startitis. I have well and truly lost count of the number of projects that I have started in the last few days, most of which have been ripped back of the needles in a matter of hours.

I have therefore, forcibly simplified things. There are a couple of exceptions to my attack, the merino-silk Hitchiker for instance, which is sitting and waiting quietly. Other than that, though, I have narrowed things down to two working projects, two slots if you will, and I can only start something new when I've finished something.

Right now I have a Jaywalker sock being knitted out of Zwerger Garn Opal Graffiti, that will probably take some time, and when my hands get sore, and I get sick of the fine gauge, I can switch to the simple eyelet cowl I'm making out of Misti Alpaca's Best of Nature for the fiancée  It's unbelievably soft, simple and peaceful to knit.

I'll try to get photos tomorrow, and since we're off to buy some yarn I'll get photos of that too.

Building

My, what a while it's been. Lots have things have happened since I last made a post, and lots of things haven't.

I have my own place now, and the whirlwind of the past few months has begun to subside, leaving the space to build up peace and pretties around me. Yes, the house is a mess, the dishes are piling up and the rain's meant no washing's gotten dry in a week, and yet;

Socks are being knitted

Yarn is being dyed

And kitties are being loved (this is my baby girl Stella)

Losing the will to knit

A few weeks ago my course started, and with it went a lot of my free time. I'm not studying constantly, but going out to classes everyday has been taking a lot more energy than I'm used to using, and when I'm not studying, I'm generally sleeping or lying on my bed staring at the ceiling. I've knit very little in the last weeks.

I did finish a hat, but got stuck on my hitchhiker, and when the other night, I decided to start a hat (being my go-to jumpstart project) I couldn't even make it through the cast on.

I have some yarn arriving in the next few days for a test knit, that should get me started, and something with an even more important deadline approaching, so I'm going to have to somehow find the time to get those rows in, tired or not.

Selfish Knitting + A New Addition

For the last couple of weeks I've been working mainly on test knits, which I really enjoy, but last night I decided I wanted to do some selfish knitting. Something just for me, preferably thoroughly enjoyable and using something luxurious. My Hitchhiker was born. the merino silk yarn, and the simple, but not mindless pattern are perfect.

I didn't get a whole lot of knitting done yesterday though, because I was slightly distracted by something:

Her name is Kara

Yes indeedy, I got my first wheel. I took my Alomst-Grandmother, who is a wealth of spinning knowledge, along to a second hand dealers where I'd seen Kara weeks before, she was still there, and after an hour or so of set up, she was pronounced a good first wheel, which was lucky since I'd already fallen in love. I got her for a song, and with some blue fleece from Peg, I started the long journey that is learning to spin.

I've already got two bobbins full, and no fleece left, and while the first bobbin (above) mostly looks like fluff, the outermost singles on the last bobbin are identifiably that, singles. 

Lazy Weekend

So, it turns out I didn't get much done yesterday on the knitting front. I knitted in the car (even got to claim the front seat and make dad sit in the back so I didn't stab the dog) but didn't have a chance until that evening, and by that point I was so exhausted I just slept.

I did get the ribbing done

And earlier in the week I made myself a little bag to put it all in

Also on the needles (the same needles actually, which is why the sock is on waste yarn) is a fun wee knit that I'm testing, using this

I'm hoping that if I power through the rest of today, I can get the first part of the knit done and blocking before the week starts and classes with it, they do have a habit of sucking up lots of time and energy.