What a Week

Not sure how the week got away from me, but it sure did and now it is the weekend again as well as my birthday. Should be a potentially wonderful weekend and tops on the list besides celebrating my birthday and watching the Super Bowl – why knitting and cleaning.

I have to say that after outlining my new game plan for my knitting I feel really good about my decision. It feels right. I love sweaters and I am sure that at some point there will be sweater knitting – after all, it is inevitable, but in the meantime I am excited about starting or I should say continuing my accessories knitting. The Lime-n-Violet 2009 Sock Marathon begins on Sunday and I will be casting on finally for my Maelstroms. I can’t wait. The pattern appears to be interesting and I really want to work with the Malabrigo. I also think that it is time to start work on the Swirl Shawl. It’s the kind of project that can replace the Log Cabin Squares until I acquire some more Kureyon. I am sort of hoping that I can do one swirl in a sitting so that there can be steady progress. I also think that I will start my “Bird in Hand” mittens. I am awaiting the arrival of the book I ordered from Knit Picks on Colorwork techniques so it seems like the time is right. And I am ready to cast on for the Smoke Ring. So that is 4 projects on top of what I am already working on – phew! I am excited about all of these and I am ready to tackle the One Cable Vest this weekend and bring it to conclusion. I will make it work and at this point, I just want to get it done. I have learned a valuable lesson from this project and I will carry it forward as I move on to other projects.

This morning I have been listening to The Knitmoregirl’s latest podcast. The title thread of the podcast is “Own it and Be Proud.” Jasmin talks about one’s stash and says that for some knitters stash is akin to bulimia – you binge on buying and then claim that you have to purge yourself of your stash. Her thoughts are own it and be proud of it. For me, my stash reduction is not so much about purging as it is about creating with it. I bought it to be used and I love my stash, but the individual yarns need to realize their full potential and become the beautiful objects that they are meant to be.

So the stash will start to get a workout over the next few weeks and I am very happy and excited about what I have planned. I wish you all a great weekend and see you on Monday.

Frustrations and a Plan

It was a weekend of frustrations on the knitting front and on the home front, but since this is a knitting blog, let’s start with the knitting frustrations. I spent a good deal of time working on the One Cable Vest and got to the armhole bind offs and something was off on my gauge so currently my pieces are not matching. I am going to try and solve the problem with blocking and easing the stitches in when I seam, but was I pissed. I keep having various issues on projects and it is getting a little old. I think it is a lesson learned that you risk success when you don’t make a project all at once or if you don’t take lots of notes about what you have done. I thought I had my act together, but maybe not. So that was episode one of my frustrations. The other frustration I encountered was when I picked up Juno Regina. I got to the end of my third row and something was off! How does that happen? So I need to tink back to the first row of the chart. I just didn’t have the heart to do it at the time. So what does a girl do when her knitting is failing her? She goes to a project that hardly ever disappoints. I am on to block 6 for the Log Cabin blanket. I also found another skein of Kureyon so after this one I can make two more before I have to buy more yarn.

I am debating taking a break from sweaters. There are too many variables that can doom a project and since I am in weight loss mode again, I think I will work on finishing up all of the accessories in my stash and queue. I am going to participate in the Lime-n-Violet Sock Marathon. I have picked out 6 sock patterns to make with a couple of alternates. The marathon lasts six months so I should be able to get six pairs made and that would clear up a decent segment of my stash. I have 3 skeins of Kidsilk Haze for scarves. I have yarn to make a lovely Smoke Ring. I have yarn for the Bird in Hand mittens. I have yarn to make the Jared Flood cover mittens from Vogue Fall 2008 and I want to make some more mitts with some of my stash yarn. So after I finish the One Cable Vest, I am going to concentrate on some accessories for a while. And there are babies to knit for!! A couple of co-workers are having babies and I have yarn in the stash meant for baby projects. And I have a bunch of yarn taking up space that was meant for charity hats. So maybe this is the best way to clear out some of the stash for the next couple of months and during that time I can try and finish up some of the sweater WIPs before I begin any new sweater projects. OK so I said I would have a plan and here it is hot off the presses.

Another Time Around the Block

Instead of working on the One Cable Vest, this week I made another Kureyon Log Cabin square. I finished it this morning before heading to work. This makes 5 complete and I think I have yarn in the stash for at least one more. I am finding that these squares are good projects during the week. Now that it is the weekend again I will be concentrating on the One Cable Vest. I am not sure if it will get finished this weekend, but it will be fairly close.

I know I have mentioned this already, but I keep trying to make a plan of attack. January is just shy of a week from being over and although I got several squares made, I did not accomplish as much as I should have in terms of other projects. Sure I finished Just Enough Ruffles and Argosy, but the vest should be done and Tribeca should be back in the daily knitting rotation. What projects do I need to have finished to feel in control of my knitting WIP and stash?

I think in the major sense, if I could get the vest and Tribeca complete and get Juno Regina to the point where I am doing the long middle sections that would be good. In the lesser sense I hate that my corkscrew scarf is just waiting for the corkscrews to be sewn on and that I have a cardigan that just needs new buttons sewn on and the hat that just needs to be felted and the bag that is almost done. These things keep lingering and it is stupid that they are not done. This does not even begin to address all the other WIP’s, but it does address the most current things I have been working on. So with all of that stated, what should the plan be?

I am itching to get back to having a sock in my rotation and I really should get the Bird in Hand mittens done that have been sitting in my stash since last winter. Okay enough waxing poetic. When I return on Monday, I will have a plan. I read something somewhere the other day that if you work your plan then you will succeed in reaching your goals.

Happy weekend everyone and see you on Monday.

Missing Knit Night

Another cold day and not a single one of my handknits is adorning my being today except…the Maine Morning Mitts. Yesterday I realized that I have some odd skeins yarn in the stash that might be good for mitts. I need to investigate! It is always great when I make that connection where I realize that there is something in the stash to work with on a potential project. Today is day 21 of the new year and there have been no yarn purchases even though I keep thinking about how I am going to acquire more Kureyon for my Log Cabin blanket.

I miss going to Knit Night. I can’t go due to a conflict with the O&O’s schedule. It is important that he keep doing what he does on Wednesday nights so some day I will make it back. There is another group I could start going to at a different shop that meets on Thursday nights, but then I have also been thinking about starting a group that could meet on the weekends… something to think about.

Hope for the Future...Hope for Projects Old and New

The weekend saw my return to the One Cable Vest and I managed to get it back to the place where I had to RIP from while we were in Florida. I really like the cable and it is an easy one to work with and it is looking really nice in the Malabrigo. I have to think that it is possible that I could finish the front by the end of the upcoming weekend. Wouldn’t that be nice! In the interim, I found another ball of Kureyon in my stash and I began another Log Cabin square. They are addictive and they offer such wonderful, mindless knitting as I have mentioned before. There is hope for getting my projects over the finish line because what I realize is that I really enjoy my handknit masterpieces.


We had snow last night and today I am wearing an old Classic Elite sweater that I made back in the late 80’s. I don’t get to wear it very often here because it is a heavy yet warm sweater and we don’t have a lot of weather cold enough for this kind of sweater. I am enjoying the light blanket of snow covering our landscape and a chance to enjoy this old knit.

Happy Inauguration Day – no matter what your political affiliation may be, I think today is a day that all Americans can be proud. There is hope for the future and as our new President articulated today "there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

Baby It's Cold Outside...and, I've Got Knits

The arctic cold made its way to North Carolina by last night. It was 23 when I drove home from the ExH’s house and this morning it was a chilly 12 degrees. We are experiencing the coldest weather we have had here in our area of North Carolina in four years. One of the nicest things about living in North Carolina is that we get a taste of all four seasons and as a girl who grew up in the Northeast, I appreciate a taste of winter from time to time and the one thing you can hold onto here is that it never lasts all that long. As a knitter, a little cold weather gives me an opportunity to bring out the Knits. Yesterday Argosy got her first debut along with the matching Maine Morning Mitts I got done in December. This morning, Just Enough Ruffles is enjoying her first debut. I just love the Malabrigo and the color is a good one for me. Everyone has loved my work and a couple of the girls yesterday just went gaga over my mitts. I love them, but the colors are not ideal for my wardrobe. When I started them I had no idea how much yarn they would take and I thought more of the colors in the Kureyon colorway would come into play, but in reality only two gradients of the teal color and two of the olive green color were used – not the best to compliment my wardrobe. So I have three more skeins of Kureyon and I think there will be another pair of mitts in my future and some other scarf either another Argosy or Multi-directional scarf.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I was working on an application deadline. I was at work late on Wednesday night and back in very early on Thursday morning ready for the big push to get the application out the door in time for the last UPS pick up at 9pm. Well around 9am the affiliate responsible for the project found out that the city was pulling their support – so no more application. When I found out I was aggravated and then the air literally just came out of my sails and I was beat the rest of the day. The one highlight…I was able to take the O&O to the orthodontist and I got in some knitting time while waiting which made things better.

It’s the weekend again and it will be all about knitting and working on improving our home environment. Between the cold temperatures and a desire to nest, I am going to try and stay close to home this weekend. I want to get the One Cable Vest going again and do some more stash organizing while working on improving the home environment. I hope all of you have a happy and productive weekend.

Moments of Peace

Work be damned! If only it were that easy. Work is getting in the way of this week’s knitting. We are in the midst of another week consumed by getting out another application – this time to the state of Indiana, a state we have never applied in before. So…the next couple of nights will be late ones. I did take a couple of minutes this morning to finish the last three rows of my third Kureyon Log Cabin Square. The project is the perfect mix of simplicity and interest. The changes in color and creating the strips of the Log Cabin keep the project moving along and I don’t have to think too much about what I am doing and it is knitting that I can do without even having to look at what I am doing. Sometimes this is just the kind of project that we need when we want to find some moments of peace during a crazy time and the feel of wool and the rhythm of needles can do that for us. So during these next few crazy days I hope that I can take a moment here and there to find that peace.

The One Where the Ruffles Almost Kicked My Butt!

The weekend took an unexpected twist on the knitting front! Trying to finish those last few rows of Just Enough Ruffles was an act of patience and persistence. Friday night I was working away all jazzed at the thought of getting it finished and midway through my first row, my Knit Picks’ Options’ cable broke! You can imagine my horror at a broken cable and 600 stitches on the line – even worse, I was not at home so I couldn’t do a thing about it and still worse, I hadn’t brought any other knitting with me because I was so sure that I would use my Friday Night knitting time to finish the beast.

So Saturday morning I started another Kureyon Log Cabin square because I couldn’t bear to deal with the Ruffles, but eventually I did sit down and got it back on course. So Saturday night while watching the Panthers play the worst game of football ever, I finished it or so I thought it was finished. When I tried it on, I didn’t like the way it looked, but I thought “oh well another project that just didn’t make the grade.” I kept thinking about it and on Sunday afternoon I looked at other ones on Ravelry and I realized that I didn’t end it correctly. That’s what happens when you don’t have the pattern with you. I had read it the other day and remembered the 4 more rows of stockinette and bind off in purl stitch. I did that, but what I neglected to read and/or remember was that you had to do one more row of knit stitch on the wrong side and then bind off in purl stitch.
Normally this would not be a big deal, but with 600 stitches to deal with, I was not the happiest knitter in the world – it takes a really long time to pick up 600 stitches, but I reminded myself that I knit because I love the process and even if I was a product knitter, I would want the best looking project. So, the process began of unbinding and picking up 600 stitches. Yes, I keep repeating the 600 thing – it is a lot of stitches. In the end I am so glad that I did because the ruffle looks a million times better finished this way and I am now very happy with my finished product.

I also finished Argosy this past weekend. The actual knitting was done before Christmas, but I did not have time to block it before we went on vacation. I blocked it Saturday morning and it looks beautiful. I love the color changes and the construction was very interesting to knit which made this one work up quickly. I will definitely make another one just not sure if I will use Kureyon again or another yarn. I have some Kureyon in the stash that would work, but we will see. There are other things to finish first – like the One Cable Vest. Once I get it back on track it will be an easy trip across the finish line on that project.

Weekends aren't Long Enough

I have to admit that I got spoiled in December and early January. I took the Monday before Christmas off which was great because I finished a knitted Christmas present and I got all of my presents wrapped so I rolled into Christmas relatively stress-free. Then there was vacation so I had three extra long weekends. After a week back at work, I was excited when this past weekend rolled around. However, two days sure isn’t as nice as long weekends. It was a nice weekend filled with knitting, watching football and spending time with my guys. Tomorrow there will be a post about the knitting escapades of the weekend with pictures. The weekend ended up being half taking care of the necessities of life – laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, things that can’t be put off and the other half was just what I wanted. The real challenge is to figure out how to accomplish more of the necessities during the week so that I don’t have to spend so much time on those things on the weekends. I know a big part of the equation is simplifying the world around me. As much as I love my stuff, it creates an environment that requires constant de-cluttering. I have piles of books and piles of yarn and piles of stuff all over the place. I have to get rid of the piles and make a place for everything and keep everything in its place - another reason to work on major WIP and Stash reduction. Happy Monday everyone!

600 Stitches is Alot of Stitches

It is Friday after a long and busy week at work, but a productive one where we met our first deadlines of the year without blood or tears. Now, I can’t wait for 5:00 so that the weekend can technically begin because I am all about the weekends!

My knitting has been slow going this week between work and the fact that I am at the point in Just Enough Ruffles where I had to do the increases to 600 stitches and now I have to knit rows with 600 Stitches! I know that I probably knit 600 stitches at one time when knitting, but there is something psychologically daunting to have them in one row and it seems to take forever. Assuming that I can get through the four and half rows that are left, this baby will be done this weekend! What a great way to start the first full week of 2009 with a completed project. It seems that this project will only use a small portion of the second ball of Malabrigo so it would appear that there may be another hat in my knitting future. I am all about using up the yarn this year – no partial balls taking up space in the stash!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. As part of finding happiness and joy in my every day life, I have made the decision to make the weekends really special and make them the best they can be. See you on Monday.

The Yarn Bank

There has been a lot of talk on Ravelry about stash busting and in one of the groups one of the members talked about her “yarn bank” and that got me to thinking – what a great idea! I really want to remain true to my mission this year of knitting from stash, but it is unrealistic to believe that I won’t buy any yarn – especially since I am going to Maryland in May. So for every ball of yarn that I use up, I will put $5 in my yarn bank and for any partial balls that are leftover from a finished project I will put in $2.50. And in an effort to motivate myself to get my WIP’s finished, I will pay in $20. This will give me a good little nest egg for the Maryland trip and some leeway to make some purchases here and there locally. Since I am enjoying the mindlessness of the Log Cabin Squares I would like to keep moving forward on that project once the stash yarn is gone so that will require purchasing Kureyon from time to time. I am not going to be lured by any new projects unless there is yarn in the stash and god knows I have plenty of yarn choices in the stash for almost any project!! What are your plans for making yarn purchases in the new year?


On the living a happier, fuller life front – last night was great. The O&O and I met his dad for dinner. We haven’t been able to spend much time together since we got back from Florida and after being together for 10 straight days it has been a little sad to go back to life in separate homes, etc. So we had a fun dinner with a lot of laughs and I went home feeling really good about life!

January Knitting

I have debated about how to handle January. Besides being the first month of the new year, it is also my birthday month. I have been trying to decide whether to dedicate the month to WIP’s or just go with the flow. As I mentioned yesterday, I am working on the “Just Enough Ruffles” scarf with some of my stash yarn. Although I said there was no “going back” in terms of the way I picked up my wraps, last night I looked at it again and thought “I just don’t want this to look like this. I will know it isn’t the best it could be.” So I ripped back to the rows where I picked up the wraps and I am still not 100% pleased, but close enough. So I am now back to where you start the ruffle and then this project will be done. After that, I will go back to the One Cable Vest and get that done in short order. Then there is still Tribeca. I did not touch it all while on vacation. I brought it thinking I would at least figure out where the neck shaping has to begin, but because of having fun there was not as much knitting going on while on vacation. So I will proceed with these projects and then occasionally work on getting some time in on a WIP here or there.

Yesterday was a long day, but a good day. I have entered what we call “Book Season” in my professional world. My company develops affordable housing and our specialty is taking old mills, schools and factories and adapting them to be reused as housing. To do this, we apply for low-income tax credits available in each state. I coordinate producing the applications. It is right up my ally and I am glad when I have these projects to work on. Last night we finished a book for a mill conversion. It is a good project and it will create 75 really nice apartments for families. I didn’t go home until 7 last night, but when I headed home, I consciously left work behind and I had an albeit short night at home, but a pleasant and relaxing evening in the company of my one and only son (O&O).

I am going to post this without photographs and one of the things that I want to improve upon this year is my photography. I love pictures, but my time available to take them is short and being the perfectionist that I pretend not to be, I have a hard time just taking any old picture, but I think I have to accept that this is the way it needs to be if I am going to have photos to accompany my posts. Also, I need to use my time better on the weekends in terms of getting a variety of pictures in my “portfolio”. And one other thing that I am going to try to do in keeping with living a balanced life is get out of the office at lunch. Usually I stick around the office, but that is not the best way to live the kind of life I want to live this year. Here’s to finding joy and happiness in everyday life.

Focus for the New Year

I don’t know about all of you, but I had the nicest Christmas holiday and New Year. The best part was a surprise visit to Florida for a week’s vacation with my family, and even better, my ex-husband came with us and it was a wonderful time for everyone. My parents, grandmother and sister were very much surprised which was nice for me since that was my goal as far as they were concerned and since my ex had to unexpectedly take time off between Christmas and New Year I was able to give him a very relaxing and restful vacation after a pretty stressful year and we had the best time together. I am back at work today and all the goodness of vacation is evaporating, but I am trying desperately to hold on to the good feelings I started the new year with.

Knitting remains the constant pleasure and passion in my life and as I enter the new year and contemplate what I want to accomplish in 2009, I come back to the original focus of this blog which was to work through my WIP and Stash. I was not overly successful in 2008 and added too much to the stash column and didn’t really reduce the number of WIP’s, but I have a renewed sense of purpose and I am excited to work through what I already own.

I finished all of the Christmas knitting that I wanted to accomplish and I started a fun project while in the car on our way to and back from Florida. I started knitting Kureyon Log Cabin squares to make a blanket. I already have two done and I have enough yarn in the stash to make three or four more. I also got back to the One Cable Vest while in Florida. I was humming along and then realized I had miscounted my increases and decreases so I had to RIP, but I know what I did wrong and it won’t take me long to get this done now that I know what I am doing. I am also almost done with a stash project – Just Enough Ruffles. I hate how I did the pick up of the wraps on the short rows, but there is no turning back now and this project will be done in the next few nights.

This year I am also going to be focusing on bringing more joy, contentment and happiness into my daily life. I think this theme will also be a part of Great Knitspectations for the upcoming year. Great Knitspectations is all about expecting the best from our knitting as well as expecting the best from life. So you will see me talk about how I am working to bring more joy and happiness into my life and on that note, my first thoughts…

Yesterday ended up being a crazy day at work with the doom and gloom vibe hanging in the air. I went home feeling drained and irritated that this was the way life had turned around in less than 24 hours after my wonderful vacation. So I went home last night and really thought about what I want for my life. I decided that when I walk out the door of my office at night that I will leave my work life behind me, and I will go home every night and do things that make me happy because that is what I want for my life. My home life will not be a reflection of my work life. My home life will be the place where joy, contentment and happiness get the main focus of my attention. Happy New Year and here’s wishing you and yours the very best.