My $1.50 cardigan is coming along nicely. The decreases in the lace pattern are tricky and it took my full concentration one night to do the majority of the armhole on the left front. I'm on the right front now and I'm hoping the decreases will be easier when I get to them. Ditto the sleeves.

I cast on a pair of plain stockinette socks (using the Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe) in some hand-dyed yarn I bought earlier this year (Lovesticks, colorway Heels on Fire, from Etsy) because I needed a portable project. The cardigan is too tricksy to just not give my full concentration to and I don't feel like doing anything difficult when I've got my hands full with the cardigan. Plus I will need it to bring with on our trip to the grandparent-in-law's in a few weeks.

FOs and WIPs

I owe pictures. Alas. I finished my felted needle case late last week. It's functional, which is all I really need it to be. Of course it doesn't hold all of my needles, but I put the ones in that I don't have equivalent size circulars in (I love the Knit Picks Options so much, but I still only have the 'starter' kit. Eventually I want to have all sizes available in it, plus the non-interchangeable circs in the smaller sizes). So soon enough the felted needle case will be pretty defunct anyway.

I also can't remember if I mentioned I made two small felted boxes with leftovers a few weeks ago.

Today I finished off the garter stitch wrap cardigan for my friend's baby-to-be. I will be blocking it tonight after Scoot goes to bed and hopefully will be able to do the seaming and ribbon sewing-on on Monday.

Fall is approaching. We've had gorgeous weather the past few days and today *is* the first of September, so I really need to get crackin' on my $1.50 cardigan. I'm really in a knitting mood lately (like, it's *all* I want to do, not just one of many things I want to do), so I'm hoping if I focus on it now that I've got the baby sweater out of the way I can make some good progress on it, because I've barely made a dent.

Ravelry has really helped me realize how many projects I have on the needles! (Erm, plus a little stash organization last week pointed me in the direction of a few projects I tucked deep down)

I've actually been doing some, well, self-cleansing I suppose you could call it. Trying to conquer various WIPs and books that I'm partway through. Sometimes I do think I'm slightly ADD. Or not so slightly. I can't actually sit without *doing* something.

Anyway, I did two felted boxes that I've been wanting to do for ages with stash yarn (no photos yet). Those weren't actually WIPs, but just quick projects I wanted done. I also decided to finish the felted needle case I've had languishing on needles for over a year. The body is done and felted; I've only got to do the cabled bands that get attached to it now (I'm about 1/4 way through the first one). Those are knitting up super quick though, so I'm sure I'll have this project done within a week (probably less depending how much knitting time I have).

Next up I'm going to finish the mittens I started last winter.

Bookwise I finished one book that had about 50 pages left in it yesterday and last night. I'm going to finish up a second one today hopefully as that only has about 30 pages left in it.

OK, theblacksheep, I'm sure you are probably twitching right now from all of this, so I'll stop. ;)

Photos, Take 2

OK, this is seriously ridiculous. I don't think there is a way for me to post all of my photos in one post and not make it look like crap. So, instead, you get a link: http://flickr.com/photos/73058545@N00/sets/72157600689064392/
That is to all of my FOs. For pics that haven't been posted yet, you can see Mesilla, the Jaywalkers, and the first bmp sock.

I come bearing photos!

Except I am apparently retarded and cannot figure out how to get them to post here properly without the format going all wonkified. :/ Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Victory!

I finished Mesilla today (minus the embroidery)! HOORAY! I ended up frogging the waistband and adding 2 1/2" to the MC then reknitting the waistband. It was definitely the correct decision because it is now the perfect length for me. I can't wait to tackle the embroidery again once it's dry from its blocking.

In its place, I cast on the Dollar and a Half Cardigan from the Spring 07 Interweave. Loving it so far! It's bound to give me angst at some point, but it's starting off strong, which is always favorable.

The first bmp is nearly complete, so I'd like to finish that off sometime soon. Also the baby wrap cardigan, though I found out the shower is mid-Sept, so I've time yet. It's nearly done though, so I'd like to count it off as another FO.

itching for a sweater

I have been ITCHING to knit a new sweater for myself, something for the fall/winter. I have been itching to do so for a few months and I think it's finally got to a point where if I don't buy yarn and cast on a sweater for myself I might start convulsing or frothing or...I don't know what. I would ask what is wrong with me, but I know you'll all just say "nothing". :D

There are a million sweaters I want to make. I need to decide on just the right one. Off to search.

bmp

I haven't had much to talk about knitting-wise. I'm nearly finished with the baby cardigan, but set it aside for a bit because I was right sick of it. I picked up the bmp socks more seriously and am now on the foot of the first sock.

This was my first adventure with short row heels. Needless to say, I had to frog the heel the first time I did it (well, I was about 2/3 through it) because it looked horrendous and I reckoned I must've did something wrong. It's MUCH prettier now. I think I wasn't paying close enough attention to the instructions the first time, which was stupid of me because I know better.

If this is the way short row heels ALWAYS are, I prefer them to the heel flap. Reason? You don't have to turn a heel and do gusset decreases. It was all in one with the short row heel, which to me is a major bonus. I'll have to try to find another pattern using this sort of heel though to make sure that is normal. It could just be this pattern for all I know. It's nicer looking too, I think.

There may be a problem with this pattern though. Well, I know there sort of is. There's a chart that goes on the foot of the sock I'm currently working on and it's not mentioned to add it in. Lucky for me, I pay attention and I know to, but I'd prefer to be told "Put it in at this point" instead of trying to figure it out on my own.

The other potential problem is it says to work the toe like you've done the heel. Er. I'm not sure if that means to do the toe in short rows or if it just means to do the striping pattern there and that you'd better know how to do a toe yourself. I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm hoping that it will make more sense when I'm at the toe; it frequently happens with me that I try to think of something too far ahead of time, but when I get to that point the light dawns.

I finished my Jaywalkers last week, but haven't uploaded the pics yet. I cast on a garter stitch baby wrap sweater for a baby due in October in it's stead. It's cruising along even considering I added length to the sleeves. I've been knitting it exclusively though since I cast it on, so bmp is now sitting on the wayside for the mo'.

I have discovered another wonderful, wonderful thing about Ravelry. I can make notes about changes I made immediately (and not lose them on the little scraps of paper I normally write them on if I'm knitting from a book and can't write on the pattern itself!). So now I won't forget that I added 22 stitches to each sleeve when it comes time to cast them off (not that I would in this pattern, since it's obvious, but you get the gist).

the neverending object

There comes a time in every pattern where I get into a funk with the pattern. It happens at least once, sometimes more. I'm not talking about the angsty funk that occurs when I'm frustrated with a particular pattern (like Mesilla, for example), but more a specific area in a pattern that I Just. Want. Done. in an otherwise beloved pattern.

Ribbing at the tops of socks is one of these area every time. While I understand the merit of ribbing as a whole and certainly at the tops of socks, doing its job by holding them up snugly against a calf, I cannot help but loathe ribbing. I'm not fond of the way it looks in most cases, but more importantly I hate knitting it. Ribbing is tedious and fiddly and there never seems to be an end in sight with it. I often have to use the "reward method" when knitting ribbing: after this round, I get to have a Teddy Graham and a sip of tea!

There is also a boredom issue that comes into play in these instances. Ribbing doesn't technically fall into this category for me because I need to pay pretty constant attention to it. Take, for instance, my Jaywalker socks. I LOVE this pattern. I LOVE this yarn. I will LOVE wearing these socks when they are finished (well, I will when the weather cools). But I am sick of knitting the leg.

It's not a case of SSS because it happened on the first sock as well. I knit the leg about an inch or so shorter to the pattern because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm about 2/3 done with the second leg and I'm having a case of severe startitis, but I keep telling myself to just chug through this leg and it will pass. I'm itching to pick up several a new project.

It happens on the foot of a sock frequently too. That part where you're past the gusset, but not to the toe decreases yet. It seemingly goes on forever. This is why I will never be able to knit my brother a pair of socks (he wears size 14s!); it would feel like knitting a sweater rather than socks. But by that time, the feeling of weariness from the leg has passed and it's a newfound feeling of restlessness. Fortunately, socks are small enough to have this not last *too* long.

Mesilla was the complete opposite of this, despite the single color stockinette body. Every few rows there was an increase or decrease to keep it interesting. Just a slight change to keep me on my toes.

I chalk part of this affliction to being a bit Type A, despite my laid-back attitude. I can't sit still without doing something, hence the knitting, but when knitting the same thing over and over again, I feel the need to get up and start rummaging through my stash. I shall persevere though!