My mom was a very organized person. She used to tell me, 'A place for everything, and everything in its place.' It wasn't genetic, and I'm sure I was a horrible disappointment to her. About the most precise I can be about the location of most things is 'probably in the house'. Recently I gathered up all the needles and knitting supplies I could find, and came up with this:
Yep, there are duplicates of things in the pile. And despite having about a zillion stitch markers, I still usually end up using loops of whatever contrasting color yarn happens to be handy when I need a stitch marker.
I was gathering up all these so I could take everything I needed to Stitches West. I'm treating myself. Not only am I taking 3 1/2 days of classes and attending all the banquets, I'm staying for one of the 2-day workshops the following Monday and Tuesday.
It didn't even occur to me until today, 2 days before I leave, after all my travel reservations are made, that I'm going to be spending 6 days just a few miles from where I attended undergrad school, and I'm not allowing any time to go back and visit the campus. Most of the faculty I would like to visit have retired by now, but it might be fun to see how much the place has changed.
I'm also finishing things. I've told myself I don't get to start anything new until I finish 2 other projects. And for the most part, I've followed this rule. But, I fudge a bit. Socks don't count as started projects, because I need them to survive meetings. And the hat I knitted for the neighbor who plows our street and cleared the end of our driveway during our recent blizzard didn't count because I just banged it out in a couple of days and gave it away. (He's plowed our driveway twice since then, so I guess he likes the hat.)
One of the interesting things about not starting things is finding that the urge to knit an item has often passed by the time I can slot it in. And at least one thing for which I've had yarn for years, intending to knit it 'someday', has finally gotten started. Having at least a mental checklist of things I've finished also keeps me going on one thing more than I have in the past.
Here's one recent FO: Ticuna from Berroco. The yarn is some 100% alpaca my MIL gave me years ago. I'm afraid the sweater may end up a loser. I made the smallest size, hoping to avoid droopiness from the alpaca growing. I haven't tried it on since sewing it up, but when it was pinned together the armholes were a bit tight. (Yes, they're the same size. I didn't' notice I had stretched the right one out bigger than the left until I saw this picture.) Also, the yarn is heavier than what the pattern calls for, so to make gauge I ended up with a pretty dense fabric. It looks nice, feels lovely, but may be too small for me and too warm for just about anyone.
I still have 10 skeins of the yarn. And I'm thinking of making a lace sampler blanket to use it up. Someday, maybe...................
Another finished project is the kitty shadow knitting scarf from Donna Druchunas book, 'Kitty Knits'. It's huge. It wraps around my neck twice with lots left over.
I could have planned this one better. It doesn't go with any of my winter clothing. I started this while traveling a couple of years ago, got aggravated with both my travel companion and my current project at the same time, and rushed out to get something to knit RIGHT NOW! It was fun, though, and I grin every time I get to the right angle and the cat faces pop out at me.
While composing this, I'm noticing a theme. I knit things for reasons that have nothing to do with what the item will be. The alpaca vest was intended to use up some yarn. The scarf was to have something to knit on a trip. Then somehow I'm surprised when the finished item turns out to be something less than useful. I know of the discussion on lists of the orientation toward the process of knitting, or the production of knitted stuff. I fall firmly in the process camp. And I often end up disappointed with what I've made. Perhaps I need to learn to appreciate planning a bit more.
Comments