mamaLove

Knitting Burnout

I’m sort of getting knitting burnout. I’ve been working on the same projects for so long, that I’m getting sick of them. I don’t want to start something new, because then I know the current stuff won’t ever get finished, but I don’t have much desire to work on them anymore. Which means less knitting going on.

I’ve got DH’s afghan, that is getting close to being finished. I’m almost done with the 4th of 6 strips, then I need to sew them together and make a border. I have a lace shawl that I really like working on, but I put it aside to finish DH’s afghan. I’m also working on Amelia’s Christmas stocking. That’s kind of fun and I’m close to finishing it. I’m just past the heel, so I only have the foot and the toe to do. Thank goodness it’s only one, and not a pair like normal socks. The fair-isle isn’t the best looking, but it at least keeps the project entertaining. I’ve also got a granny square afghan going that is stalled because I’m working on a border that is going slow. My last project is my sister’s wedding afghan. I was making really good progress on it, then decided to get DH’s afghan done first. If I can finish it by the end of December, then I can pick up the wedding afghan and still finish it (if I keep the pace I had before) well before the June deadline, although she tells me it doesn’t matter since they won’t need it til at least Sept/Oct.

So that’s 3 afghans, a stocking and a lace shawl. I’m close to finishing the stocking, and I know I could knock out the granny afghan in no time, since I plan to work til I run out of yarn and I have 2 balls left. I may have to switch gears away from DH’s afghan for just a little bit, so I don’t get turned off knitting all because of the one blanket that never seems to end. That’s what I get for making a blanket for my 6′1″ tall husband.

I think I just need to refocus on a few of my neglected projects so that it feels new again. That way I’m still getting something done and not completely taking a break from knitting.

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Minimalist is Done!

I’ve finished the Minimalist Cardigan and I actually wore it to work. My thoughts about it are this:

It’s a bit small. A bit tight in the armholes, and a bit snug around the bust and midsection. The reason for this is not because my gauge was off. My gauge was perfect and the garment came out to the exact dimensions I was expecting when I swatched. The reason for the size issue is even more idiotic than bad swatching. It’s because I was not thinking straight when I was trying to figure out what size to make and didn’t consider that I’d be wearing this over a shirt. Duh! I was so concerned with getting gauge and making sure to knit the size for the gauge I was getting, that I totally forgot that little important factor.

But besides that, it fits pretty well and I like it. It’s warm and stylish and I made it. I love the color and I love the fabric made by the moss stitch and I love how the moss stitch looks in tweed. So overall, I’m quite pleased with this, and can definitely see me making another one (in a larger size).

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Ravelympics

I’m gearing up for the Ravelympics. I will be competing in 4 events, but only actually doing 2 things. Ha! I’m going to be knitting Evangeline (fingerless mitts) for the Mitten Medley, Cable Steeplechase and Hand-dyed Hurdles. The yarn I’m using was hand-dyed (well, over-dyed) in a gorgeous semi-solid red. I really can’t wait to start working on them. I’m so excited to see how the yarn knits up and I’ve wanted to make these mitts for a while now.

I’m also competing in the Handspun Heptathalon, and will be spinning and plying 3.5 oz of royal blue Corriedale. with the 0.5oz I’ve already spun. I’ve gotten back into my spinning and having a blast. I’m hoping to get a nice 2-ply laceweight yarn out of it, but if it ends up fingering weight, I don’t mind.

In the meantime, I’ve started working on sleeve #2 for my Minimalist Cardigan. I’m almost 1/2 way done and hoping to get that finished very soon so I can finally seam this up and be able to wear it, even though it’s too hot still.

The Quinn Cabled Bag is finished. I really like it, but do have one slight issue. I think I braided my strap too tightly because now it twists on itself, but it’s pretty sturdy. I want to eventually line it and put a snap or some other type of closure on it,  because it hangs open.

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Ravelry Makes Me Feel Incompetent

It’s a bad addiction, this ravelry thing. I spend far too much time on there oogling other projects and stumbling upon patterns that I absolutely must make. It really becomes a hinderance. I look at my current projects and I slowly become uninterested in them. I really need to throw away my bookmark and tell myself not to look at ravelry again until I have complete a few projects and am ready to start fresh. But yeah right, that’s not going to actually happen.

I just need to control what it is that I surf ravelry for. If I just stick to forums and don’t click the pattern/project links, I won’t have any trouble. I’ve currently got 4 WIPs and that is more than enough for my plate. If I could only get them finished in a timely manner then restrict myself to only 2 at a time, I’d be doing a whole lot better. 

I have too many ideas and ambitions and I just don’t have the time to knit fast enough to follow through with all those ideas. For instance: I still want to make the crochet hexagon blanket and I’ve even gone so far as to purchase the pattern book (in Japanese no less) for it. I have yarn sitting in my stash waiting for me to do the rectangular granny afghan. I also would love to make a ripple blanket. And lets not forget the countless items in my ravelry queue and favorites (for maybe some day). 

I’m sure every knitter has these issues, but it really does overwhelm me the amount of stuff I want to make or have pending to make (meaning I have pattern and yarn patiently waiting for the cast on). And I can’t seem to finish anything fast enough for my liking. Once I cast on a new project, it’s like a race to the finish so that I can start a new project. 

I managed to get down to 2 WIPs and I told myself I wouldn’t cast on anything else. 2 WIPs were more than enough. I’d prefer 1, but I know that’s unreasonable. There’s no way I can knit a lace shawl while watching tv, so why not use that time to work on a pair of socks, for instance. But anyway, somehow, I didn’t listen to the niggling voice in my head telling me to wait. And I ended up casting on 2 more projects. So now I have 4, 2 of which are pretty labor intensive…one a lace shawl that requires concentration and no interruptions while I count and recite the stitch pattern out loud as I knit. The other is DH’s afghan which is just going to take a while, no matter how I look at it. Mindless tv knitting, but I’m making it extra long and wider than suggested because I have a 6′1″ tall husband.

The other two are somewhat simpler, but not really. The cardigan is simple, I’m just knitting a sleeve…pretty basic structure there and I’ve got the stitch pattern down. Just a matter of doing it, so I can seam it up and move on. The cabled bag is time consuming…doing two repeats of each row in a 12 row cabled stitch pattern takes time. But I’m 1/2 way through it, so the project is moving right along. I can see these two being finished fairly quickly. I will finish them both before I cast on for anything else.

Then I’ll have 3 projects going. Because once the bag and the cardigan are finished, I will immediately cast on for my sister’s wedding afghan. This is my mammoth project. Probably the biggest I’ve done to date. But as I mentioned, I really need to get the other two projects done first. Ugh!

I also have hopes of knitting some towels for Christmas. I still have yet to start on the baby’s Christmas stocking, which I bought the kit for back in January. And I want to start working on my quilting again now that mom has given me a decent sewing machine.

It’s really a good thing my husband both supports and encourages my hobbies.

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New Projects, Not Much Progress

I was away a whole week and there’s not much knitting progress to show for it. Therefore there are no pictures to share. I did finish up sleeve one for my cardigan. Mom suggested I tack it in place to make sure it’s going to fit before I start on the second sleeve. Which I think is a good idea. I have a feeling it’s still going to be tight on the underarm area and I’ll still have little room for moving my arms. I think I was a bit hasty in knitting the smaller size. My measurements came out as I expected, but I forgot take into account that I would be wearing somewhat bulky, sleeved shirts underneath, so after all the issues I’ve had with this thing, I probably should have knit one size bigger than I did.  And here I thought I was doing it all perfectly. Sure it fits, as a shirt (with nothing underneath), not a sweater.

But all is not lost, because I will wear it as much as I can, then save it for Amelia. That’s another great thing about having a daughter. Knits that end up too small for me can be passed along to her. Then I can make something bigger for me. I really like that sweater so I might try knitting it again with a different yarn at a bigger size. Maybe the next time I can get gauge and actually knit the size 41, so that I have room underneath for the bulk of a shirt.

I also finished the first repeat on the body of my cabled bag. This project is small yet, sometimes it feels like it’s taking forever, because I’m doing the pattern twice around (once for each side of the bag). So it feels like it’s taking longer than it probably is. But there’s progress. And I think I’m going to make it my focus project for now so I can finish it.

I also completed 2 color blocks on the 2nd strip for DH’s afghan. I like this project because it’s mindless knitting, but it can also get boring, because of the simplicity of it. At least it’s done in sections.

Mom and I ordered the yarn for the Saffron Cables afghan. We ordered 30 balls of KnitPicks Comfy in Cashew (a soft latte-colored brown). I have just under a year to make this afghan as it’s my sister’s wedding present and she’s getting married next June. I definitely need to get started soon, but I really want to finish something first. So I’m going to try hard to get the bag finished so I can cast on for the afghan by the end of this month.

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Minimalist

OK, so the a/c in my office has not been fixed. But for some reason, when my handspun socks were finished, I got an urge to work on the cardigan. You know. The one I was making as an office sweater. Well, it’s still hot, but I’m actually enjoying working on the cardigan. I’m re-knitting the sleeves because I knit them in the wrong size the first time. I’m crossing my fingers that this time it works, because after all that work and excitement, I will be extremely disappointed if the thing doesn’t fit me. I’m about 1/2 way through the length of the first sleeve, then I move on to the sleeve cap.

Going on vacation next week to Florida with the baby. I plan on taking all my WIPs so I can work on each on. I just need to make sure to take enough yarn. That’s always the hardest part. Trying to decide how much yarn to take with me. Just exactly how much knitting time will I get? If I take an extra skein of each required color for all 4 projects, plus my drop spindle and some fiber, I’m sure to have enough to keep me knitting all week, even if I do run out of yarn for one project and can’t continue it. So I should  be okay.

One thing I’m hoping is that I make significant progress on the cabled bag and the cardigan sleeves. The afghan and the shawl can be my side projects for now.

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