Well, hello there

 So...its been awhile.  Six years, actually, which is a little crazy.

Have I been knitting since 2017?  Yes, actually, though I have also taken some breaks.  My last completed project was actually back in 2020 (according to my Ravelry, anyway). I also started my very first sweater during the lock down, but of course got sidetracked by other crafty things (watercolor painting, coloring) so it is still a WIP on my needles.

At any rate, it HAS been three years since I held knitting needles in my hands, and I have picked them up again to knit yet another blanket, because I am insane. My brother and sister-in-law blessed me with a third nephew/niece to spoil back in 2021, and unlike the first two, I was totally a slacker about knitting the poor baby a blanket. Said child is now two, and I'm finally feeling motivated, but alas for me, that means it is now a toddler blanket, not a baby blanket. Oops.

 

All the other blankets I've knit have involved multiple colors and stripes, but I made the executive decision that third babies get a solid color, to give poor Aunt Jackie a break.  I chose the pattern Reversible Blanket Pinwheels by belovedLT on Ravelry, because I thought it was a nice balance between simple and interesting (e.g. not a total bore to knit, but also not overly complicated because blankets are a heck of a lot of stitches). 

I've been plugging along quite nicely, though it was a fight at the beginning because I had to get used to knitting and gauge and all that again. I'm actually wary of re-starting my sweater because I'm positive my gauge has changed. I may need to knit a new swatch and see where I'm at...I wasn't terribly far along, so I might be able frog and restart.  We'll see. Blanket first!

Sock Progress & a Shawl Problem

Despite the fact that I'm not even to the heel on the mom socks, I've been "shopping" around for my next project.

My bundles page on Ravelry reveals that I might have a knitting preference these days:

The bigger problem will be deciding which one to knit first! I'm thinking about trying to make a shawl using my Mean Girls Yarn Club Hoity Toity (which was originally going to be a Brickless). I found this really neat pattern at my LYS called Decay, where the lace/garter sections are determined by the color changes. Could be really cool looking!

At any rate, just so you all know I'm not a total slacker, here is the current progress on the socks:

As I mentioned in my last post, the yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, and it is a DELIGHT to knit with. So soft, no splitting. I'm a little jealous that my mom will be getting cashmere socks!

Here goes...

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had started some two-at-a-time (toe up) socks back in September (post-Ravellenic Games), and had only gotten about half way through the toe increases before stopping.

I picked those bad boys up again this past weekend and started knitting them again.

They're even longer now, just over 5 inches--I'm very pleased with my progress. The yarn is Smooshy with Cashmere, and I'm following a tutorial for two-at-a-time magic loop socks from Heidi Bears. My mom picked this yarn out way back in December of 2014! Nothing like having a slacker for a daughter. I'm hoping to have these done in time for Mother's Day. Mom prefers very simple socks--plain feet and a basic 2x2 ribbed leg, so right now I'm just whizzing through the knitting.

I've knit two-at-a-time magic loop socks before, but this will be my first time trying a short row heel-eek!

And suddenly, there were projects

Because the cold weather was apparently all I needed to get motivated, I've been working on a few things simultaneously--some old, some new.

Once the urge to knit hit me again, I started revisiting some UFOs and establishing if they were worthy of continuing (answer: yes...sort of). I tried to keep in mind something my friend Sam always says (quoting Gigi of the Knitmore Girls): If you don't like it now, you won't like it later. Apparently I'm pretty good about picking things I like, because I didn't want to quit any of them completely.

I have the following on needles right now (listed from oldest start date to newest):

• Chroma Striped Scarf (this will be on-going for all eternity, so I'm not especially worried about it)
• Raphaelite Socks (originally started Jan. 2013; I have one sock completely done, and just the start of the toe on the other.)
• Plushy Mittens (originally started Dec. 2013--had nearly one whole arm of the first mitten done.)
•  Ripple Effect (technically started May 2014, but then I messed it up and pulled it out, so its just yarn again right now. Not technically on needles at the moment)
• de Bourgh Brickless (originally started Aug. 2014--just barely started).
• Chevron Baby Blanket (started just a few days ago!)

Order of priorities? Well, I'd like those pesky mittens since its actually winter. I pulled them back out and started working on them, only to decide after about 10 minutes that I didn't like the long arm because my coat is tight at the sleeves. I looked through the projects page and found a pair someone made with a simple wrist (but keeping the cabled hand), and decided to pull it all out and start over. I've finished the cuff and started the thumb gusset of mitten #1. Whee!

Second project of importance: a baby blanket. Which I hadn't even started, but I'd been thinking about for months. A friend is expecting their first child in the middle of January, and I had planned on having a blanket ready for them by the birth. I had the yarn already (Caron Simply Soft), and so have started that.

I started the third stripe (white) just the other day, so its moving along nicely. The blanket is a pleasant and easy knit--the pattern is easy to remember, but has enough tricks to keep me paying attention. I only wish that it was garter rather than stockinette, because if I was knitting on both sides I think I could whip through it even faster.

Luckily, it appears I'll have more babies to knit for in the future, so I'll be able to give that a shot! Now, if only I could finish those socks.

In which I am still alive...and knitting!

Prepare to clutch your pearls, everyone, because I am BACK. Sort of.

Apparently all it takes for me to get back in a knitting mood is super cold weather! All I want right now is a pair of giant mittens (I should probably finish the ones I started), and ALL the warms things to wrap around my neck.

I had started a Brickless back at the end of August, hoping that something a little less complicated would get me back into the groove, but seeing as it is now November, that apparently wasn't enough. But I did knit on it yesterday, and am thankful that the pattern is pretty easy.

The yarn I'm using is an old colorway from the Mean Girls Yarn Club, called "Hoity Toity" (named for Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice). I traded my soul purchased it from a club member who didn't want it, since it was from the episode before I joined the club. SO PRETTY.

Bad knitting, BAD!

My knitting is in a time out. 

It's a shame, really, because I was super excited about working on the Ripple Effect shawl, designed by my friend Rachel at Unraveled Designs.  I loved it so much when I saw it, that I immediately went out and bought yarn, despite the fact that I was supposed to be finishing my second Raphaelite sock. 

I had grand knitting plans, because my mom was having surgery and I was going to be staying at the hospital with her, and figured I'd have plenty of knitting time.  It was not meant to be.  Between getting her water, helping her adjust things, and talking to nurses, I couldn't fully concentrate on it, which is BAD NEWS.  I should have just stopped and played on my iPad, or read a book.  But no, Sam's voice was in my head scolding me about my lack of knitting, so I kept plugging away...and then totally mucked it up.  So much, I have to pull it all out and restart.

I was ticked.  So its sitting in a knitting bag by my couch and I refuse to even look at it.  Any of it.

We're supposed to have tea and knitting this coming Saturday, and I might actually bring a cross-stitch or something instead, I'm still so annoyed.  I mean...have you seen this adorable Halloween sampler?  Super adorbs!  [I am in denial].

A Tale about Knit Picks

It's been pretty well established that Knit Picks has awesome customer service, but somehow I was surprised when I experienced their awesomeness first hand.

Those of you who have followed me for awhile may know that I have a scarf project that has been on-going for decades, because it is my "easy-peasey when I'm not motivated to knit anything complicated/travel" project.  I cast it on in December of 2011, and I'm not even halfway done with the thing.

I'm knitting it with two colors of Chroma Worsted from Knit Picks, and while attempting to knit on it while traveling recently, one of the skeins revealed itself to be the most knot-filled, grumpy skein in all existence.  I am not kidding--I've used maybe 30g of the skein and found five knots, and two giant unspun/fat chunks.

Not ideal when one is on a plane sans scissors.

Knots of DOOOOM!

Since it had been two, nearly three years at that point, I didn't really expect anything to come of it, but I did send them an email expressing my disappointment and frustration, and suggesting better quality control in the future (I tried to make it light hearted and funny, but one never knows how things are read over the internet).

But because Knit Picks is great, they emailed me back and totally sent me a NEW SKEIN.  TWO YEARS LATER.

Thank you, Knit Picks.  You rock!  Now if only I could finish this scarf....

Drat.

Obviously, the title of this post has likely clued you in to the fact that I didn't make the Ravellenic deadline yesterday.  This was not for lack of trying, because I power knit my brains out Friday, Saturday and even Sunday morning, but it was all for naught.  Apparently this is what happens when you pick a tricky project, make it BIGGER, and then mess it up at the beginning twice. 

That being said, I'm hoping to still finish it this week.  Nothing like a goal, right?

False Start

I managed to start my 345-stitch cast on for the Peacock Shawlette (I'm doing a larger version) on Friday afternoon (the official Ravellenic start day), and even spent some of Friday night casting on as well.

My Saturday knitting plans were thwarted by my mother and the art museum in town, but Sunday I somehow managed to finish my cast on and start knitting. 

Alas, things did not start well, because when I picked it up again the other day and purled back, something seemed weird, even though my stitch count was right.  Knitting across again, I had an extra stitch.  I brought it into work for Sam to look at, and she noticed weirdness right away and suggested I "read my knitting" back and figure out where/if there were other mistakes.  I tried, only to realize that something had likely happened on either the first row, OR the purl row, and I was going to have to rip it all back and start again.

So I'm in the middle of casting on again right now.  Likelihood I'll finish by the end of the Olympics?  SLIM.

Stop organizing, start knitting!

My stash got out of control, so this weekend when I was in a cleaning/organizational mood I rearranged it.  I added some yarn weights, and arranged them in order from thinnest to thickest (OCD alert)--it looks the same (I'm still using the cubes seen in this post and this post), only more of the bins are labeled now.  The fingering weight portion of my stash was especially crazy, and I ended up having to put it into TWO cubes.  I need to get going on some more shawls (or maybe more socks).

Speaking of shawls, I still haven't finished my Trillian.  It's fairly close, I really just need to sit myself down to a movie marathon and finish it. I have to knit the body until I have about 10 g of yarn left, and then finish up the border; last I measured I had about 34 g left.  Power through, Jackie, power through!

In completely other news, as I mentioned in my last post, my friend Rachel has started dyeing yarn, and I went to Jimmy Beans to check it out.  Needless to say, I came away with two skeins--one in the Tahoe Skies colorway, and one in Desert Sage.  Very soft and pretty!  She's added some more colorways since I was there, so I suspect I may walk away with even more in the future.  Rachel is a fan of tonal colors (rather than variegated), so if that's up your alley, I highly recommend you check it out!

Of Monsters and Babies

It will come as no surprise that in the nearly four months since I last posted, I have hardly knit on anything.  I tend to go through my various creative activities in cycles, which is bad for blogging; some months I'm really into cake decorating or baking, some months into nail polish and makeup, and some months really into knitting.  It didn't help that I wasn't feeling particularly inspired by any of my in-progress projects. 

Then last week, it was like the knitting gods decided I need to get my act together.  I started listening to my backlog of knitting podcasts and immediately wanted to buy all the yarn and needles.  A fellow blogger and friend posted Instagram pictures of her Kool-Aid dyed yarn, and I immediately wanted to run to the grocery store for Kool-Aid, and order bare yarn from KnitPicks.  I had a little over a week until a friend's baby shower, and theorized that I could finish a knitted monster toy in time (because I'm crazy).

I decided to use a yarn I've had in my stash FOREVER, because its bright and kid-colored.  This is KnitPicks Stroll in the colorway Cartoons.

I hate it.  I think it looks happy and bright in its little yarn-cake, but knit up I think it looks like a muddy mess.  My friend Sam insists it will still be cute for a baby boy.

My current plan is to finish the monster (who will hopefully be ugly-cute), but then overdye the rest of the skein into something less barf-worthy.  It will give me a chance to practice (for freebies!) this whole food coloring/Kool Aid dyeing thing, as I have a ton of gel colors from my aforementioned cake/cookie decorating adventures.  I like when my hobbies magically intersect.

Knitting would be easier if I wasn't so dumb.

I've been making an attempt to start my Raphaelite Socks for several days now.  First I thought the beginning of my toe looked weird, so I pulled it out.  Then I wasn't sure I was really doing the increases right, so I pulled it out, looked it up and started again. 

Things were going well until yesterday (still working on the toe, mind you), when I counted my stitches and realized one of my needles was missing one.  I assumed I'd accidentally forgotten to increase on one end of the previous round.  Alas, I had just finished a knit round, so I had to tink back that entire round and half the next to get to the trouble spot...but both my increases were there.  Which meant I either dropped a stitch (which I couldn't see), or I forgot an increase SOMEWHERE ELSE.  So I pulled the entire thing out again, because I didn't want to keep un-knitting for forever.  UGH.

I don't know how its possible I have managed to muck up this project four times and I'm only ON THE TOE OF A SOCK.  !!

An attempt to break away from monogamy.

You would think that having had two weeks of vacation during the holidays would have prompted knitting, or maybe even a finished project, right?  Alas, in my case you would be wrong.  I spent the majority of my vacation sitting on my bum playing video games (nerd alert).

Now that I'm back at work and doing a task that allows me to listen to podcasts, I've been making myself listen to the knitting ones because I know that they'll inspire me.  Indeed, it seems to be working because I've been staring at patterns on Ravelry again, and even played with Judy's Magic Cast-on last night (in preparation for starting a pair of socks.)

I'm going to try something new this year.  Typically, I only knit one thing at a time (though, technically I've had the Chroma Striped Scarf lurking in the background for awhile), but this usually results in things languishing forever when I'm not in the mood to work on them (all the pairs of socks I've ever knit, my mittens....).  While listening to an episode of the Knitmore Girls podcast, Gigi mentioned that she liked having a few things going on at once so that she had knitting for every situation--i.e. something easy for when you're maybe waiting in the doctor's office.  I thought it was a great idea, so I'm making an effort to start some more projects.  I plan on continuing to work on my Bella Mittens, I'm going to start my Raphaelite Socks (FINALLY), and I want to break down and finally do a knitted toy (which I've been wanting to try forever)--likely a knitted monster. 

I'm also hoping this will actually give me enough to blog about, instead of the usual posts where I talk about NOT knitting, haha!

The calm before the storm

My progress on the Traveling Woman shawl has been steady the last couple of days, but I'm still only in the stockinette increase section.  I guess it makes sense that production seems to be slowing a bit, because each row takes me longer and longer to do.

Sorry for the cell phone picture.

I have about 10 repeats of the stockinette left before I start the part I'm a little nervous about: the actual lace bits.  I've read through the pattern several times, and it seems like something I can handle, but I can't help but wonder if I'll be totally confused when I get there. 

Charts don't help, because my brain doesn't work that way (apparently).  Words I get, I understand, but symbols on a chart intimidate me and all those little boxes can be confusing.  I did alright when I tried colorwork, but those weren't really symbols--the boxes were just colored in (or not).  I should probably practice at the chart-reading thing, though.

Away we go...

I've settled on the Traveling Woman shawl as my next project.  I just started it yesterday, and already had a hiccup.  The start of the shawl uses what is apparently called a "garter tab," which is not uncommon to shawl starts (so I read, anyway), but very new to me.  It took me a couple of tries before I felt mostly comfortable with what I had, and I'm still unsure of it--mine didn't turn out rectangular like it did in the video I watched...more like a softly curved half-circle.  I'm going to plow ahead and hope for the best.

This week I'll be off on a semi-vacation (for a friend's wedding), and I'm hoping to get some knitting time in. Alas, I'm driving, so there won't be any travel time knitting, but I don't have very many pressing plans so I expect at various junctures I'll be able to chill out and knit.  Cross your fingers for me!