in which I try not to whine and ALMOST succeed
I've been doing way more thinking about knitting than actual knitting of late. I thought I would be doing more in the middle of the night what with the insomnia and everything, but it turns out that it's very difficult for me to sit still unless the room is dark and I'm intentionally doing some kind of meditation exercise (more about that here on my other blog). It's a sad state of affairs because there are so many things I'm just itching (literally, ha ha...oh GOD I hate the last part of pregnancy SO MUCH) to make.
Like these mittens, for example:
I started them at least a month ago, and it's a lovely pattern and I love the yarn (Rowam DK wool), but following the chart seems like an awful lot of work when you're as sleep-deprived as I am. Yeah, if I can't follow a chart for mittens, you can guess the state of my dissertation revisions. I DO need to finish them, though, because I really want to give them to the violinist who played so beautifully on my exit recital a couple weeks ago.
Then there's this Koolhaas hat out of some Cascade 220 I had lying around:
I think I screwed up the decreases at the top because my stitch count was way off, but I just sort of guessed at what looked right. I'm afraid if I frog a few inches of it, I'll have no idea where I am in the pattern, so it's going to stay this way. It doesn't look too bad. And yeah, it's nearly done. All I have to do is thread the end through the top and hide all of two ends and I can wear this puppy. Guess how long it's been this done? At least a week. Maybe two. And dudes, it's cold outside. I need to finish it.
Lastly, an adorable project that of course I did not knit or you wouldn't see a finished version. A Christmas stocking for Daniel!
I still need to block it, actually, and I think then the fair isle parts will smooth out, but isn't it beautiful? What's more, this is my mom's first sock. Ever. She's quite an experienced knitter, and has made many beautiful garments over the years, but she's pretty much exclusive to sweaters. I remember many beloved sweaters she made me in my childhood and some real stunners she did for herself (you know that world map sweater from Vogue Knitting a million years ago? She made that!) and maybe a crocheted hat or two, but no scarves or socks or mittens. I would say I'm a less experienced knitter than she is, but I've done a wider variety of knitting. In fact - and I hope she doesn't mind that I'm sharing this - I had to help her with the short-row heel and the grafting at the end. I admit feeling a bit proud that my mom, a woman who adapts patterns all the time and tackles intarsia without the blink of an eye, a woman who hasn't needed to use a recipe for pie crust in decades, a woman who churns out gorgeous quilts all the time, had to ask me for advice on something crafty. (Of course, she cooked the turkey this Thanksgiving. God knows what would have happened if I'd been in charge of a 15-lb bird.)
Well, wouldn't you know, writing this post has inspired me to pull out the wool and get something finished. Maybe I can get that Koolhaas done before Daniel wakes up. Or pick up the aran mitten and find my place on the chart. Or start that baby sweater for my friend who's expecting the same day I am. So many possibilities...
(Or maybe I should try and get a couple more sentences revised while I still have a bit of naptime left. Sigh.)
Like these mittens, for example:
I started them at least a month ago, and it's a lovely pattern and I love the yarn (Rowam DK wool), but following the chart seems like an awful lot of work when you're as sleep-deprived as I am. Yeah, if I can't follow a chart for mittens, you can guess the state of my dissertation revisions. I DO need to finish them, though, because I really want to give them to the violinist who played so beautifully on my exit recital a couple weeks ago.
Then there's this Koolhaas hat out of some Cascade 220 I had lying around:
I think I screwed up the decreases at the top because my stitch count was way off, but I just sort of guessed at what looked right. I'm afraid if I frog a few inches of it, I'll have no idea where I am in the pattern, so it's going to stay this way. It doesn't look too bad. And yeah, it's nearly done. All I have to do is thread the end through the top and hide all of two ends and I can wear this puppy. Guess how long it's been this done? At least a week. Maybe two. And dudes, it's cold outside. I need to finish it.
Lastly, an adorable project that of course I did not knit or you wouldn't see a finished version. A Christmas stocking for Daniel!
I still need to block it, actually, and I think then the fair isle parts will smooth out, but isn't it beautiful? What's more, this is my mom's first sock. Ever. She's quite an experienced knitter, and has made many beautiful garments over the years, but she's pretty much exclusive to sweaters. I remember many beloved sweaters she made me in my childhood and some real stunners she did for herself (you know that world map sweater from Vogue Knitting a million years ago? She made that!) and maybe a crocheted hat or two, but no scarves or socks or mittens. I would say I'm a less experienced knitter than she is, but I've done a wider variety of knitting. In fact - and I hope she doesn't mind that I'm sharing this - I had to help her with the short-row heel and the grafting at the end. I admit feeling a bit proud that my mom, a woman who adapts patterns all the time and tackles intarsia without the blink of an eye, a woman who hasn't needed to use a recipe for pie crust in decades, a woman who churns out gorgeous quilts all the time, had to ask me for advice on something crafty. (Of course, she cooked the turkey this Thanksgiving. God knows what would have happened if I'd been in charge of a 15-lb bird.)
Well, wouldn't you know, writing this post has inspired me to pull out the wool and get something finished. Maybe I can get that Koolhaas done before Daniel wakes up. Or pick up the aran mitten and find my place on the chart. Or start that baby sweater for my friend who's expecting the same day I am. So many possibilities...
(Or maybe I should try and get a couple more sentences revised while I still have a bit of naptime left. Sigh.)
Comments
Good luck with your knitting, lady!