A Knitting Assessment

I am leaving for Virginia tomorrow and have spent the day packing up all the knitting projects I'll need to last through Christmas. My mom has had a small stroke and I don't know how long I will be there. I've spent the last week making the final decision on my Christmas knitting and then gathering everything I need. (And then some!) I will also be turning in my charity knitting to From the Heart in Richmond. Going through this process is very revealing. The first thing I noticed was that I have enough needles for myself and 3 more very active knitters! Why do I have so many needles?

Reason #1 I got some needles on eBay and they contained the needles I wanted and a whole lot more! It was like Christmas when they came. I was looking for some very small but long double point needles and at the time, they were very hard to find. What I bought was some knitter's stash of needles and tools. It was so exciting when the package finally arrived. Along with the needles were all sorts of tools from the UK which we don't have here. That was about 15 years ago and a few months ago I finally figured out what one of the last tools was for...a knitting machine.

Reason #2 I have been working on UFOs for the last 3-5 years. As each project is finished, I collect the stitch markers, the needles and the stitch holders. I had NO idea how many needles and such that I had tied up in UFOs! It's very gratifying, but what am I to do with all these needles? I gave some of them to a young knitter in my group, but she is moving to Seattle in a few days and won't be settled for a while. I need to sit down on the floor and take inventory and then cull, cull, cull.  When that is done, I need to find another new knitter and and make her very happy!!

How am I doing?

I have been knitting like crazy! I finished David's scarf in 2 days because they were leaving for New York and it was snowy there. I don’t think I have ever knitted anything that fast…even on Christmas Eve. Since we are in Florida, I thought I had a long time before he’d get into any cold weather.

I finally finished the bulky loopy yarn prayer shawls and the tam and scarf set. I did NOT like that yarn. It was a mill end and it kept getting tangled and the tiny individual threads snagged. Once knit, it looks pretty good, but it is not easy to work with. If I can find my camera, I will post pictures. I used it to take the picture of David’s scarf and since it was about 2:30 am when I took it, I can’t remember where I put the camera. I was more than a little sleepy by then.

I'm doing very well on my hats with several on the needles right now. Some are mindless and quick to take to my meetings and others have to be done when I am alone. The chemo hats are great to take along, so I am trying to keep one on the needles all the time. The only problem is that I want to knit everything with my size 6 Lantern Moon circular needles. I love them, but they are so expensive and I hate to get another pair of the same size.

I am also knitting squares for a charity blanket our group is giving away to the St. Gerard’s Campus in St. Augustine and blankets for another charity one of our group members is involved with. I’ll probably knit the squares all year long since they are so easy to carry and work up so fast. Then there is the sampler scarf and hat I am designing to teach my two friends how to knit. That will become either a gift or a charity project. I’m making it with Red Heart Fiesta and I really like it. I have a lot of inexpensive yarn left over from years of knitting kids sweaters, so I am trying to use it up.

That’s another thing I am doing pretty well with…using my stash. I have tons of yarn and now that my house is so much smaller, I have to do something to save space. I am trying to use the largest yarn first so I can reduce my stash quickest. Unfortunately, my cousin sent me some instructions for knitting Mary Hoyer doll clothes to sell on ebay, but they use very fine yarn. I love knitting things like that, but it isn’t helping make much space. About the only yarn I buy is what I need to go with something I already have and I am trying to keep that at a minimum.

So, how am I doing so far? I’d say pretty good. If I can keep this up all year, there should be a lot more space around here and a lot of warm bodies

2012 UFOs and projects

Here's my list for 2011. I am not sure I can get it all done, but at least I have listed a group from which to select.

UFOs:
Blue baby afghan - Leisure Arts #3049, Our Best Knit Collection
Ann Norling Vest
Cranberry sweater
Green Doll outfit
Blue Doll coat
Crimson Cutie - 3
Green Fair Isle - I frogged this so it is technically not a UFO
Pastel Toddler Sweater
Eli's Aran
Alina's Aran - frog
Border Options Sweater
Red Ruffles Sweater


Projects:
Purple Boa - Addie - finished
Hat for Julie - finished
Boa for Trish - finished
David's Scarf - The Dudester Scarf - finished
Hats for T.E. and Evan
Fair Isle felted bowl
Prayer Shawls (2) - finished
Fair Isle for Addie, Victoria and Eli
Felted tote bag
Triple Moebius bowl
Moebius bowls
8 Stash Baskets - 1 finished
Crochet laundry basket - almost finished
Grand Plan Top-Down Capelets - Jan (not sure about this)
Star Wars hat and sweater for Charles
Aran Cardigan for me
Hooded Pullover - Leisure Arts #3049, Our Best Knit Collection
Qiviut cowl
6 headbands
Grey scarf
Grey hat
DNA hat and scarf - Lee
5 Aran hats
8 Fair Isle hats
6 Fun fur hats
30 Earflap hats
12 Cancer hats
Felted purses - moebius - Christmas gifts
iPod cozies
12 coffee cozies - 7 finished
6 felted bowls - 1 finished
3 Tea cozies - 1 for Jan
Scrap yarn shawl
Scarf and tam - finished
6 Charity afghans
Doll Clothes - 12 outfits

Knitting hats and UFOs

I have been knitting up a storm and really cranking out the hats. I've found an earflap hat that I love. I've made 7 of them from Wool-ease with several variations. I'll try to get some photos up soon. It seems like I can't get either of my counters to the end. I keep adding hats to my hat counter and finding new UFOs to add to that counter also. I found a ripple afghan in the attic that I am turning into a Christmas present. I always liked it, but I made it for a friend and before I could get it finished, they moved and had a completely different color scheme. The new recipient has just bought a new house with lots of space to fill up, so this is perfect...a gift I love for people I love.

The earflap hats are going well and they have a lot of space to do colorwork on them, so I just keep adding recipiants that I think will like them. I figure I have about 4 more of the earflap kind and a couple of Aran type that I have been wanting to make for ages. I'm making a hat and boa out of some eyelash yarn for my 4 year old grandneice, and I am hoping I get used to using that yarn. So far, it hasn't been all that great, but my sister assures me that it gets easier. For the little grandnephews, I want to make these balaclavas. Then I have a vest to make (It's half done), 3 crochet bags (1 finished today), some ipod carriers...one looks like a hoodie and is so cute! There's a Star Wars hat and sweater that isn't even started and 2 children's Arans and 1 Gansey half done. I think I am going to have to learn to knit while I sleep! Thank goodness some of these are UFOs and are already well on their way. Pictures will be posted and a new list made.

Pictures from Summer Knitting

I taught Eli, age 8, to knit this summer and she finished a scarf for her mother, some coasters for her daddy and the red yarn is for a trivet. When we watched some movies, she went and got her knitting just like her grandmother, great grandmother and aunt:)













I've had these socks in my UFO box for a long time. The first one worked up quickly, but I made a mistake on the second one and couldn't remember where I put the pattern.






I finished the Crayon sweater for Charles and had enough yarn to make one for Addie also. They're bright and colorful and made a big hit, even though you couldn't tell it from Charles expression. I have two more of these sweaters left to make.



Here are some chemo caps I made. I have made about 12 of the ribbed ones, but only one of the 2 color which is what I really wanted to practice this summer(two-handed stranded knitting). Right now I am looking for a truly jogless seam. I do intend to keep working on the stranded hats this year until I am proficient.
Crayon Sweater

What projects are left?

I'll get photos up as soon as I find that charger cord, but here's what is left:

1. Baby vest - started for Charles, got off count somewhere and couldn't fix it. Now I am making it for Jonathan.

2. Lavender fluffy sweater for Addie. This one is just lacking the sleeves. It just got put on a back burner for a while - no problems.

3. Knit red coat for 18" doll - sew together

4. Knit blue coat for 18" doll - sew together

5. Knit green sweater and skirt for 18" doll - sew together

6. Red ruffled baby sweater - sew together

7. White baby sweater - sew together

8. One green hunting sock

AM I SEEING A PATTERN HERE???

Charity Knitting - more projects done!

I am on a roll. I got 2 more chemo caps done and finished an isolette blanket. I'll upload some photos when I find all the cords and things I need to download my photos. Nothing is going to happen if I can't get the camera charged up again and that cord seems to be elusive.

For the isolette blanket I used a tiny mock cable that I frequently used years ago. It is such a sweet pattern for baby things and it is so small that tiny fingers don't get caught up in it easily.

I met a knitter from Ravelry this morning at the Kafe Haus in Fernandina. We had no problem picking each other out of the crowd...who else is dragging bags with sticks sticking out and balls of color peeking over the edge. I hope we can get a few more knitters to meet with us. I did the finishing on the charity projects I had with me and then picked up a sweater for my granddaughter out of lavender Fluffy. That was in my UFO basket also, so I am looking forward to counting that in my list of finished projects.

I am making some progress on my project to inventory all my books and needles. I entered some more on Ravelry, but I find that I have to take photos of some of my books and, of course, I need the camera. I have also gathered a number of old projects and put the yarn and pattern in the bag so I am ready for the next one when I finish.

I am trying to do my UFOs in an 80/20 ratio. I work on UFOs 80%of the time and new projects 20% of the time. I am only doing this for one year and if I make it, I get to go with my sister on a Virginia Shop Hop next spring. Even my 20% should be from my stash unless I find a really good sale; We shall see.

How do things get to be UFOs?

There is something that I wonder about in knitting. I see a pattern and grab some yarn and start to work on it with great enthusiasm. I like the way the yarn looks, every thing is going along nicely and suddenly, I loose interest. Sometimes it is because I have a problem with the pattern, but a lot of times there is no reason. I tuck in back in the closet where it reproaches me each time I see it. I try not to look too deeply into the closet while I do my best to keep thoughts of the cost of the yarn and the time invested. Yuk! I do not want to do this project.

AND then... one day, I look at my knitting and fall in love again. Now the color is lovely, the pattern is interesting and I am raring to go. Has the yarn changed? No. Has the pattern changed? No! Obviously, the knitter has changed, but how? I swear I am the same person who looked into the closet a month ago. Is it hormonal? Have my biorhythms changed, is Venus in a different house (whatever that means)?

Now, if I could find an answer to that question and turn it into a potion, I could get rich!!!! Just think...upon nearing the closet, you take a pill and slowly approach. Wow! You can't wait to get back to that pattern you started in the 70s! (Well, perhaps not the 70s. Some fashion eras do not bear repeating.) Now you love your project and can't wait to start knitting. Think how much money you would save!! Maybe you could even use the pills for other things that have been started and not completed. If only...

Back in town

Yeah! I am back in town again in my own little house..which is now a mess because I am starting a project to gather all my needles and hooks and take an inventory. That means getting out more unfinished projects and evaluating them.

I GOT EVERY UNFINISHED PROJECT I BROUGHT WITH ME TO VIRGINIA FINISHED!!!!! What a high! I made 4 pair of hunting socks, 2 pair of regular socks for presents this Christmas, a vest for my granddaughter's friend, 3 mittens (one for spare), Charles' sweater, a novelty scarf, a baby sweater, and ??? I can't remember, but I photographed them and will upload soon. Every single project had something wrong with it, which is how it got to be an UFO in the first place.

I also made about 10 chemo caps for From the Heart, a sweater for Addie which I didn't bring quite enough yarn to finish the last sleeve, 2 more baby sweaters, designed and started an incubator blanket and an Aran sweater for Eli.

I can hardly stand myself I am so tickled! I accomplished this marvel because I had my mother and sister around me to talk to while figured out what was wrong, unknitted the mess, corrected the problem and finished the project. If I was at home, I would be mumbling about the yarn, the pattern developer (mainly me), the fickle knitting goddess etc. I also brought these projects in their own little bag and when I went somewhere, I only took that bag...no other choice:)

So now, I am going upstairs to sort out some more projects and see how well I can keep this up. I did bring back some beautiful fall colored sock yarn that I am going to make for myself and I am trying to decide if I start it before Addie's sweater or after. Since I live in Florida, I think I will finish the sweater first so Addie can wear it (if it ever gets below 80 degrees!)

The lavender sweater

I have got to get back to this lavender sweater. It is a fluffy yarn and will be good for either of my granddaughters, but I am having a lot of trouble getting back to it. I don't know why I have gone off of it; I liked it perfectly well before I started Eli's sweater, but now I can't bring myself to start working on it again.

I think this is one that is going to end up being taken to Virginia. I'll be up there two months and am bringing all my FUO's. I am going to force myself to work on them. I don't understand why I have this reluctance, but I know I am not alone. It seems to me that I would look at the project and say, "Wow, I only have one sleeve and this is done." It's like being given a project with most of the work already done and you only have about 10 more hours to work on it and then you have a nice completed project. It doesn't work that way though. Once something gets shifted back to the UFO pile, it becomes harder and harder to work on it. Oh, well. I guess that is just the way it goes.