For want of some yarn

You may not believe it, but right now - this very moment in time - I am in need of some yarn:

This is my latest quick knit. Started on the bus home after work last night the knitting was all done before bed. This is a Calorimetry - a knitted headband to keep my ears warm and hide the many bad hair days that have caught me out recently.

So it's all done? Well no, not quite. The knitting is done but the whole thing fastens with a button at the back and I didn't have anything suitable. This morning I nipped to the market and found a small green button for 15 pence. I bought one and a spare (just in case).

Back at work now and awaiting my lunch break I've realised that despite remembering to bring the needle to sew the button on with, I've managed to leave behind the yarn ends I'd kept for sewing the button on. So, but for the want of some yarn, this project would have been finished -- instead it'll have to wait until tonight.

Sock Deconstructed

I'm making good progress on my second Stripe Tease sock.

At this stage it's strongly resembing some kind of sock 'net'. Back in my primary school days I remember drawing out a variety of different nets to then assemble them into the appropriate 3D shapes. This is a bit like that...

Sadly it'll have to wait a couple of days to form the intended shape - I snapped a circular knitting it yesterday. A replacement is on order (and in the meantime, a cowl or two).

WIP: Stripe Tease

Another day, another sock:

This is the first of a pair...

... and a new construction.

The pattern is 'Stripe Tease' and I originally cast on for December's SKA "Unique Construction" challenge. I'm not yet decided on these socks. I like what they've done for the crazy but for a mindless stockinette sock you don't get much mindless knitting time -- so often these socks were stalled on needing a chunk of time to pick up the next batch of stitches.

I guess I need to see how I feel when I knit the second one!

FO: Boating Socks

I successfully hit my target of the end of the month (January) for these socks:

There were a few bumps and hurdles along the way but they're done:

Lookin' good!

Knitting Goals: Monogamy

Well, OK, maybe not monogamy exactly but I *do* really want to finish some projects.

Specifically I'd like to get these done by the end of month SKA deadline:

SKA deadlines are entirely meaningless. If I finish I'm entered into the prize draw - the chances of winning are slim and I'm not concerned about the prizes, BUT the notion of having a time to be done with this project and to move onto the next is important. Projects have been slow recently and I really need to see some finished objects.

I am accepting that the second pair of socks I started for December won't be finished by the end of the month (I'm still knitting the first one). Other things I'd like to knock on the head this weekend include:

• Weaving in those last ends on my alpaca shawl. It's blocked already so it really just needs a dry moment with the camera and then I'll declare it finished.
• Blocking the back of my Angostura. I'm concerned it might be a little (lot?) long so I need to finish the last row and then pop it on a bit of scrap yarn and wash/block it to see what changes.

I also need to resist the urge to start too many new projects!

Simple Things

I'm working towards my first big deadline of 2012 - the next two are both next week (I start working towards them on Saturday). I can barely calculate when my next quiet work moment will be and so I am demanding non-demandingness of my knitting:



Even this it seems is pretty tricky. I have just spend much of my lunchtime tinking back purl rows... who knew garter stitch could be so tricky?

45 yards

I've finished spinning and plying the merino/silk sample from Colourful Designs:

A quick count suggests there might be just short of 45 yards in this skein... so what to do with it? It's not been washed yet so I'm unsure about wraps-per-inch but I suspect it will come out as a light fingering weight.

Ideas?