Thursday, July 15, 2010

Ten!

I was sitting in the park at lunch today, knitting on my noro sock and thinking of my in progress list, when I remembered a project not on the list! It is hibernating (and for whatever reason I never put it on Ravelry) so that is why it didn’t come to mind when I was typing my list the other day. It is a top-down wool/alpaca hip length cardigan in grey. I was working on it when Murray died and for whatever reason, I just couldn’t knit on it anymore after he passed. I am emotionally ready to pick it back up again, but it’s really warm and we are having an above normal summer here in NYC. So I won’t be touching that one for awhile either. I think I need to rent a cabin in the woods for a week, so I can stay up all night knitting to get some things done.

My Knitpicks order was shipped the day. It is currently in Edison, NJ according to the FedEx website. But it says it’s not due until Monday. Why? It’s just across the river. Why do they want to torture me!?!?!?! I guess its ok; I am only on row 5 out of 16 on the border. And I have other things that need to be finished first. So close, yet so far away.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Update

I must be the WORST blogger ever! I feel really bad…but apparently not too bad, or I would have blogged before this.

I don’t know what is wrong with me but I have been obsessed with lace lately. The last 2 pages on my Ravelry queue is all lace shawls. That is all I want to knit. Lace, lace, lace. Have I knit much lace lately…not really. Here is a list of what is on my needles:

1. A pair of Noro socks for Jon – a swap. Basic rib and cable socks.

2. Veronique in a pretty purple cashmere. I don’t know why this is taking me so long. Miles of stockinette stitch I guess.

3. A Lady Kina in a (you guessed it) pale pink. I had some Rowan Wool/Cotton in my stash and I felt the need to cast on.

4. A pair of Anastasia socks in Punta de Este MeriSock. I love this pattern. I love this yarn. So why am I not done with these yet?

5. A pair of striped socks from some yarn I got at Renegade Art Fair a few yarns back. This one, I know why I am stalled. I did make one sock last summer in this yarn…but it wasn’t as long or tight as I would have liked. So I decided to use a solid to go with it and do stripes using smaller needles. I had some solid blue in my stash from quite a few yarns ago. I am not really loving the color combo. This may go into the frogging pile.

6. A tweedy blue multi-directional sweater. I like this one, but since it is all in one piece it is way too hot to knit on during the summer. So this is hibernating until the fall.

7. Charity hats (this is always on the needles…in my desk drawer at work…you know in case of emergency.)

8. A secret project I can’t talk about here…yet.

9. Finally…a lace shawl. I am using some Rhinebeck yarn in a raspberry. I am making the Dover Castle Shawl. I have tons of yarn, so I decided to make it a little bigger than the original pattern. I started the border chart last night which is only 16 rows. I can’t wait!

Wow, that's more than I thought!

But what I am most excited about…after a lot of hymning and hawing on my part, I broke down and ordered some lace blocking wires. Like I said before, I have really been into lace lately…so it seems like a good idea. I ordered them yesterday from Knitpicks. Hopefully they will be here soon. I am hoping to time the bind off of the Dover Castle Shawl with their arrival.

I think my next shawl is going to be Ishbel. Although it starts with lots of stockinette, I am hoping I will motor though it in hopes to get to the lacey bit. I think it will be very wearable. I have seen lots and lots of pretty ones on Ravelry. I think I am going to use some grey alpaca I have from Rhinebeck a few years back. I have about 1800 yards, so I will have left over yarn. I can always make another shawl out of the left over, right?

Do you see the other trend here? Yes that’s right, I am using Rhinebeck yarn. I told myself I couldn’t go to Rhinebeck until I had used all the yarn from the previous trips. I have been really wanting to get out of the city lately and have been dreaming of a cool autumn day upstate. So I have been planning out my projects to use all my Rhinebeck Yarn. Or at least start using it...that counts, right?