Color Me Happy

I've finished the Clappy.

Ok, I still have to drop the stitches and decide if I want to block it or not. But I do not need to knit another stitch, so I'm considering it done.

I love the clapotis, it's a great scarf for so many types of yarn. But oh the getting there. In this case I think I could have used a bigger needle and sped things along. I knit a ridiculous number of straight sections to get enough length. I blame it all on the needle size. I'll know for the future.As the piece is blocked here it's 19" wide x 59" long. I'm not really "blocking" it. I was hoping pulling it taut would encourage the dropped stitches to run. Didn't work.

I'm About to Cast On

I have a feeling this weekend there could be two more projects on the needles. Robyn's Stulpens feel a little like they could bring quick satisfaction. A small, simple, but impressive project. Cables are so cool, much simpler than they look.

I am holding myself back from casting on MOM's Red Emperor. Don't ask me why because this yarn/pattern combination is a match made in heaven. I think it's because I already have four large projects on the needles. But here's the thing. I really don't like to cast-on projects so if I'm in the mood, I should really go for it. It's makes no difference whether you store a project on the needles or store the yarn and a pattern :-)

Right now I have to go clean. Yuck!

Project Versus Process Knitting

I read Grace's Blog the other day and she was talking about being a project knitter versus a process knitter. I started to wonder which category I fell into.

In many aspects of my life, I like the planning as much as the doing. Whether it's painting a room or taking a vacation, there are hours of research logged before any action takes place. In many cases, during the action, I'm really enjoying the process. I like to watch a room come together when I'm painting. I love the end product, but I also love getting there.

I'm not so sure I feel the same way about knitting. I love to plan. Ravelry lets me play and plan to my heart's content. I put items in my queue, re-arrange and reprioritize anytime I want. I love to plan projects and I'm most happy when the yarn and the pattern are the perfect fit.

Once the project is cast-on, the mule is headed to the barn. It's all about getting the project off the needles. That's why I'm generally a monogamous knitter. I currently have 4 active projects on the needles. One is close to being finished, another is a gift and needs to be finished. I can't help but favor these projects over the others because I keep thinking, just a little more and I'll be done, just a little more and I'll be done. This is not a process knitter, this is a project knitter, a project knitter who wants a finished project.

I'm not sure if knowing this will change anything, but thanks Grace for a thought provoking blog entry.

Loving the Fair Isle

I don't have a ton to show, but I've spent a limited amount of time working on the Inga Cowl. It's actually going pretty fast. During my limited weeknight knitting, I have a hard time getting halfway through a round on the Shetland Tea Shawl, so imagine my delight when I finished two+ rows last night on the fair isle neckwarmer. I was thinking, I might be able to finish this project. I don't really get that feeling when I work on the STS.

While I would really love to bring the clapotis into regular rotation for evening knitting, it's the best project of the four for knit night. It takes the least amount of concentration. I think I could finish it during a movie, but then what would I work on at knit night? Robyn's Christmas Stulpens maybe. Oh well. Everything will finish in it's own time.

I need to move the Flutter scarf back into the weeknight rotation. It's been resting since last weekend. It is a gift and the recipient is looking forward to it. That should motivate me. I think it will get today's movie knitting time. Not too complicated for a movie.

Back to the fair isle cowl, I love the twist the colorwork brings to stockinette. Not difficult knitting, but just enough of a challenge that I don't love interest. Similar to cross-stitch, but it moves so much faster.

Christmas In July - Making a List and Checking it Twice

I love to start planning for Christmas in July. And in these financially trying times, I'd rather spend my money on yarn then gifts so that means knitted gifts for folks for Christmas. To be ready by Christmas, I need to start knitting now or at least planning. So here goes.

Robyn SIL gets a pair of Stulpens made from the green Acero to match the Clapotis she got last year.
John DB might get a neckwarmer. He's a deer hunter so if my fair isle neckwarmer goes well I'll do one for him with deer. I'm thinking brown variegated with black or a camo-ish green and black or the green and brown together. There's a Madeline Tosh brown I didn't get at DFW Fiber Fest that I'm hoping will be available at the Whirled Fibers Grand Opening. I have the black and if I want green, I may use some of the green Acero I have in my stash.
Juana MIL a fabulous lace stole. I'm thinking the Estonian Shawl. I will use beads for nupps though. I have some KP lace called cappucino and I have brown beads. I'm ready to go.
Josey GIL something in lace. I have the swallowtail shawl and have considered giving it to her a number of times. I may actually follow through this year.
MOM She has the peacock shawl, but now I want something with some heft. Something that doesn't feel fragile. Something she could leave on the back of the pew at church. I found the perfect pattern tonight. The designer calls the pattern "Red Emperor" it reminds me of the Grandmother's Fan quilt she made for me. I'll use the Orchid Sundara. Oh, I just can't wait, this is going to be so good. The way the pattern works, I can knit the two ends and then fill in the middle until the yarn is gone.
DH he may get a deer neckwarmer too. We'll have to see.

I really need to wrap up the Clapotis and the Flutter scarf. I think the Stulpens will be my Knit Night knitting after the clap.

So many great projects and so many from stash. I love it.

Four Active Projects on the Needles

And by active, I mean I want to knit on them. And of course, that's driving me nuts. I don't have enough time in my day to knit on four different projects so I have to pick just one and how do I do that?Apparently time wasn't an issue over the weekend because I cast on the Inga Cowl. I couldn't help myself. I've been dying to see how the Sundara "Cerulean Seas" knits ups.

I also wanted to give the braided stitch a try. It was a bit of a pain, but it sure is pretty. At this stage it's a bit hard to photograph, but I gave it a shot.

The Inga Cowl isn't really a pattern, but I'm using the pattern for the Inga Hat and not closing the top. Although I'm not going to double knit it, I do think I will knit a lining. The lining could be the reverse of what I'm knitting for the outside or it could be a single color in stocknette. It depends on how the fair isle goes.

I want to give double knitting a try, but mixing DK with fair isle in a project this large could be more than I can handle. For my double knitting start I think I will knit earwarmers. They will make good Christmas presents and they aren't the time commitment of 17" to 20" cowl.

Flutter Progress

Whew! I've made it through the first half of the Flutter scarf, I hope Madonna never reads this. I'd hate for her to know how I'm feeling about knitting this gift. I picked the pattern, but ohhh it's kind of boring. 50 repeats of the same 4 rows over and over again. And that's just one half. Now I get to do the same thing on the other side. Ugh!

I am loving the yarn though. The semi-solidness of the Claudia's Hand-painted creates just the right amount of interest without fighting with the lace pattern.

I've knit 5 rows on the Shetland Tea Shawl. That's quite a feat at 588 stitches in a row. That's the equivalent of 13 repeats on the Flutter Scarf.

I can't wait a minute longer. I'm about to cast-on my version of the Tapestry Cowl. Actually the only thing it has in common with the Tapestry Cowl is it's a fair isle cowl. I'm not going to double knit it. And I'm using the Inga Hat chart.

I'm using the fair isle glasses case I started at guild as a swatch. On 3's I'm getting 8 stitches to the inch. That's way too small a gauge. I'm switching to 4's. I'll do a working swatch. Apparently the Tapestry Cowl calls for you to start with smaller needles. If the 4s are too small, I'll consider them to be my smaller needles for cast-on. I can't use size 3's to cast-on because the piece would only be 15" around and that's not going to fit over my head. No way, no how.

I caked the Cerulean Seas Sundara Sock yarn this afternoon. It is so dreamy. I cannot wait to get into the pattern.