Sunday, May 15, 2011

Travel Knitting Picked!

I've decided to start a pair of Nutkin socks in Prism Saki yarn.  The colorway is Woodlands, which is greens and browns.  Nutkin is a simple enough stitch pattern that I shouldn't have any trouble memorizing it and knitting while on the plane and/or while chatting with people around me. I've also got my Kiri re-do along for the ride.  I probably only really need to take one or the other, but I'm taking both.  I may focus on the Kiri for the trip over as I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to come back with my circular needle in my carryon bag. Or I could just leave the shawl in the checked luggage on the trip back.

Anyway, time for bed. Have a great week!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

You Got Some Mending to Do!

Seems like I've had a neverending stream of socks to darn lately.  As I've said before, I can't complain about most of those as many of my socks are well over five years old.  It does fairly regularly remind me that I really need to get cracking on knitting up some socks for myself.  The last time I got on a sock knitting kick, I knit three first socks.  Now I need to get going on the second socks.

While doing some decluttering in my fiber room last week, I came across my lace shawls.  The gray Swan Lake got snagged in my jacket zipper about 18 months ago, so that hole doesn't worry me much.

The camel colored cashmere, however, now has two holes in it.  I might have been able to convince myself that the first hole came from a snag, but the second hole developed while the shawl has been resting on my work table.

Time to wash them both thoroughly and give them a spray of moth repellent.  I'll end up ripping them each back to the holes, but that won't be too bad.  The cashmere kiri is an easy repeat to memorize. I hope I can find all of the directions to the Swan Lake.  I know I printed it out. Haven't a clue where I put it.

On the Sock Front
I counted up my handknit socks tonight while putting away the laundry.  I have 20 pair of handknit socks in my drawer, 18 of which I wear with some regularity.  Then I went to my sock yarn bin to count up how many socks are waiting to be born.  There are 38 pair of unknit socks waiting for me and four pair of unknit socks waiting to become socks for other people, plus three pair of socks in progress.  At least that's where it stands right now.  I may re-purpose some of "my" socks into gifts for others.  Although I followed the Yarn Harlot's lead a while ago and bundled the sock yarn into sock kits (yarn plus note of which pattern to use in a zip top bag), I have yet to make any progress on picking a kit a month and finishing it.  Too much distraction by the two cardigans, I guess.


More Travel Knitting
I have another international trip coming up in a week. (Tblisi, here I come!)  I will naturally take a pair of socks along, probably something fairly simple.  I may also get Kiri ripped back to the first hole and take her along as a second project.  The repeat is simple enough to memorize that it will make good travel knitting and it packs up rather small as well.  Even better--if I get it done while traveling, I can wear it home on the plane to keep from freezing (I always get really cold on long haul flights).

Friday, May 06, 2011

Sleeve Island

Stefaneener over at Reading While Knitting commented the other day that she's got three sweaters hanging out at Sweater Island, presumably waiting to have their sleeves either knit or installed or both.  I've got two in the same condition.

The green sweater has 1.5 sleeves knit and I've discovered that the sleeves are far too snug, so they'll get ripped out.


The orange sweater has 1.2 sleeves knit and I hope they aren't too loose. Or too long. It's a loose fitting sweater with a knitted lace trim that will go on the end of the sleeves.

What really worries me is how long the sweaters will languish in the Straits of Seaming and the Finishing Forest.  I've got one sweater that's been there for ten years now!!