Progress

I made some real progress on my Quidditch Sweater from Charmed Knits. I worked on it a lot while I was at my part-time job this weekend. I started this sweater last October for a knitting class and it was slow going at first because it was well ... boring, LOL! Now that I have the front done, I can't wait to finish the rest to have something I can wear!

WIPs, WIPs and MORE WIPs

At what point does a WIP (work in progress) become a UFO (unfinished object)? I wonder this sometimes, I guess once you decide you are not going to finish it and use the yarn for something else its a UFO? I like to think of them all as WIPs because generall what I don't plan on finishing I rip out, LOL!

I am doing well on my 2 socks on 2 circulars, I am past the heel and am working on the gussett decreases at the moment, they are really coming along nicely. I do like this method and even took them with me today to a big family outing that was at a banquet center with softball, mini golf, etc. so it was a causal place I got to sit outside at a picnic table and knit for a while.

I pulled out my WIP bag which is a large plastic linen storage bag and saw some yarn I got for a scarf that I totally forgot about, LOL! I really need to make some sort of list or something of the projects that I want to do and where the patterns are. I do keep a 3-ring binder with working copies (or the original if it came alone) in there with things that I want to do in the future, but sometimes I see things in magazines and don't want to bother copying the pattern at this time since I won't be working on it right away anyway ...and buy the yarn and stash it and then forget about it, hahaha! How do you keep your patterns and future projects organized??

I have several things on the needles at the moment that I want to get finished up soon so that I can finish up some things for Christmas and gifts.

1. Yarn Smackdown socks - Hopefully I can get these finished before I get killed, LOL!
2. Diane's Gloves - Vintage 1940s pattern that had me guessing a few times. I have one glove almost done.
3. Derek's Scarf - started last winter, would be nice to finish before this winter!
4. Mom's Scarf - also started last winter.
5. Marion Socks - Socks for my MIL, want to complete for Christmas.
6. Quidditch Sweater - for myself, would like to finish so I can wear it this year.
7. Alpaca Scarf - something I wanted to try using two strands of yarn.
8. Drawstring bag - Just something to work on for fun with Meditation yarn.
9. Reversible Cable Scarf - in Ultra Alpaca for myself.
10. Panda Cotton Socks
11. Peppermint Twist Socks
12. Art Yarns Socks

And lets not mention the many skeins of yarn I have stashed for various other projects, hahahaha!!

I am going to try and finish whatever is on needles at the moment before starting anything new unless its for a class. Then I can start on the other projects that I have yarn set aside for!

Life and Knitting

I was at the yarn store today for my 2 socks on 2 circulars class and I got the new Hiya Hiya sock needles. I am LOVING THEM!!! There's no switching needles like in magic loop where you come to the end and need to pull the needle out to continue, its just one continuous loop!

My two socks are coming out great. I am done one heel flap on the first one and started the second one. I really do like the method, its great to know that the socks will be done at the same time.

We saw the most amazing rainbow the other day, the photos don't do it justice, but it was amazing!

Sleepy Sunday

I am very tired today. I worked my third shift job this weekend and got up early today to go to a knitting class, so its 6pm now and I am so ready to crash. Sometimes when I am working at the hospital answering the switchboard overnight, when I go to the rest room down the hall it makes me think of Halloween and Michael Myers in the institution ... some days I am so tired I think, go ahead, come and get me at least then it would be over, hahahaha!!!

I am taking a 2 socks on 2 circulars class. I took this before but tried it on one long circular and it didn't work out so well, the yarn kept getting tangled, I kept knitting the sock inside out and twisting it, etc. So I wanted to give it another try, I am a better knitter in general now so I think that will help. The 2 circulars instead of one makes a HUGE difference too.



I got a better picture of the Hypnosis pattern from The Eclectic Sole.



I started the gloves my friend wanted and got a lot done this weekend, but noticed that the thumb gussett increases threw the pattern stitch off, so I ripped it back and took it with me today for help. The instructor suggested something that I am going to try and see if that works better. In the pattern you cannot see the gussett so its unclear how they worked around it or if it looked bad there too!

Busy, busy, busy

I've been very busy working extra hours and doing other stuff to save up money to move. We met with the agent we work with to see houses to list out mobile home to get more exposure and hopefully sell it soon, selling it will make up the difference of what we need to move. My mom owns it, but hasn't lived here for years and doesn't want to, so she'll give us any money from the sale.

On the knitting front, I think I am going to rip out the Rivendell socks that I started, I do not like the yarn for this pattern, its obscuring it too much ... and what's the point of a lovely pattern if you cannot see it?!?! So I started another sock in the Eclectic Sole book with some other yarn and I think that's working out great.

The yarn is Ranco by Araucania in Multi. I originally got this because I liked the colors and had something else for the Hypnosis pattern, but while I was going through my stash, I though this would work very well for this pattern.

So far so good. Here's a close up of the leg, hard to see the pattern stitches without blocking, but its coming out good.

I think I am going to take a sock class at my local yarn store that starts tomorrow. I took two socks on one circular before and just never got the hang of it, they are doing that class again, but I am going to try two socks on two circulars this time and see if it works out better. I am not sure what pattern and yarn I am going to use so I am going to bring a few things with me and see what I feel like tomorrow.

I am woring on some gloves for my friend and had trouble with the thumb. The pattern stitch is a 2x2 offset so the stitches look like they are going diagonal. When I get to the thumb increases it throws the pattern stitches off on the thumb ... don't know how they got it to work and its an old pattern from the 40's so there is little in the way of instruction or notes. I am going to bring that with me tomorrow and see if I can get some help.