I guess I needed to take a bitty break from designing my own knit stuff in order to get it back.

While waiting for it to return, I worked on the Whitewater Wristwarmers for a friend and the Roundabout socks. Proud to announce Tholozé, a sort of ponch-ette to keep me warm in the office where I’ll be starting a new job Monday morning. It involves the very difficult Koigu KPPPM that only wants to be worked in stockinette or seed stitch. I finally decided to honor its wishes and create something using those two stitches exclusively. It promises to be beautiful and cute as well as functional.

I have hit one of those times when my knitting is going all wrong. This happens to me twice a year. Sometimes three times. It’s not just on improvised designs either. Just in general. I frog every project I start at least twice. I start again, with hope that I won’t screw up for the nth time.

I would say that the Clapotis cursed me, but that wouldn’t be fair. I’m obviously just too dense to understand the pattern. So whatever.

Maybe I’m a little burnt out, and need a break. I don’t know.

I’ll keep knitting my socks on the metro, as I do. Helps me manage my anxiety in a productive way.

Maybe it’s time to devote myself to one project at a time? Follow through before getting wrapped up in another?

Where’d my mojo go, yo?

So I can legally work in France now. The only downside will be less time to knit, but I plan on taking it with me on the metro no matter what sorts of strange looks or questioning glances I might get.

My resolution to only knit one project at a time has already died a stealthy death. While making the Giraffe turtleneck sweater from a few Knitty’s past, the longing for a little quality time with sock yarn grew. I couldn’t ignore the desire any longer and gave in. I have started a Clapotis with some bluetastic Koigu KPPPM and the Roundabout socks by Ruth Greenwald on some first gen Opal Rainforest, “Flamingo”. I am glad to be back to my itty bitty yarn, and hope to have a job soon so that I can get some more — especially some KPPPM from knitpurl.com.

All that remains to do on the turtleneck is to set the sleeves, sew the side and sleeve seams, weave in the ends. I don’t want to block or iron it. I’d rather like it to be form fitting. Enough things look tent-like on me, I don’t need to add to that collection. For awhile then I’m going almost all sock until I’m sick of fingering weight and need an excuse to start another worsted weight sweater. Next time, it’s the Olive Branch Yoga Hoodie by Kirsten Hipsky. Somewhere in there I’ll make a reusable and antibiotic market bag for all the fresh produce I’ll be buying on my way home from my future job in Paris.

Well, I wasn’t sure that I would succumb, but I have started putting my stash on Ravelry. I cannot help myself. It’s not like my stuff is amazing, I ain’t braggin’ er nuthin’. It’s just this compulsion to share with other knitters visually what I have. For now, mostly sock yarn that is too cool to just be stuck into a shoe. Taking photos of and uploading my stash is also helping in that I might actually decide to do something with the yarn that “should” be socks. There’s something helpful about taking the yarn out from its hiding place and letting a program on a cool website do the yardage math for you. Now I know that I pretty much have enough Koigu KPPPM to make a Clapotis, but the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn. What to do? Well, if you’re annoying like me, you send a message to the designer! It would make a pretty kick-ass Clapotis.

Knitted presents have been sent. Soon to send the fabled Trumpet Sock to the men of the Mighty Boosh!

I have managed to fly through the presents for friends. Now all remains is to send them. Monday? Mayhaps…

Now it’s back to my Giraffe Turtleneck from Knitty. Nice to calm down a bit and just work on something for myself. It will be so nice to have a turtleneck that actually fits my long torso and neck. I am sure this won’t be the last of these I make.

Just got a bunch of shexxay Opal Rainforest (Snake, Bee from series II and Veronika de Wilde from series III). The hardest decision I have to make with these is whether I should just do stockinette and let the lurvely variegation do its stuff or knit a lace or cable pattern into the ankle. Thinking of the Roundabout pattern by Ruth Greenwald I found on Ravelry. That way, the yarn gets to be itself, but I get to not be bored. I also got two skeins of Hundertwasser (1431 and 1432) from which I’ll make sideways socks. I told myself that I would focus on bigger projects this year, sweaters and such, but I have a problem. I love knitting socks. I feel myself being drawn finally into a deeper level of sock knitting involving more lace, more cables, more excitement. Before, socks were colorful yet functional gifts to myself. I have always loved wearing colorful socks, making my own pairs was a natural progression for me. And now, deeper and deeper I go…this year I see many skeins of Phildar Lambswool 51 coming into my possession. Solids and stripes so that I explore this calling to put more lace in my life, more cables in my capabilities. Just added about twenty free sock patterns to my queue on Ravelry. After these, I hope to graduate to Cookie A.’s paid patterns. Then, perhaps I will start designing socks myself.

Perhaps this year, I will allow myself a really yummy luxury and use some of my Koigu KPM and KPPPM for socks for a change. I’m thinking Monkey by Cookie A. in my dusty pink KPM and some Pomatomus by this same designer in my turquoisey KPM.

I have also recently discovered the Noro makes Kureyon sock yarn. I’m doooooooomed! I’m planning sweaters with this stuff. Attracted, in particular, by #164 and #95. 4 skeins of each should cover me. I think I know how addicts feel now. Only no guilt or self-loathing! Just socks and sweaters! Equally ruined financially, but cozy and warm!

Kureyon Sock…my heart and hands and eyes long for you!

If I ever win millions in the lotto, I’m going to start a specialty yarn store in Montmartre full of Noro and Koigu, Brown Sheep, Lorna’s Laces, Handmaiden…mmmm…and I’ll have tea, coffee, wine, knitting circles, notions, pastry and a Wonder Corgi! Heaven…

There’s a knitting group that I really want to go to on Wednesday evenings in Paris, but somehow, I just never get around to it. Probably because I’m in the suburbs and it’s a pain in the butt to go out and back. Maybe the winter is a factor, too. It’s dark early, cold, rainy and sleety most of the time. Maybe I’m just a big lazy-ass in the evenings, and prefer the comfort of my home and husband. Maybe I am too nervous about meeting new people. Maybe all of the above.I have plenty of projects and would love to sit with other knitters to work on them as I used to in Austin. Saturday afternoons would rock. But nobody seems game for those here. Wednesday evening or Friday afternoon. Neither really work for me.

One of my vows for the New Year is to work on projects for me and/or for my husband. So many of my friends are having babies, and I’d love to send them something hand knit. Then again, almost all of these friends are avid knitters and sending them something is kind of coals to Newcastle.

I may hold off on knitting for others until next Fall. If then. Guess it makes me a big meanie, but I am realizing that I can’t keep giving so much energy to others all the time. I have nothing left for myself. Right now, as every year, I am juggling 5 different projects that will not be finished for Xmas. Besides my goal of knitting things for myself and my husband, I swear that next year I will not work on more than two projects at a time. Well, I’ll try. No promises.

I am having to stop a few projects mid-way through because I didn’t calculate just how much yarn I would actually need. Silly me. I have to get better about that. These are stuffed toys, though, and I have never made toys before…that said, next time, I’m breaking out the calculator. No joke.

What with planning a wedding and running off to honeymoon, I haven’t been posting much. That’s about to change. I was invited to Ravelry, and I have to have something to feed to it.

These days I am working on stuffed animals to give to my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law this Xmas. Finding the stuffing has been difficult, especially with the transportation strike keeping me from getting to a store that carries said stuffing. Also, I really don’t need a kilo of it, but I don’t think I have much of a choice. This will mean more stuffed animals in the future. Or maybe a useless teeny, tiny pillow. Maybe I can give it to someone who has a chihuahua.

I had almost broken the pattern of having eleven trillion things at once, but I needed a break from the Pomatomus sleeves, I needed to work with bigger yarn. Am making myself another goofy hat to hold my future dreads while I sleep. After the luscious Pomatomus sleeves are done, I have tons of stuff to finish and start.

1. Funky Dreadhat
2. Koigu Matrix Sweater (based loosely on Suss Collins design from Hollywood Knits)
3. Hilda’s Scarf (a lurvely cable-y concoction)
4. Pink Dread Hat (this one is in Phildar Lambswool 51% in a happy dark pink)
5. Bunny for husband’s older sister (based on the “Kate” from Knitty)
6. Penguin for husband’s younger sister (Pasha from Knitty)
7. Teddybear for husband’s mother (Bubby from Knitty)
8. Fuschia shrug (it’s in big ol’ Homespun!)
9. Pink Socks (Opal “Flamingo”)
10. Nico’s socks (some subdued self-striping Regia)
11. Big Hat for Nico Dark Grey (Wool-ease Thick and Quick)
12. A wee outfit for my friend’s new baby girl in Rowan Cotton Glace (due out in December)

2008

1. Giraffe Turtleneck from –where else? — Knitty (black wool-ease — for me!)
2. Turquoise Koigu gloves
3. Olive Cable Raglan Sweater (famous personalized top-down raglan sweater pattern)
4. Variegated Koigu Shrug
5. Green socks (Opal “Chameleon”)
6. Koigu Light Pink socks
7. 2 different versions of the Kyoto sweater from Knitty in Tahki Cotton Classic
8. And something in Noro “Kureyon.” Or 2 somethings.

That’s a full plate!

I’m getting hitched in the next handful of months. No exact date — we’re working on it. I had the bright idea to make my own dress. No machine, no problem. I am making it by hand. When the first pattern proved, to my eye, too casual for a wedding, I got another one. Still waiting for it. So I am starting to get a little nervous. Will it get here in time or has it been stolen by one of my less than scrupulous neighbors (which happens with no small portion of my mail)?

In the meantime, I have my variation on this to keep me busy. I am making elegant sort of arm warmers. The bummer is I can’t really take photos and put them online because my fiancé doesn’t want to see any part of my get-up until the day of.