I'll get the hang of this yet.

It isn't like I haven't read a million knitting blogs. I do know the drill. Knit like a mad woman, grumble while sewing in ends, (block), take picture, gift recipient with knitted item. So what do I do? I finish Tracey's birthday scarf (wonderful heavy thing made out of Paton's Bella), sew in the ends and give it to her. She was very happy to have it. So much so, that when I asked her later to take a picture, I could hear her flounce away, throwing the end of her scarf over one shoulder, giving me the virtual 'you snooze, you lose'. I will have to stalk her for a gift in action pic.

My stash ate my knitting!

That is the only reasonable explanation for not being able to locate 'bun's' sweater in my craft room. Really, it has nothing to do with it being nicknamed my crap room by my husband. It only looks disorganized. Luckily, even though Stella is in labour as we speak, bun won't be big enough to wear it for a couple of months.

Luckily I was at my favorite LYS Friday afternoon and happened to pick up some Patons Classic Wool to complete the hat and mittens from their new 'Cables' booklet. March's lion-ness is lasting far too long IMHO. The pattern calls for Canadiana, but really, if I'm going to knit, I don't want to be killing those acrylic sheep. So yes I substituted. What's that? Did I swatch? Why yes, in a manner of speaking:



That was the second attempt. The first followed the pattern and was 112 stitches. It only lasted 3 rows. This one was 97 stitches and lasted one pattern repeat. The final is 97 stitches and is just right. I still believe this is less taxing than the math involved with that 4-by-4 square.

I am usually a big fan of minimizing seams. This however is being knit flat because when I first looked at the pattern I noticed a bunch of Sl1Pwyif's and they scared me. I now realize that my fears were unfounded, but I won't be ripping this out again. The trick now is to adjust for the increase in length of the swatch, being a beanie there really is no room for error.

I can't wait to see how this one turns out.

Concentrate!

While I didn't do anything crazy like swear off buying new wool or yarn, I've used that loophole before I do acknowledge that I need to work on not only getting my stash down, but getting some of my work off the needles, and finished. Aside from the small list to the left, which has a sample of the work I have left on the needles, I have quite a few projects that are now off the needles but waiting for ends to be sewn in. The spit-splice is my friend, as there are no jobs I detest more than sewing in ends. Intarsia is not for me, I'm more of a self-striping sort of gal. I have also decreed that manufacturers need to invent spit-splice friendly acrylic. No, I don't make it a habit of working with acrylic, but parents generally appreciate the baby blanket they can just toss in the wash, so Astra is my friend. And on that note, I'm off to knit for the evening.