Cast-On-Itis
In my world view, the possibility of having too many knitting projects going at once is questionable. I would much rather have lots of ideas floating around my head waiting to be knit up than face a dry spell of inactivity (like the one I had in the month or so after Sophie was born). I've been making up for lost time in the last couple of weeks, and it feels great, if a little crazy-making. Sophie seems to have decided, at least for the moment, that evenings are for sleeping. This leaves me once again with a few hands-free hours at night after the bare minimum of chores are done.
All that pent-up knitting energy seems to have brought on a case of castonitis, the disease in which the knitting can't stop casting on for new projects. First, there were the socks. I always have at least one pair on the needles because they are an easy, portable project that I can work a bit on whenever I have to wait in a line, when I am riding in the car with Joe driving, or while Julie is busy playing at the park or whatever. You might be surprised how many opportunities present themselves if you are looking.
The current pair is a luscious, hand-painted, discontinued merino from Cherry Tree Hill . I ran into a little snag, though I ran out of yarn before I ran out of sock. (Why on earth did I pick this time to knit from the top-down when I almost always knit from the toe-up to prevent just this problem? I don't know. I ripped back a bit, ordered some more yarn, and they are patiently sitting around waiting for some friendly contrasting purple to show up. See?
In the mean time, I had to have another pair of socks to cart around. I pulled out a ball of sock yarn from the stash and cast on. I'm using a ball of yarn that my best friend bought when she thought she wanted to try knitting socks, and it is - well, it is not exactly a colorway that I would have chosen. It's knitting up nicely enough, but I can't help thinking that it would have gone much better with her wardrobe than mine. I'm using a pattern called Dublin Bay from NWKniterati.com, which I found while reading The Yarn Harlot's blog recently. (She knit her pair quite a while back - I was digging through her archives.) Notice that these are also from the top down - I was in a hurry to get them started to take somewhere that I knew I'd have a knitting opportunity; and I've used this yarn before so I knew I'd have plenty. Anyway, it's living in the diaper bag and coming along pretty quickly.
Well, while I was digging around in the sock yarn, I remembered that I need to start a pair from the toe up to knit along with my toe-up sock class starting in a couple weeks at the store. I have a few balls left over from a super-cute sweater I knit for Julie a year or so ago, and decided to use them up. Not much to see here yet, but this is what the toe of a toe-up sock looks like when you've completed the short rows and haven't yet started knitting around.
While I was digging in the stash, I also noticed that I'm getting woefully low on sock yarn. I mean, low on the sock yarn that's actually screaming at me to make it into socks. Only 3 or 4 more pairs worth left! Never mind the entire tub of leftovers and solids waiting for a "someday" need. I did happen across some hand-dyed and home-spun alpaca that I bought from a Minnesota grower at the State Fair last year. Unfortunately, no web site or even name brand is listed on the ball band, but it is oh-so-soft and lovely and there are only 60 yards of it in worsted weight. I'm going to try to squeeze a scarf out of it. Wish me luck!
Remember that Kool-Aid yarn from the other day? Well, I started knitting it up into a pair of Glittens. They are going to be very loud, but still fun and hopefully cute. Julie wants them to be for her, so I'll have to make up a pair of mitts for her with what's left.
Finally, I do have one finished object to report. Before Julie (my best friend from college - not my daughter, although they are intentional namesakes) died, she started knitting. She bought a pile of yarn, some of which is the sock yarn I mentioned earlier. Another project she had planned was a shawl out of 100% silk worsted weight. It's lovely yarn, although I don't think I would have picked it for this purpose - she was a beginner, though, so the mistake is understandable. Still, when Julie died, her mom and sister gave me all of her yarn and knitting supplies as we were cleaning out her closets. I knew what she intended for this yarn, and today I mailed off this shawl:
I don't know if Jenny will like it or not, but I feel a sense of fulfillment and closure. Even though Julie's hands didn't create each stitch, I feel that somehow her will and energy did. A bit of her is in that shawl and I sure hope that Jenny will feel it.
Now, what I really want to get started on is a new sweater for my little Julie for Fall. Even though she really doesn't like wearing sweaters, and even though fall is a ways off - I want to have it done in time for the State Fair, and with two kids it could take me a while to knit up even a little sweater. I'll have to finish something first.
oO, and sorry. No baby pictures today. I have some new ones, but Julie needs some attention and I've already spent more time at the computer than I should.
All that pent-up knitting energy seems to have brought on a case of castonitis, the disease in which the knitting can't stop casting on for new projects. First, there were the socks. I always have at least one pair on the needles because they are an easy, portable project that I can work a bit on whenever I have to wait in a line, when I am riding in the car with Joe driving, or while Julie is busy playing at the park or whatever. You might be surprised how many opportunities present themselves if you are looking.
The current pair is a luscious, hand-painted, discontinued merino from Cherry Tree Hill . I ran into a little snag, though I ran out of yarn before I ran out of sock. (Why on earth did I pick this time to knit from the top-down when I almost always knit from the toe-up to prevent just this problem? I don't know. I ripped back a bit, ordered some more yarn, and they are patiently sitting around waiting for some friendly contrasting purple to show up. See?
In the mean time, I had to have another pair of socks to cart around. I pulled out a ball of sock yarn from the stash and cast on. I'm using a ball of yarn that my best friend bought when she thought she wanted to try knitting socks, and it is - well, it is not exactly a colorway that I would have chosen. It's knitting up nicely enough, but I can't help thinking that it would have gone much better with her wardrobe than mine. I'm using a pattern called Dublin Bay from NWKniterati.com, which I found while reading The Yarn Harlot's blog recently. (She knit her pair quite a while back - I was digging through her archives.) Notice that these are also from the top down - I was in a hurry to get them started to take somewhere that I knew I'd have a knitting opportunity; and I've used this yarn before so I knew I'd have plenty. Anyway, it's living in the diaper bag and coming along pretty quickly.
Well, while I was digging around in the sock yarn, I remembered that I need to start a pair from the toe up to knit along with my toe-up sock class starting in a couple weeks at the store. I have a few balls left over from a super-cute sweater I knit for Julie a year or so ago, and decided to use them up. Not much to see here yet, but this is what the toe of a toe-up sock looks like when you've completed the short rows and haven't yet started knitting around.
While I was digging in the stash, I also noticed that I'm getting woefully low on sock yarn. I mean, low on the sock yarn that's actually screaming at me to make it into socks. Only 3 or 4 more pairs worth left! Never mind the entire tub of leftovers and solids waiting for a "someday" need. I did happen across some hand-dyed and home-spun alpaca that I bought from a Minnesota grower at the State Fair last year. Unfortunately, no web site or even name brand is listed on the ball band, but it is oh-so-soft and lovely and there are only 60 yards of it in worsted weight. I'm going to try to squeeze a scarf out of it. Wish me luck!
Remember that Kool-Aid yarn from the other day? Well, I started knitting it up into a pair of Glittens. They are going to be very loud, but still fun and hopefully cute. Julie wants them to be for her, so I'll have to make up a pair of mitts for her with what's left.
Finally, I do have one finished object to report. Before Julie (my best friend from college - not my daughter, although they are intentional namesakes) died, she started knitting. She bought a pile of yarn, some of which is the sock yarn I mentioned earlier. Another project she had planned was a shawl out of 100% silk worsted weight. It's lovely yarn, although I don't think I would have picked it for this purpose - she was a beginner, though, so the mistake is understandable. Still, when Julie died, her mom and sister gave me all of her yarn and knitting supplies as we were cleaning out her closets. I knew what she intended for this yarn, and today I mailed off this shawl:
I don't know if Jenny will like it or not, but I feel a sense of fulfillment and closure. Even though Julie's hands didn't create each stitch, I feel that somehow her will and energy did. A bit of her is in that shawl and I sure hope that Jenny will feel it.
Now, what I really want to get started on is a new sweater for my little Julie for Fall. Even though she really doesn't like wearing sweaters, and even though fall is a ways off - I want to have it done in time for the State Fair, and with two kids it could take me a while to knit up even a little sweater. I'll have to finish something first.
oO, and sorry. No baby pictures today. I have some new ones, but Julie needs some attention and I've already spent more time at the computer than I should.
posted by Shelly Kang at 3:11 PM
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