It’s Fall

Finally. After several warm days, and last Friday filled with rain, the weekend morphed into sunny and cool--exactly the way it should be in Pennsylvania at this point in the year. In fact the kids were complaining about the lack of hats and mittens as they waited for the bus this morning (their mom’s a knitter . . . no mittens??).

Besides trick-or-treat, a house full of guests, soccer game, and other weekend distractions, I still managed to sneak some knitting in AND feel somewhat accomplished. Need I remind you, my new goal is to knit what I love and remain focused . . . no more than 3 projects:

Behold my cable adventure: the yoke and neckline completed in less than a week:


And then, as if I am not loving Anne Hanson enough with the Autumn Throw (on the 4th of 5 repeats, definitely on the downside), I snapped up her newest mitt pattern, snow on cedars. Okay, this is fabulous. While the kit has some wonderful yarn to match the pattern, I decided that stash yarn was a more economical route. So I decided to knit these in the Regia Tweed---


I think I am kidding myself by thinking I could have these finished before a quick trip to NYC on Sunday, but it is definitely worth thinking about.

Oh My darling . . . one last time

Two summers ago (yes, that would be 2006), I was smitten with the Granny Smith Cardigan. SO much so, that I ran to the crazy knitting shop (that has yarn dating back to 1904) and picked up some mohair blend yarn so I could cast-on immediately. Well, the orange seemed like a good idea at the moment, and it reminded me of the clementines sitting in the crate in our kitchen.

So home I trotted, to knit this beautiful thing . . . I finished the back, fronts, and two sleeves: all I had to do was sew it together (a job I loathe) and knit the buttonbands and I'd be sporting it when the weather turned chilly. Somehow between that time and now, the cardi got shelved. I yanked it out this afternoon, and started to sew a sleeve in, figuring I could fix up these bands over the weeekend and at least sport it by the 31st . . .


So that was today's act of craziness. The entire week's obsession has been this:

No doubt you have seen this everywhere--the Lion Brand knock-off of the gorgeous Pringle sweater. I am up to 40" of that cabled yoke . . .

Knitting Monogamy

It is amazing how much you can get finished when you're only working on one project:

Totally Autumn

I am humming right along, finding myself thinking about how many of these I might be able to finish before Christmas!!! But then I got a hold of myself . . . let's just enjoy the moment: the moment where I love the pattern, even on the 4th repeat of 36 rows; the moment where I love the yarn, and I am not worried about whether I have enough to finish the project; the moment where I love that I can see all the leaves, even without washing and blocking; the moment where I am NOT worried if it will fit, because, it will. This is a good knitting moment . . .

Falling off, and Getting back on . . . the wagon

I have had a rough time of it, knitting-wise, and this was the last straw:


The remembrance hat, which I had queued in Ravelry, was going to be my
quick knit x 3= 3 spiffy walkers in the women's 5K yesterday. It ended up being only 1 (not 3) and not worn (well look at it, would you?), because, well, because it was unwearable (it was supposed to be fitted!). This is what sent me into a knitting anxiety attack.

I just cannot get it together---I knit, and the yarn pools; I knit and the gauge is off; I knit and the gauge is on but something else is wrong; I knit and it is just the wrong yarn; I knit and I am going no where, and finish nothing. I can't take it.

So, Friday afternoon, I packed it up. It was every work in progress that was in/beside/around my knitting basket (2 socks--each who have finished mates; 1 cardigan; 1 pullover; 1 mitten; 1 hat; 1 nearly started shawl; 1 tank top; the infamous mystery shawl). Each, with the accompanying pattern and needles, got packed in a separate plastic bag. And they all got shelved. Every one of them.

And then I needed to pick a new project. My self-imposed parameters:

1. High probability of success (ie, no changes in the pattern, no changes in gauge, no sizing issues).
2. No yarn purchases to knit, and no pattern purchases either.
3. I had to love it.

Friday, night--no knitting: couldn't meet my above 2 rules. My ravelry queue is full of projects . . . how hard could this be???? Socks?? No. I couldn't choose which pattern OR which yarn, too many of both. Mitts??? No. None of my yarn seemed right. Shawl??? Can I really cope with complicated patterns with cobweb like yarn. NO.

Saturday morning--no knitting. Saturday at noon, while I was ironing, and worrying, it came to me. I dug out the Jaeger Chamonix (in twig and since discontinued) that had been sitting in my closet for 2 years (when I got it, I had a men's vest in mind . . . ) and cast-on for . . .

Totally Autumn by Ann Hanson . . . totally lovely.

I think this might do it. No fit issues, lovely yarn (okay it is not Briar Rose, and it is not in pink), no purchase necessary, interesting pattern (I love lace knitting with thicker yarn), right gauge, right size needles. I think I am back on the knitting wagon.

Booking Through Tuesday

Last week's read . . . and allow me to say, I am positive it is a better book than it will be a movie.

This week's read . . .
Inspired by my daughter's history day project topic, The Salem Witch Trials.

Go Pink

I swiped this right off of Teabird's blog, and if that isn't enough copycat-ing, I found this in her ravelry queu, and promptly put it mine. Cast-on . . . perhaps tomorrow!

Booking Through Tuesday

As if I need another reason to read . . . but it is always fun to categorize books, and pursue a specific segment of literature. Sharon is hosting a Russian Reading Challenge, so here’s my Russian Literature Reading List for 2008--

*Dr. Zhivago*The Brothers Karamazov *War and Peace*Crime and Punishment* Great Russian Stories (a compilation of 12 short stories)

These are all selections I have been wanting to read (did I mention I am a HUGE Anna Karenina fan!), so this provides some focus.

Oh and yesterday, the Anne of Green Gables read and kal began. Now when is the last time YOU read about that Anne?!!