Tag Archives: Work in Progress

On ALL my needles

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When I really started getting serious with knitting, back in college, I scoffed at knitters that I thought had “poor self control.”  (As a straight-A’s, honor roll over achiever-type, I scoffed at anyone who I thought had poor self control.  Not one of my more endearing character traits.)  I would never have more yarn in my stash than I could use.  I would never start a project and not finish it.  And, I would never have more than one project going on at once.

Never!

Well.

Maybe not never…

18-year-old me would be horrified with 30-year-old me.  I’ve got a room half-filled with boxes of yarn that “I will definitely use… some day.” I think I’ve got 4 or 5 projects on the needles right now, and about half of those are somewhere between hibernating and I-just-need-to-frog-this-but-I-can’t-be-bothered.

In fact, I now carefully plan my multiple projects.  I always have a big knitting project (sometimes it’s for work, sometimes it’s a gift) that I work on at home.  This is usually something awkward or complicated, something that’s just easier to keep by the couch and not worry about dragging all over town.img_3860I have a simple project- something that’s just a lot of stockinette or other mindless knitting.  I use this project for keeping my hands busy when my mind is doing something else- playing a game with friends, watching a tense movie, or something with subtitles.  (My bears are great for this!)img_3934And, I always have something small in the works, a project that I can keep in my purse and work on when I have a few minutes.  Waiting in line to get into a museum? Knit.  Got to work a little early? Knit.  Barber running a bit late? Knit.  In my opinion, there’s nothing better for purse knitting than a pair of socks (one at a time, of course, to leave more room in my purse for chocolate and a sketchbook).img_4679Do you work on multiple projects at the same time, or are you a one-and-done kind of knitter?

Ugh!

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I have a problem.

I think it’s a problem that a lot of knitters have.

I think I might hate my current project.

I loved it at first, and I’m sure one day I will love it again.  But, right now- no.

f00da97b-15f5-418a-ba13-aad234ccaf23I can’t talk about it in detail, or really, in anything other than the broadest, most vague terms (it’s a design I’m working on, so it’s all Top Secret, hence the very un-illuminating photos).  But, let’s just say there’s a lot of stockinette.

Like a lot.

Like, I’ve been knitting plain, purple stockinette for a couple weeks now, and other than a couple Pussyhats, I haven’t been able to do anything to break up the monotony.

When I started this project, I was super jazzed- I love simple, clean designs- there’s something so elegant about simple projects. And, I know I’ll wear the heck out of this project when it’s finished.

But… oofda. It’s a lot of stockinette.

I got to do a little bit of 1×1 ribbing the other day, and I just about got up and danced a jig.  I’m in a sorry state.6e96ba2c-468a-4b0a-b19a-f42b4ab60fe3My deadline is fast approaching, so one way or the other, I’ll finish up this project soon.  And boy, am I ready.

Have you ever taken on a project that was a little too much?  A little too much stockinette?  A few too many cables?  A bit too fiddly?

What’s On Your Needles?

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The blog’s been a little thin lately, unfortunately.  I’ve been working on some really cool patterns for you guys, but unfortunately, I can’t share them with you yet.  (Actually, I signed a contract that said I have to keep them secret.  I’m really excited about this, but I realize it makes me sound a little like a tool.)  Soon enough, you’ll get to see what I’m working on.

But what I can show you is my progress on my Persistence is Key sweater.  Remember, I accidentally-on-purpose ended up with a box full of camel-colored wool, and needed a sweater pattern?IMG_2928_medium2[1]

Well, I’ve been knitting away, between other projects, getting a few rows done every day, and the sweater is growing.  It’s a top-down sweater, and I’ve gotten the shoulders and body done down to right around the belly-button.  It’s an extremely detailed pattern, a little more complicated than I usually pick out, but the sweater is coming along marvelously.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’m absolutely in love with the cable that runs down the back of the sweater (even though it’s a huge pain in the butt).  And the yarn I’m using (Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash) is doing a fantastic job of showing the cable at its best.

(Oh my god!  Just now, looking at the two photographs, I realized that I did the surrounding cables wrong!  See how the two surrounding cables on the yellow sweater twist in different directions?  Mine both twist in the same direction.  Shoot!  I guess I’ve got some thinking to do.  Should I let it go, and just live with the cables the way they are, or should I pull out the cable, and reknit it the other direction?  What do you think?)

So, that’s what’s on my needles.  What are you working on?  I’d love to hear about your projects.  And, if you want to send me a photo (knittingontheneedles@gmail.com), I’d love to share your knitting with everybody  else on the blog.

WIP Ornaments

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Imagine this:  You are going to a party, and you know that there will be a gift-exchange.  You don’t have time to go to the store.  Also, you’re broke.  You know the other guests at the party will all bring crazy-fancy gifts and you don’t want to be shown up.  And, did I mention, you leave in fifteen minutes?

I think it’s a time to make WIP Ornaments!

These are super fast, super easy and super cheap (in fact, you probably have everything you need in your craft bin right now).

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGet the pattern here:

WIP Ornaments