My scarf for ISE4...
...she is done.
Details (and more pics) to follow post-blocking.
Thanks for all of the great advice in the comments to my last post. I concentrated exclusively on the scarf this weekend, and lo and behold--I finished it!
Funny how that works.
I love starting new projects. I have several new projects in mind that I would like to start now. But that mindset is responsible for the state of my knitting table.
Plus there's Leo, and the yak scarf, and all those miters yet to be finished. I have definitely created a too-many-projects problem for myself. It's hard to ever finish anything when you don't spend much time on any one thing. But how do you know which ones to focus on first?
I have been trying to focus on the beaded scarf, because that has a deadline, and because I will have to start knitting soon for Sockapalooza.
But I didn't knit on the beaded scarf at all yesterday because I felt guilty about still not finishing the Boathouse socks. This shouldn't be making me feel guilty. My husband won't need his sweater until September at the very earliest. Ditto for my dad's yak scarf. So I feel less guilty about those.
How do you prioritize your projects? Or, better yet, how do you keep yourself from having too many going at once?
I won a contest over at Knit-Whit.
Carrie sent me some dishcloth cotton, a lovely ballband warshcloth (I have made so many of these for other people, I never knew how fun it was to have someone make one for me), and something I have been wanting for a long time...
...a Chibi! Thanks Carrie (and Casey)
Have you guys visited Good Yarn Karma? It's a group blog where participants can get rid of things they no longer need by sending it to someone else who wants it for free (good karma!) or swapping it for something else. I've received some dishcloth cotton, adorable stitchmarkers, and, just last week, Vintage Knits for nothing. Go over and check it out.
Thanks for all your kind words on my Scarf Exchange scarf. It's always nice to get positive feedback on projects in progress.
I realized I haven't made any mention of the miter square blanket since I started it. I've only made 8 of them--still a looong way to go!--but the colors are so pretty, and the process is so fun.
Hanging in the breeze.
And still lots of colors to choose from!
Lastly, I updated my blog's design a little, which I'm sure you noticed. I really have no idea what I am doing when it comes to this stuff, but overall I'm pleased with how it looks now. It's cool to be using a photo in the banner that I actually took myself--I feel so professional!
Much progress--with seemingly little effort--has been made on my International Scarf Exchange Pal's scarf.
I'm loving this pattern!
When I got home yesterday, after a very dull meeting in Oklahoma City, I found a stack of packages waiting for me. Ok, two packages, but the contents were so great, it felt like more.
First up, I got the yarn I ordered from etsy seller WhiteWillow.
Merino laceweight for my International Scarf Swap pal:
I was a little afraid of winding 880 yards of laceweight, even with my ball winder and swift, but it wound into the most perfectly delicious little yarn cake with no snags, no tangles, nothing but smooth, gorgeous Neopolitan yarn.
And it is now being turned into this:
I also got the sock yarn I ordered, in "Sweet Tart". This stuff is beautiful!
And as if that wasn't enough, my package from my Lime and Violet Swap Pal arrived. It was stuffed full of treats--chocolate and exotic little goodies. And this funny ostrich pen that I took to my office before I took a photo.
But, best of all, it also contained yarn! And not just any yarn, but Piece of Beauty yarn. Thanks, LnV Pal! You are the best. This yarn is so pretty, I love the colors, and everything else in the package was perfect too.
Definitely a red-letter day for me!
So today is the actual day and....Tina was the winner of my contest, as determined by the Random Number Generator. Congrats, Tina, I have emailed your gift certificate to The Loopy Ewe to you. Have fun!
Thanks to everyone who entered, and to everyone who is reading my blog and commenting. It's been a lot of fun, and I have learned so much from your comments, and your blogs, and the entire community. It's such a good thing!
To celebrate, I stopped by this crazy little yarn shop in Grove, Oklahoma today and picked up these:
Holy mackeral! Tahki Cotton Classic! None of them priced over $4.00. Most of them were priced at $3.85. I so wish they had had more colors, because let me tell you, this is a bargain. Eric and I both got Tofutsies too, for way less than we would pay in Tulsa. This little shop is definitely going to be a must-stop place everytime we are in Delaware County!
I'm still working on Leo. I have one sleeve finished, and the second sleeve is started, I have the back finished, and am working on the front. Progress pics of this thing are so boring though, so just imagine miles of 5x3 ribbing, and you'll have an idea of what it looks like.
I also cast on yesterday for the STR Cedar Creek socks with my lightweight Lemongrass. Only one pattern repeat done so far though, so you don't get to see that either.
What you do get to see is my progress on my dad's scarf in the Karabella SuperYak:
And you get to see a teensy corner of a baby present I am making for my friend and old college roommate's new arrival, scheduled for July:
It's going to be so adorable when it's done!
And my plain old stockinette socks in Piece of Beauty's Boathouse.
And finally, a soon-to-be-started project, the Miter Square Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I have been rereading this book lately, and that combined with Cara of January One's gorgeous, seductive photos, have convinced me I need to start one of my very own.
I may soon be regretting this, as I understand the miter squares are addictive, and when you're done, you have tons of ends to weave in, not to mention all the seaming. But it just looks like such fun.
I bought one of every color my LYS had, but I know it won't be nearly enough for the whole project. But at least it will get me started. If you have any unwanted or un-needed full or partial skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic, email me. We may be able to help each other out.
That's all for now. Enjoy the weekend!
Ok, my Blogiversary Contest ends tomorrow, and I have 27 entreis, which makes your odds pretty good.
If you haven't entered, please do by emailing the answers to the following questions to yarnpal at cox dot net (remove "at" and "dot", replacing them with the appropriate symbols).
1. What is my miniature schnauzer's name?
2. What yarn did I use to knit my first ever pair of socks?
3. Where was I born?
4. What sock-in-progress did I have the deckhand pose with?
5. What sweater am I knitting for my husband?
BONUS: Which of my projects finished in the last year is your favorite?
Thanks for playing along!
Thanks for all your kind words about the Chevron Scarf. The same Chevron Scarf that has been ripped back and put away. There was just something about it that wasn't working for me.
But I have a new idea for my Scarf Pal....
Stay tuned.
And be sure to enter my Blogiversary Contest if you haven't already (scroll down a couple of posts). You have until this Friday the 6th to enter!
