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So you can kind of see it in this picture, but I want to save the full shots for when there is better light and I can resolve my tripod issues (or get someone over here to take some pictures of me!) Usually when I get close to finishing a project, I get so excited I stay up late and work really hard to get the last little bit done. Not so for the pink sweater; the last sleeve went slower than a really slow thing (molasses? dial-up internet?)

So at any rate, I’ll have better pictures and full details next time…
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I’ve been taking a little break from knitting, and blogging, as you may have noticed I haven’t been around lately. When it starts to feel like I’m forcing myself to knit or do posts, I know I should back off, because this is supposed to be fun, right? I know I’ll probably get back into the swing of things when the weather turns colder. For right now, I’m working on an assignment for my photography class, so I’ve been using my free time towards that end.

BTW - To Sharon: I’m still so excited about SDWL, and I know you’ll have made 5 of them before I get done with mine. But for reasons I will explain, he’s got to go on the back burner for a little while… sorry!

Basically the little time I spend knitting nowadays has to be something I don’t have to think too hard about or concentrate on, really. I just don’t have the patience, and it’s too damn hot, to be counting and reading charts, etc. So I decided to work on another project, slightly less demanding, and come back to Season when I’m *feeling* it a little more. Oh, and another thing: I had been using Addi Turbos, my first time trying them. And I’ve decided they’re no good for fair isle - too slippery, at least for me. So I have to get some bamboo or plastic needles, and then I’ll probably need to start over cause I’m a weird perfectionist (ahem). So there you go. Season will have its season, but apparently that season is *not* summer.

Here’s what I’ve come back to:

Yet another Norsk Strikkedesign pattern. This fits the bill - it’s pleasant to knit, minimal counting, and because my mom doesn’t want any, no shaping along the bottom part of the body. Good, mindless stuff. You can’t see it in these pictures, but I had started this cardigan with five steek stitches in the center, even though the pattern doesn’t call for any. But after I made the steeked deep-v argyle vest, I realized that I don’t have to be crazy paranoid about the steeks. It’ll all be fine, I’ll just follow the directions. The center stitches get encased in edge stitching that gets turned over, anyway, so no problem. I am now knitting away with no extra stitches. Whee.

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Thanks to those who responded to my last post about procrastination (I haven’t gotten a chance to reply as of yet - sorry!)

*Edit: I just checked my spam filter and apparently a couple of real comments were put in there for some reason. Since my filter deletes the messages after a few days, there may have been some that got deleted. Sorry about that - I’ll definitely check it more often!

I was actually a little suprised that some of you responded you felt the same way. Well, I don’t know why I would be “surprised,” it’s probably a really common feeling to have. Obviously, many people are afraid of failure and put things off (or don’t try things) as a result. But it’s nice to know that there are others out there who know what I’m talking about. I often feel like a lot of people around me are constantly attempting new projects, achieving goals, and actively pursuing ideas while I’m stuck in one spot. Anyway, like I said in my last post, I have more I want to say about all of this, but I’m going to save that for a later post.

For happy, I’ll just leave you with this:

I’m on such a roll starting new projects that I have not one, but TWO to report today. Yeah, dig it. First of all, after the post office lost my package from Knit Picks a few weeks ago, they kindly replaced it (Knit Picks, not the post office, silly) and I just got the yarn I needed to keep knitting Eunny’s Deep V Argyle Vest.

I had a little of this yarn before, and had started it weeks ago, but have since frogged it and started over - just ’cause. The colors are more muted in real life, and they are close in value so the argyle pattern isn’t going to be dramatic, I don’t think.

And I started the Irish Crochet Evening Dress. I know what some of you are thinking - I got the Color Your Own yarn from Knit Picks (a.k.a. spaghetti) and I’m not even dyeing it. But I WANTED the cream/natural color. So there. Look how pretty it is! I think it will look great for this dress. I’m sure I’ll dye at some point but hopefully not in the immediate future (ahem).

Oh, and check it out, ’cause this little bit will be frogged soon - the gauge will make it WAY too small. That’s what’s fun about vintage patterns - there is little to no gauge information, the yarns they call for are no longer made, and sometimes the needle sizes are even different. So you just got to figure it all out from a little blurry black-and-white picture. I’m loving it.

I’m still working on C. Black Roses. I think I have enough done so that when my mom comes to visit tomorrow from California (yay) she can “try it on” to make sure it won’t be too small. The sweater still looks boring right now, so here’s a pic of the yarn that came in the kit. Pretty!

Here’s just a little bit more progress on the C. Black Roses. (A little picture for little progress.) I am using the yarn called for in the pattern, Hifa 2, which I bought in a kit from Nordic Fiber Arts. When you’re used to working with merino or alpaca yarn, this stuff doesn’t feel as soft and is not as inviting when you first touch it. But it is great to knit with, and the resulting fabric is quite pleasing, too.

This sweater will probably go relatively fast until I get to the main fair isle pattern near the top. Although “relatively fast” for me would probably be super slow for someone who uses both hands to knit colorwork patterns. I am a slow, right-handed knitter. I tried to teach myself to knit left-handed, as well, but gave up because it was just going to take me too long to feel as comfortable and be as quick as I am with my right at this point.

Right now, black roses don’t seem as appealing as these orange tulips. Yay spring.

Because I obviously don’t have enough to do already, I started yet another new project, Carpathian Black Roses. This is a sweater for my mom, specifically chosen for/by her.

It’s my first sweater from Norsk Strikkedesign, and so far it’s going well, but we’ll see what happens when I get to the steeks. I changed the pattern a little, eliminating the shaping because that’s how my mom wants it to fit. I also added steek stitches to the front center of the sweater - this is my first time doing steeks and although this yarn is really “sticky,” I am still too paranoid to cut the sweater with only one (ONE!) stitch for allowance on either side, as the pattern calls for.