WIP Round Up, or Justification

I've been knitting. Really I have. I know where's half way through January and I only have one pair of socks to show for it. By this time last year I had knit an entire sweater, but why compare, even if it's too a former version of myself. The problem isn't not knitting enough. It's knitting too much, too many thing. I will admit it. I've become a project whore. My number of WIPs (that's Work-In-Progress for you Muggles) is getting out of control. Let's look at where we stand. From the bottom up.

Noro Hat for me

Looking good isn't it? I bought this yarn from the LYS (Local Yarn Shop) with the intention of knitting it at their weekly open knit. That was three weeks ago. I just haven't been able to go to their knitting group. I really want to. I'd love to meet some people. It's even on the one afternoon a week I have the car. I just keep getting sick, or needing to do other things like buy groceries. I will go. I really will. Until then the hat waits patiently, all packed up in it's own project bag, just waiting to be socially knit.

Bathing Beauties Washcloth and Soap Sack

The pattern is from Fibertrends. It has three different washcloths, and three soap sacks. I've knit all six items and they are soaking waiting for blocking. don't get excited...They've been soaking since the Fifth. I just haven't gotten a chance to block them yet. I've been busy trying to go to open knit, and feeding my children the much needed groceries.

Rona Shawl

This is a circular shawl knit in the round. If you thought a top down triangular shawl was a PITA, don't bother with a circular one. It starts out small, only six stitches. You know out the first thirty rounds in twenty minutes. That's how they hook you in. They don't tell you that the final round had 1056 stitches. After round 86 the rounds were so large it was taking me 20 minutes to complete one round. There were 156 rounds. The final rounds were taking just under forty-five minutes. But by golly it's done. I merely need to block it.

Sheldon x 3

For Christmas I made three little Sheldon's for my nieces and nephews. My children fell in love, especially Meaty, and begged for Sheldon's of their very own. The day Meaty laid his hand on my arm and said beseechingly "Mommy I know you can do it" I knew I had to do it. I tried, I really tried hard to knit them their very own Sheldon's before Christmas, but my turtle mojo was gone. I was tired of fiddly shells and stuffing tiny legs. I have no enthusiasm for these turtles. Knitting these turtles held no joy for me. Even the promise of their happy little faces on Christmas morning could not inspire me. My children may never know how close they came to owning their own Sheldons and how Mommy wussed out.

Blue Yoke Sweater

This is a sweater I'm designing for me, from stash yarn, loosely based on a sweater I saw on TV. It's mostly past the design phase, and I'm swatching. They just need blocked and measured. See a pattern with the blocking yet?

My Dad's Aran Sweater.

I haven't blogged about this much because it was going to be a surprise for my Father. And he reads my blog. He knew I was knitting a sweater for him, but he didn't know exactly what it looked like. But I can't keep a secret.

I've got the front and back done, as well as a sleeve.

No pattern. Just my brain and a LOT of cable swatches. I swatched everything and measured and did math. I was so cautious and careful. Then for the sleeves I got lazy. I took the average gauge of the front of the sweater instead of the gauge for the moss stitch. Guess what happened? The sleeve is HUGE. Just too big to be right. I've made a swatch. It's waiting to be blocked. Need I say anymore.

So what's a girl to do when Friday night finds her with FOUR projects stalled out waiting for blocking, and three turtles that make her want to throw herself off the roof? Does she buckle down and take over every inch of floor space with garbage bags and wet wool? Does she grit her teeth and show those turtles who's boss?

Nope, she doesn't do either of those things. Instead she goes stash diving and pulls out yarn for Starsky! I've had this yarn for a year, just biding it's time. Well it's time has come. So far I've got the back, left front and right front done. I hope to finish the sleeves today, but I'm going to have to buy a size 10 circular needle before I can knit the collar. (Yes I knit the back on straights, yes my wrists hurt a little, no I will never do that again, yes I've learned my lesson)

Interesting side note? I didn't swatch for this sweater. I considered it, but decided with eight inches of ease this sweater has room for my gauge to be off a smidgen or two. I refuse to even check it, although the pieces do look a tad on the small side (I'm making a medium). Wouldn't it be ironic if it doesn't fit? I'd probably deserve that kind of knitting karmic retribution. Everyone cross their fingers as I boldly knit the sleeves. You didn't think I was going to block today did you?