Trixie, just scroll to the bottom!

Things are about to get a little crazy around here. You see, we're getting ready to move...again. I wish you could all hear the lack of enthusiasm in my voice. In my old age I'm really starting to hate moving. At least this time it isn't a cross country move. It's only a move across town. A necessary move to a better school for Pork Chop. But I swear, there is as much work involved in moving across town as there is in moving across the country. Everything still needs packed and every inch of the house needs scrubbed. I'm not looking forward to it and as a result I have packed very little. To be honest, I have packed nothing. Not a single box. Nothing, despite the fact the move is a mere 12 days away.

I have THOUGHT about packing, and isn't that close enough, really. I mean, I do have a plan. It's important to have a plan isn't it? So what if part of that plan involved throwing away half of what we own rather than packing it. I wander into rooms and notice all the things that were important enough to cart across the country in our last move. Things I carefully scrutinized a year ago and decided I simply could not live without. Things I am now wondering why I own. I haven't used them in a year. They serve no purpose. They're just there in the closets gathering dust. Things I refuse to cart across town.

And don't get me started on the toys. The kids are going to hate moving because half of what they own is about to get "lost" in the move...again.

Anyways, as I was looking around, planning my packing strategy, but not actually packing, I noticed the insane amount of UFOs I have. An INSANE amount. I have seven project bags and each one had a project in it, the largest one had five crammed into it. Not to mention the two discarded ones I found lying on a shelf in my craft hutch (did I ever blog my craft hutch? No? What a shame. It was wonderful. I'm afraid it will soon be commandeered to hold the baby's things. Which makes me sad. I loved my craft hutch). It is shame only that keeps me from updating my progress charts on my sidebar. There are a lot of projects. The number of baby projects alone is staggering. Did I forget I live in the desert? My poor baby is going to sweat its entire infancy. Many of the projects are near completion. Ridiculously close to completion. So I began completing projects. I kitchnered toes. I wove in ends. I blocked things. Several items are patiently waiting my nemesis, buttons. But others are completed and waiting to be presented on the blog in all their glory. It seemed easier to finish the knits than to pack them.

And I swore I wouldn't cast on for any new projects until after the move. I was firm in my resolve, faithfully knitting old projects. I resisted the call of Bezzie's Der Frawd socks despite how good they would look with my Socks That Rock in Nodding Violet. I barely glanced at my new Interweave Knits magazine because I knew that for now I couldn't knit any of the projects contained within it's pages (Oh Tangled Yoke Cardigan, how I love thee). I resisted the call of new yarn, new projects and remained steadfast and faithful to my knits. Faithful that is until I saw my downfall. Until I saw this.

We've all seen the Hemlock Blanket from Brooklyn Tweed. But this version, knit in taupe Cotton Ease, it was too much for my will power. I could not resist it's brown goodness. I just so happen to have a few skeins of taupe Cotton Ease sitting in my yarn basket. And how they called to me. I had ear-marked them for a baby sweater. But despite diligent searching, I have been unable to find the perfect pattern for this yarn. Now I know why. The yarn was simply waiting for me to realize it was not meant to be a tiny taupe sweater, looking oh so cute over my tiny new baby. It was meant to be a beautiful lace lap blanket. Eighty-Six rows later and I know I have made the right decision.

And it's not even blocked yet. So pretty unblocked, can you imagine how fabulous its going to look once it's blocked. Unfortunately but not unexpectedly I need to buy more yarn to finish this project. So until I can get to the store, into my UFO pile it goes.

Then I was trying to look up a sweater pattern for some charity knitting (I know, another new cast on, but hey, I figure I bent my rule for the Hemlock Blanket, surely I can break it for a worthy cause) I stumbled across the September Magknits. I love to look at Magknits but rarely find a pattern I need to knit there, so looking should have been a perfectly safe activity. I was wrong. This issue contained a pattern that was inspired. I fell instantly in love with Kaibashira. I even have some Tofutsies sock yarn in my yarn basket. I had to cast on. I about feel over when I saw the cast on number was 187, not the usual 64, but I persevered and it made a really cute cuff.

The colors aren't coming through very well. They're much nicer in person. I have mixed feelings about this sock. It's knitting up very quickly, but overall, knitting with the Tofutsies yarn, I was unimpressed. It is thin, and splitty yarn. I've also found three places like this.

Of course I had to cut them out, because who wants to knit this into their sock.

That makes for more ends to weave in, which just annoys me. So splitty yarn, with badly spun places. Color me not in love.

But then I tried the sock on.

Oh my! I do love how this yarn feels on my foot. It makes a really nice sock. The kind of sock that makes the extra ends worth weaving in. I could become a Tofutsies addict, especially considering the climate I live in. But now I'm not so sure about this pattern. I love the cuff and the lace pattern of the sock. I just think I might like it better as a short ankle sock than a longer sock. I'm unsure. I've already put a days work in on the sock, and it looks so nice. I hate to keep knitting only to decide later that I really want it shorter, but I hate to frog a perfectly fine sock until I make a decision. And I'm too tired to make a decision right now. So on top of the UFO pile it goes.

I'm starting to see how I accumulated so many UFOs in the first place. *sigh* I'll just throw them all into a box, and move them together. And hope they don't fall off the truck with the kids toys. See, I might have an overabundance of knitting projects, but I've got a plan. It's important to have a plan.

Plus this leaves me free to cast on for the charity knitting right?

P.S. In the hopes that I can talk Trixie G into some of her biscotti, this is for her.

We couldn't be more thrilled. Except for Meaty, who didn't speak to me for two days he was so angry with me.