Procrastination

In spite of a recent lack of finished knits to share, I have actually been knitting.
Test knits & sample knits, none of which can be revealed.
Swatches, some of which I have been working on for two years (!) and that are finally coming to a conclusion.

And some knits that just need ends sewing in, and maybe some wee little buttons.

All of which helps me realise that I really do dither about & put off actually getting things done.
Some of this is due to a combination of indecisiveness; poor yarn combination choices and lack of confidence.  And some of it is because I just want to knit all the time, & not do all those other things that really finish off a knitted item to perfection.

Yet somehow I have been (very easily) persuaded to join in this year's Tour de Fleece* again. I've two spinning projects in mind, & hope to share some finished yarns soon enough.

*In which one spins yarn for every active day of the Tour de France. Projects / goals are self-determined, & photos of yarn in progress and finished yarns are shared online; through Ravelry, Twitter & Facebook. There are some truly incredible hand spinners out there. Go on & have a look. The worst that could happen is that you might end up with a sheep.

New year, old yarn

It's a whole week into the new year & I'm only getting around to the 'resolutions' post... doesn't bode well, does it? This January (and possibly February) I want to focus on using up or clearing out unappreciated items, & stick to the existing yarn & fabric stash.

First up, garments;

Plain and Simple pullover, in Nature Spun Fingering. 

I gave up knitting this while pregnant, figuring that it probably wouldn't fit me by the time I finished it. My tension seems to have changed in the last year, so I think I'll rip it & start again. 

Dark Pearl cardigan in alpaca select 4 ply.

I'm not happy with the way the front gathers & drapes - probably due to my selection of alpaca rather than a silk blend yarn. I think I will rip the front & knit it again, with less excess fabric for gathering. 

February Lady Sweater in Lambs' Pride Worsted.

The garter stitch yoke just makes this look chunky & unflattering. I intend to rip this out &  use the yarn to make the Golden Wheat cardigan. 

I have a couple of projects on the go that were specifically intended to use up leftovers. 

The Barn Raising Quilt uses up leftovers of sock yarn. I have made enough squares for a small blanket and have sewn together some of them, but still, no blanket!

I've also have a collection of hats made from scraps & partial balls (no pattern). I need to weave in about a million ends with these, and then rehome the finished hats.

I suspect that the small human may have her own ideas about these hats - she wouldn't get me get a clear photo of them!

Happy New Year! I hope the rest of you have set achievable goals, if any!

Gratuitous cake photo

I haven't been in much of a sharing mood lately due to a combination of factors. We've just moved house, and most of my knitting has involved swatches, and ongoing projects. December is quickly approaching though, so I really ought to get finishing some gift knits. 

Until then, I leave you with an oreo cupcake. I didn't share this either. I regret nothing. 

UFO progress

I've been making some progress in actually finishing some knits recently. The stash of baby gift knitting has been growing.

 

 This doesn't mean that I have cleared the entire mess of unfinished objects from the work basket though. Still plenty of ends to weave in & last little bits of sewing to finish...

Better get a move on; these babies are being born whether or not my knits are finished!

New Year, Same Mess

The new year is generally considered a time for reflecting on the year passed, and planning for the year to come. A time for finishing old & starting something new. 

I start the new year with a massive pile of neglected knitting works-in-progress.

There are multiple baby cardigans (9 due this year, that I know of)....

Baby hats...

Sock-yarn squares intended for a blanket (originally started in 2009)...

And a number of items intended for me;
A lace cowl
Kate Davie's Hazelhurst cowl (I messed up the grafting & ripped out several rounds, though I have no idea which colour strand belongs to which round now)
A cabled hoodie, which started life as a Heather Hoodie but is destined for many modifications.

Anyone would think that this would be enough on my crafting plate. But no, I feel the urge to cast on something new (a back-up sleep-time blankie for the toddler niece).

I'm also obsessing over the idea of cot-sized patchwork quilts. And over blue / green shades. Better get crafting....

Languishing

At the moment, my home is a bit of a disorganised mess, and I've recently been going on about my good intentions to tidy it & clear out unwanted & unnecessary stuff.
In the midst of all that mess, I've rediscovered a couple of knitting projects that are so very nearly finished.
Small knitted things, that just need a bit of sewing.
Things.... for babies.
As though I didn't knit enough baby things last year, in evidence here, here, here & here....
Yep. That's right. While I was busy making things for babies last year, other people were off making more babies. And in the last couple of weeks those babies have been arriving!  So I really should get out the needles & the buttons & finish these off..

 

However, I have been distracted by other knitting, lovely other knitting involving steeks *...

 ... and cables. 

*yes, that is a sample knit for Kate Davies' new Blaithin Junior pattern. (the sooner I figure out how to insert fadas on a Mac laptop the better). I thoroughly enjoyed knitting up the pattern. I really admire Kate's designs - the thought & inspiration behind them, and the fact that I learn new techniques while knitting them. Plus, they're pretty! Also, steeking = not that scarey anymore, and learning is fun!