I do not have a large stash of yarn, as these things go, but it grew some more just now when I wasn’t looking.  The problem is, my ‘free’ time is NOT growing.  And the ideas are.  When in the world am I going to be able to turn these balls and skeins into the garments I see in my head??

Okay, let’s take the new stuff in turn.  Mind you, I currently have one sweater, a scarf, and a pair of socks on the needles.  Oh, and some cute miniature socks, but those hardly count, since they’re finished so fast, and are made from leftovers anyhow.

Teeny socks

And next in line (except that it is lobbying hard to get ahead of the other sweater – I have been flirting with swatches) is the lovely red wool destined to become a cabled sweater.  I could point out the place I was driving on the highway when that one leaped into existence in my mind’s eye, a detailed design, full-grown at birth like Venus.  It’s the actual writing of the pattern that is taking time.  Not to mention the knitting.

Now for the new stuff.

1) Here’s the yarn I finally finished spinning over the holidays:

The last bobbin, just before plying.

I bought the fiber in the late summer of 2006, then planned the spinning and sorted it all out right away.  Every once in a while I get organization right!  The actual spinning sessions were very sporadic, with long hibernations in between each flurry of activity.  In spite of that, the skeins are pretty consistent.  This yarn is destined to become a sleeveless top, probably with a scoop neckline to wear with a paua shell necklace that I need to make.  A nice, simple garment to show off the fabulous color and sheen of the fiber.

Finished “Paua Shell” yarn

This is Bonkers 50/50 Tencel/Merino blend in Dragonfly colorway, purchased at The Yarn Barn in Lawrence, Kansas.  I know, this isn’t technically new, but as a project’s-worth of yarn, it is.

2) Here’s my Christmas gift yarn:

Dream In Color "Starry" in Bermuda Teal

This is the gorgeous Starry in Bermuda Teal, by Dream In Color.  Yes, that sparkly stuff is actually sterling silver!!  I haven’t seen a picture yet that can do it justice, but still, I DARE YOU to look at that and not drool!  I was originally planning to make a pair of socks, but could not bear the idea of walking on it.  So, using a (non-Christmas) gift card, I ordered a couple of skeins in the same color of the companion non-silvery yarn, Smooshy, to knit an elegant cardigan.

3) I also included in that order a skein of Starry in natural white from Simply Socks Yarn Company.  And I ordered this pattern: Starry, Starry Night.  Serendipity?  Or kismet?  We’ll never know, but that yarn and that pattern were obviously meant for each other!  Sure, I considered using the teal yarn for it, but I will wear it more often in white, and we have to be practical about these things.

4) And finally, I got a call today from Yarn that the Lana Gatto VIP that I ordered last fall had finally arrived!  I had been content to wait however long it took to produce more, since I had plenty of projects to keep me busy.   But no, it had to arrive on top of everything else!  This is the first cashmere (20%) yarn that I’ve purchased, and would never have sprung for a whole bag of it, except… a gift certificate, the generous prize for the state fair win.  Thank you again, Deb and the staff at Yarn!

Sooo soft! 80% fine wool, 20% cashmere

I think this one will have to wait a while.  I think.  Again, the design for this sweater has been rattling around in my head for a few months.  It took some time to grow, but is pretty firm by now.  The blue Rowan Damask will be part of it, too.

Rats.  I really want to get started on it.  Self-control stinks sometimes.

At least I am in no danger of getting bored.

I finally finished the Shetland Lace Rib Socks I’ve been working at off and on since (ahem!) May.   That’s just awful.  But I have  resisted all temptation to start another pair (or two) until I  finished these.  They are KnitPicks’ Gloss, a 70% merino 30% silk yarn, in Cocoa.  That is a lovely yarn, and I highly recommend it.

Tangent Warning – Why did it take me so long to finish these?  I like the easy lace pattern, I like the yarn and the color, I definitely like the intended recipient, so what was the holdup?  I don’t have a good answer, but I wish I did.  I always like to understand why I do the things I do, or at least have a good working theory.  There was some angst about the fit, and I ripped back a bit to work on that, which could explain part of it, but I was not excited about these even before I got to that part.  Actually, I’m still a little concerned that they still might be too long, so they may end up with someone else, which means the original recipient will get to pick another yarn.  It’s all good.  Just not all fast.

Okay, back to the bind-off.  My preferred sock method (if you care to know) is toe-up, provisional cast-on of half the total stitches, short-row toe and pick up the CO stitches, then on up to a short-row heel, maybe with a few stitches added for a teeny gusset there, to be decreased away when the heel is turned.  Then up the leg until it is about as long as the foot.  I learned on, and still prefer, five double-pointed needles.  Not four.  That makes it way too tight at the corners for me!  Anyway, I’ve used and been pretty happy with Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn bind-off for my socks for quite some time now, but ran across this stretchy bind-off and thought I’d give it a try.

It looks a little more substantial than the sewn one, with  a more definite line of demarcation than the sewn bind-off shown on the blue sock, which just seems to fade into the ribbing.    Because of its added bulk, you can see that it flares ribbing out a bit.  But especially for socks, that’s totally immaterial – it’s the stretchy that is important.

So how does it go?  The instructions I have are for K1P1 ribbing, but I’ve adapted that a bit, so here goes.  Just remember to work each stitch as it is, then do the “2tog” according to the stitch you just worked.  I hope that will make sense when you actually get to it!

For K2P2 ribbing: K2, with yarn in back, slip left needle into the front of the 2 stitches you just worked, and K2tog.
*P1, with yarn in front, slip left needle into the back of the two stitches on the right needle and P2tog.  Repeat.
K1, with yarn in back, slip left needle into the front of the two stitches on the right needle and K2tog.  Repeat.
Continue from * until all stitches have been worked, break yarn and pull through last stitch. Using a yarn needle, work in the end of the yarn.

I am confident that most of the rest of the knitting world knows all about this BO, and even knows the name for it.  But I thought I’d share it anyway.  If you do happen to know what this method is called, please leave me a comment with that bit of information.  I don’t have the time to go browsing for it just now, but would like to know!

Next up, a pair of “thank you” socks… and a pair for me, too!

And here’s something I bought a while back at The Shivering Sheep in Abilene, Kansas during the Central Kansas Yarn Shop Hop.  Dare I say that it would be a perfect last-minute stocking stuffer?

I might actually get this one finished before spring.

I ended up with a couple of balls of gorgeous Jojoland Melody Superwash sock yarn, in soft green and pinky-beige colors. I really like the marled yarn (plies of different colors twisted together), and it looks like it has lovely slow color changes. I am not a striped-sock person!

Jojoland Melody

Another purchase that day was this set of “DP WIP Tubes”. Translated, that means Double-Pointed (needles) Work In Progress tubes. These ingenious paper tubes have a slit along one side, so they can be slipped over dpns and the knitting they hold. The result is a tidy package that not only protects the knitting and the needles themselves, but also prevents poke holes in bags (or people).

I am also telling on myself with this picture; you see I have made no progress on my daughter’s socks after ripping out the heel. I WILL finish hers before I start on mine. You are my witness.

DP WIP tubes

What I didn’t buy on that trip: the hard-to-find book Sweaters from Camp. I am generally a very conservative purchaser, but that was really a dumb decision. I can only plead that I was waiting for it to arrive for me on interlibrary loan (from out of state, no less!), and thought I’d better have a look at it to see if I really needed to add it to my personal collection. Oh, boy, it was short-sighted of me to walk out without it! But I’ve been rescued. After looking at my borrowed copy, I called the nice people at Yarn Barn, and purchased their next-to-last copy (did I mention that used copies START at $95 from Amazon.com affiliates?) at regular retail price. I have a very kind non-knitting friend who picked it up for me this weekend, and will pass it along to another friend next weekend, so it will be in my hands even before the borrowed copy is due back! *sigh* I hope I learn something from this experience.

Did you happen to read my post on “duct tape armor“? Perhaps you thought I was a little… odd… with the idea of creating a dress form with duct tape. I now have proof in print that I was onto a good thing! Have a look at a snapshot of page 19 of the recently published book, “Custom Knits” by Wendy Bernard:

Custom Knits page

I never said the idea originated with me, but it’s very nice to feel validated!!

When I was a kid, it was always rather a special occasion when we went to a restaurant. One of my favorites was Seven Seas in Wichita (Kansas), on Douglas just west of Hydraulic. They had a buffet/smorgasbord, and I always got more food than I could eat. I remember my mother repeatedly telling me two things about my eating habits: “You don’t eat enough to keep a bird alive” and, in the above mentioned situation, “Your eyes are too big for your stomach”. I always argued with the first one, but she sure nailed me with the second one. Some habits die hard.

Looking back on those Seven Seas dinners, it is actually quite probable that at some point I saw across the room a boy a bit older than myself who would one day become my husband. It’s a funny thing to think about having seen your future spouse a good ten years before you met…

But I digress. Here are the two new projects I couldn’t resist. The sock yarn is Crystal Palace Panda Cotton in Fall Herbs colorway. I bought it in October along with the First Sweater yarn and some Trekking XXL at Gove City Yarns (Love that place! Go there if you can!). I got my Ravelry invite while I was on that trip, and added this yarn to my stash… actually, it’s the ONLY yarn in my stash there. I was disappointed that the colors didn’t come out better in that photo. Anyway, I decided on a broken/diagonal rib pattern for the socks. I certainly wouldn’t want the lovely color changes to compete with a complex pattern, but wanted something just a teeny more interesting to knit than plain rib. I just noticed how the colors match this pillow… when I first saw the yarn, I thought it was an unlikely but pleasing color combination. Guess I forgot how I fell for this tapestry fabric on sight! (The fabric happens to be a souvenir from a trip to Chicago. I didn’t see any yarn shops.)

On another side note, I snapped these pictures in my office. The lighting is good, and the slipcovered chair makes a great neutral background. I couldn’t resist backing off a bit for another photo, so you can see what this corner of the office looks like. What a perfect spot for knitting!! Too bad that never happens. I have to work when I’m there.

And then there are the mittens. I bought this yarn at Twist with a gift certificate from my wonderful husband. That perfect gift was totally un-hinted for!! The yarns are Jawoll Superwash and a blue semisolid Trekking XXL. The pattern is currently under construction, but is inspired by Selbu mittens, with the main design for the back of the hand adapted from the chart for Knot a Hat. I did left- and right-handed designs, and plan for a fairly deep ribbed cuff and a yet-to-be-determined pattern for the palm and thumb.

So, any guesses on how long it’s going to take me to finish any of these projects? Or better yet, how long I’ll be able to resist casting on for yet another one!?!?