Eastburn Adventures

So, apparently I'm having scheduling problems in my life that is keeping me from updating the blog as often as I'd like. It's a good thing - we've been spending some of our former spare time at the gym. And I have been spending quite a bit of time on Ravelry. My latest task was to update my stash. There were a few skeins that never got photographed and added to the stash, and I went through and moved a handful of skeins to the "will trade/sell" category. I've been listening to Nicole and Jenny on Stash & Burn, and was a little inspired to trim down the stash a bit. My problem is that I really do have projects in mind for most of my yarn, so it's hard to let go. I just need to spend more time knitting.

I'm really only knitting consistently on Thursday nights at Knit Together. Granted, we did have a blast at the knitting and movie night last Saturday - can you hear the screams of 7 girls reliving their past by watching "Footloose?" - but, really, I've only been knitting here and there and in the car on the way to work and back. So, imagine my surprise when I picked up my latest project and saw that I'm almost finished with my first pair of Christmas socks!

I seriously don't know how they've come along so fast - I only started them Saturday night. It must be the magic of Socktoberfest! Oh, and check out my short-row heels. . .

. . . it's good to be queen.

Is how long it took me to knit a pair of socks. These are the Basketweave Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks, made from Knit Picks Memories in the Smores Colorway. They were my second pair done toe-up, two-at-a-time on Magic Loop, and my first attempt at the Turkish cast on (which rocks, by the way).

I'm moving on to Lola's Short-Row Hat before I tackle Robert's socks. The last two pair of socks were brown, and Robert's will be black. I'm needing a (Dream In) Color fix. :-)

I'm a copycat. There, I said it. I am so easily influenced by my friends' knitting projects, that I must knit them myself, and I forget that I've got so much great yarn in the stash that I've got plans for and then they lay sadly forgotten in their baskets, drawers, and bags.

I purposefully bought the MDK book for the Moss Grid Hand Towel pattern. That was the one pattern from the book that I really wanted to make, and I bought some Euroflax linen in fuschia (yuck - what was I thinking?) to make it with. Then Zarah decided to make hers in a lovely sage green, which was a much better color, so I bought the green, swapped the fuschia, and we were going to have a KAL. (The problem with Zarah in a KAL is that she's a focused speed-knitter - which is usually a good thing - and she finishes her projects long before anyone else!) I am easily distracted by other projects, as was the case with the MGHT. But finally, 2 months after starting it (and probably 6 months after buying the yarn for it), it's finished!

It's funny, because I was knitting the MGHT at work during lunch, and my friend Stephine asked about the pattern. The next thing I knew, she had started it in a yummy Blue Sky Cotton in chocolate brown. And since I taught her to knit, she's on her second pair of Fetching, and ready to learn socks! I don't think that she's copying me - I think it's inspiration. So maybe I'm not really a copycat after all. Isn't that one of the reasons we love Ravelry so much? Anyway, both Kate and Zarah are making the Central Park Hoodie (or in Zarah's case, the Jordan Valley Park Hoodie), and I'm rebelling. I'm going to make A Cardigan for Arwen. (Someday - when I'm not distracted.)

Remember my quest to find the perfect knitting bag, which eventually resulted in the purchase of a burnt orange Namaste Executive Bag that I found in Asheville? Well, I've been catching up on the Stash & Burn podcasts, and in one of the April episodes Nicole described her perfect bag that she found - which just so happened to be a Namaste Executive Bag in burnt orange! Yup. The same bag. Described months before my discovery. Last week, my oh so stylish boss told me that she "really liked my big orange purse." Now, to seal the deal, the Holiday Interweave Knits issue is now available, and guess what's on pages 6-7 listed as a great gift for a knitter? Uh huh. A Namaste Executive Bag. In orange. Yeah, I bought the right bag.

So, I finally got the groove going on Lola's Short-Row Hat, and planned on working on it Thursday night at Knit Together. But I still wasn't in love with the yarn and the way it was knitting up. When I showed it to Kate, she said she thought it would turn out okay, but Zarah confirmed my suspicions. It wasn't working. So, I ripped it out - again. Mistake number one.

I decided to start a new project since I had some of the Lion Brand Organic Cotton with me, earmarked for the Baby Yoda Sweater - a gift for an upcoming baby shower (they're doing the nursery in an outer space theme - how cool is that?). Except - you knew this was coming, right? Although that yarn is incredibly soft, it's way too bulky for the pattern. Mistake number two.

So I decided to cast on for the counterpart Baby Yoda Felted Hat in Patons Classic Wool in Leaf Green. Except I didn't have size 11 needles in a 16" circular with me. I didn't have size 11's at all with me. I don't own 16" circular needles in size 11. Mistake number three.

Also, I made the cardinal mistake of knitting by not having my standby Noro in the bag to knock out a quick Lizard Ridge square. In fact, I ended up being at Knit Together with nothing to knit. Two hours set aside for knitting where I accomplished no knitting. (I did manage to untangle Zarah's 3 balls of Dream in Color Classy that she is using for her CPH.)

Determined to rectify my errors, I came home and emptied my knitting bag and began restocking. The first things to go in - a ball of Noro and my trusty size 7 Options needles. Next, the Patons wool for the Yoda hat, along with 32" size 11 Options needles (yes, I'm very glad I learned the Magic Loop method). I also put in the correct needles for the SRH (assuming I would eventually find the perfect yarn for it), as well as the needles for the Baby Yoda Sweater, again under the assumption that I would find suitable fiber.

Saturday, Kate, Zarah, and I hung out at One City Market to knit, and yes, I did have something to knit that day. I made great progress on the Yoda Hat, and actually finished it Saturday night (well, it's still drying and I need to stiffen up the ears). Here's a shot of it:

Zarah found the perfect Lola-esque yarn for the SRH - a lovely hand-dyed merino called Bo Peep's Sock Yarn (but it seems more of a DK weight than fingering) in Cornflower. I'll probably re-start the hat this week.

Kate and I stopped at Simply fibers on the way home and I bought some Mission Falls 1824 Wool for the Baby Yoda Sweater. The pattern called for cotton, but the store didn't have it, and it is a superwash wool. Since my knitting mojo had returned, I made good progress Saturday night on the sweater and finished the back. I started on the fronts today.

Hopefully, I've learned my lessons and won't repeat these mistakes!

If this is the baby gift you seek, knit it, you will.

The baby Yoda sweater and felted hat are finished! This was a fairly quick and easy knit that will delight Star Wars fans, and I hope, the recipients! I felt pretty good (no pun intended) about my first ever felting project, and this was my second baby sweater. I have to say, it took longer to seam it together than it did to knit!

But after finishing this one, and watching Kate and Zarah breeze through their Central Park Hoodies, I think I may be motivated to return to my sweater that has been ignored for so many months now. Also, I may be taking a quick diversion into sewing land. Zarah made the cutest bag - check it out on her site - and we all love it. Kathy and I went today to pick out fabric, and ended up getting another pattern instead of the Frenchy Bag, so I'm gonna give it a try!

Also, next time I'll share with you the results of my recent reorganization project - thanks to Trish for the inspiration!