FO: Year's End and Day's Beginnings

I've started the process of trying to wrangle my stash into a better form of organization.  I almost had a system in place about a year and a half ago, but I've been to two SSK's and several fiber festivals since then, and things are generally in a state of disarray.

I don't have any pictures of the process to share at the moment (imagine too much yarn spread across a laminate floor and you've pretty much got it).  I'll try to get some pics as I progress so I can share some more about the process.

The point of all of this is that as I was fluffing the stash, I ran across a gorgeous skein of handspun that a friend traded me for some project bags.   This is exactly why physically looking at your yarn now and again is so valuable.  I knew I had that skein, but when I actually saw it with my actual eyes (and more to the point, when I touched it with my actual hands) I fell instantly back in love.

I immediately abandoned the rest of the yarn and went to wind it up.  And maybe now I have a clearer understanding of why there's still yarn strewn all across my craft room, but that's neither here nor there.

I mean look at this yarn.  A jury of my peers would not convict.

This is a Merino/Bamboo 80/20 blend that I'd estimate at about a sport weight.  My friend reported 314 yards / 3.8 oz.  It is so soft and glorious, I was (and am!) entirely enchanted.

I knew I wanted a cowl, and I knew I wanted to use the entire skein.  I remembered a cowl pattern I used a couple of years ago to make a Christmas gift, so I went to look it up. 

This is Mira's Cowl by Baah Yarn - it's a series of knits and purls that makes a perfectly balanced and reversible cowl. 

As a project it was absolutely perfect. Quick, satisfying, simple enough to knit more or less on auto-pilot, but with yarn so delightful that it was a joy to slide through the hands.   A++ would go again.

The project name "year's end and day's beginnings" is a quote by Terri Guillemets.  I googled "quotes about fall" to find something evocative of the way I feel about this time of year. 

Project Notes

Pattern:  Mira's Cowl

Yarn: Fiber Artemis in the Grand Canyon colorway, spun by StardustSoul

Total Yardage: 314 yards

Needles: US 9 (5.5mm) 32" circulars

Started: September 1, 2019

Completed: September 7, 2019

Ravelry Project Page: here

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have a feeling I've probably used that blog post title before - likely talking about spring and Passover.  Fall and Spring are my favorite seasons, and which one is the mostest favorite entirely depends on which one I'm in.

September has the same sense of anticipation of starting new things that the spring has.  Where in spring you have the fresh promise of a new growing season, summer around the corner, and the delight of being able to go outside without six layers on, in the fall there's football, the new school year, crisp weather as the heat starts to release it's grip, and a growing sense of settling in.   I love them both.

But today I love fall.  I particularly love September 1st when the new Fall Term starts in the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup.  Starting a new school year hasn't been a thing for me in years (in fact my youngest graduated high school last year, so it's really not a thing for me anymore) but I still enjoy the anticipation of The First Day of Term.

The House Cup is an online community and game that's hosted on Ravelry.  Students are sorted into houses (Gryffindor 4 Lyf), and compete by crafting for the House and Quidditch Cups.  It's a really good time, and has done wonders for my knitting and crocheting output.   There are three terms a year - Winter, Spring, and Fall - and Fall is by far my favorite.

Of course, along with all of that new-Term excitement comes new-Term cast ons!  I had a wicked case of startosis on September 1st and I've cast on four new projects in the last five days.

Two pairs of socks -  Hello Sunshine by Tracie Millar out of  Unwind Yarn Company Celebration Sock in the Goldenrod colorway for Morgan (left) and a pair of vanilla Yulemas socks out of Colour Redefined Smooth Sock in the String the Lights colorway (right).

I also cast on a cowl using some handspun that a dear friend traded me for some project bags a few years ago.  It's a delicious merino/bamboo blend and the colors are so gorgeous I keep stopping to admire it.  I'm using the Mira's Cowl pattern by Baah Yarn, and size 9 needles for a big, squishy cowl.

And then finally, I've cast on The Crown Wools by Casapinka.  I'm barely into it, so there's not much to see yet.  I'm using Miss Babs Yummy 2 Ply in the Giant Silk Moth set, and it is stunning.  I'm excited by this one!

Now, I already had four things on needle or hook when term started, so that brings my current WIP count up to 8.  (In my defense, three of those are long-term blanket projects.   On second thought, that might be a lousy defense.) 

In any case, I'm starting to feel a little twitchy, so I think I'll concentrate on getting the cowl back off the needles quickly.

February: A Story Told in Numbers and Pictures

Four:  The number of WIPs I had on the needles on February 1st.

Three:  The number of projects I illegally cast on in February.

Two:  The number of projects I finished during February is for Finishing.

One: The number of projects I frogged.

Four:  The number of WIPs I had on the needles on March 1st.

Bad at Playing My Own Game, or FO: ain't I a woman?

Once of the key tenets of this whole February is for Finishing lark is "do not cast anything new on during the month of February." 

The point of the entire business is to double down on the work basket, and clear it out.  Casting on new projects is the opposite of help. 

This year I seem to be breaking all bonds with tradition, and flying the face of the rules that I made up.

That's how we do it here at chez woolly.

February is Black History Month (in addition to being dedicated to finishing), and Google's daily doodle on February 1st honored one of my personal heroes, a woman who was a bad-ass extraordinaire, Sojourner Truth.

I happened to have a skein of DK weight MCN in stash from Birch Hollow Fibers, in the colorway "Sojourner."

#noregrets, I cast it on.  The timing was perfect, and I really wanted something soft, beautiful, and meaningful on my needles.  (Not that having more Christmas socks isn't meaningful, but it's totally not the same thing.)

The whole business knit up in just a few days (I knit over half of it yesterday, in fact) and I couldn't be more pleased.   I cast on the Twixtmas Cowl by Louise Tilbrook, and the texture is just perfect for the variegation.  It did this cool striping thing that I'm really charmed by.

So charmed, in fact, that I immediately popped it on, as soon as I wove in the ends, even though it doesn't even remotely match my shirt.

I love the selfie filters on my camera phone.

Project Notes

Project Name: ain't I a woman?

Pattern:  Twixtmas Cowl by Louise Tilbrook

Yarn: Birch Hollow Fibers DK MCN, "Sojourner" colorway

Total Yardage: 226 yards (almost the full skein - I only have a smidge left)

Needles: US 9 (5.5mm)

Started: February 1, 2019

Completed: February 9, 2019

Ravelry Project Page: here

Glad I got that out of my system. Back to my February is for Finishing list, now, eh?

Yeah, about that...

Mid-Winter Industry: Three New Finished Projects

January was a productive month here at chez woolly, with not one, nor two, but three projects finished.

Side note - I'm not even going to begin to try to do a 2018 round up post.  My apologies to you, as it has some pretty epic moments, like this one, and also this.   But if you're interested, my 2018 projects are grouped together in my Ravelry notebook here.

But anyway, back to January.   Two of the three projects I'm going to share were part of my New Year's Day cast on.  Long time friends of the show will remember that every January 1, my two besties and I gather together to talk, plan, set intentions for our coming year, and to cast on some fresh new projects.

Finished Object #1

This is the Carbeth Cardigan.  Those familiar with the pattern may be asking why a woman who lives in Tennessee needs a bulky weight cardigan.  To which I say:  Shut up.  I do what I want.  Seriously though, that very question kept me from knitting this sweater for a long time.  Until a very smart lady pointed out that as a cardigan it would make a lovely jacket or coat.   That was all the justification I needed, and I was off to the races.

Project Notes

Pattern:  Carbeth Cardigan

Yarn: Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky "Chocolate" colorway

Total Yardage: 875 yards

Needles: 5.5 mm and 6.5 mm

Started: January 1, 2019

Completed: January 28, 2019

Ravelry Project Page: here

The only modification I made was to knit it significantly longer than the pattern called for.  I added 4" and because it's superwash, blocking added another 2".   It's perfect, and I couldn't be happier.  I even found the perfect buttons in the button box!

Finished Object #2

Having wrapped up my 2018 Christmas socks on December 27th, I found myself strangely bereft of sock knitting.   I set about rectifying that on New Year's Day as well.   Rhiannon bought me a skein of Valkyrie Fibers Matte Sock in her Eowyn colorway for Mother's Day a few years ago, because she is a good girl and loves her mother. 

I knit the heels and toes with a 10g mini (which was almost but not quite exactly enough.  I had some extreme two-fisted yarn chicken going at one point.)

I was alternating the mini and the blue stripe from the main color to finish up the last few rounds.  That's all I had left of the mini and the bit of wound off blue that I had left over from starting the second sock.  It was close but I made it work.

End result:  I love them!

Project Notes

Project Name:  like a morning of pale spring

Pattern:  my basic socks and the Fish Lips Kiss heel

Yarn: Valkyrie Fibers Matte Sock, "Eowyn" colorway, Yarn Baby mini from Row One Yarns for heels and toes

Total Yardage: 336 yards

Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Hiya Hiya 32" circulars, magic loop

Started: January 1, 2019

Completed: January 25, 2019

Ravelry Project Page: here

Finished Object #3

And finally, with both of those projects finished, I cast on and knit a quick baby sweater, as you do.  A dear friend of mine's wife is expecting a little girl, and I'm not one to let the opportunity to foist woolens off on the unsuspecting and wee go unanswered.

It's a simple little top-down raglan cardigan, with just enough little detail to make it fun.  Easy-peasy, lemon-squeazy.

I did have a brief moment of panic and frustration when I went to block it and it started bleeding pink.  This is Knit Picks Swish, in their limited edition speckle line, and frankly, I expect better of Knit Picks.   I rinsed it several times and noticed how much the ()@@!^ thing was growing.  It's superwash, that's normal.  It's fine.  (No I didn't wash my gauge swatch, don't be ridiculous.  I didn't even knit a gauge swatch.  It's a baby sweater.  Yes, I know that means this is entirely on me.  Don't make me say shut up twice in the same blog post. I knit it in 3 days.  It's fine, we're all fine here.)

Anyway, I marched downstairs, threw the thing into a lingerie bag and washed it in the washing machine with woolite and a whack of vinegar.  Then I put it in the dryer on low. 

It seems fine? (Actually fine, not dog in a burning room fine).  No dye was apparent on the lingerie bag, and it looks right as rain now. 

Project Notes

Project Name:  let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains

Pattern: Peanut Warmer by Taiga Hilliard Designs

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted Speckle "Andromeda Speckle" colorway

Total Yardage: 194 yards

Needles: 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm 

Started: January 27, 2019

Completed: January 30, 2019

Ravelry Project Page: here

All this industry is at least partially related to why I have such a short February is for Finishing list!

For those of you playing the home game this represents 1403 yards knit so far in 2019.   In 2018 I hit 18,607.  I'm telling myself my goal for 2019 is 10K, same as always, but secretly in my heart of hearts I'm shooting for 20K.  Because I'm ridiculous.

February is for Finishing, 2019 edition

If there's one thing that's been consistent in this highly inconsistent blog of mine, it's the annual project round up for February is for Finishing.

That's right, February is happening to us, whether we're ready for it or not, and that means it's time to dust off the WIPs and set about making a plan to finish.

When I started doing this back in 2006, the need was dire, and the list was long.  My most egregious case of rampant WIP-itis was exposed in 2011 when I brought a whopping 25 works in progress to the party.

Since then my relationship with my crafting has changed rather dramatically.  I - get this, this is crazy - finish things that I start.  Moreover, I don't start things if I don't want to finish them.  To cap it all off, I frog things immediately if I thought I wanted to finish them and then I find out I was wrong.  Who have I become?

While I still maintain that there is no moral high-ground to be won through project monogamy, I seem to have narrowed my focus somewhat in the last few years. 

It's weird, and I don't know what it means, other than: I'm getting a lot done, I like what I'm knitting, and February is for Finishing doesn't hold the same utility for me that it used to.

All that said, I like the annual airing of the WIP-pile, so let's get on with it, shall we?

Here's this year's list, in order from oldest to newest.  (Links go to the relevant Ravelry project page.)

1.   Hogwarts Studies Blanket, cast on May 16, 2016.   As I said in last year's project round up, I'm not too fussed about when this friend gets finished.  I'm using up bits and bobs of fingering weight, and turning in each individual square for points in the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup.  I'm either going for 12x18 squares, or 12x24 if I decide I want more blanket than that when I get there.  Right now I'm closing in on 100 squares completed, without repeating any yarns.

Let's pause right here for a moment, and appreciate the fact that once again, this is the only repeat contestant, and everything else on last year's list has been finished.

See?  I don't know who I am anymore.

2.  Weekender Blanket, started May 20, 2018.  This is another modular blanket that I'm in no especial hurry to finish.  I'm crocheting it with a yarn-pack from the Attic24 shop at Wool Warehouse.  This is the Cottage Pack.

3. Throughstone Cardigan, cast on January 1, 2019.  I'm knitting my first steeked, colorwork yoke cardigan.  So far I'm done one sleeve and maybe 3" of the body.  I decided to do the sleeve first in case my gauge swatch was a liar (spoiler alert:  my gauge swatch was a liar).  I'm knitting this as my Transfiguration OWL for the House Cup, so it's 'due' on March 31st.  I better hustle.

4. making spirits bright, cast on January 27, 2019.   I am following the lovely Amy Florence's lead, and making a bid for 25 pairs of holiday socks to wear in December.  My own personal sockvent, as it were.  I curently have 5 pair, knit at a rate of one per holiday season in the past five years.   As I would like to achieve my holiday sock plan before I'm 65, I decided to step up production a bit.

And.... and that's it.   That's all I've got, folks.  Four works in progress.

Well.  Four and a half.

I do what I want, Thor.