Monogamy Totally Means "With Three," Right?

This past week I've gotten a lot accomplished, and it's all down to project monogamy.

Or, how I do monogamy, anyway, which apparently means that I'm only spending my time with three projects instead of eleventy-nine.

Close enough.

The three projects I've been monogamous with (hey, they all know that they are special.  Love the one you're with, amirite?) are:

Lilli Pilli -- my spreadsheet tells me I'm at a solid 25% with this one.  As I've mentioned before, I'm doing this for my Potions OWL in the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup.  OWLs (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) in the Harry Potter novels are the exams the students take in their fifth year, to help determine their course of study as upperclassmen.  In the HPKCHC an OWL is a project that you expect to take 2-3 months of solid work.   I'm trying to get as much done before the 24th as I can, as that's when I can cast on my Order Mission.  (I promise it all makes a weird sort of sense if you're in the middle of it.)

Shawl in Progress, with Bonus Dead Grass and Door Mat in Background

Since it is my Potions OWL, I've renamed the project, "For the Potions Master."  RIP Alan Rickman. You will be missed.

That Orange Stripe Tho' - Halloween Socks -- these are my purse knitting, and my "I can't knit lace and talk to you at the same time" knitting.  

These are just like they were last time you saw them.  Only more so.

And then I finished up the Barley hat I mentioned last week for 25000 Tuques. It knit up in under a week, but I figure there's really only two or three days of knitting in there.  Worsted weight hats are fast, yo.  And I used up the other half of that skein of Heartland, so good job all around.

Barley Hat Expertly Modeled by "Sullen Hipster" Best Friend
(Trying Not to Crack Up)

And then, because I can't leave well enough alone, I've started another hat for 25000 Tuques.  This is Laurelhurst out of some Wool of the Andes I had in stash.

What?  That still only counts as three -- I finished one!

Monogamy.  I'm doin' it right.

Heck Yeah 'Merica!

We're about to embark on another crazy couple of weeks of home improvement -- painting, ripping up carpets and installing hardwood flooring in our living room.  The timing of all of this meant that our normal 4th of July shenanigans had to be rescheduled a week early.  So yesterday my two besties, Jess and Koren, came over and we watched 1776 (like ya do), both Captain America movies (like ya do), and listened to last year's recording of NPR's annual reading of the Declaration of Independence.  

Like ya do.   

We didn't do fireworks, because I don't want to be THAT NEIGHBOR.  But we hit all the other high points (including charred meats and fermented beverages).  It's a lovely tradition we have and it is as much or more my Mid-Summer ritual than anything that happens on the 21st.  

This weekend I am particularly proud to be an American.   The news of the day made the timing of our celebration even better.  I'm glad that we decided to do it early instead of skipping it altogether. 

#lovewins

I cast on a pair of rainbow socks to commemorate the day.

I also finished the fancy-pants bind-off of my When You Wish shawl yesterday while watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier.   I'll talk more about the bind-off when I do my FO post, but early indications are that it's fiddly, but worth it.

I've got it out blocking now, so I should be able to get final FO shots and the post up this week.

I'm finally taking my playmat tiles out for a test drive.

My Dark Rainbow Cowl is also coming along nicely.  I'm farther along now even than this picture indicates (I took pictures this morning, and have gotten some knitting done in the mean time.)  I have maybe half of the last purple to go, and then I'll block it and kitchener it shut.  My current plan is to block first, then kitchener, because I think I'll get a better result from blocking it flat.  More on that as it unfolds.

I love all the rainbows I'm knitting right now.

I haven't really done any more on Morgan's second purple sock.  I think I'll concentrate on that next, once my cowl is done.  Apparently even my scattershot approach will come through if I just keep at it long enough.

My current Stash Dash standing is still under 1K, (949 yds/867 m to be exact), but the cowl will put me back in the game.  Then it's Morgan's socks, and who knows what'll be next?  Maybe Rowan's sweater, while it still has half a chance of fitting him.