Among other happenings, this past Friday Alli and I went to the Ivy Plus Society's (semi?) annual cocktail party. Sounds pretentious doesn't it? Well, it was. Initially I was very hesitant about going, and the 25 pound price tag didn't help. But the event was also being held at The East India Club, a proper 'Gentleman's Club' if there ever was one, and originally populated by the various Higher Ups of the East India Company. Translation: You're never going to have the chance to get through the door ever again in your life, so GO. Thus, off we went to a schmancy cocktail party, makeup, hair, dress and all. Here are a few (very poor quality) pictures i snapped on the sly.
The entry to the building, and the wall of school plaques (featuring all the really poncy schools)
Our event was held in the smoking room, featuring many portraits of very important (and likely deceased) old men.
In all honestly, I would have loved to have the opportunity to poke around, but sadly it wasn't in the cards. So we went off and mingled instead. Sigh....can you imagine what a stereotypical Ivy League gathering might have been?? Yeah, a lot of the people were like that. There were some pretty neat ones there as well, however. So it was a very good time to be had, not to mention the wine (East India Club's House Label) was fantastic.
Plus? We looked awesome - first photo is from after we left (they kicked us out promptly at 10 pm) and went and had a great dinner at Spaghetti House, made even tastier by being starving. Please also note - I totally had awesome heels on, but took them off when I actually had to walk somewhere. The second photo is Alli's absoutley INSANE hair do. Because it's awesome.
Lastly, the current state of my Ravelympics Chantal, which is going VERY fast (as I've done nothing but knit for the past two days). Yoke, sleeves divided, and the waist decreases are all done, Now I'm just plugging along with the body until I get back to the hip increases. After that, a nice classy moss stitch border for the buttons and collar.
As one of the many nutters who take a part in the knitting site, Ravelry.com I am also signing on for their traditional Ravelympics! The idea is that you pick a project, cast on during the opening ceremony and (plan to) have it finished by midnight on the last day of the Olympics. Obviously, as it's only 16 days, if you're doing something big, it's a bit of a push. But that's the whole point, the idea is to work hard while watching the games, as a way of sharing in the spirit of it. Challenge yourself and try something new etc etc.
So, for my Ravelympics Project, I'm making a cardigan for work. Because now that I am "employed" I need to look respectable and professional, and my current closet of clothing doesn't precisely fit that description. I've picked up a few bit and bobs (including a pair of slacks that turned out to be 6 inches too long, and required going into work with them pinned up with bobby pins *headdesk) but what I really need is a nice comfy office sweater. Hence, the Cardigan. With that in mind, I've chosen to knit myself a Chantal, in Big Wool (Rowan). It's a lovely cloud color, pale grey with a hint of blue. I am slightly leery of how this may come out, as i tend to look like death in pale colors, but it was that, hot pink or lime green. So....cloud it is. This particular pattern was chosen because it's a fairly classic K2P2 design, bulkier yarn and most especially because it's top down. According to most patterns I've found, I have a freakishly long torso, so I'm hoping that the top down approach will be easily modified to add length.
I cast on this morning while watching a rerun of the opening ceremony...because there was just no way I would have been able to stay up that late (Wine from Friday night, a post on that one to follow). I only got to see bits and pieces of the ceremony though, as the BBC only chose to do a 30 minute 'highlight' version, which was terrible, and then when I figured out that Eurosport had it, I'd already missed about 2/3 of the ceremony. But I DID get to see the awesome fiddler/tap dancing duo, bits of the whales and the slam poets. All in all, I really enjoyed what I saw and those graphics were amazing. Ten points to the Canadians for that one!!
The first Noro Striped Scarf I did took about a month. Much of it was knit in one weekend, when a friend and I took a quite trip down to Bournemouth in early April. There was lots of train and car time, as well as watching of Rugby. So it went fairly quickly, and I was so enamored of the clever color changes that I started the next one immediately. I'd even brought the yarn with me so I wouldn't be bored on the trip back. My comment on the start of my new scarf for Ravelry was as follows...
"I get the feeling i will be making a lot of these suckers…"
Oh what a fool I was. Nearly a year later I have FINALLY cast off this second monstrosity, which I made wider and longer than the first...and promptly lost interest in the minute I got back from Bournemouth. See, here's the thing: I hate ribbing. Totally, utterly and completely. I love how ribbing looks, particularly K1 P1, but for me, the actual DOING and knitting of the thing drives me utterly mad. It bores me to tears. So more than about 10 rows of it and I'm ready to go do something else, something entertaining...like my dishes, or vacuuming. I picked half heartedly at it here and there over the months, and in the past few weeks finally decided it was time to get it DONE. I will not countenance a UFO hanging out in my knitting basket untouched for a full year (Oh, wait? My Green Gable Hoodie has been untouched since September 2008 you say? That totally doesn't count, totally doesn't.). So, at last, and knit over many hours of Firefly, coffee and my newly discovered addiction, Sea Patrol. I give you my second Noro Striped Scarf. Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood Yarn: Noro Kureyon #170 and 52 (2 or 3 skeins each, i'm not quite sure, but I think it's 3) Needles: US 8 Length: Roughly 5'10, or just a bit taller than I am
Notes: It needs blocking, as there's a bit of a curve to it because I don't always remember to slip my first stitch. On the whole, however, I am VERY pleased....and sort of want to make another one, but I'm thinking I will wait a bit for the trauma that is K1P1 to recede.
Wednesday, I was so unproductive it was ridiculous. As part of our resolution to be more productive, Yas dragged escorted me to Westfield where I bought a planner for the year. Every evening since then, I sit in bed and review what I got done for the day, and write out my to-do list for the next. Wednesday I didn't even look at my planner, I hadn't even written a to-do list. Definitely fell off the productivity wagon. Yesterday, however, I was better. Even if I didn't get anything productive done, I got out of the flat. Ooh, I lied, I went grocery shopping, which is TOTALLY productive. I spent yesterday in Camden, first with Yas and then a few hours by myself. It was, shockingly, actually sunny outside for a few hours. So we made the most of it.
First, Yas introduced me to YumCha an absolutely splendid little cafe hidden in the Markets...I think I may have found my new home away from home. I plan to go back once a week and work my way through all their different teas. This week I had A Walk In The Woods, which I could happily drink every day until I die - I wish I had thought to write down the description, but it was a black tea (Kasaan?) with several different kinds of berries. Unusually, you could actually taste the berries in the drink. Ooof...I'm drooling again just thinking about it. Definitely a 5-star tea.
After that we did a bit of shopping...this is why I try and avoid Camden, I end up buying things. I am weak. But I am also now a weakling with t-shirts.
I spent my copious amounts of bus time reading The Giver, a book that I seem to be the only person in my age group who hasn't read it. There are a bunch of them, and one of my current 'self improvement kicks' (it's a fad, I won't lie, but I'll make the best of it while it sticks with me) is to try and read all the books that I SHOULD have read, but for some reason haven't. Others on the list include Animal Farm and Wuthering Heights. I don't know why I didn't read these in high school, but I'm trying to make up for it now. My over all thoughts on the Giver are pretty neutral, it's an interesting story and I wish it were longer. But, I don't think Lowry meant it for 24 year olds, so she went with a little less depth. I can see how there would be ENDLESS debates in English class over the ending - did Jonas and Gabriel finally reach safety? Or freeze to death, hallucinating in the snow. I'm going to go with the first one, it's happier that way.
On the knitting front, I continue to make slow, meandering progress on a hat I started (It's BLUE!) and my Noro striped scarf that I started last March. The Jury is still out on my Ravelympics project.
Happy New Year kids, I'm still here. After a tumultuous end of the year, including graduating and an absolute nightmare of a journey across the United States (remember all that Snow-nonsense just before Christmas? Guess who was in the airport then) I am now back in London and attempting to "Get my Life in order". I put this in quotes, because frankly I have no idea what that will entail. In the meantime however, I present you with more of my Christmas goodies! After all the nonsense of stress, insanity and 'I can totally knit a project a a week" I did, in fact, manage to complete all of the various knittery I had planned for the holiday. Albeit in a slightly rushed manner. I even managed to finish an extra project. So, without further ado -
Mom's Cowl: Pattern: Green Sea Cowl Yarn: Mirasol Sulka shade 222 (4 skeins) Needles: US 8 Probably my favorite FO of the Christmas season.
Yaz's Evangeline Gloves: (Photo Forthcoming)
Dad's Hat: (#2, didn't like the first one)/ Harry's Fingerless Gloves Pattern: none Yarn: Sirdar Big Softie, 2 skeins/1 skein Needles: US 13 Also, a gratuitous cleavage shot...sorry.
Rufus' Biking Gloves: Pattern: None Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed, 1 skein Needles: US 10 Previously Posted: Irfan's Hat
Kiera's Mittens
Erika's Socks
And for my last item, my very dear friend Kaitlyn, whom I have known since we were 11 is expecting! Therefore, BABY clothes are a requirement. Unfortunately, the silly girl was so inconsiderate as to time it that I had very little heads up as to her happy state prior to visiting, so I didn't have much to work with....but, this is why BABY clothes are awesome, ...they go really fast. They're also really easy to make gender neutral.
The Anticipatory Handsome Hoodie (for the as yet unnamed BABY) Pattern: Handsome Hoodie Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande (2 skeins) Needles: US 9
So, when I first set out on this “one FO a week” idea, I knew there would be bumps, and that I probably wouldn’t stick to it very well. This was part of the reason why I started it as early in the fall as I did, and set the goal so high.The other reason is that, while I knew I was perfectly capable of knitting a hat/pair of gloves a week and could spread it out, taking plenty of time and not getting sick of knitting as I went along. Slow and steady wins the race.
Now if only my brain hadn’t gotten in the way.Remember those few posts about the hats a couple weeks ago? Yeah…trying to knit a hat a day…. I’m a moron. Though I did actually get one more out of the week (see below) things went south after that. I picked up some absolutely gorgeous yarn from a LYS and set to knitting myself An Unoriginal Hatonly to realize as I neared the end of my first of 2 skeins, that I wasn’t going to haveenough yarn, I was okay with this (this is why you can always go back for more, the store wasn’t going to shut down over night) until I realized one more problem…if I completed the pattern as planned…I was going to end up with a hat for Andre the Giant.
I didn't think to add something in for scale, but trust me....that's only the first of two repeats, not to mention the decreases...I'd have wound up with a skull cap for Andre..or maybe one of the statues they have littered around the city. Trust me.
Now, when I realize I’ve made a huge gaff like this, and I do it a lot, I tend to get somewhat despondent and lose interest in knitting for a while, eventually I come back to it, rip back the yarn and suffer through it. But the amount of time it takes is generally proportional to how frustrated I am with knitting in general at that time, how much time I’ve put in on the project, and how traumatic it was to realize I’d have to rip back the whole thing. For example, when I first moved to the UK I was working on a sweater, I took most of my sadness and homesickness from the time and used knitting as an outlet…until I realized I was going to have to rip out the ENTIRE sleeve I’d just knit (mostly while being utterly depressed)…that particular sleeve is still waiting to be undone 14 months later.Honestly…it may be there for another 14 months before I can bring myself to rip out all those freaking cables. (Seriously…that chart was a monster)
Okay, coming back from the tangent, the combination of overkill on the knitting and the realization of a necessary rip proved to be a bit much, so I took some time off, then started my intended project for the next week- a pair of Urban Necessityfingerless gloves/mittens for my brother Harry. Harry is an artist specializing in metalwork, so he spends most of is time working in his shop north of Denver….i don’t know if any of you have ever been to Denver, but it gets freaking cold in the winter, even if you ARE standing next to a forge.So the idea was to knit a thin pair of gloves he could wear under the shop gloves he sometimes wears. I chose the urban necessity pattern because they were fingerless gloves that still had fingers (just not closed) instead of stopping before that, like the Evangeline pattern (one of my all-time favourites).Just one problem with them – the cuff is K1P1 ribbing...my own personal form of knitting hell.Two-by-two ribbing I can just about tolerate, but one-by-one?Don’t even speak to me about it…I loath it. Plus, given that I’d decided I needed to knit up the XL size, there was A LOT of it to do.
Now here’s where I’ll cop to it…the combination of the K1P1 ribbing, and my own stressed out state due to academia made knitting an impossibility. Now seriously, anyone who knows me will know how much of a wreck I was, when I say that for the past two weeks I have been too stressed to knit. To knit! My ultimate stress reliever! So my dear readers (all 4 of you, Hi Mom) I’ll cop to it – I fell off the wagon and have barely knit a stitch. It’s like I’ve been in a coma….and I am now, unsurprisingly, a bit behind on my Christmas knitting.
However, I am happy to say that I now have a Masters Degree!!!!, (BOOYAH!) and am no longer Too Stressed To Knit.So I’m clambering back on that wagon, and working on catching up. The entry is getting rather long, so I’ll end it here and catch up with the rest tomorrow! Suffice to say I’m knitting again…or at least I was until it all went wrong.
Project Profile: Dad’s Black Cap (XL)
Yarn: Blue Sky Aplacas - Bulky (Black, don't remember the color #)
Details: knit to be massive on size 13 dpns
Pattern: Modified "Turn A Square" by Jared Flood
I've owed my dad a knit object for years, but I'd never gotten around to it. BAD DAUGHTER, VERY BAD DAUGHTER. So this year I finally did. The first "Turn-a-Square" hat I made was intended for him before I realized that a) it was way too light and b) it was probably too small. My Dad's got a big noggin, so accordingly, this hat is massive...honestly, i dunno that it's going to fit him, but if it doesn't it's only a matter of a few hours to rip and re-knit the thing, so no problem there.
Yesterday afternoon, after living here for over a year, I *finally* managed to get to Loop, one of London's most well known knitting shops. The store is located in Angel,whereas I live in the western portion of the city so I don't find myself in the neighborhood very often. Thankfully, I had a couple of hours to kill after attending London's most USELESS career fair ever, so I was able to swing by. The place is delightful, and positively spacious for a downtown knitting store. I have memories of stores in New York City that were so small you could hardly call it a coffin let alone a store. Loop was well lit, well stocked and staffed by incredibly friendly and helpful people. The place was truly delightful. Accordingly....I wound up with quite a good haul of yarn, most of which you'll see in the next few days. In particular, I stumbled upon a skein of Colinette Point 5, in them most intense neon pink and purple combination you've ever seen. Seriously, I think I may have irrevocably irradiated a large portion of my ovaries just by looking at it. Naturally, this meant it was a perfect yarn for my Godmother, Maureen.
Maureen is known for her flamboyant personality and appearance, she and my mother met in Lamaze during their first pregnancies way back when and they've been close ever since. When I was younger I made a habit of sending her small pots of pink and purple hair dye, which she uses for dying just a touch of her otherwise wonderful silver hair. Sadly I can't find any photos of her from my sister's wedding, but she was a queen in red and purple. Maureen does flamboyant like no one else, particularly the intense pinks and purples. This toxic purple yarn was meant for her!
This was the result....I only hope my future children don't have 3 heads because of it....
Project Profile: Maureen's Toxic Pink Hat Pattern: No pattern, just Co 48 stitches, knit 6 inches then decrease. Yarn: Colinette Point 5 in Alizarine (119) Details: Size US 15 ( 10 mm) dpns
After finishing up last week's project I felt that I should do something that would take more time, the socks knit up so quickly that I finished the first in 24 hours, and then took the remaining 5 days to finish the second one. Second Sock Syndrome to the max, not in terms of actual times but if you look at the ratios...wow, that was bad. In light of that, I figured better to go for a 'slow and steady wins the race'-type-project and decided on finally getting around to making a hat for my dad. I've owed him one for years, since the very start of my knitting endeavors, but I'd always found the idea rather boring, and got distracted so I hadn't gotten around to knitting it....not a very nice daughter am I? But now, the time was at hand! I had soft yarn, I had free time, I had a pattern I liked....
Project Profile: Dad's Christmas Hat (Part 1) Pattern: Turn-a-Square by Jared Flood Yarn: Mirasol Miski Colorway 115 (black) 1.25 skeins Mirasol Miski Colorway 118 (gray) 0.25 skeins Details: US 7 (4.5 mm) and US 6 (4.0 mm) DPNS
The hat worked out well, I made it slightly longer, as my Dad's got a big noggin, but I changed up the stripes a bit. At first I was worried that I wouldn't have enough gray to do 2 rows of it for every 3 of the black, so I did a Fibonacci sequence instead with the black, 3, 5, 8 and 13. You can't quite see the last gray stripe at the top, but it's there. In retrospect i probably had enough to do the striping as the pattern specified, but I like how this came out anyways. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be my Dad's cup of tea and it's a bit thin for his purposes. If he's wearing a hat, it means that the armageddon of snow storms has hit New York City (which it does a couple times a year) so the thinner Miski yarn just isn't going to be warm enough. So right now, the hat is homeless, but will be fostered on my head, as it's perfect for London in October!
HOWEVER, what did leave me utterly gobsmacked about this project was how fast it was completed - I did this in an evening...less than 5 hours. Insane. So then it got me thinking...what if my project for this week was more than one? How hard could it be to knit a hat a day?
My project this past week was particularly special and important for me(That's not why I'm posting it late....that's just because I get distracted by *new* projects very easily. But, it's yarn....it goes with the territory). Specifically, because the week's project was for Erika, my 2nd brother's girlfriend. When I think about it, I realize that she's been around since I was in high school, and is currently the longest continuing relationship that any of the siblings have had. I'm fairly sure at one point they'll get around to getting married (in whatever form it takes), and I really am quite fond of her, although I don't see her all too often. But there is something about Erika's steadiness that I have suddenly realized has gone under appreciated amongst my family. We are not a subtle or quiet bunch, and neither is she really, but when we all get together she generally (and rather sensibly) tends to sit back and let the madness ensue rather than trying to control it. As such, I feel like she deserves more. After all...like i said, we're a crazy bunch and she's been with my brother for seven or eight years. That's a long time. She's also funny, very smart and crafty, which I always appreciate. She and Harry have done some absolutely incredible collaborations.
To the right you see the beautiful bird feeder of DOOM. They got tired of the squirrels jumping up and down on the bird feeder, thus crashing it to the ground and letting them eat all the seeds. This was the result: That sucker is copper and stained glass and has to weigh something like 30 lbs when full of seeds. I watched the squirrels trying to figure out how to bring it down, and they were not pleased when they realized it wasn't happening. I absolutely LOVE this piece, and I drool over it whenever I see it.
SO! Because of all this (pretty bird feeder photo included) I decided, seeing as she's been around so long, that Erika is fully deserving of some knitterly goodness for Christmas. It's a small token, but I want her to have it, as in previous years only my sister and my mother have really gotten stuff. Plus, what with her Craftiness, she'll appreciate what it stands for, and care for it properly!! (If I'm going to take all that time, I like to know they aren't just going to be trashed). I took the time to call up Harry and ask what he thought would be a good idea, since I want this to be something usable, and after a bit of a chat (and some catching up as well, always fun) we settled on a nice fluffy pair of house socks as being the best choice.
I was a bit worried about this, since socks are famous for taking FOREVER and I am no exception to the 'Second Sock Syndrome' epidemic. But, bulky yarn came to the rescue once again. Behold: Erika's Irish-Wellington Socks.
Project Profile: Erika's Fuzzy House Socks Pattern: Irish-Wellington Socks by Aileen Cahil Yarn: Mirasol Sulka in colorway 222, 4 skeins Details: Knit on US 7, 4.5 mm DPNS, for roughly a US size 9/10
Thoughts: Easy, straightforward and fast. I knit the first one in less than 24 hours, the stitches just flew by! Plus, i turned the heel in under 5 minutes, I'm not a particularly fast knitter so that's a big deal for me. I'm a big fan of these and may make myself a pair at some point. They're very basic, and I may add some embroidery later to try and liven them up, but I haven't decided. I wasn't sure what size feet Erika had, and Harry was a bit useless on that topic (he's a guy, it's to be expected) so I went for roughly a US size 9 as a guess, since that's average. They're slightly larger than that, so should be nice and comfy, and if need be can shrink a little in the wash to be a better fit. These will definitely be nice and toasty in the Denver winter.
This week's project (Week 4) - is a bit different....look for many an update this week!
Huzzah! I actually finished this weeks project last night, but opted to go to bed instead of blogging about it. Things are swimming along here merrily, class starts on the 20th and I'm spending the time between them plotting PhD and Law school applications. Wish me luck! Also on the list is getting my flat under control, I'm pretty sure the clothes monster underneath my bed not only is capable of speaking to me at this point, but has named itself as well. Hermintrude whispers to me while i'm trying to go to bed in her screechy little voice "CLEEAAAAAN MEEEE"! Something dire is getting done this week.
BUT, in the meantime, have some more knitting:
Project Profile: The Turn-A-Square Watch Cap. Pattern: Squared Away Watch Cap and Turn-A-Square Yarn: 1.5 skeins of Mirasol- Miski in shade 118 (123 yds) Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) DPNS
When I started out with this project, I had planned on using the Squared Away Watch Cap (Ravelry Link) from Crystal Palace Yarns. But once I got further into the pattern I realized I didn't want it to be quite so long as the watch cap, and I wasn't sure about the look of the decreases. After a bit of searching, I settled on Jared Flood's Turn-A-Square(Ravelry Link) cap instead. I like the raglan decrease, and the general neatness of the pattern. Naturally, as this pattern is stocking stitch and i'd done the 2x2 rib as proscribed in the Watch Cap, I was a bit worried, but once I got the hang of it (read: stop trying to be smart and figure out if I should be purling or knitting the decreases and just knit them all) I really think it came out well. This is definitely a pattern I'll be using again.
Project Profile: Lofty Cable Mittens Pattern: Lofty Wool Cable Mittens by Cathy Campbell Yarn - Mirasol Sulka in Colorway 215 Details: Knit size 6 US Needles, in the Mens Medium.
Modification: I ribbed the first 10 rows instead of stocking stitch, I wanted a firmer cuff rather than the rolled one, seems like a great way to get snow wedged in your wrists! I also picked up 1 stitch in the gap/gutter of the thumb to avoid creating a hole there, which i left until the final row of decreases, and made the last K2Tog into a sl,k2tog,psso, which worked perfectly.
Thoughts: I'm pretty pleased with how these came out, and surprised that there aren't more projects on Ravelry using the pattern. It's definitely one I'd make again, and will probably end up gifting to more than one relative this season. The Sulka worked perfectly, and with the smaller needle makes for a nice strong fabric, which should hold up nicely in winter.
I did run slightly past my deadline, in that I finished these on Monday, but a headcold and the late start justifies that i think.
On the schedule for this week: Squared Away Watch Cap by Oftroy of Golden Appels in Mirasol - Miski.
Finished the first of this week's set of mittens. Unfortunately in the process I've discovered that I need twice as much yarn as I thought, so I'll be acquiring more tomorrow, and that I am officially out of darning needles. My knitting bag went AWOL when I was in Denver, complete with my needles, cable needles, a perfectly lovely skein of yarn, 1 knit glove and a set of bitchin' rosewood dpns. I mourn its loss. So, tomorrow it's shopping for more yarn, needles, (and possibly some more Mirasol for another project).
So after finally settling on knitting Kureyon Handwarmers, Evangelines, Bella's Mitts a pair of Lofty Cable Mitts by Cathy Campbell (Crystal Palace Yarn) in Sulka by Mirasol, I finally got started today. Yes, it's a bit late in the week to get started, but that's because I must have ripped about 6 different versions of gloves/mittens before I found one I was happy with. The Sulka I am using came out of my stash, and I was originally planning on using it for myself, but it's going to a higher cause for the time being....plus it looks like i may run short, so I'll be able to get some more for myself when I go back to John Lewis' to get more! Yes...I do realize this defeats the purpose of 'stash busting'.
The only mod I've added is ribbing the first 10 rows rather than the stocking stitch, which means i have a fitted cuff instead of a rolled one. I absolutely adore the Sulka yarn and have used it before, but this particular color makes me drool (Shade 215 to be specific). I love the deep ruby....sigh.
Here's what I have so far ---> Row wise, i'm just past 1/2 way through (row 38 of 76 to be precise). But in terms of actual time knitting i'm pretty sure I'm further along than that, yarr...there be decrease rows ahead! I'm going to aim for finishing this one and starting the second tomorrow. Which should give me plenty of time to finish it by Sunday night.
Okay, so I have a tentative project in mind. Christmas is coming, and as every knitter (and non-knitter) knows, Christmas is Crunch Time, and almost everyone gets caught unaware ( to that one person who got all of their shopping done in August? Yes, YOU. I hate you). For one who aims to gift knit items, it's even worse because of the time involved in making all these things. All you have to do to get a good idea of this is read the Yarn Harlot's annual Christmas panic blogs, complete with her very own Schedule-Nazi to get it all done. Unfortunately, I do not have a Schedule-Nazi, I have only myself, and myself absolutely sucks at deadlines and that thing called 'discipline'. I'm also terrible at knitting speedily in a crunch. In light of that, my tentative plan is this: between now and Christmas (allowing for a few slip-ups, and life getting in the way). Knit 1 object - glove, hat, scarf, sock etc (extra time allotted for larger items) per week. Fingerless gloves and hats count as half an object (or basic gloves) given the speed and simplicity involved.
If I stick to this, that means I have 14 weeks, (Or 7 pairs of socks) to get everything done. This means if i play my card right i could actually gift everyone in my immediate family (Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother 1, Brother 1's girlfriend, Brother 2, Brother 2's girlfriend and my Grandmother) ((okay that's 8)). If I'm super efficient about this, I could possibly muster up a couple of extra items for some friends (who happen to read this blog from time to time).
I only plan on making 1 pair of socks out of all this, since my mother specifically requested a pair. Additionally, I found a project i'd completely forgotten about, complete with a 3/4 knit sock, in a color i know she would like....some may call it cheating, I just call it recycling.
So, here we go - I'm setting the deadline for each project to be Sunday night, with a new project started on Monday Morning. I will use up as much of my stash yarn as possible and must always check The Stash Monster to see if I have something I can use *before* I look into buying new yarn for it.
Today I declare to be Knitting Boot Camp: Week 1, Day 3 (Monday being Day 1).
