the Akamai Knitter

I love.. car and errand knitting. Yesterday I was able to finished the first Canival Tweed sock.

Carnival Tweed Sock

I was also able to make some progress on the second sock. All while running errands and hitting the multiple doctor appointments I had.

Carnival Tweed Sock - Second Sock

I love.. mojitos. I ordered one while at my favorite Italian restaurant this past Saturday. I’m not sure it matched the food, but it was delicious.

Mojito at Bravo

I love… lasagna. Especially the one at the restaurant Bravo. Too bad I’m rarely in that neck of the woods.

mm. lasagna.

I love.. Cookie. She’s inspired me to start knitting my Springtime Shawl again. I may only get a row or two done a day, but that’s better then nothing at all. I only have to finish the current repeat to get to the edging.

Springtime Shawl

I love.. all the new charms I got in this week. I’ll probably be drowning in stitch markers this week, as will the shop.

mermaid stitch markers

I love… rainbows. I haven’t seen too many of them this year due to the lack of rain clouds we’ve been experiencing. So I was lucky to capture this one on the drive home on Saturday.

Hawaiian Rainbow

Can you believe I didn’t mention spinning? That’s because my Suzie Pro has been squeaking lately. The squeak really disrupted any thoughts of peaceful spinning time this weekend. I bought some bike oil for it yesterday and it seems to have banished the squeak. So far so good at least. I remain skeptical, yet I harbor a secret hope.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope your day/night is squeak free!

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In an effort to clean up the cobwebs in my knitting basket, I dug up some old projects to decide whether or not they would live on.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot going on in this picture, but I didn’t include all the projects I already have on the go. This process wasn’t about how many knitting pies I have my fingers in. It’s more about whether I want to continue on with the ones that I’ve left on the wayside.

First up, is the ubiquitous Forest Path Stole that I started back in March of 2007. It’s been a very rocky relationship and I think it’s more then time for us to part ways. Unfortunately, an easy dissolution was not meant to be.

I got out my handy ball winder and set to it. I immediately ran into knots and the yarn kept breaking on me! I was left with little increments like these:

I got so frustrated, I gave up before I was halfway done. If anyone has any helpful hints on how to frog this monster, please let me know. I’d hate to have to toss the rest of the stole. It would be such a waste!

Next up, are the Gothic Spire Socks. I started these back in June 2007. I love the design, but the wrapped stitches really bugged me. So I put it away after I had finished the first sock and the ribbing of the second. In the spirit of Do or Die! I picked it up again this week and I managed to get most of the second sock done.

Finally, we have the Flower Basket Shawl that I started in August 2007. I’m really not sure what I’m going to do with this one yet.

My initial excitement has died down. While I love knitting with my handspun is great, I’m no longer thrilled with this particular yarn. It’s a little scratchy for my taste and I’m not sure that this pattern is right for the yarn. But I’ve gotten so much done that I don’t think it would be right to rip it all out. I’m probably going to try and finish it once I have a couple other shawl finished.

So there you have it, my little effort to eradicate my little pile of UFO’s into FO’s. Now if I could just finish my current WIP’s before they get relegated to UFO status too.

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With my fingers in so many pies, there hasn’t been any eye popping progress with any of my knitting projects. So instead of concentrating my efforts by how much I get done, I’ve been luxuriating on how much pleasure I get from each of them.

The Springtime Shawl (Ravelry Link) continues to grow, while giving my brain a gentle tickle. The lace pattern isn’t exactly complex, but it still requires a certain amount of concentration.

The Ocean Feathers Stole provides me with the most tactile pleasure as the Sea Silk is the most decadent yarn I have ever used to date. Instead of giving in to my inclination and knitting it all up in one go, I’ve decided to only allow myself a certain amount of time each day to work on it. In this way, I can prolong the experience and savor each and every precious yard of this glorious yarn. Despite my careful plans, the stole seems to be growing at an alarming rate and I find myself nearing the end of the first ball of yarn.

Another yarn that I love is the Fearless Fiber sock yarn and I’ve been carefully hoarding it for just the right pattern. Now that I’ve found it, I would very much like to extend my time with it. But I suddenly find myself past the heel of the second sock.

I have a feeling these will be finished sooner then I’d like. My only consolation for the upcoming post-project blues is the lovely handspun I have lined up to knit.

Inch by inch, I’m getting things done but I’m taking my sweet time doing it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. :-)

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While I enjoy other techniques, I had to put aside my one true passion during the holiday season. Though, I do love making things for other people, I really missed the lace.

When I felt that I had gotten the gift knitting under control, I cast about for a suitable pattern and was inspired to pick up a book that I had on my radar for quite some time.

Marianne Kinzel’s First Book of Modern Lace Knitting has beautiful designs in it, but most of them are for tea cloths or tablecloths. Neither of which I have a use for, but to the resourceful lace knitter they can be used for shawls.

I picked the Springtime design, because it looks so elegant. I’m using an adaptation of that design using some tricks Glenda Hunt put together along with a couple of my own to create a triangle shawl.

Once I started, I found it very hard to put down. The charts are excellent and the square design is easily translated into a triangle.

My tried and true friend, Jaggerspun Zephyr (in Steel) hasn’t let me down yet. It’s soft to the touch and the stitch definition is crisp and clear, reminding me why I turn to it again and again.

The needles (size 2US Addi Lace Needles) are the perfect lace knitting tool. The tips are just wonderful for the increases and decreases.

This is the kind of project that makes you want to skip meals and decide that 3 hours of sleep is sufficient. Housecleaning gets put on hold, cats go hungry, and friends are neglected.

Some might call this passion, others might call this obsession. Either way I’m happy as a clam and I don’t really give a damn what they say. ;-)

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So the Patriots didn’t win. As much as I wanted them to have that perfect season, the weekend wasn’t a complete disaster.

There was college basketball.

There was good food.

(Bulgogi, namul, and an island favorite, macaroni salad.)

There was hat knitting.

(Koolhaas by Jared Flood.)

There was stole knitting.

(Japanese Feather Stole by Anne Hanson.)

And there was the comforting presence of felines.

Like I said, it wasn’t a complete disaster. :-)

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