Cast-off Day

I'd gotten so close to finishing up my mitts last week that I was adamant that I would finish them over the weekend. Normally, I take my knitting with me to my vampire game on Friday night, and if things get a little slow I pull it out and work on it a bit. Doesn't always happen, but sometimes. Turns out Friday night was an interesting game for me and my character so that totally didn't happen.

But Saturday, there was no question, if I was getting anything done - it was those mitts!! Woke up sometime before noon, and immediately pulled out my needles and wrapped them up. Really, all I had to do was about four teeny-tiny thumb rows, and then weaving in the ends, and sewing down the hems. Really only took me like half an hour. You'd think I'd have found time to do that before!! Or I just kept putting it off because it was so small a job. Anyway..they are done.


And I wore them all day Saturday, and all day Sunday, and all day today... yes, I love them ^_^. They may not go with everything, but they sure are warm. Maybe I should put a pair of neutral gloves on my queue list so I do have a pair that goes with everything. Someday.


Following the mitts getting finished, I decided I needed to finish up another project - the Serendipity earband mom had asked for. I'd finished the main band, and really just had to crochet up the flower and sew it on. Another half hour project or so and that too was done. Yay!



So with two projects done, I only had two other projects still on the needles. My lover's knot afghan that I started...a hell of a long time ago, and the project bag in thick-n-chunky oatmeal. I still want to finish that project bag..but I need to take a break from it. I knitted up one whole skein of it using the wrong size needles, and so it kinda hurts my head to look at it. I'll finish it up eventually. But I don't despise it enough to take it off the needles. The afghan, however, I've had sitting at the bottom of my knitting bag for months. I think I stopped working on it before October. I still love the pattern, and totally intend to work on it more, I just have other things I'd like to focus on right now. Sweaters, specifically. So I took that project off the needles and put it onto some scrap yarn for hibernation.

I must say - it is nice to finish up some projects and then look ahead to starting up new ones.

So with all my needles ('cept one set for the project bag) freed up, I finally get to consider an entire set of new projects!!! There was one that I knew I'd be working on next - the Cherie Amour that I fell in love with early on my arrival to Ravelry. It is absolutely adorable. I realize that a lot of people have problems with the pattern, and yarn choice seems to be crucial as well as design choices. But I've just got to give it a shot. I'm going with a double-strand of Paton's Bamboo Silk in Orchid and Coal. I'm hoping it works out okay. I threw that yarn in my bag for Saturday night's vampire game, and actually did spend a good deal of time while there working on it. I got quite a few rows done...and then noticed I'd twisted the work. Siigh. Tried to pull it all out, but I think I got distracted...and it got all very very tangled. Spent the rest of the night trying to untangle it. What a way to start the project. Still haven't finished untangling. I'll try again...soon. When I get up the courage.


Additionally, I found a new pattern that I (and my friend D) just fell
in love with!! Its this Primrose Path sweater. I showed it to D and her immediate response was "so when are you going to make that for me?" Haha. We're actually likely to go yarn shopping either this weekend or next for the yarn for it for the two of us. That'll probably take me a few months to finish two of those, but it sure is pretty enough for it. I can't wait to get that one going. It'll be a completely different type of knitting from the Cherie Amour too - ribbing, rather than lace.

So looks like 2011 is starting off as the year of the sweater. Jumping straight in and going for the big pieces. Wish me luck!