After completing a project do you ever have that moment of “What do I now?” I find it funny that this happens to me because after all if you look att my project page on Ravelry it has 4 WIPS on it.
I sometimes rotate my knitting projects, but when deadline knitting comes up it can be full steam ahead on one project and there is often a weird sense of loss after its done. I guess it is like the Work in Progress(WIP) grew up and went of to college as an Finished Object(FO).
So when I finished a recent knit I was hit with this weird lull. I even had to email friends to see if it was just me. I cast on Bartlett, but the tubular cast on is being a little temperamental so I will need to cast this on again. I am motivated.
Finish Funky G aka Funky Grandpa
Start Fine Tune
Cast on Bartlett
Maybe work on Cashmere Ombre Wrap
Oh I have been buying patterns lately too. Plucktober is just around the corner and there are some really great designer discounts if you make your way over to the message board on Ravelry. I always tend to hit this up and sometimes it can get me in trouble:) I urge you to check it out.
I really don’t know what to say. There are less than 2 weeks before Plucktober starts and I don’t know what projects I should be working on. I have some projects that I have been quietly working on, but I need to do some plotting. Since coming back from my retreat I haven’t worked on any Plucky projects. I did have some fun picking out a Ravatar today at lunch to celebrate Plucktober.
I could spend hours coming up with different versions. This one will have to do.
I suppose it is the whole coming back to reality thing; decompressing, plugging back in at work and home. I am kind of slow to get back to the day to day routine of life away from many of my friends who are spread near and far. I suppose one benefit of knitting away from the craziness of a knitting retreat is that I probably won’t mobius and armhole in a sweater project. Things are quiet here in Seattle, okay maybe I should just say quieter.
I think that the two projects I will likely go with are trying to finish my Funky Grandpa or “Funky G” as a good friends put it and picking up the needles to cast on for Joji’s “Fine Tune”. I have been wanting to cast on for that project since it came out in “Interpretations” last year, and when I saw it in person at a trunkshow I fell in love. Not only is it beautiful and different. It looks like a great way to use scrap yarn.
So I think that is it. I am decided on what I will be knitting. I am going to try not to go full throttle in to these as I have in past months (i.e a kid’s birthday to plan, Halloween and a little thing called Rhinebeck)
It is a little more than 3/4 of the way through 2015 so I thought I would try to check in with myself and see how I am doing on goals:
Posting 2 times a month on a blog- Exceeded.
Test Knits- Exceeded.
Four Adult Sweaters (with a stretch goal of Eight)- In progress. It looks like I will hit this, but be short on the stretch goal.
Finish my cashmere afghan- Done.
I also have adopted a new goal for 2015. TinCan Knits has a KAL going in their Ravelry group for “12 Sweaters in 12 months.” I know it is confusing because I posted that I am only working on my fourth sweaters, but the KAL that is happening includes sweaters of any size, and the patterns can be by any designer. It is exciting because I don’t know if I will or won’t achieve it, but it sure will be fun to try. I am currently working on my 7th sweater (thanks to the sweaters I knit up for may daughter), and hope I can crank up my output by the end of the year. This one’s going to come down to the wire.
There have been some people posting on the Plucky Shindig, so I don’t know that I have much to add, other than I had a really fantastic time. It is really great when you can get together with friends that are on dramatically different time zones (Australia, UK, and the East Coast). It is so hard to connect with one let alone all three at once. It is even harder to connect with Dr. Who and Flat Christine (inside joke for those who were on attending the event or saw it on Instagram).
The event was pretty fabulous too. I walked in the fashion show and even got a male escort to walk me down the runway ( I feel so special). Amazingly this is documented on the Plucky Knitter’s blog (it’s not terrible, but I should have sucked in just a bit more). I also got to try a Moscow Mule, chat with Amy Miller and Michele Wang (they are very nice in addition to being very talented), squeeze in a couple of massages and do a lot of late night knitting. If you want to know about the swag here’s the rundown.
Shindigger Swag ( I was wearing the shirt so it is not pictured)
The Swag bag was pretty amazing this year. To be honest I am going for the fashion show and hanging with friends but this year’s bag had items exclusive to the event so that makes it extra special (The skein of cashmere didn’t hurt either).
Attending the event also allowed me to bust out my Hello Kitty Pajamas on the last night and chat up with people I have been PM’ing on Ravelry or texting all year. Eventually the party had to end, but I am not too sad because I am really lucky (extremely) and get to see a few of them next month in the NYC when I head out to Rhinebeck with a good friend of mine.
Hmm.. what to say about attending the Plucky Shindig. I think the fact I am averaging 1-2 hours of sleep a night kinda says it all:) It’s a whole lot of fun.
That is all,
Steph
P.S I could add that late night knitting is maybe not the best idea when catching up with friends.. This is cleary evidenced by the fact that I mobius’d the armhole my Funky Grandpa.
PPS.. Its pretty fantastic when you just ask for a second opinion and your friend decides to fix it
I’m not talking about how much yarn I am planning to buy, but rather how much to pack. Literally next week a this time I will be at what some might call a “knitting convention” I like to call it a “girl’s weekend” (although my husband doesn’t consider it to be one).
I plan on bring a sweater I am working on but am wondering if I should bring more. Let’s be honest most people who might have a sock yarn sweater on the needles are not thinking ” I am really going to make a dent in this project” on a 4 day weekend with other knitters. Sure there is knitting that gets done, but there is a lot of talking, shopping and eating too(and more shopping). So I need to decide whether or not I cast on something else. Maybe a mindless knit?
It looks like the Plucky Knitter and Brooklyn Tweed will be releasing collections soon so maybe I should keep my needles clear. Hmmm. What do do?
I also need to think of the clothing option. I am going to “own it” I actually went and got my hair done for the event. I am spending more time on maintenance for this event than I do in my normal life ( I don’t think I have had my hair colored since I had my daughter). I am not going to lie I think the hair thing is going to be a regular thing it is like someone is saying congratulations, “it’s your birthday next week and you now get to color your hair for the rest of your life.”
So maybe the packing I am doing is mostly the intangibles ( e.g hair color manicure, pedicure….) however I am sure If you say what I was checking in at the airport you would disagree with me.
My prep for the Plucky Knitter Shindig is in full swing; I’m making playlists, downloading movies, prepping the knitwear, checking the shopping list, and making spa appointments. I feel like I am finally allowed to go crazy and really marinate in the joy. I get to see some of my knitting BFFs.
I haven’t known everyone so long but I have made lifelong friends from last year’s event and I can’t wait to see them.. This year is all about the friendship and not about the yarn (don’t get me wrong, lots of yarn will be purchased).
Not everyone is always able to make it (but I will see them later this year) and new friends will be made too. I just want to enjoy the moment.
I’m done with my Freshly Fallen and to say I am happy would be a huge understatement, “ecstatic,” maybe. I am really happy with how it turned out. I took the motif from Freshly Fallen and used the yoke construction of the Ob-la-di pattern to combine something that I thought I would be more flattering on my body. I know what your thinking that’s a bunch of mods… but I kept going. I shortened the sleeves, the length of the tunic(I’m short) and turned the neckline from a high crew neckline to a v-neck line.
Love how the tubular bind off
After picking up the stitches around the neckline, it came out as a scoop neckline. I have to admit that it is not what I planned but it is perfect for me and I love it. I know I will get a ton of wear out of if this fall and winter.
The modified neckline.. and a close up of the contiguous sleeves
Oh and did I mention I was a “winner” too? I usually am a “loser” no matter how many KALs, raffles, drawings or other contests I enter I usually “lose,” I am a happy “loser” I am in the KALs to just participate, so when I got an email from one of my friends telling me that I was one of the winners of a KAL the Plucky Knitter was hosting I talked back to my computer and told it to disbelievingly to “shut up!” Out of 400+ finished objects entered, my name was on of a handful selected. I am very thankful and very shocked.
Oh and one more great thing…. I cleared my needles and I got to cast on for another fingering weight sweater. I have a few mods in mind but nothing as crazy as what I did for my Freshly Fallen. I am thinking that I need to sat on another sweater.. but I am in no rush to get to sleeve island.
Acquisitions:
Okay so how much can I really list.. I joined the Hedgehog Fiber club if I hadn’t mentioned that, and I bought some more Hedgehog Fiber’s sock yarn
