I have knit…

14 hats. One isn’t pictured because I started and finished it at knit night while trying to knit faster than the yarn was running out. I made it, it’s short, but I made it and I have enough yarn to create a stripe in another hat. So far I haven’t received any new contributions from fellow knitters so I’m thinking I’ll be on my own for the last 30 hats. I went to Joann Fabrics and got a ton of yarn, finished one skein of bulky blue which I was able to get two hats from and I’ve not knit since Monday. I’ve been busy. You understand, I’m sure. I’m also thinking cheating may be in order. I might have to buy some hats to complete the project because it simply cannot be done in two more weeks. The second package will already be coming to the soldiers two weeks late so I want to get it out as soon as possible.

Until then, I’m filling out thank you cards, putting the hats in plastic baggies and packing them away in a large flat-rate box to be sent to the good Sergeant First Class along with his own hat and letter (which I wrote all unibombery in cramped writing telling him about why I started the project. It’ll be awkward to say the least, I’m sure.)

Tonight I have a date. In an effort to not jinx it, I won’t tell you anything about him.

Oh! The Fall Bucket List is done! I’m only missing the Corn Maze and Go on a Hay Ride but they’re not plausible anymore. Everything else is done! I’m feeling pretty good about myself for getting things accomplished this season and I’m considering doing it for Winter as well.

On another note, I’m going to make a more concerted effort to post more often. Now that the holiday rush at work is behind me, I should be able to have more time and sanity to knit and blog about it, especially since it’s now cold enough that ice forms on my windshield in the morning and I’m wrapped up in mis-matching woolens on my way into work. It’s beginning to look a lot like winter! Which reminds me, those Madelinetosh mittens are still half-done… I should get on that.

Frantic Friday

So this week sucked. A lot

I got virtually no knitting done and minimal spinning. I worked really hard on a lot of things and this is the best my mushy brain came come up with today.

Last Saturday was WorldWide spin in Public day. I met with Jenny and Stacie and was cheered on by Leah at the Alterra next to Loop which was having a 40% off sale because it’s going out of business. Queue sad, dramatic music here. I spun up my batt and it became some  kind of ugly mass of gray, bright pink, teal and purple. It was bad. I did a chain ply and it still was ugly so I gave it to Sandy at Knit Night on Monday. I didn’t feel bad since the batt was only 5 dollars. I’m sure she’ll pay me back one day.

After spinning the ugly batt I needed to spin something pretty so I pulled out my Ashland Bay roving, split it in half and spun up 2 oz in colorway midnight. Photos to come but it’s gorgeous let me tell you. Once I spin up the other 2 oz and ply it I’ll give it a photoshoot. I can’t wait to see how many yards I get out of this one since it’s pretty thinly spun.

It’s been sitting on the bobbin since Monday. This is definitely not good since one half of the roving will be really relaxed and chill and the other half will be excited and…caffeinated? I’ll make it work. it’ll all work out in soaking anyway.

Monday I started knitting with Bagheera, the baby alpaca handspun that I decided I would make a cowl in memory of my kitteh. If you don’t remember, grab a kleenex and go here. I still cry when I read the post and think about my Big Guy.

So I cast on 190 stitches, which I then thought was 200 stitches because I’m me. I decided to do a 10-stitch cable with 10 stitches between. Upon getting to the last one, I realized I only had half the stitches needed so I macguyvered it and I like it. It’ll be my one mistake in the piece and I’m happy with it.

I made it through to the second cable when I realized that it was going to be too short with just the 187 yards of handspun I had so I went on a desperate search for more baby alpaca. I found two skeins of Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky (because the lace would have been far too thin) and bought them right away. This broke a yarn diet and I’m attempting to stay on the straight and narrow.

I got the yarn last night, wound it into a biscuit, and started knitting again. In a few hours I made it to the third cable which I’ll be doing tonight. I want to have this cowl done soon so I can start wearing it as the weather has taken a change to fall.

I pulled all my woolens out last weekend so I have many scarves to venture into every day. As soon as I’m done with Bagheera I’ll dedicate myself to the Cobblestone sweater.

I’m putting off the knitting on the TARDIS blanket because neither the lap blankie or the Clapotis are done.  I’m also still hard-up for petty cash that I want to be spending. And I’m on a yarn diet. I’m intending to buy the black yarn soon because it’s like, 30 rows of black before I start with the fair isle. I also haven’t thought about the TARDIS blanket because well… I’m busy. And I have other projects that are using the needles I need and… I have a lot of ands going on here.

I was able to knit six rows of white on the lap blankie before I ran out of yarn. I then put it on the floor in front of my dresser where it has sat since Sunday. Tonight, after knitting on the cowl, I’ll wind the 469 yards into a biscuit and start knitting. Why do I always take on these huge projects only to never finish them?

I wish I had a. more pictures to show off and b. more interesting things to talk about. I’ll leave you with this:

These are all the things I plan to do this fall. I’ll be documenting the works of these things during the progress of the season. Are you ready? Cause I totally am!!!