Drifting

I've been a bit unmotivated lately. I don't know what's up with that. It's not like I don't have many pretty things to work on. I just can't get excited about any of them. I bounce from shawl, to sweater (I may have caved and cast it on), to sock, to spinning, and back again. And the entire time, I think about how bored I am.

It might be the fault of my audiobooks. The reader for the ones I've been listening to lately is not the best. I'm very opinionated when it comes to book readers, though. These books will be done soon, though. Maybe my motivation will come back.







In the meantime, I've finished a sock. It's a nice sock, it fits nicely, the color is nice, the pattern is easy enough to remember without writing down notes... but it's just nice. Not inspiring.













And I plied "Goth Chick." The colors are a little paler than I thought they would be. It's shiny and soft and pretty wonderful. But also not inspiring.







And, in the category of "random stuff I think is cool":

A nail stamping kit. You paint on an undercoat, let it dry, and then pick a color and design to apply to your nails. It's pretty simple, and only cost 10 bucks at Bed, Bath and Beyond, even though I saw it at the Orange County Fair a couple years ago at a much higher price. Pretty brilliant.

Maybe pretty nails will improve my motivation?

Lust

The sweater is done. It's marvelous. It's long enough, it fits, the colors are marvelous... it's really warm. I've been wearing it a lot, cuz it's been kind of cold, and because I want to show it off, and because I'm worried that it may get stolen if I don't wear it.

Some people cannot be trusted around handknits. (I'm looking at you, Caitlin.)

Anyway, yes. I'm very proud of the sweater, and it's wonderful. The only problem is, I'm unenthused about most of my other knitting. I have a thrummed hat which isn't as exciting as it should be, a shawl that I started after I got back from London, which was fun for a while, but now I don't love it. Because I want to start another sweater.

I know that if I start another sweater, I will likely lose enthusiasm for it about halfway through, and therefore I'm trying to be the smart knitter who doesn't complain about second sweater syndrome. In order to not cast on another sweater (I just did the pocket linings, but those don't count, right?), I have started the shawl-along that Caitlin and I agreed to do.

It's a really nice shawl, and I'm mildly excited about it. The pattern is nice, the color is pretty, it's new...

But I really want another sweater.

Progress report

I would like it to be known that I have finished the sweater sleeves! They're marvelous. I mean, as marvelous as sleeves for a sweater can be. Especially ones that took years (figuratively speaking) to make. I have now moved on to the collar edging. It's going to take even longer than the sleeves, because it's basically a long, skinny scarf of 2x2 ribbing that I will eventually need to sew to the inside edge of my sweater. Won't that be fun.

In lieu of sweater pictures, I have pictures of some spinning.

This is "Fairy Lights" on Punta wool. It's a Harry Potter colorway that I bought a while ago, not realizing that I was going to find the colors insipid after not much time spent spinning. It spun very nicely, though, and made a nice 3-ply. And now, it's going in the bag of skeins that I have no idea what to do with.











I believe I posted some pictures of this fiber in progress on the wheel. It's "Tomfoolery" on Lorna's Laces Superwash Merino. Very pretty, very bright, it has a destiny as something gorgeous and bright that will cheer me up, if I need it. I guess that means I should probably measure the yardage I've got...

This, if I ever get finished with this god-forsaken sweater, is destined to be my next spinning project. Funky Carolina "Goth Chick" on merino/silk. I've spun some of this fiber before, and it's luscious. I'm very excited. Or would be, if I thought there were really a chance that I'd ever be done with this sweater.





I know it seems like I've been complaining a lot about the sweater, but I feel that I must point out that I've felt a serious dedication to the completion of the sweater due to the weather. It's been snowing, and very very cold. Sweater weather, for sure. Let it be known that knitting a sweater is not, by any means the fastest way to procure cold-weather clothes. Lesson learned. I think.

These are the sleeves that never end

I've reached the sleeves on my sweater. It's a lovely sweater. And the sleeves are going to be wonderful. I have finished the color work on them, and I've moved them to the same circular needle, so that I can work them 2 at a time, in the round (which is not how the pattern says to do it). I have learned that 2 at a time is the way to do sleeves. That way you don't have to count rows, and the sleeves end up with the same shaping and length and stuff. Pretty great.

They're taking forever.

I swear that every day for the past 3 days I've thought "today I will finish these sleeves." This has turned out not to be true. However, I think that I have finally made some progress on them. I think I just need 2 more inches before I start doing the sleeve cap shaping. Which is really exciting, because I can stop working in the round,  and I think it'll go faster after that.

Of course, then I'll have to do the collar stuff. But I can worry about that once I finish these freaking sleeves.

In the meantime, here is a picture of the yarn for the NEW sweater (which I'm sure will be wonderful, and glorious, and the sleeves won't take nearly as long... probably).

Pretty, yes? The color is like navy blue, kettle dyed, merino wool. It's going to be beautiful.

As soon as I finish these sleeves.