Some catching up to do!

For the last few posts, I've been promising that I would post some photos of my finished Amaya sweater, and today I'm finally doing it! See:

A finished sweater! It really was very easy knitting. If I could change anything (which is not going to happen), I would probably have gone down a needle size (or maybe even two), as the finished sweater really grew after washing. I even put it in the dryer in the hopes of shrinking it some, but I think it's just in the nature of the bamboo rayon be slinky. And heavy. Anyway, it's cute enough, and I'll just have to make sure I wear a little something underneath it since the fabric is a little sheer to wear unlayered.

I've also finished my Frankenanklet, made from sock yarn leftovers. Three of the yarns are ones I purchased at Sock Summit in the hopes of making something for myself and the fourth was from a skein I bought in Ft. Wayne. These socks were pretty simple knitting, even if they were done two-at-a-time on size 0 needles. I knit them toe-up until I ran out of yarn, then added the next yarn and the next until I had a pair of anklets. It was pure accident that a color change happened at the heel flap - I couldn't have planned it, but I'm glad it worked out that way. I may do this again with yarn scraps, but the next ones will probably have more color changes, as most of the leftovers I have now are shorter lengths. But what would I name them, now that I've used Frankenanklet? I'll have to think on that one.

I've also made a little more progress on my Columbines needlepoint. There's just a little more of the background left to finish and then I can move on to the border! I actually had to run out to the needlepoint shop to pick up one more skein of the background color - I was so close to finishing! I'm just grateful that the new skein is in the same dye lot. Whew!

Well, that's it for today, I think. Next time, I can tell you about my current knitting WIPs and maybe I'll have more progress on the needlepoint. Until then, Friends!

WIPs Wednesday? You betcha!

I've had a bit of start-itis lately and so I have plenty of projects on the needles. Or, at least, plenty for me. I think there are currently five. And that's only if you count the knitting projects. I also have a little needlepoint thing I'm working on, and two unfinished quilt tops that I'm not working on. The quilt tops send occasional messages to the guilt receptors in my brain, asking if they might someday be allowed out of the closet. I ignore them.

As for the knitting WIPs, I tend not to let them languish, but for whatever reason, I've decided that right now I'd rather start new projects than finish the old ones. It's much more exciting! This bout of start-itis might also be from realizing that I currently know at least four people who are pregnant (whose babies really should have handknit gifts) and that I have a big exam coming up, that I don't really feel like studying for.

So, one of the recently-started projects is the Punctuated Rib Socks, by Ann Budd. The pattern for these socks is in Carol Sulcoski's book Knitting Socks with Hand Painted Yarn. In this case, I'm using a commercially-produced variegated yarn: Berocco Sox Metallic. I've only just gotten going on the pattern, as these socks are meant to be worked on while I commute to work on the bus. I wasn't sure at first how I'd like the metallic bits in the yarn, but I think they look nice. Definitely not tacky.

Another is the intarsia-in-the-round socks that I'm doing toe-up from the technique I learned at Sock Summit from Anne Berk. I've gotten a lot faster knitting these. I usually work on them in the afternoons when I let the cat out. Since he's blind, I have to be out in the yard with him to make sure he doesn't wander into the alley or find some other kind of trouble. All he wants to do is eat grass and throw it up. If the neighbor's dog comes out, that's when he wants to go back in. He wants nothing at all to do with any dogs. Anyway, as for the socks, I think they'll end having an afterthought heel and a fairly short cuff - I'm just going to knit them as far as the yarn lets me, then quit.

The last of the WIPs that I can share (the baby projects have to be secret, I think) is my Peasy cardigan. I really don't know why I haven't just sewn the freaking buttons on, but that's the last thing that remains to be done. I keep telling myself that I'll do it insert evening here, but then I get distracted by cute little bitty baby projects and the cardigan goes one more night unfinished. It probably won't happen tonight, because a friend is coming over and we have plans to drink wine on my front porch. And tomorrow I have a work-related function, so it won't get done then, either. This weekend is a holiday, so maybe it can happen then. I really do want to finish it soon, as I'd like to have it washed and blocked in time to wear the first minute that it's cool enough to wear.

So, that's current projects. Maybe next time, I'll be able to show a finished project. Until then.