Day 1.

This is what I was knitting yesterday - the Posh Rowan wrap shawl thing. I think I managed about 14 rows - which I feel is pretty good considering there are 250 stitches on the needles. And next time I decide to use this ridiculously fine mohair yarn, someone please remind me not to do it.

Today's knitting is all about the Almerboo Bootee. Must finish. Gulp. Tall order.

Back tomorrow.
x

Lack of Commitment

I am starting to get so annoyed with myself over my whole lack of commitment. I love my Rowan wrap, I love Soho, I love Carica, I love Tempest. I am even getting to acquaint myself with the mystery blanket. I like the Without Borders Socks and the newly cast on Hermiones. I like Pimpeliesse and adore the almost finished Almerboo Bootees.

So why in Heaven's name can't I get something finished?

This time last year I was half way through Finish It Off February. It was so successful, I managed loads. This year I seem to have more stuff cast on than ever before.

Enough is enough Mrs Stashbasket. Stop bloody casting stuff on and get your arse into gear. Get off this machine, pick up the needles and knit like fury. Stop falling asleep in front of the telly, you don't have enough time to allow yourself the luxury of sleep. Give the family toast for tea (a roast dinner is just over-rated) and explain that time is running out. Finish It Off February is nearly 2 weeks old and nothing has been finished off.

Pictures will be posted every day until the end of the month so you can keep track of me.

I will not let you down.

Or if I do happen to let a few days slip, be happy in the knowledge that I am just knitting instead of computering!

Update

Sorry I've been away again. Life. It has this habit of getting in the way doesn't it?

Anyway, thank-you all for the comments on the dreaded Mystery blanket. It is coming along now and I only have 5 more squares left to knit and then the border (which I've worked out to be about 18,000 stitches big). No photo yet I'm afraid - perhaps you'll just wait until it's all done then? Hopefully by the end of this month...

...that is if I can bear to put down some of my other projects. This is a Rowan-esque pattern from the latest book. I saw a sample knitted up in John Lewis and fell in love. I didn't go to the expense of all the Rowan summer tweed and decided to knit it from stash (well, almost!) Basically it seems to be an extension of the Mason Dixon Scribble Scarf. Which actually I hated knitting, so why on earth I'm doing one that involves casting on 250 stitches I don't quite know!

It is already a few rows bigger than this, but as you'll appreciate, that many stitches with lace-weight is a bit of a slow-grower. For me anyway. I don't like knitting with lace weight or mohair so again I am left asking myself - why?

I've finished a pair of socks. Have done these whilst walking Harvey. You can't see the pattern at all here (rubbish photo) but it's Dee's Slip Up Socks pattern. Brilliant, easy, relatively mindless. I've used Colinette Jitterbug - nice and warm.

I can't seem to get a good picture of this. It's a bootee. A lovely warm snuggly cosy bootee in Woolhunter's Almerboo. A dream of a pattern, fabulous yarn (who wouldn't want to knit anything in Almerboo? what a great name!)

The second one is cast on, and not far off completion. Another Christmas present sorted! I really am determined it won't creep up on me again this year.

Just remind me I said that will you?

Startitis

Well being as 2011 is going to be my year of finishing off things, I feel it's only right and proper to make sure I have plenty of things to finish off, don't you?

Startitis is bad at the moment. As bad as it has ever been (I blame the bloody mystery blanket of which I am so bored!)

Yesterday I cast on a sock. Today I cast on a bootie - not the baby kind, a proper grown up bootie. Tomorrow I fully intend casting on either a shawl/wrap type thing or Strand of Pearls - and then the day after, whichever isn't cast on tomorrow is going to be started then.

I'm sorry, but there is no photographic evidence yet. I am far too busy with the needles to think about finding the camera. Maybe tomorrow.

Damn I love casting on!

Mystery blanket progress

Well I promised you a Mystery Blanket update didn't I - and here it is. Yes it's bright and cheerful and colourful - should be right up my street, but it's just not. The love is not there. It's far too pretty and girly. I changed one square that was supposed to be a mermaid into a jelly fish... hmm. Not sure if that was such a good idea. I think it looks like a policeman's helmet with dreadlocks and my mum thought it was a sea monster. (Its the one on the left row in the middle)

But look here, another finished thing! Hoot Water Bottle Cover. Easy peasy to knit. Nice and quick. I think that everyone will be getting one of these for Christmas this year... and of course if I do decide that now, then I can have Christmas all sorted by the end of February. Perfect!

Just need to persuade my 16 yr old son that a knitted hot water bottle cover is the best thing ever and he really would like one of those!

Oops.

Is it me, or have I been nearly 3 months without blogging? I have kept meaning to blog, but have kept doing other stuff instead (blame Ravelry and Harvey!). Anyway, now that I'm here, may I wish you all a very Happy New Year and I hope you all had a good Christmas.

I have decided that 2011 is going to be a finish-it-off year for me on the knitting front. I have got so many half done projects, most of which I love, that I really want to get done. There's Carica and Soho, Tempest and of course the infernal Mystery blanket. I have socks without partners, socks without feet and oh so much sock yarn without even so much as a cast-on rib! (I love all of my sock yarn and am quite keen on having a few more pairs of socks by the end of the year). I want to make more Christmas presents, more birthday presents and more presents in general.

So I shall start the year as I mean to go on. I will use the blog as a show and tell to let you know how I'm progressing - even if you aren't interested, at least I can keep track of where I am.

First up is a single mit. It does now have a partner, but I just never got round to taking its picture - Moogsmums' Ferne Mits in an unknown mystery yarn found lurking in the bottom of the Stash Bag (er, one of the Stash Bags...)

Next is a sock that I started a while ago, loved and then ignored. Without Borders, you will be finished one day soonish...

The Cranford mits were a lovely knit and more will appear throughout this year - I geve these to mum and she loves them.

Pimpelliese looks a very easy pattern and indeed it is. So why on earth do I have to look at the pattern every single row? Eldest son bought me this yarn - Posh Yarn's new sparkly yarn, Pamela.

The York Sock got completed at long last - huge and enormous as they are, I think they'll be used more in wellies than shoes.

And here is my most favourite sock ever. Gaudete was a mystery Advent sock, part of the pattern being published every weekend throughout Advent. I've never done a heel like that, shaped a sole like that, cast on like that or done a pattern like that. To top it all, the Posh Martha has turned out stripy and I just love it!


I have now turned my attentions to the Mystery Blanket. I'm not enjoying this, but feel so much time and effort has gone into it so far, not to mention expense, that I need to get on and do it. I'm forcing myself! Come back soon for photographic evidence of progress. If not of that, then something else. More pictures, less chat this year. Oh the resolutions are so well-meant at this time of year!

Thanks for coming back to see me, I've missed you all.

x