FO At Last

It may not be as old as the "oldest original permanent floating crap game in New York," but this sweater has been on and off the needles for over two years.  I love the yarn, love the color, love the pattern, so why the delay?

Caissa by Anne Hanson of knitspot

Why, distractibility, of course. Falling for the lure of the quick, the small, the new.

This, of course, is the downside of the internet:  access to a steady stream of new patterns, new designers, new yarns.  Novelty has snatched the time that in the olden days of a few years ago I spent leafing through magazines, thinking, planning, going to the yarn store, paging through books of patterns, choosing, sitting with one, maybe two, projects, and finishing them.

Now I feel like Gargantua, stuffed to the gills with yarn, patterns, tools, books, and finished projects that, unlike this sweater, are sometimes just not all that satisfying.  Time for a reboot.  Or a yard sale.

As for distractibility, I am afraid that after completing the seaming of the sweater I noticed that I had sewn the sleeve to the armhole inside out and had to  pull out the seams on the sleeve, part of the body, and the entire armhole and resew.

The Goad of Boredom FO

Never underestimate the power of boredom as a motivator. I wanted this to be finished before October and it was, but what got me through the last few reps was my sheer boredom. Lovely pattern(Longshadows by Anne Hanson of knitspot) lovely yarn,(Nona from Spirit Trail Fiberworks) but I just wanted to never see it again in my knitting bag, on my lap being worked on, or in my WIP list.

So long, Longshadows! See you around my shoulders.

Now go see some more finished projects at Tami's.

Doctor WIP

Enough! My notes tell me I cast on for the Longshadows stole in October, 2012. 

Yes, you have seen this before, but it still looks pretty much the same, only the hosta leaves in the background have progressed into their fall tones.

By October 1, 2013 it will be finished: stitched, washed, blocked, and photographed.

Bold words, but here's the man who's going to help me:

18+ hours of audio

I think I have a good enough handle on the stitch pattern that a few scary passages won't derail me, and if I stay up late to listen, so much the better.

To see how others are faring with their Works In Progress visit Tami's Amis.

Back WIP

Completed the back of the Caissa sweater and cast on for both the right and left fronts. The pattern is very straightforward, and the decreases aren't very complex, so working them both at the same time shouldn't cause problems.

Those may fall into the "famous last words" category. I can see myself cranking across both pieces with the same strand of yarn despite all my color coded stitch markers.

The weather has continued warm and humid, downright clammy, with only sporadic patches of sunlight, so I haven't made as much progress as I might, either with knitting or photography. We caved and put on the AC last night to cool down and dry out the house, so the house is tolerable today.

Worked on another item this week, but finished it, so that will be revealed on Friday.

In the meantime, visit Tami's Amis to see what other progress has occurred this week.

Cruise WIP

Feel like I'm cruising on the Good Ship Lollipop--easy stitch pattern--good progress--to the armhole and beyond! Hope to finish the back in the next day or two.

Blocking will smooth it out.

Caissa sweater designed by Anne Hanson of knitspot. Interesting interview with her on Patternfish in which she discusses how she has grown her design business.

Hope everyone else is making good progress as the season winds down. Take a look: Tami's Amis.

WIP for Real

Another few days of a houseful of visiting family meant not much knitting time, so I'm happy with what progress I did manage this week. Not so happy with the overcast weather today which wasn't the greatest for taking pix.

Quadrupled the amount previously knit on the back of the Caissa cardigan. Holda, the yarn I am using, a blend of wool, angora and cashmere, is like velvet to the touch, yet very light in weight. 

Cast on for another cowl, Sivia Harding's Wild Iris, and got through the first 16-round repeat. Through the magic of Moebius knitting it is really 32 rounds. That's the kind of arithmetic I like.

To see a lot more progress, visit Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday.