Odd Bits

This year has gotten off to an odd start, don't you think?  Our economy is in a tizzy, the weather is nothing if not odd--at least in Georgia it has been--and my knitting has been nothing if not an odd collection of mismatched, random projects. Sales in the shop are way down over last year, even though January is usually one of the better months and I've introduced an exquisite new yarn: Silk Sheep. Also, my blogging has fallen to the wayside for no particular reason. I don't mind saying that I'm feeling completely out of sorts.  Truth be told, I feel like I am waiting for something to happen, something large and unsettling.

In an attempt to get back on track, here are the odd bits of knitting that I can call finished projects so far in 2016.

Gansey Hat

This hat was knit up in colors according to a mood board for a pattern submission that was a bust.  I'm not a fan of red, but the blue is pretty and this hat has certainly come in handy working on the barn and feeding animals through the past two weeks of unpleasant weather. I'm planning to knit it again in something much less dramatic and release the pattern in February.

Custom Order: 6-9 mos.

While we are on the subject of hats, I did this custom order for someone's great, great grandchild. I used 100% hand dyed baby alpaca that I had in the stash from when I used to sell this in my shop.  I'm afraid I have no pattern for you.  Mostly I just made it up as I went along to imitate the best that I could a picture of a crocheted hat, and I was in such a rush with this order that I just trucked through it without leaving behind any notes.

These are the first socks of the year. They are the ugliest socks that I have ever knit. They don't even photograph well.  When I bought the skein, I was wrongly deceived.  All of the very ugly fluorescent yellow was hidden inside the skein and I had no idea that there would be so damn much of it.  Yellow makes me crabby, and my stash is completely devoid of all things yellow.  It was a horror to knit through this pair because of that color, and they are so far from what I had imagined that they may not see much more than the sock drawer.  I know, some people love yellow and have commented on Instagram about how great these socks are so they are probably not as bad as I perceive them to be. The thing about these socks is that they seem to be completely indicative of how this year has begun: not what I wanted and with much less dazzle than expected.

Then there's the sweater.  I began this Two Hearts sweater in January of 2015.  I worked 4 inches and it sat on my desk, taunting me for an entire year.  I picked it back up and have made it almost to the finish line for the ... back panel.  Almost.  I was going to have this piece finished by last Friday, but life has gotten in the way like a defensive linebacker on the one yard line. I'll offer you this link, but as beautiful as this sweater is, there's not much on Ravelry for it. It comes from the book A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd.

I can also offer these socks for January, though they are likely not going to be finished until February, which I have managed to knit so automatically that they are completely without a cuff.  They're just a MadelineTosh navy kettle dye with a lost label that I've knit straight-through in a 2 x 1 rib.  

I sure do feel like I just can't get my head in the game.  I hope February is more than a bit less odd.