The unfortunate thing about succumbing to the desperate urge to cast on for a large number of projects at once, no matter how good the intentions, is that, ultimately, it seems like no progress is being made on anything. Right now, I have a baby blanket (Bounce), a pair of knee socks (Sockmatician's Toe-Ups), a pair of cable-y socks (Paragon Socks) that have only the cuff done so there's no point in sharing a pic of that, a cardigan (Hitofude), a cape and a vest for the book, and a lace scarf on the needles. If I'm going to be totally honest, there's also the Pi Shawl that I cast on about 16 months ago that languishes in the car and the Two Hearts sweater that has been languishing for slightly longer. The only projects that I have finished in the last 4 months or so are two consecutive pair of All About That Curve, both of which I cast on and knit feverishly because I got bored with the million other WIPs, and a much-modified version of the Amiga cardigan for the Shinybees Rav group. To say that I have created a situation of overwhelming stagnation is an understatement. Really, I've backed myself into a stressful corner, as nearly all of the projects on the needles have looming deadlines.
So here's how it's going. Bounce is suddenly at the forefront, as I was misinformed and the baby it is intended for will be arriving at least a month sooner than I thought. I am committed to working one full 12-row repeat a day. I only have 18 more gradient repeats to go.
The Toe-Ups are probably not going to get finished before the KAL that they are a part of ends. So, let me just give my final impression of this new pattern here because my insane choice to knit wool knee socks when the temperatures are in the upper 90s-low 100s every day in no way reflects the pattern. I do want to show off the amazingly invisible increases that I am working on the legs.
Overall, I think that if you are a toe-up sock knitter, this is a great pattern. I'm neither a toe-up fan nor am I a single-sock knitter. This pattern is clearly written for both. I just don't like the fit of a toe-up sock through the heel and ankle, and the thrill of finishing is somewhat diminished for me when working a sock in reverse. Finishing the leg is more like "Sigh. Finally. Well that was anticlimactic." Finishing the toe is a downright thrill. The super cool thing about this pattern is that, if you own an iPad, the math is automatically calculated for you. I don't know many knitters who love doing the math on their own, so this is definitely a plus.
The only difficulty I had was with the gusset instructions, which weren't particularly clear to me, and I had to rip back and re-do. I did post some more detailed instructions on my Rav project page for anyone who knits this pattern two-at-a-time. Otherwise, it's a good pattern.
Hitofude is like the blanket in the regard that I am trying to knit one repeat per day. So far, I'm up to 8 repeats and only have 6 to go. I am enjoying this pattern now that I have it memorized and it is working up quickly, which is a plus because the blanket is not. This fingering weight Silk Sheep flies through my hands, whereas the DK wool in the blanket, though incredibly soft and squishy, does not, and it also makes my arthritic hands and wrists hurt to work a heavy fabric on large needles. I think I have also re-activated my golfer's elbow thanks to this blanket project.
And I can't show you anything else because it's top secret book knitting. We've been exploring our publishing options recently, so I've had less time for knitting on these items than usual. Also, my life this week has been in a total chaotic shambles, for most of which I blame the appocolyptically hot and dry weather and Chester, the stupid donkey who won't stay in his pasture despite barbed wire and electric fence.
Alright, well, I have livestock to feed and chores to do before I can get back to feeling like a human knitting machine. Have a great weekend!
So here's how it's going. Bounce is suddenly at the forefront, as I was misinformed and the baby it is intended for will be arriving at least a month sooner than I thought. I am committed to working one full 12-row repeat a day. I only have 18 more gradient repeats to go.
The Toe-Ups are probably not going to get finished before the KAL that they are a part of ends. So, let me just give my final impression of this new pattern here because my insane choice to knit wool knee socks when the temperatures are in the upper 90s-low 100s every day in no way reflects the pattern. I do want to show off the amazingly invisible increases that I am working on the legs.
Overall, I think that if you are a toe-up sock knitter, this is a great pattern. I'm neither a toe-up fan nor am I a single-sock knitter. This pattern is clearly written for both. I just don't like the fit of a toe-up sock through the heel and ankle, and the thrill of finishing is somewhat diminished for me when working a sock in reverse. Finishing the leg is more like "Sigh. Finally. Well that was anticlimactic." Finishing the toe is a downright thrill. The super cool thing about this pattern is that, if you own an iPad, the math is automatically calculated for you. I don't know many knitters who love doing the math on their own, so this is definitely a plus.
The only difficulty I had was with the gusset instructions, which weren't particularly clear to me, and I had to rip back and re-do. I did post some more detailed instructions on my Rav project page for anyone who knits this pattern two-at-a-time. Otherwise, it's a good pattern.
Hitofude is like the blanket in the regard that I am trying to knit one repeat per day. So far, I'm up to 8 repeats and only have 6 to go. I am enjoying this pattern now that I have it memorized and it is working up quickly, which is a plus because the blanket is not. This fingering weight Silk Sheep flies through my hands, whereas the DK wool in the blanket, though incredibly soft and squishy, does not, and it also makes my arthritic hands and wrists hurt to work a heavy fabric on large needles. I think I have also re-activated my golfer's elbow thanks to this blanket project.
And I can't show you anything else because it's top secret book knitting. We've been exploring our publishing options recently, so I've had less time for knitting on these items than usual. Also, my life this week has been in a total chaotic shambles, for most of which I blame the appocolyptically hot and dry weather and Chester, the stupid donkey who won't stay in his pasture despite barbed wire and electric fence.
Alright, well, I have livestock to feed and chores to do before I can get back to feeling like a human knitting machine. Have a great weekend!
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