I finally stopped baking enough to show you some long finished wip's. some of these have been done for a while, but I just never bothered or didn't have time to take a picture. since I don't really remember when I started or finished these, no dates will be given as usual (I will not prove that I'm a slacker).

60 st picot cuff socks
my own hand dyed (purples, pinks, greys = punk) merino/nylon
2.5mm needles for magic loop

I started these back in october and then quickly ignored them once I got to the second sock. I think I either started the second ones with the wrong needles or my sock mojo was just gone. the pile of unfinished stuff got to me though and once I finally met one of the last deadlines I "treated" myself by jumping in.

not much to say about these other than I'm pretty happy with how the colors knitted up and how the heel and toes fit (short row heel and round toe a la lucy neatby).

doubleknitski
nashua creative focus worsted (less than one skein of green)
diakteito diaepoca (a little over one skein of orange)
4.5mm needles

I think I blogged this one in december (I had to look it up even) and then it was never to be mentioned again. this was some slooooow knitting. partially because of the double knitting (duh) but mostly because of the nashua yarn. I can safely say I will NEVER use this yarn again. it felt scratchy and hairy and the singly ply didn't help matters. I just never wanted to touch it. (the diakeito, in contrast was heavenly, a nice 4 ply that was soft enough with an orange hue that really struck me.) for my love, I kept working on it. a little bit here, a little bit there. till finally I bound off the very top. and then. and then! he won't wear it!!! he claims it's too tight and that it doesn't cover his ears enough. nevermind that I see no ears when he puts it on. this is the last hat I knit for him in a loooong time. I'll be giving this one to one of our friends that moved to chicago.

simple knitted bodice by stef
kona bay pima cotton in 62 and 02 (otherwise known as grey and black)
4.5mm needles

mods: contrasting colors. knit sleeves in the round with magic loop method. is knitting to my size a mod?

I know, you probably don't remember me working on this one. sure it was started a long time ago, but in a way that's great because I actually have a season appropriate sweater that I love. it's so sunny and warmish outside, that a cotton sweater is quite apropos.

this is a fun and simple knit that results in something both elegant and comfy....dress it up or dress it down with the yarns you choose or the way you wear it. I chose to dress it down with some jeans and some tanks, but it could go either way with the pima cotton and colors. this soft yarn knits up evenly and, I think, this is the perfect gauge for it. I haven't blocked this sweater yet, but I knit it a little shorter knowing that I can stretch it out a bit when wet and gravity will take care of the rest as I wear it.

then why so long? umm I was being a brat? I didn't want to pick up stitches? I didn't want to seam the armholes? I was knitting other things? life in general? take your pick.

I think that no matter how simple the project and how much we lust for it, projects have their own timeline or 'due date'. they know better than we do when we're ready for them. so I think I'm going to stop feeling guilty when my basket is full of unfinished things. it's ok. really! I'll be more mindful about finishing up those little things that somehow are the bane of my existence...seaming or picking up stitches, but if something just isn't feeling right I'm not going to worry about it. it's just yarn, it isn't going to go bad.

Posted by bitter purl at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

I swear I had planned to post last week, I had even started writing!, but when a friend is heartbroken I rather hang out with them than to sit in front of a computer (though there's always a ton of that). wouldn't you?

so where were we? something with socks would be fitting...

joelene claims to have told me her short row trick a long time ago, but we have yet to find any concrete proof of this so I'm going to stick with my claim 'no you didn't!" claim. the top pics show the way I was doing my short rows before, with some teasing out of wraps and maybe some k3tog's (tbl) and p3tog's thrown in. umm, yeah, I still wasn't getting them to match and I can still see some holes in it. the bottom pics show jo's way which is so. much. better! on my hands and my soul. ahhh, no holes!

woolarina sock yarn

I'll have to redo the heel on this poor sock, but I'm having fun knitting another dragon set. I need hurry though since this one isn't for me.

fun with dye

another quickie sock, this time with a picot cuff. I'm already at the toes, been there for weeks actually, but I can't decide what kind of toe to do. this seems to happen to me every time, I suck at making easy decisions. I'll just have to look at one of my books and see what works with the stitch count.

omg it's not a sock!

calm down, I know! it's crazy that I'm actually knitting something that isn't a sock (and taking a picture of myself that doesn't include my feet!), but I started this poor sweater (simple knitted bodice) labor day weekend while the bf drove us to his parents' house. I often get these grand plans that I'll sit and knit on a long weekend and end up with a sweater. I never factor in other people and their plans for my time. needless to say I didn't pick up my needles that whole weekend. I finally started working on it two weeks ago when a certain somebody started, um, "reminding" me about it....every day : )

this was my progress at the beginning of last week, I've managed to finish both sleeves since then. all I have to do is pick up the neck stitches and I should have a finished sweater that's perfect for this lovely mild weather we're having (these sunny fall days are my favorite). I chose to knit it with a cotton (kona bay pima cotton) for a more casual look and feel. this is my first time knitting a cotton sweater and people started freaking me out , warning me on how heavy it would be. nope, not with this yarn. it's actually pretty light, though I imagine it will stretch out a little like any cotton would. I'll see how it goes once I'm actually done and wearing it around town. knitting it has been great, just the speed I needed right now, the fit is right on, and the cotton has a cool, silky hand to it.

< the back, because there's always somebody that asks about the back

I wish I had posted sooner, there were all these things I wanted to link to and show ya, but right now I don't remember any of it. once it comes to me again I'll post -I'm not going to say when though since certain smart asses start messaging me about it!

vintage floral - mottled

before I go, a little extra yarn porn for socktoberfest. my order from piece of beauty arrived the day after I posted about it. I've been good about not casting on right away - I don't know how much longer I can hold out for. the yarn is really soft, with a beautiful ply. and the colors, well the image speaks for itself I think.

Posted by bitter purl at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)