Look at that, I finished those socks! I quite enjoyed knitting these, the pattern zips along quickly - just interesting enough to keep me engaged, but not so complicated as to require thinking.
There are definitely different kinds of knitters in the world, some seem to like the "easier the better" road, while others want each successive project to be more challenging than the last. I place myself firmly in the centre, choosing projects based entirely on my mood at the time, and more than willing to abandon said project if the mood takes me. I've done an awful lot of abandoning lately - projects that never make a blog appearance. For a few months now, I've been mourning the lose of my "knitting mojo", but I've come to realise that's not been the situation, that, in fact, I had lost my "mojo", as in for everything. I was dragging myself through the day feeling completely lost, but all is better now. Over the last two or three weeks I've done a complete scouring of the house (except for those continually appearing doggie foot prints coming in at the back door), I purged shelves, cabinets, dressers and filing cabinet and sent lots and lots off to charity and the shredders, and re-organised most every nook and cranny. The static that was running through my brain has ceased and a calmness has taken over.
Feels good.
I'm celebrating by setting aside all my other knitting projects and starting something new.
I started my first ever KAL - that's a knit-a-long, for those who don't know. A few people connected to Wolseley Wool started this one, and I jumped right in. We're working on the Rock Island Shawl by Jared Flood, a shawl pattern designed to be worked in either lace-weight or fingering-weight yarn. I'm working this in lace-weight Zephyr merino-silk blend in colourway Dianthus, an intense hot magenta. I've had this yarn for a few years now and thought it might be just the ticket for this pattern. I'm enjoying this very much, especially the part where I've set aside all the other projects first.
I'd like to take this opportunity to make an announcement... I'm not going to buy anymore new yarn for the next six months.
I know, I know.
I've done this before. What I really need to do is not buy anymore yarn until I've used everything I already have, which would make me at least 180 years old.
I've added an awful lot of yarn to the stash in the last few months, there's just always so many good sales this time of year...
want to see the last hank of yarn that made it into the house, just under the wire?
From the very wonderful Fyberspates in Oxfordshire...
their very wonderful Royal Wedding Yarn...
a stunning sapphire blue alpaca-merino-silk lace weight with silver thread running through...
I have no allocated project for this bit of loveliness, but one could come along at some point. Fyberspates has a shawl pattern for sale to go with the yarn, designed with hearts and horseshoes (traditional wedding symbols), but I thought it looked a tad unimpressive compared to the yarn, so I took a pass.
Don't start thinking I've gone completely royal wedding cuckoo, but I also snapped up a copy of this at Chapter's...
too funny...
comes complete with cardboard balcony to place all your finished figures on. I love the fact that Charles and Phillip look identical, except Phillip has more medals and tired eyes.
Have you seen this yet?
Love.
