Sunday, January 11, 2009

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  • Indecision

    The more alternatives, the more difficult the choice.
    - Abbe D'Allaniva

    I had big plans to make 2009 a year of knitting by whim - whatever, whenever, just meandering my way through the stash. You know, rather than imposing rules on myself. Knitting is a hobby, after all. But it's not going as well as I would have hoped. I did finish one of the Artichoke Socks, and I'm happy to report that it went quite well. But when does Koigu go wrong? And then I spent almost all of a day off trying to decide what to knit next. I pulled out all sorts of yarn, and made the sort of crafty mess that one can when one's husband is away. I contemplated this Lopi. Two shades of pink, bought for a steal a number of years ago. Felted clogs? Or should I buy 12 more skeins of yarn to make Veronik Avery's Ski Jacket? If I were just trying to reduce the stash, and if I paid close attention to the state of my three-year-old felted clogs, the choice would be clear. But my lack of direction is enormously distressing to me. I need . . . something.

    NaKniSweMoDo? It's seriously calling my name, although I might consider that my Dale baby sweater (2 yr old size) has more stitches than many adult sweaters and might count. I'm still pondering . . .

    In the meantime, to help me ponder, I dug deep in the stash and pulled out a random worsted weight wool that I bought on Ebay back when I was in college and didn't know any better. It's a nice lavender color, and I think there's about one pound? But I really can't remember much. So, perhaps 1000 yards? If it is that, it should be enough for the Cable-Down Raglan. Just in case, I cast on. Although I'm not usually a fan of the top-down one-piece raglan, in this case it's working. My gauge is a little looser than the pattern, but knitting a size down it fits well at the sleeve division. And now I'm going to go knit as fast as I can to see if I run out of yarn. I'm not the only one who does this, am I?

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    10 Comments:

    Blogger Jessica said...

    I always race to the end too when the yarn's running short. I have to say that the number of times I thought I was going to run out is far smaller than the number of times I actually ran out of yarn (3 times maybe?).

    1/11/2009 10:21 PM  
    Blogger Pam said...

    I also knit faster when the yarn is running out - and I'm sure it helps. You led me on a merry chase with your reference to Veronique Avery's ski jacket -- I'd hadn't seen it before, but NOW I have. In my queue now . . .

    1/11/2009 10:26 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I was in the same position you are. I looked at the sweater a month group, but wanted to include baby sweaters in my total.

    Someone there clued me in to another group which is much looser. They are 'sweater a month', but set this as a direction, not a rule. That might be a group you'd enjoy.

    1/12/2009 4:19 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I love the idea of the sort of crafty mess you can make when your husbands away. It sounds big, really big! Good luck with not running out of yarn.

    1/12/2009 5:31 AM  
    Blogger Claire said...

    Hey, what's life without a little excitement? I'll chant voodoo words and keep my fingers crossed for you!

    1/12/2009 8:36 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The faster you go, the longer the yarn gets. Or maybe inevitability just can't keep up. I've been eyeing the Cable-Down.

    1/12/2009 8:58 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    oooh. I LIKE that sweater..
    I wonder if that huge hank in the stash......
    If I keep this up, I'll be knitting faster along with you. (though my other response is to knit reallly sloowwwlllyy in the hopes that it won't notice I'm using it).

    1/13/2009 5:38 AM  
    Blogger JayJay said...

    Crafty messes are the best (but I agree should be kept from view of the husband). Artichoke looks lovely and that sweater looks like it's coming out beautifully. Despite its mystery lineage, it is a lovely color and looks really soft.

    1/13/2009 8:45 AM  
    Blogger Angelika said...

    I have some lopi left from my sweater, but not enough in one color to make the slippers. I guess I could double up two neighboring colors? I can't find the pattern at the moment anyway, but as cold as our floors are here, I should really try to find it again.

    1/14/2009 6:17 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I have enjoyed reading your blog. I love the socks. It is a great pattern. I went through my stash recently, though I had not thought of counting how many skeins I have.
    That is a great idea. I'll have to remember that the next time I go through my stash. Thank you to you and your husband for your service.

    Meg (mcleodrgrs on Ravelry)

    1/15/2009 4:21 PM  

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