Almost Crafty

I’ve started a project! Two projects in fact.

The first is the February Lady Sweater. I’ve seen many so many of these on Ravelry with comments like “it worked up so quickly!” and “it just flew off the needles!”

I’m not even halfway through, and already I feel like this sweater is plodding along soooo slowly. Oh well. That’s what happens when you’re used to working on quickies like socks and hats.

Here’s where I’m at so far, maybe a lace repeat or two further at this point:

The sleeves are separated, and it’s nothing but a simple 4-row lace repeat from here to the end. I know I’m going to love this sweater when it’s done, but I need to set it aside for now to make it new and exciting enough to work on again.

In the meantime, I’ve started on a pair of socks that I’m LOVING. Kirsten from Through the Loops has started a “mystery” sock knit-along, and it’s SO much fun. She’s divvying out sections of her sock pattern over the course of a month, so each week is the next section of the pattern. Most people are able to complete each section during the week. I was cruising along nicely until this weekend, when my knitting mojo went out the window. I’m blaming the weather - it was unseasonably warm, and it’s hard to find the desire to knit when the temps are in the upper 80s in October.

That could just be me, though. But it looks like the weather is going to turn around to more autumnal temps later this week. Bring on the wool!

I’m a bandwagon jumper. I admit it. If a bandwagon rolls on by, I’ll be hopping on the back, trying to find a seat.

Which means, of course, that the February Lady Sweater bandwagon has got one more passenger. Can you blame me? Look at some of the gorgeous sweaters people have made form this pattern:

1. Olympic Lady Sweater, 2. One Classy Lady!, 3. February Lady Sweater, 4. February Lady Sweater, 5. February Lady Sweater Ravelympics 2008, 6. february lady sweater

It’s a pattern that appears to look good on various body types, and it’s “interesting” enough to make the actual knitting more enjoyable (at least for me).

“But Susan!” you’re thinking. “I thought you swore off sweaters after the whole Forecast debacle. You said that garter stitch sweaters would make you look bigger! Why on earth would you want to cast on for a garter stitch sweater, after you claimed that you’re more of a sock/hat/scarf/accessory knitter?”

I have no idea. I can only say that I’m fickle. I’ve been knitting nothing but socks and hats and scarves and accessories for over a year now, and it’s time to change it up. I want to knit a sweater.

I cast on this weekend, and have knit the yoke past the second buttonhole. I’m in that phase of endless, ever-increasing rows of garter stitch are starting to wear on me, but since the entire sweater isn’t garter stitch, it makes it much easier to persevere and keep going.

On an entirely different note - it feels so good to be knitting again! It’s funny, but when I sat on the couch this Sunday and pulled out my needles, it finally, finally, finally felt like our new apartment was “home.”

You’d think, since I ended up having all of last week off, and won’t be working until after the move in a couple of weeks, that I’d be getting a lot of knitting and crafting done between all of the packing and organizing and preparations for the move.

Sadly, there hasn’t been that much knitting. Last week I was so on edge with worry about booking movers that I couldn’t even focus to knit. Finally, about mid-week, I had to do something to distract me from the stress, and started a super-bulky, garter stitch scarf on size #17 needles. It was just what the doctor ordered. I hadn’t used such huge needles for awhile, so while I didn’t have to think about the stitches, I had to pay attention to actually manipulating the needles.

Right here is where I would normally put a picture of the scarf, but I’m just not that together.

Instead, I put together this collage of all of the WIPS I have that I would LOVE to finish before the move (although we all know that probably won’t happen):

From the top: a shawl I finished knitting OVER A YEAR AGO that just needs blocked, an orange hat that’s done that needs photographed, a Caliormetry that needs nothing but a single button, a Tulip cardigan that just needs a final photograph, a shrug that Ruby is sitting in for, since I have finished the knitting but didn’t even get a picture of the yarn, a Baby Surprise Jacket that just needs two simple seams and five buttons, the smaller Babette blanket that just needs some seaming and maybe some edging, and (DEEP BREATH) that’s it.  Phew! (The final spot is a avatar I made at www.faceyourmanga.com that I though was cute - plus, I needed another photo to even out the collage. Although I could have put the super-bulky scarf there. Oh well.).

Yeah, none of that is getting done, not even the photos.

But that’s OK - because in a couple of weeks, I’ll be in Louisville, all unpacked and moved in and settled and back in my routine, and I’ll be able to sit down and knit and crochet and sew my little fingers off.

I can’t wait.