I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the queue. It's been a while since I've finished anything, though I'm getting close. My queue is perpetually growing, and I know it's nothing compared to what some knitters have got going on, but I haven't been knitting for thirty years either.
- Falling in Love socks: one down, one to go. I decided to do a twisted rib cuff, which looked great until I combined it with a tubular bind-off. I wanted the stretch of that bind-off, but the tightness of the twisted stitches made it a painful process. I'm not looking forward to a repeat. I started the second sock today on my commute and hope to crank it out during this week's business trip. I'm using Plymouth Happy Feet, which I find pleasant to knit but am not loving the variegation. I should have gone with a colorway that was more uniform, as the purple pools too much for my taste, making it look like girl-camo. Did I mention that these are my first socks?
- Diminishing Rib Cardigan: just about finished with the body, and then on to the sleeves. The best part about this sweater is the minimal amount of finishing. I really should only have ends to weave in from yarn joins and a little blocking to do. I've knit it up in the a dark brown Cascade Ecological Wool and it's very dense, just the way I like it. I have high hopes for the fit, too, but we'll see. I also hope that blocking will even it out a bit, as I think the variations in ribbing are a little sloppy. I imagine it will look great on, but one shouldn't look too closely.
- Cabled Blanket Coat: in my initial post, I remarked on the major undertaking this sweater is, with 19 balls of yarn in the closet. Well, it really is a beast. I've gotten a third of the way through the main body, which is essentially a giant cabled blanket with cast-off holes in the middle for arms. I think it's reasonable to assume that this sweater will not be done before it's cold enough again to wear. Also, it's the project I pull out when I don't have something else in hand (or that can be worked in front of the television).
There are a bunch of other projects in the queue for which yarn is already in the stash. For the others, I am attempting to exercise self-control.
- Chunky Merino Throw: I finally received the massive backorder of Twinkle Soft Chunky, so I can get crackin' on this blanket. My initial intention is to knit this for my mother, but we'll see how that goes. I've never knit anything on giant needles (size 17!), so this should be interesting, to say the least. I will continue to be inspired by Jared Flood's photos of this project.
- Blooming Cotton Scarf: Here's another project requiring a ton of yarn, but it's just so pretty! I'm planning on working this one up in greens. Though not generally a fan of cotton, there aren't many yarns out there with so many shades available, so Tahki Cotton Classic it is. With the WEBS discount, it shouldn't be too bad.
- A bunch of man gear: meaning, I've got a slew of projects in my mind to outfit my man in wooly warmth. A green Koolhaas hat, using the same Queensland Kathmandu Aran that I used for mine. A cotton scarf using some sort of slipped stitch pattern. He's slightly afraid of color, except some greens, so I'm thinking of a dark green and charcoal palette. I think I can get his scarf out of the leftovers from my queued Blooming Cotton Scarf. Then there will be some new mittens. I'm thinking some really rugged big mittens under which he can wear slim work gloves, and then something for every day wear. I initially made handwarmers because I didn't think he'd wear mittens. I guess I don't know everything. The best thing about this bit of the queue is that I have lots of time until fall rolls around again.
I'm already tired of listing it out and this is the tip of the iceberg. There are hats and sweaters and socks in my future, but I'm not sure which will be next. I never feel that I have enough time to knit, and forget about the half-written patterns. Designing takes even more time!
