New beginnings.....

Well now that the immediate round of marathon knitting is finished I'm reorganizing a bit. The list of things on the needles is warring with the list of things I'm wanting quite badly to make so I'm trying to reset things a bit for priorities and also efficiency. It's much easier for me to work on some things "anywhere" and other things only where I can focus a bit hmore. One of my excuses....ah, I mean reasons.....for having multiple projects going at once. Quite valid really but even so, it helps to reset a tad here and there.

So what's still on the needles? Peacock is still moving along a bit. Unfortunately she is one of those that takes paying a bit more attention to counting on right side rows and thus does not get as much attention as others! Still, she will be quite gorgeous when finished. Peacock is another that the number of stitches grows as the project does. I've done 3/5 of the NUMBER of rows but......not 3/5 of the total actual stitches. The yarn is still super yummy. Wonderful to work with and will be just gorgeous. Note that she needed a bath and I finally was able to capture some of the shimmer effect of the yarn. I still love it. We shall see if Sally does.

Isis #1 is about 50%+ complete. I have decided 5 repeats for that one will be enough. It's a fun knit still and one that's good for taking most places. It could go even more places if it weren't white - such a dirt magnet! To give you some idea......right now it's more than 600 stitches per row. By the end of repeat five, it will be close to 750.....with the border ending a bit short of 900!


I'm still working a bit on the second one but am a little more focused on the first iteration at the moment. They'll both get done. But only #1 has to be finished before October.....in case Sally likes that better than Peacock!

My Faroese Shawl and Branching Out scarf are both also still works in progress and are moving along a bit. I'm toying with setting aside other works temporarily to wrap both of these up since they really are getting close to done. We'll see.

I have been swatching like mad for the other projects I want to begin. Some have been on my mind for a long time......some are much newer. Even so, I'm keeping options open for a few add-in's ;-). Some of these knit alongs are nice and easy that way - you can only finish your clue and wait......so if you're like me, that means more than one thing at a time, for sure! It's also part of the organizing. One project I will probably cast on for in the next couple of days is a pair of socks. There's a birthday coming up (July)......... As for others.....well, I might fit in another couple of quickie projects like this:

Isn't she cute? This is the Little Flower Doily from Bad Cat Designs. Doesn't Andrea come up with the best designs? Project specs:

Project Name: Little Flower Doily
Yarn used: 2/28 Silk - Sky Blue
Yarn source: Colourmart
Needles: 2.25mm (US 1)

Another one!?!?......how about two?

Well.......last weekend I was either very bad or having a really good time, depending on how you want to look at things. It continues, too. Saturday I cast on for yet ANOTHER project. But oh what a fun project...... The Veil of Isis from Bad Cat Designs has been on my upcoming project list for a few months now. I'd studied the charts......and actually at first had a little trouble wrapping my head around quite how they fit together. I had, in fact, finally concluded it was one that would come together when I had it on the needles. I think it would have......but as it happened, it clicked for me a little sooner. I had even joined the yahoo group created by the designer. I had put it off long enough in spite of the urge to try it quite some time ago. So I cast on. I must say, I normally am, at worst, mildly annoyed at the fiddly process of a circular beginning. I love knitting in the round outwards, it's just the starts can be awkward. Normally. This one was downright painful for some reason.....but only the beginning. Once I had it going, oh what a joy to knit! I am actually approaching the end of my third repeat out of 5-6 (roughly). It just flows and is very addictive to knit. I'd have thought the beads would slow me down more since I haven't used them before. They did at first but I think I'm getting the hang of them ;-).

I'm using clear, silver-lined beads and another Colourmart yarn - big shock, right? hehehe. This one is a white 2/28, 50/50 Cashmere/Cotton. It runs about 7000 yards per pound. White, in spite of the colorful, gorgeous yarns that arrived on my doorstep that same Saturday in luscious bright, pretty spring/summer colors. But white it was to be for another option for the October wedding. Well.....here's what it's looking like so far......a bit hard to see the full picture at this stage. Actually this is what it looked like 4 days ago - it's grown a nice bit since then.




But.....I kept thinking about the pictures on the designer's web site.....and looking at them and the design....and there were those colors....... Now, I could have asked Andrea my very simple question. She seems very nice indeed and I'm sure she would be happy to answer. That's even one of the reasons for the Yahoo group....to ask and answer. But......if I had done that than what excuse would I have had to cast on a SECOND Veil of Isis in a lovely mint green color of the most exquisitely soft cashmere/silk blend you could ever hope to knit with? One that, even still in spinning oil as it is, coming straight off the cone, frankly makes other yarns - even soft ones - feel rough? Well, that would just never do ;-). This one didn't even give me a hint of trouble with the circular beginning!

Isis 2 - I don't think I can call it "revisited" since I'm still working on the first one! This one has clear, rainbow coated (AB) beads:


I'm enjoying the yarn and the great pattern. I'm working on this one a good bit less......but I'm happy to have started it ;-).

A note about the yarn for #2.....it's a 3/45 - 65/35 cashmere/silk blend (about 7500 yards per pound). I love it but frankly, I'd have done a little better in terms of patience and time to have reversed these. The cash/cotton is a much firmer yarn. The cash/silk is a bit prone to splitting and not one I would knit without watching. It's so soft & fine you can hardly feel it on the needles!

Excuse me.....I need to go pet my knitting, oh, I mean knit now ;-)........