I think I've mentally embraced startitis a bit much. I may even be losing the will to actually finish projects, as long as I get to cast on something new. Don't get my wrong, I want to finish things. I just don't want to actually work on them after I get about halfway through. It's no secret that I knit mostly socks and that I typically knit them two at a time to avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome (SSS). But now once I do the heel flaps and pick up the gussets, my fingers start itchin' for something new. As of this moment, I have three pairs of socks that have been knit to somewhere in the vicinity of the heel. (Plus one pair that's only a single sock done as a test knit, but I swear that I'm going to conquer SSS for those next month. But that's another story...) Two pairs are gathering dust but I actually turned the heel on the third pair.
Three pairs stuck about halfway through and what did I do for two hours last night? Browse Ravelry's 127 pages of free sock patterns and add numerous ones to my library and favorites. I definitely have a problem.
I have Half Sock Syndrome.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Embracing Startitus?
I was reading an email edition of "Knitting Daily" a few moments ago with a title of "Don't be a knitting monogamist!" This piqued my interest, especially since I've been dallying in some knitting polygamy recently.
For my first two years of sock knitting, I'd at most have two pairs of socks going at one time. But most of the time it was one pair. Cast on, knit the pair, bind off, weave in the ends, start a new pair. (This is how I know that it typically takes me about two weeks to knit a pair of socks.) Once in a while, I'd cast on a new pair before the first pair was finished. When I did, I always had trouble making eye contact with the temporarily abandoned pair. I almost felt guilty cheating on my half-done socks with a shiny new cast-on.
However, with the start of 2013, I found myself with FIVE pairs of socks OTN (on the needles)! Three of them were started in December along with an additional two for new January knit-a-longs. I found myself getting a bit twitchy. I was alternating between them. Bored with one? Grab a different pair! Tired of lace? Switch to cables! I had become a player. A bonified, sock-knitting play-ah. And there was the guilt.
Five project bags lined up next to each other. "Knit me!" one seemed to say. "No, knit me!" another would soundlessly cry. I was stretched thin... too many at once! How can I ever finish any of them with so many taking my attention??? (Now I know how the husband on "Sister Wives" must feel...)
Then a miraculous thing happened...
I started finishing them. Bam! One pair done! BAM! Another! BABAM! A third! After languishing in various states of almost-completion, I had a rush of finishing that was almost as good as a giant slice of New York style cheesecake smothered in strawberries. (Almost.) So when I saw the article in Knitting Daily, it was as if it was written just for me.
Here's an exerpt:
Huh. How about that? Just when I'm struggling with another three pairs of cast on socks (Haymitch test knit, Jacob (as in the Twilight Jacob), and Elm (by Cookie A)), a not-quite-half-finished Nightlock shawl, and Sock Madness coming up. (If you don't know what Sock Madness is, it's basically a speed sock knitting competition for crazy people. Check out their group on Ravelry.) But even with all of those things, I still find myself wanting to cast on more. Yarn is wound for Gollum socks. More yarn is wound for some fabulous gloves (pattern by Julia Mueller). Do I dare start them? Will I be empowered and feel those creative juices flowing? Or will I just stress myself out? I'm walking the fence here - it could go either way. This weekend may be the determining factor. With two feet of snow supposedly on the way, I should hopefully be stuck in the house and get a lot of knitting done. Will I be bored with my current projects and give in to my slutty desire to start a new knitted love or two? Or will I remain committed to the socks with which I've already built a relationship? Only time will tell...
For my first two years of sock knitting, I'd at most have two pairs of socks going at one time. But most of the time it was one pair. Cast on, knit the pair, bind off, weave in the ends, start a new pair. (This is how I know that it typically takes me about two weeks to knit a pair of socks.) Once in a while, I'd cast on a new pair before the first pair was finished. When I did, I always had trouble making eye contact with the temporarily abandoned pair. I almost felt guilty cheating on my half-done socks with a shiny new cast-on.
However, with the start of 2013, I found myself with FIVE pairs of socks OTN (on the needles)! Three of them were started in December along with an additional two for new January knit-a-longs. I found myself getting a bit twitchy. I was alternating between them. Bored with one? Grab a different pair! Tired of lace? Switch to cables! I had become a player. A bonified, sock-knitting play-ah. And there was the guilt.
Five project bags lined up next to each other. "Knit me!" one seemed to say. "No, knit me!" another would soundlessly cry. I was stretched thin... too many at once! How can I ever finish any of them with so many taking my attention??? (Now I know how the husband on "Sister Wives" must feel...)
Then a miraculous thing happened...
I started finishing them. Bam! One pair done! BAM! Another! BABAM! A third! After languishing in various states of almost-completion, I had a rush of finishing that was almost as good as a giant slice of New York style cheesecake smothered in strawberries. (Almost.) So when I saw the article in Knitting Daily, it was as if it was written just for me.
Here's an exerpt:
I also love starting projects, and I let myself start new ones while old ones are still in progress. I find that new projects keeps my enthusiasm for knitting at top speed. To me, looking at yarn and patterns and starting new projects is the lifeblood of knitting—there's always something new to work on!
"Start as many new projects as you can!"
That's my new motto, and I'm sticking to it. I'm not talking about mindlessly and indiscriminately knitting any old thing with any old yarn you can get your hands on; instead, I'm talking about choosing new projects wisely and for very specific beneficial reasons. Yet recognizing that creativity is fluid, I want to keep a steady stream of new experiences flowing with as many different kinds of projects as I can manage.
Huh. How about that? Just when I'm struggling with another three pairs of cast on socks (Haymitch test knit, Jacob (as in the Twilight Jacob), and Elm (by Cookie A)), a not-quite-half-finished Nightlock shawl, and Sock Madness coming up. (If you don't know what Sock Madness is, it's basically a speed sock knitting competition for crazy people. Check out their group on Ravelry.) But even with all of those things, I still find myself wanting to cast on more. Yarn is wound for Gollum socks. More yarn is wound for some fabulous gloves (pattern by Julia Mueller). Do I dare start them? Will I be empowered and feel those creative juices flowing? Or will I just stress myself out? I'm walking the fence here - it could go either way. This weekend may be the determining factor. With two feet of snow supposedly on the way, I should hopefully be stuck in the house and get a lot of knitting done. Will I be bored with my current projects and give in to my slutty desire to start a new knitted love or two? Or will I remain committed to the socks with which I've already built a relationship? Only time will tell...
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Single Digits
The outside temperature is in the single digits, making it far too cold to go outside even taking into account that we are down to our last 1/4 gallon of milk. The Amazon Prime video-on-demand refuses to play the next episode of season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What to do...? What to do...?
Hey, maybe I'll blog!
I may not have been adding to my knitting blog recently, but I have been knitting. Yes, yes, mostly socks, but I did manage to stray away from wool footwear long enough to make a few Christmas presents. A Scalene scarf for Mom, Exeter hats for Dad and my brother, Michael, and Tweed Mittens for my friends Darlene & Crista. I did have a pair of socks for Chris in progress for the holidays but they didn't quite make it in time for his Christmas stocking. No worries - I finished them early in January. Too bad I told him about them when I didn't finish them in time or they could have been a Valentine's Day present. (And too bad my friend, Leigh, didn't suggest that a mere 12 hours earlier...)
Oh, before I forget - Happy New Year! I have some grand resolutions for 2013, some knitting related and some not. First the general stuff - I want to plan weekly dinner menus for my family (it makes shopping and cooking soooo much easier!) And... I actually think that was my only resolution that didn't have to do with yarn.
For yarny resolutions, I decided that this year I am going to knit a sweater. For myself. That isn't some big boxy, acrylic yarn held double-stranded monstrosity like I knit for myself in 8th grade. A real sweater. One where people will say, "Oh, I love your sweater!" and I can reply, "Thanks! I made it!" to which their eyes will bug out of their heads and they'll be so incredibly impressed that they'll barely be able to gasp, "You made that???" To which they'll go home and have five weeks of depression that they only thing they've produced recently is a score of over 300 points in Words With Friends.
But I digress.
I want to knit a sweater. I've even picked out a pattern - it's called the Blackberry Cabled Cardigan. As the name suggests, there are a LOT of cables.
I obviously decided to start out small and simple and not just jump insanely into a complicated pattern that will make me want to strangle somebody and that I have no chance in hell of finishing.
This sweater will also be an investment. The cheapest yarn option I've found so far (Knit Picks) will set me back about $65. My first choice option priced out at $150, so we'll just pretend that yarn doesn't exist. I am perfectly content knitting my crazy sweater in less expensive but still good quality yarn. (And it will NOT be purple.)
I also have resolved to knit a pair of gloves. A designer named Julia Mueller has some fabulous glove patterns, some with unique construction. (No mind that I've never knit a glove of any construction before. But I did knit mittens, so how hard can it be to add all those fingers???) I'm considering a pattern of hers called Eisblume.
I may not add the beads because I've seen some lovely ones without them. But I do like knitting with beads, so for that reason I kind of do want to add them. But I like the look better without them. But they are more impressive with them. But it would be faster to knit them without beads. But I already have beads I could use.
As you can see, my internal bead dilemma rages on.
My final knitting-related resolution is to not grow my stash. (HA!!!) No really. I'm going to try. I did join Cookie A's 2013 sock club, so that's one skein every 2 months - only 6 for the year. And I love Hazel Knits so I gave myself permission to purchase that club which is 2 skeins every 2 months, so that's 12 for the year. Add that to the Cookie Club and that would be 18 skeins. Considering I knit 30 pairs of socks last year, that would decrease my stash by 12 skeins by the end of 2013. But honestly, if I can even just maintain the level of the bins/bags/pile, I'd be happy. That means I need to... Knit. From. Stash.
Can I do it? That remains to be seen.
Next blog- recently finished socks! Are you on the edge of your seat???
Hey, maybe I'll blog!
I may not have been adding to my knitting blog recently, but I have been knitting. Yes, yes, mostly socks, but I did manage to stray away from wool footwear long enough to make a few Christmas presents. A Scalene scarf for Mom, Exeter hats for Dad and my brother, Michael, and Tweed Mittens for my friends Darlene & Crista. I did have a pair of socks for Chris in progress for the holidays but they didn't quite make it in time for his Christmas stocking. No worries - I finished them early in January. Too bad I told him about them when I didn't finish them in time or they could have been a Valentine's Day present. (And too bad my friend, Leigh, didn't suggest that a mere 12 hours earlier...)
Oh, before I forget - Happy New Year! I have some grand resolutions for 2013, some knitting related and some not. First the general stuff - I want to plan weekly dinner menus for my family (it makes shopping and cooking soooo much easier!) And... I actually think that was my only resolution that didn't have to do with yarn.
For yarny resolutions, I decided that this year I am going to knit a sweater. For myself. That isn't some big boxy, acrylic yarn held double-stranded monstrosity like I knit for myself in 8th grade. A real sweater. One where people will say, "Oh, I love your sweater!" and I can reply, "Thanks! I made it!" to which their eyes will bug out of their heads and they'll be so incredibly impressed that they'll barely be able to gasp, "You made that???" To which they'll go home and have five weeks of depression that they only thing they've produced recently is a score of over 300 points in Words With Friends.
But I digress.
I want to knit a sweater. I've even picked out a pattern - it's called the Blackberry Cabled Cardigan. As the name suggests, there are a LOT of cables.
I obviously decided to start out small and simple and not just jump insanely into a complicated pattern that will make me want to strangle somebody and that I have no chance in hell of finishing.
This sweater will also be an investment. The cheapest yarn option I've found so far (Knit Picks) will set me back about $65. My first choice option priced out at $150, so we'll just pretend that yarn doesn't exist. I am perfectly content knitting my crazy sweater in less expensive but still good quality yarn. (And it will NOT be purple.)
I also have resolved to knit a pair of gloves. A designer named Julia Mueller has some fabulous glove patterns, some with unique construction. (No mind that I've never knit a glove of any construction before. But I did knit mittens, so how hard can it be to add all those fingers???) I'm considering a pattern of hers called Eisblume.
I may not add the beads because I've seen some lovely ones without them. But I do like knitting with beads, so for that reason I kind of do want to add them. But I like the look better without them. But they are more impressive with them. But it would be faster to knit them without beads. But I already have beads I could use.
As you can see, my internal bead dilemma rages on.
My final knitting-related resolution is to not grow my stash. (HA!!!) No really. I'm going to try. I did join Cookie A's 2013 sock club, so that's one skein every 2 months - only 6 for the year. And I love Hazel Knits so I gave myself permission to purchase that club which is 2 skeins every 2 months, so that's 12 for the year. Add that to the Cookie Club and that would be 18 skeins. Considering I knit 30 pairs of socks last year, that would decrease my stash by 12 skeins by the end of 2013. But honestly, if I can even just maintain the level of the bins/bags/pile, I'd be happy. That means I need to... Knit. From. Stash.
Can I do it? That remains to be seen.
Next blog- recently finished socks! Are you on the edge of your seat???
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