'Should' and 'Shouldn't's

Sorry for the quiet last week. I'm afraid you guys will have to get used to it (at least for a while - I have to see how things develope). Thing is, since beginning of this year I've got a new working pattern that has me working every other weekend (I do get a long weekend on the other end for compensation, so it's not too bad). Another part of this is that I now have a second appartment and this new place in not completely set up yet. I'm still shifting stuff from one place to another and try to find the best balance. I'm getting there, but it will take a little bit still.


Anyway, being a sensible and responsible person (sorry, I need to have a little snicker right now ...), I SHOULD be knitting sensible, useful stuff. Like the legwarmers I've promised to make for my sister.


Hmm, this is not very far progressed.

Then there are the socks I've started to knit for my mom and that SHOULD be much further by now.


Still on heel number one (and this is the status since two weeks ago)

I also SHOULD be knitting on my blanket (the link leads to the picture from three weeks ago - nothing has changed that status). Dresden in winter is cold, and there already had been occations where I thought it would be nice if I had that one finished.

What I SHOULDN'T knit is a lace sampler scarf I probably won't ever wear, is too light and airy to provide any warmth and already forced me to buy more yarn.


But, damn, it's just too much fun working on it and I can't wait for the day I'm done and I can block it. It will be gorgeous.

Well, at least I've finished another pair of the French Press Felted Slippers. They're easy to make (though the sewing part is a bit painful) and I love wearing them. For embellishing I took a bit different route with this pair than with the others. I didn't use the straps (though they had been knitted and felted together with the slippers) but needle-felted those swirls on them. I also added some tiny bead flowers.
They do remind my of how some blossoms are being picked up in the summer wind.

Neckwarmer

Even though it got a bit warmer the last few days, I'm convinced the winter is not done yet. So I keep knitting warm stuf.

This is a neck warmer. The original pattern is for a wimple, meanig it's worn slipped up over the head, but I didn't want this. Instead I knitted it shorter than the pattern asked for, but did increases every fourth row between the lace pattern in the third (and last) repeat.


This makes the lower part flare out and settles it on the shoulder when wearing it.

I really like the effect here.

As I wanted it to fit snuggly I didn't block the lace. This adds some elasticity to the whole thing.

The yarn, Zitron Unisono, was one of those spontanious buys where you see something, think it's pretty, but have no clue what to make with it. This is about the fourth project I've tried for it and about the first one which doesn't totally suck.

Statistics 2010

Out of the 51 projects I've started in 2010, I've finished 46.
2 projects I've frogged because I didn't like how they came out.
3 projects are still in progress.
I finished 16 pairs of socks and 5 pairs of gloves.
I've made 11 shawls / scarves / cowls.
I've made curtains for my apartment in Dresden and an afghan for my sister's birthday (this was, without a doubt, the biggest project last year)
I knitted two cardigans and 1 pullover.
I've made the French Press Felted Slippers twice.
Most of my finished objects I've kept ( I like my feet and hands and neck warm, thank you so very much), but a few things did leave my place to go to some members of my family.

I have not run out of yarn yet (and am not very likely to do so in the foreseeable future).
This will not stop me from buying more yarn.

2010 was a good knitting year. Lets hope 2011 will be as well.

Another Year, Another Blanket

Happy New Year to everybody.

It's still cold outside (and, no, this time I'm not going to start singing), so I've started another blanket to snuggle in with a good book.





The yarn is Lett Lopi and most of it I've bought in Iceland 1 1/2 years ago for a totally other project. Eventually I decided not to do the other project and, after buying a few more colors, I've started this one. I get a little more than seven squares out of two balls of yarn (which is the number I've got of most of the colors). Right now I plan it to be 7 by 9 squares big, which is not going to be huge, but it should be enough for a nice lap blanket at least.