Knit Sisters

I actually finished a couple of small projects yesterday.  The striped scarf for Rob:

 

(The artwork to the right of the scarf is a piece of Rob’s that hangs in our living room.  It’s one of my favorites–so spare yet so evocative, somehow.)

And the orange cabled socks for me:

 

Obviously, I decided that the scarf was going to go to Rob, although I began this year with the stated and firm intention that this was “The Year of Knitting for Me.”  You see, I keep a running record throughout the year of all the projects I have finished, both big and small.  Last year’s count was a total of 28 projects; only five (5!!) of those were for me.  I decided that this was a pitiful and paltry amount and that this year I would knit only for myself.

I began the year by finishing up all the projects that were hanging over my head for other people.  A sweater vest for my dad, a cardigan for Rob, a cat bed for Alex’s cat, a pair of socks for Rob.  Since then, I have made three sweaters and two pairs of socks for myself, two baby blankets (for other people), and a scarf for Rob (see above).  It seems I have a problem sticking to my resolution.  I would like to think that this is because I am a naturally generous and giving person, and not simply because I am weak-willed.

In my defense, however, I have done lots and lots of spinning this year.  Somehow, giving myself permission to be selfish with my knitting opened the door to spending my time spinning.  And I have loved spending that time at my wheel.  I’ve completed nine spinning projects, large and small, this year.  Plus lots of washing, combing, and otherwise playing around with fiber.

So perhaps a better title for the year would be:  The Year of Spinning and Knitting for Me.  And the year’s not over yet, is it?  The fall has terrific possibilities.

Like this one:

I’m playing around with another idea here, a kind of wrapped and belted jacket with a quilted pattern and double knit edging/neckline treatment.  The yarn is a wool tweed (the solid green) and a hand-painted brushed mohair that I bought long ago at New York Sheep and Wool.

Here’s a detail of the quilting pattern:

 

Lest you wonder about Blue Bamboo, I have a master plan for that pattern which I will be announcing later in the week.  Stay tuned!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 8th, 2006 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Pathological knitting or "I can quit any time". You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.