Yarn Resolutions

The last post of the year. I've gotten some lovely yarn this year, made a few projects, completed some of them, too, though that is never a foregone conclusion.

I have a few resolutions to make. Of course I shan't keep them, but it is traditional to make resolutions at the beginning of the year.

1. I resolve not to buy so much yarn this year. I am at 21 bins, and could add one or two more.
2. I will knit my stash. I will use all that lovely beautiful yarn I've acquired over the years.
3. I will finish the projects I have on the needles before casting on new ones. Well, most of them, at least. Well, some of them, I'm sure. In some sort of order.
5. I will make some items for myself.
6. I will blog more.

Well, maybe I'll keep some of them.

This is a cowl I made for Peggy, who had been my advisor in college and one of my favourite professors.

Made of Malabrigo Mecha, the colours are Polar Dawn and Lotus. Done in a seed stitch, I carried the yarn, but I think if I make another one (and I will, I promised my cousin one, the yarn is bought, and it is waiting to be cast on), I won't carry the yarn, but will cut it and weave in the ends. The carried yarn in seed stitch is unsightly.

A chemo cap for my friend Priscilla, this is Madeleine Tosh Vintage, in Smokestack and Chamomile. It wasn't until I finished it that I realised it was the colours of the Boston Bruins Hockey team. Go Bruins! Boston Strong!

A new year, with old yarn, for new projects. I think it will work.

Merde

It's 16 December and I might as well face facts that none of the Christmas knitting is going to get done this year.

Like last year.

Oh, I have a good excuse or two, but really, it all comes down to the fact that nothing will be ready in time to be shipped for the holidays. Well, except Miz Kitty's shawl, but that wasn't really a Christmas present, only it turns out that it will be, because none of her kids can make it home for the hols this year, and will be the only thing she opens that day. If it gets there in time.

I got slammed with a really bad cold this year, one that lasted more than a month. I'm still hacking up a lung every now and then, though I'm feeling better. During much of that month that I was sick, time that I would normally spend knitting was spent sitting on the bed, trying to get a deep breath into my lungs, and then coughing up most of a lung.

It wasn't pretty.
And then there were the chemo caps to finish. One down, one to go. I just can't wrap my hands or head around what I want to do with that gorgeous Madeleine Tosh (smokestack and chamomile), except that I've got a hundred stitches on the needles and about an inch of 2x2 ribbing.

So, the well laid plans of mice and men (and bears) oft gang awry.

I'll get the Christmas knitting done after the holidays, when I'm feeling better.
And I'll feel like a heel because none of it will reach the recipients in time to open under the tree on Christmas morning. But it will get done. Eventually.

Le sigh.

I was going to write a post about all the cool yarn I bought on Small Business Saturday, but seriously, who needs to see more yarn? Even though every bit of it has a project attached to it (no free-range yarn this time), I think I'll wait til the projects are done and post pictures of them.

Most of my Christmas knitting is on hold because I've been not only working on several chemo caps, but I have had the Cold of Death, and haven't felt much like knitting. Mostly I've wanted to lie down on the bed and try to breathe. Today is the first day I've actually felt like knitting, and I cast on a cowl for a friend. But nothing is going to be done on time.

And that sucks.

I've been looking at the list of all the things I want to get done and if I knit non-stop every day without going to work of stopping to eat or bathe, I might get it all done.

Maybe.

This is one of the chemo caps I did finish. It is made with Cascade Alpaca, and is an adaptation of the Wurm pattern one can find on Ravelry. I did not use the pattern's fold-and-pick-up-stitches beginning because picking up stitches in black yarn is an exercise for masochists, so I just did a standard 2x2 rib for an inch. I hope the recipient likes it, and I hope that it fits her. It was kind of cool and fun to knit.

This is the actual colour of the hat, jet black. It's very soft and floppy.

The colour is completely off, but gives one an idea of what the hat looks like with the ridges.

The top of the hat. I have never had so many stitches left over at the end of the decrease rounds. I think there were 44 of 100 left over. I like the star-y looking thing on the very top.

And now, back to more knitting. I might be able to salvage something out of this damn cold.