OK, no he didn't. He did say, "The journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step."
When I started my holiday knitting in March, I had ambitious plans. I made a list with a dozen cowls, half a dozen scarves, a sweater, a vest, and maybe even some hats.
It is the beginning of October, and I have admitted defeat. I am not going to complete 12 Honey Cowls by Christmas (I've done four, and have one on the needles!), and while I might get four more scarves done, it will be through sheer bloody mindedness. Plus the sweater on the needles that is almost half way done (well, I've got 18 inches of fabric, and need to get to 21 before I can indent for the armholes, then another 12 or 13 inches of knitting to finish just the back).
What have I accomplished thus far?
- Four honey cowls
- Two Irish hiking scarves
- One bulky knit scarf
- One feather-and-fan scarf
Eight items for about six-and-a-half months' knitting.
Feh.
The following projects and yarns are what I hope to accomplish before the holidays set in and when I'm done, I can sit down with a giant martini.
Scarves for Tim and Mike
Scrumptious Chunky by Fyberpates. Red for Mike, purple for Tim. I'm thinking a quick pattern of two rows of garter, two rows of 1x1 ribbing, repeat. It knits up fast and looks good. This stuff is 55% merino and 45% silk.
Scarf for Michela
Juniper Moon Farm's Moonshine! At 40% wool, 40% alpaca, and 20% silk, this is rich and luxurious. I'm not sure what the stitch definition will be like, so I'll do a swatch. If the definition is good, I'll go for a cable scarf, maybe the Irish Hiking Scarf, by Adrian Bizilia (check out the Ravelry page, it's a free pattern!). I got this yarn on the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl, with a scarf for my niece in mind.
Scarf for Peter
Malabrigo Rios, in Ravelry Red! I know the stitch definition in this yarn is good, so I'm thinking of the Irish Hiking Scarf. I think my nephew would like it. I got this yarn at Quarter Stitch in New Orleans.
Cowl for Kristen
Madeline Tosh Vintage, colourway? Tart, of course! Not that Kristen is a tart, but she'll be vastly amused by the name of the colour. I would like to do a fast cowl for her, even though I really like the Honey Cowl, I think it might be too slow to knit (what with all the stuff I need to get done!). I'll look through Ravelry to find a decent pattern. This yarn is from Stitch House in Dorchester. I grabbed the last two skeins.
Cowls for Maddy and Gracie
More Moonshine from Juniper Moon Farms. I think Maddy likes purple, and Gracie likes teal (yes, that lower yarn is teal, though you can't tell from the picture). I got this on the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl, with these two young women in mind. I didn't have a pattern at the time, but I'm thinking the Grace Jones Cowl (see Ravelry, it's really cool!).
Neck warmer for Steven
I have yarn. I have an idea for a pattern. I just don't know which yarn or which pattern. Steven doesn't like scarves, but he does like his neck to be warm. I have some beautiful orange yarn by A Hundred Ravens which might do well for Steve. Have to think about it.
Scarf for John
This beautiful hand spun black (undyed!) alpaca was gotten from one of the tents during Webs' Tent Sale. It's from Donna Young from Western Massachusetts. I think I have only 300 yards, so I have to think carefully about the pattern. I had wanted to do something with cables, but, first, I'm not sure John is a cable kind of guy, and two, I don't think I have enough to make a long enough cabled scarf with this. But it's soooo lovely!
And of course, the sweater for Brad
I've got about 18 inches of fabric here. It's Lamb's Pride Bulky, 85% wool, 15% mohair. It's fat yarn on fat needles, and it knits up right fast. I got it at Mind's Eye Yarns last January, right after our reunion. I started knitting it in July, but I think now that it's cooler, I'll enjoy it more.
Nine projects in three months? It took me just over six months to knit eight projects.
Can I do it? Of course I can make it!
Which is why I'll need the a-fore-mentioned martini when I'm done!
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