Oh My Word, My WIP’s!

I guess it’s par for the course. It’s getting cold, Christmas is coming, yarn ads and knitting magazines are everywhere. I guess it’s only natural that I have cast-on-itis. To be fair, some of these are hang-overs from last year, but still…There is so much on the needles right now that I’m knitting every chance I get, at the hairdresser, the mechanic’s, the oil change place. Good thing I’m not shy about knitting in public!

Here are my poor little Andalus Mittens. I love them so. I love this pattern and, in one of my latest bouts of yarn lust, I picked up the yarn to make another pair. The pattern is genuinely engaging and the color work virtually flies off the needles. I can’t believe I let them languish in the “Later Drawer” since about January. All that was wanting was a single thumb and the weaving in of ends. I pulled them out the other night to finish the thumb. Yes, actually, I can believe I put off knitting that last thumb. Gaaaah, what a pain in the neck. I finished it, though. Now for the weaving and blocking.

From that same drawer came my Feather & Dart cowl which I adapted from Karen Fagen’s lovely Summer Love Wrap. Hers is much prettier…I shoulda stuck with the tour on this one. Anyhoo…I wanted something warm around my neck without any ends to deal with, so I used a provisional cast-on thinking I’d Kitchener Stitch it together. If you’ve never used the Kitchener Stitch on lace, skip it. It’s dumb. I used some lovely Jo Sharpe yarn and I’m very fond of the color. It just wants weaving and blocking.

Speaking of color work flying off the needles, here is Mary Ann Stephen’s Riverside Cowl. I started it about a week or so ago. I got so engaged I couldn’t quit! I’m knitting the lining now (really, lined color work…I love Mary Ann Stephens 🙂 , and though I’m using Regia Angora Merino which makes me wish I had four hands, it’s a bit of a schlog. That is due in part to the fact that my needle is just the tiniest bit too small. I really ought to switch to DP’s I guess.

Then, there’s this. The bear. Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed’s Timberline. I’m knitting this one on a deadline and frankly, I’m a little nervous. It is knit in one piece to the underarms making it absolutely HUGE. I feel like I’m knitting and knitting and knitting and not getting anywhere. I suppose I’ll be grateful when the time comes to put it together (if that should ever happen). It’s a gorgeous pattern, 24 pages long and perhaps a trifle over-cooked, ala Jared Flood. I’m enjoying it but it is so heavy that I can only do so much at a time. I’m knitting like a fiend on it on the weekends and letting it rest during the week. The yarn is really wonderful…City Tweed from KnitPicks.

Just to round it out, a pair of socks. I confess, I fell in love with the yarn and needed some car knitting. I was hoping to let the yarn do the work so I chose a simple pattern. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with knitting two things (like mittens and socks) on two circulars. I wish I’d thought of it before I started these socks.

But wait, there’s more! Like everybody else, I have several more WIP’s that are Christmas specific and cannot be disclosed here. Don’t worry…I’ll keep you posted 🙂