fibrefiend

I have spent more time in the last several weeks looking at knitting websites than I have actually knitting. And not much of either. This is because I am busy, and also very depressed. I know that knitting has, historically, been a good way for me to cope with depression without resorting to "less productive" mechanisms, but can't seem to get started on anything. Picking up any of my WIP's doesn't seem to be working, because the magic tied up in those stitches hurts right now. But starting something new seems impossible lately as well.

I'm working very hard at coping in other ways. But I really need to get my shit together before I drown in it.

...sans pictures, yet again.

One day, one day very soon, I am going to have to actually take pictures of a whole pile of FO's and WIP's. I promised someone specific this time, and not just the inter-ethers in general, so it shall be. I just have to have a day where I'm home and not busy actually processing yarn and knitting so that I can take, upload, mess up, curse, chew on my fingers, yell for help, profess undying gratitude for help, and then, post and write about these alleged pictures.

Even with ever-patient, devoted in house tech support, I can only manage this technological feat every so often.

But on a more salient topic: YARN!

I hit up a yard sale and two thrift stores today, and came home with a buttload of yarn-to-be. First find was a Banana Republic Men's 2X pullover, in a nice light worsted weight wool. The care tag is missing, not the brand tag but only the care tag, hanks to its former owner being a young man who hated tags, but it's in amazingly perfect shape. It's a lightish brown, slightly heathered. I assume it's 100% wool, possibly merino, just based on the feel, and experience with similar Banana Republic pullovers. They tend to frog very nicely. I'm pretty excited about this one, because, frog-gods willing, it will be perfect for the huge cabled sweater I've been craving. I was having trouble finding anything that I was really confident would be 1. enough yarn and 2. large enough gauge.

Then I found no less than five other sweaters, all looking very promising. I had to pass on one that would have been unbelievable...if it had been about half the price. It was a chocolate brown cashmere pullover in a women's 2X. It was gorgeous...miles and miles of squishy, decadent cashmere. And, wonder of wonders, actually in a knittable gauge. Most of the cashmere I've found has been in that ridiculously teensy machine-gauge. But this would have been perfect, except for being waaaaaaaaaay over my mental price limit. I'm still wondering if I should revise that opinion and go running back to it in the morning. But I already spent more than I should have anyway. My darling, supportive ennabling husband pointed out that it was probably a couple hundred dollars worth of yarn and I should grab it. He's a saint.

At the second thrift store, which we hadn't meant to go to but were lured into by the giant %50 Off banner in the parking lot, he even found me a really cool new knitting caddy. It's a funny little rolly cart, about the size of a small ottoman. It has one clear plastic drawer on the bottom, and a partitioned compartment on top covered by a hinged lid. I have no idea what its original purpose could have been, but it's going to be perfect for holding my colourwork stash and small WIP's. Also, easily washable and kitty-proof!

Also in that store, I found the biggest cabled sweater I've ever seen. It's one of those Handmade in Ireland monstrosities that I can only imagine were bought as souvenirs and brought to this bizarre land of hot and muggy, and spend the rest of their lives bewildered in the back of a closet, wondering where the cold went. Then one day they get donated to Goodwill and make impoverished knitters like me squee. It's foggy heathered grey, and unbelievably soft. Fiber content is something like 90% extrafine merino/ 10% cashmere. It claims to be a size "M", but it literally goes down to my knees. Being heavily cabled on top of this, I estimate the yardage to be....about six miles. The cables are slightly flatter than in a tougher yarn, but it might become another cabled sweater anyway. The softness more than makes up for the slight loss in definition. I was surprised the cashmere percentage was that low. This thing is unbelievably soft. As in, I would like to sleep with it wrapped around my naked body. Perhaps after washing. It DID come from Goodwill.

The other thing I might want to make with this is a beautiful lace throw I've been ogling. I said I'd make it if I ever found a ginormo enough sweater to frog, and this sweater might make the most gorgeous binky EVAR...but I'm not sure I could stand putting something this lovely on the couch and at the mercy of Child, Hound, and Feline Confederation. I guess it could only live on my bed...and then only get covered in one type of pet hair...

More to say, but I'd rather knit that write about it, so more later.

I've kept out about half a dozen little projects, plus my Rogue, but none of them were quite where I needed to be right now. Thankfully, I kept out a few relatively unassigned bits of yarn for just such a quandary.

I fell in lust with the Achernar cabling while browsing Ravelry, and decided that this was what I wanted to do with the sportweight merino that I dyed such a nice, deep red last winter. I'd originally intended for it to be a pair of Baudelaire Socks, but had also been hesitant due to the delicate handwash nature of the 100% merino. It's a lovely, posh yarn...possibly too lovely for socks. I'd been throwing the idea of a soft, squishy red scarf around for awhile, and I think this is the pattern to do it. IF it doesn't work, I'll adapt it to the 100% silk that's not working out so well in the Clapotis.

So I started it on a pair of 5's that I made for the project this morning, but the fabric was coming out too loose. Especially since this scarf may well need a hard blocking to show the cables to advantage.

Undaunted, I frogged about four inches of work and made a pair of miniature straights out of a broken set of size 4 redwood DPN's that I made last year, loved to death, and accidentally broke in the last move. They're really wonderful to knit with. The wood has a fantastic feel to it. I stuck two turquoisey beads on the end, and came out with the perfect set of portable scarf needles. They'll fit in my project bag perfectly, and be short enough to not get in the way if knitting on airplanes, but also just long enough for a reasonably sized scarf. Score.

I'm still a bit concerned that the fabric is too loose, but I seem to be getting the approximate gauge specified in the pattern. The yarn is ABOUT a sport, where the pattern calls for fingering, and I'm on the same size needles, but I prefer a heavier fabric. Eh, maybe if it's a bit loose it will drape better. That was my one concern with such a heavily cabled scarf.

And it's not like it has to be super warm; I live in the South.

Blergh...can't get the Achernar page to open to include a link to pics of this awesome scarf. I'll try again later.

I have finally finished the knitted Dalek.

He will be going to live at my love's office, which is filled with computer geeks, and where he will thus be appreciated.

I've already been forced to promise one to my son, who picked out his own dalek colours. Being three, he chose turquoise and safety orange. It will be a fabulous dalek.

Whew!

I am mostly moved, and all of my knitting supplies have a new home! I finally have space for all of my yarn, and needles, and assorted obsessive paraphenalia!

I will post pics of the new digs, and all of the housewares I was knitting leading up to the move (mostly ten thousand dishcloths) as soon as I find my USB cable.

Progress on other projects has lagged somewhat, unfortunately. My half-finished Rogue is still in the bag, waiting, as is my 2/3 Danica. The Danica is gorgeous, though, and I hope to get to that in the next few days.

I also ordered some very pretty sock yarn from Knitpicks as a belated birthday present, and have that sitting in my brand new project basket next to the couch, waiting to be turned into some very cuddly socks. I'll post details of that when I finish, but suffice to say I was feeling almost guiltily decadent just winding it up, as all of my "new" yarn for some time has come from recycling and thus retail, even Knitpicks, was quite the indulgence.

More later, with PICS!

My first attempt at a place to store all of my knitting porn.