Hey, Mom. Remember when you used to knit?

The question caught me off guard. I almost said, "What do you mean used to?" Then I caught myself because it's true. I used to knit. I can't remember the last time I knit. I do know which project I worked on. It was the Sirdar Denim Tweed Cardigan in Rowan Tweed. But I don't remember when I worked on it last. In fact, I'm not even sure where that project is located right now.

Holy cow. I wonder if I still even remember how to knit?

Better get off the computer and go see...

Just a quick update to let you all know that I'm still around and kickin' it! Here's what I've been up to:

Work Update
Work has been insanely busy. I ended up putting tons of extra hours in at work due to a HUGE project we had going on. I met my deadline, but ended up working seven days a week for about two months in order to do so. I love what I do and it doesn't really feel like work to me so it wasn't so bad in that regard. It is bad for the family life, however. And it isn't too good for the blog either....

Knitting Update
While I was putting in so many hours at work, I didn't knit at all. Big surprise there -- not! I thought I had lost my knitting mojo because I was so out of the habit of knitting that I didn't knit for several days even though I could. But I was wrong. I've really been into the knitting this week, so it's all good around here.

I finished a hat to match the Noro scarf I finished in September, and I finished by Socktober Mystery socks. And I have two new projects going at the same time.

More about that soon. And photos too.

I just found out about the Through the Loops Mystery Sock project today. I've always wanted to participant in a "mystery" project and I always participate in Soktoberfest. What a perfect way to kill two birds?

Now I'm off to select a sock yarn from my stash and get started on  this project!

So what if I have already have a pair of unfinished socks on the needles? So what if I have a barely start baby blanket on the needles for a baby who has already arrived? So what if I should be knitting the Sheldon turtle for said baby's older brother? So what if I should be starting the x-mas stocking I promised the Hubby long ago? So what if I really should be knitting any number of UFOs that I won't name (they're on my Ravelry page)?

Why would I ignore all of these projects?

It's a mystery all right.

Or maybe not....

So many things. I will try to cover as many as I can think of.

• Sometimes life is such that even a 1x1 ribbed pattern can be challenging. I can't tell you the number of times I had to tink a stitch or two because I got off track. I lead a crazy life right now. Crazy with the stress.
• Sometimes knitting needs to be as simple as possible. Sure, garter stitch would be easier, but 1x1 ribbed is definitely not difficult.
• There's just enough of a difficulty factor to keep it interesting. Factor in the Noro yarn and this was super interesting.
• The scarf is reversible--both sides are the same. It makes the scarf easier to wear when there is no "wrong" side. Plus I find that I tend to wear a scarf more if it's reversible.
• It's easy to pick up the project and knit in fits and starts. Easy!

The Pattern: Noro Scarf by Jared at Brooklyn Tweed

The Yarn: Noro Silk Garden; Two and 2/3 skeins of 211 and One and 1/3 skein of 84.

The Needles: US Size 8

The Other Comments: What can I say about this project that hasn’t already been said on a knitting blog? There’s something about scarf knitting that I find soothing. I enjoyed seeing the color patterns and trying to predict what would show up next.

It was "supposed" to be two skeins of each colorway, but I used stash yarn and this is what I had. And really, if the Noro skeins differ enough, I think you could get away with using the same colorway. As it was, I found that my two "different" colorways contained some of the same colors anyway. I had to clip the yarn a few times pull out a few inches from one of the skeins to get to a different color.

I loved knitting this scarf. And I don't want to jinx myself, but I think I found my knitting mojo. Mojo is mojo. Even if it's only for simple projects.

Couldn't resist this meme. As seen at Obsession Du Jour.

Here's  my latest project:

This is Josephine. She doesn't photograph well.

Pattern: Josephine Top by Deborah Newton

Yarn: Rowan 4-ply Cotton in a super pale colorway.

Needles: US 4

Other: Originally, I did not really care for the color of this yarn as it is so super pale. I received it during one of my secret pal swap escapades way back when. I had read on that person's blog that the yarn was a failed selection for one of her projects, so she gifted it to me. I've kept it in my stash for a long time, unsure what or if I would ever find a project for it.

That said, I think this yarn is perfect for this project. I love that it is pale as I think the pattern shows up well.  I think this will turn out great. There's just no telling when it will be finished. I need to find the urge to knit more.

And I seem to be on a knitting roll. I'm two for two in knitting two days in a row. Yay me!

I'm back in the land of knit blogging today. I've read all of my Blogline feeds; I've visited all of my favorite blogs, which are linked in the sidebars of the Knit Once blog; and I've visited Ravelry. All of this visiting has made it abundantly clear that I've been missing out.

• I miss the knitting and I fear that I've permanently lost my knitting mojo. The thing is that knitting isn't a habit for me anymore. It used to be that if I was home and "idle" there would be a project in my hands and knitting going on. I was home all day yesterday watching movies and it finally occurred to me late in the day that I should be making the most of my time by knitting: I managed to knit a total of four rows on my latest project. Sad, I know. Sad for the knitter I used to be.
• I miss all of you and I miss reading all of my favorite blogs and hearing what's going on with you. And while I don't really think this is an issue of peer pressure per say, there is something inspiring and motivating about having an on-line family who share your hobby. I can't count the number of times that I've been inspired to start a specific project because of something I've seen on your blog. I miss that.
• I miss blogging. I miss having an outlet for all the knit speak. I miss having the outlet for other subjects that I would like to discuss as well. This has never been a purely knitting blog, though it has been a mostly knitting blog.
• I miss documenting my projects in Ravelry and on the blog. And even though I haven't knit much lately, I do have two WIPs that have never been documented anyway. They are both over 50 percent complete too. This is most unusual for me.
• I miss the interaction with other knit bloggers either on my blog or on yours. The comments and feedback make the time spent on blogging worth it.

For me, the knitting and blogging go together. I know there are people who have knit forever and do not have a blog, but the two have always gone together for me. They are connected and interconnected. One feeds the other. The more I knit, the more I have to blog about. I just never realized until now that the more I blog, the more I want to knit.

Wow.

I can't believe it was May when I last posted. Not one post for June. I knew I had fallen off the blogging wagon, but I didn't realize I fell that far...

I'm here. Everyone is well. The floods of '08 haven't swept us away. And I've been doing a little knitting here and there.

Just a little update to clear the cobwebs. I'll be back with a real post soon.

The Details:

Pattern: Roped Shell by Angela Hahn (Interweave Knits, Summer 2008)

Yarn: Classic Elite Premiere; 3 1/2 skeins pink; 2 1/2 skeins white. Stash yarn. Yay, yay, YAY!

Needles: US 4

Other: I loved knitting this project. It was SOOOOOOOO fun. It wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't too easy either if that makes sense. The pattern isn't what I would call challenging, but it's definitely not a mindless knit either. You have to pay attention to what you're doing and the pattern incorporates several different techniques: color work, slipped stitches, attached I-cord, cables, and securing cables. Not to mention all the ends to weave when you're done.

I used stash yarn. I was a little concerned that it wasn't the right type of yarn. I wasn't happy to learn that my local yarn store no longer carries the Classic Elite Premier because of reported pilling problems. Great. I have a buttload of the stuff in my stash. Okay, that doesn't sound right...but I do have quite a bit of that yarn in my stash. And I like it the way it looks, feels, and knits up. I just hope it doesn't pill real bad because I love this finished project and I want to wear it a lot.

I think this might just be my favorite project ever. I'm even thinking about purchasing the silk yarn the pattern calls for and knitting another. That's how much I like it.

Okay, enough about this project. I'll try to talk about something different tomorrow.

No blogging, but lots and lots of knitting. Woohoooo for knitting. I finished the Roped Tank. I loved knitting this project. It was SOOOOOOOO fun. It wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't too easy either if that makes sense. The pattern isn't what I would call challenging, but it's definitely not a mindless knit either. You have to pay attention to what you're doing and the pattern incorporates several different techniques: color work, slipped stitches, attached I-cord, cables, and securing cables. Not to mention all the ends to weave when you're done.

All that said, I LOVE the finished item. I would totally pose for a picture, but for some reason I feel as though I'm freezing to death tonight. I'm chilled to the bone, I swear. So much so that I'm typing this from beneath 6 blankets--in bed. Sad, I know.

Sad and pathetic. My eldest son took pity on me and snapped a couple of pictures for the blog. I will take some of me wearing the tank soon as this thing fits great.

The Details:

Pattern: Roped Shell by Angela Hahn (Interweave Knits, Summer 2008)

Yarn: Classic Elite Premiere; 3 1/2 skeins pink; 2 1/2 skeins white. Stash yarn. Yay, yay, YAY!

Needles: US 4

Added later -- I don't know if you can tell, but I mixed this up a bit intentionally. I decided to use the main color for the roped cable band, the faux side seams, and the attached I-cord on the armholes. However, I used the main and contrasting colors on the body of the shell as the pattern indicated. It's a subtle thing, and I wonder if anyone would even notice if I didn't mention it.... Would you???

I'm having a little trouble concentrating today. Especially in regards to posting a blog entry tonight. I've started out a half dozen times on a half dozen different topics...I think I have the spring fever or something. Or maybe there are just too many distractions in my midsts with the lovely weather and all of the Must See television tonight: Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and LOST are all on tonight.

That's way too much must see TV for a good blog entry, but I just wanted to say something quick about May Day. Until I moved to the Midwest in the early '90s, I had never really thought much about May Day and had never celebrated it. When the boys were little, they would bring home from daycare little May Day baskets filled with candy. We've never done anything to celebrate it at home though. And I've never seen a Maypole.

How about you? Is May Day something you celebrate?

********************************************************************

Thanks for the advice in the last entry. Right now I'm on the avoidance plan. I figure if I dodge 'em for a while, I don't have to make any difficult or rash decisions so I can figure this out in my mind. I'm a slow thinker like that...And it's always nice to hear feedback from others. Thanks! You guys rock!

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I'm pretty much a straight shooter. I call it like I see it. There aren't a lot of lines to read between when I'm involved. What you see is pretty much what you get.

Call it simple. Call it a simple upbringing from a simple and very small town. Whatever. I don't care. It is what it is.

When it's knitting related you know that I'm honest about my madd, crazy, and not always on the up and up skillz. I'm okay with my mistakes and knitting issues. In fact, I relish the fact that I make mistakes. That's how I freakin' learn...

My professional life is an entirely different thing. I do not so much relish the mistakes there. I strive to be and do the best that my abilities will allow and provide. And I am generally respected for that and I am well networked. To the other end of that, I'm a pretty tough cookie at work and I don't mess around with those who are less than competent. Recently; however, I have found that I have been met with a force with whom should be reckoned. Someone who likes to play the games and act like a fake @ss. Someone who reeks of incompetence and self-proclaimed superiority, but tries to act like your best friend.

Lately, I have been the targeted "best friend." And I'm not quite sure how to handle this as this person is one of the big cheeses. And this is totally outside of my "it is what it is" comfort zone. Any advice? Have any of you ever been in this situation?

Any advice you can offer is deeply appreciated. And then some!!!!

This is why I don't have a tattoo. And why you probably wouldn't want to go clothes shopping with me...

I thought it would be fun to create a cute ticker like the one Lorette has. First, I spied this lovely.

Then I had to try out the cute lily pads.

And OMG! Check out the sleeping kitties...

This one makes me think of summer and being warm...

Of course it really doesn't matter which image I select for my ticker. This is hardly a critical decision. So just image the FUN when it is something critical. My poor Hubby!

A friend of mine scored free tickets to the Billy Joel concert last week and shared with her closest friends. It was a fun and crazy time, even if we aren't the biggest Billy Joel fans ever. In retrospect I guess that was a good thing since Billy Joel's dad played in his place--he said Billy couldn't make it to the concert because he was too busy messing with his hair. In any event, I was able to take some cool photos of Billy Joel's "dad."

In other news, work and life have been good and busy. The only down side to this is that it's been pretty quiet on the knitting front. I've managed to knit one sock since my last blog update. And I've knit just a tiny bit of the second sock. There aren't any photos because it's just a sock, dude. Nothing exciting.

Maybe I'll have something interesting to show/tell next time. If I'm lucky..

Okay, I can hear the protests as I type this. Ravelry is the bomb. It is great. On most days, it is a wonderful source of inspiration. And to be perfectly clear, I should say that Ravelry did not directly steal my mojo. Not directly. Indirectly, though, it did.

A couple of months ago, a fellow Raveler invited me to join a knit along group. I'm not naming names as I do not wish to hurt anyone's feelings, but it involved socks, knitting a specific pattern, and the Olympics. Yeah, just typing those words makes me realize that I should have known this would be a crazy mix for me. I should have respectfully declined the invitation.

I've mentioned before that I do not knit well with others in a class or group setting and this apparently applies to knit alongs where you have to knit an assigned project within an established period of time and as a group. I just can't get into it. The pattern is perfectly lovely and the instructions are well written, but it just doesn't do it for me. I would probably never knit these socks on my own and I've found that I resist knitting them as a group too. So much so, that I haven't knit a stitch in weeks.

When I mentioned the need for a beautiful distraction in my last blog post, I really meant it. I haven't found what IT is just yet, but I know that the first step is to rip that sock that I'm just not feeling and remove myself from the Ravelry group.

Then I need to reclaim my knitting mojo.

It sounds so simple, yo.

I've been beating myself up over a stupid decision I made a month ago. It's one of those things that is over and done with and can't be changed. It's not life-threatening and there shouldn't be any fallout from it, but it was stupid and I regret it.

It's made me realize that I must not have a lot of regrets as a rule, as I have really been obsessing about this and generally feeling bad. Even though I know that worrying about it won't change it. I know that I have a clear understanding of where I went wrong. I know that I will not repeat this mistake in the future. I know I just have to get over my feelings of stupidity and move on.

Thing is, that's really difficult for someone as introspective as I happen to be. It's hard to stop thinking and analyzing every little thing. It's so difficult that I actually swung by the Self Hell isle recently for some therapy in the form of a book. And I think it has helped.

According to my self hell book, the answer to my habit of worrying is to find distractions. I'm thinking I need a beautiful distraction in the form of a new and challenging project. So, what to knit???

As far as the Knit Once blog is concerned, my name is mud. What with my lack of any kind of attention to the blog and all. And I know I deserve that name, but I just haven't been into the blogging lately and there are some things that just can't be forced. Writing on the blog is definitely one of them as far as I'm concerned.

Since I still don't really have much to say, I'll settle for a cool meme I saw over at Norma's* of all places.

What My Name Means

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

*Norma doesn't normally do memes.

It's finished!

I'm sick. Too sick to talk, blog, or even knit very much.

I do have a new project on the needles. Here's a couple photos I took  prior to coming down with the creeping crud:

More information available via Ravelry (must log in).

I was tagged by Erin for the seven random things meme. I think I've done this one before, but I'm too lazy to check. So, to be safe I decided to make my random things all knitting related. That is, if I can think of seven random knitting related things.

We'll see if I can come up with seven; here goes:

1. I've had the Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques on my bookshelf for years now and I just recently cracked it open and followed the guidelines for seams and picking up stitches for the Wheat Cable Vest. To say that it made a difference would be a serious understatement.

2. The Wheat Cable Vest is the only project I feel 100 percent happy about. I wouldn't change anything about the knitting; however, I might knit another someday, but use less sheddy/less itchy yarn next time.

3. I always use the backward loop method for casting on. I know there are other cast on methods, but this one is such a habit to me that it is second nature. I think I've perfected it so that it doesn't affect my finished item. Or so I think anyway.

4. For once, I do not have any knitting goals or objectives. It's kind of nice; however, upon completing the vest I have been a little lost as to what to knit next.

5. While not exactly a goal, I have been trying to finish a project before casting on for the next. I'm also trying to use up all of my stash.

6. I haven't bought new yarn in months. I've been to the yarn store and I've looked at the yarn. The problem is that I find that I already  have in my stash most of the new yarn I would like to buy.

7. My blog is ranked #5 when Googling "knitting mistakes" and this doesn't surprise me in the least.