Wednesday 19 September 2012

WIP Wednesday - A Beginning

I've been lurking around the WIP Wednesday posts for some time now thinking that I would post about my knitting one of those days. I find it is quite daunting. Daunting to suddenly gatecrash the party, so to speak, and daunting to bare all, to show all those WIPS that have been weighing me down for most of this year. But here goes.
I don't know how it happened. I always have a couple of things that, if I am to be honest, are more abandoned projects than WIPS. I find it very difficult to pick something up again once it has been set aside in favour of another project. But this year has been far worse. Here is an effort to get some perspective on it.
Perhaps I can be permitted to start with a success story. This is more a finished project than a WIP… but I can't wait for FO Friday, I have to do this. Now. Today.
In January, hmmm, it may have been February, anyway, I started knitting the 2010 Advent Calendar Scarf as part of a KAL. IMG 2251 The idea was that we would knit two Days some months, three Days others. It started well and I made a discovery. I do not like Nupps. In fact, I would go so far as to say I do not see what the fuss is all about except, perhaps, for the challenge. But maybe I have changed my mind since finishing the scarf. IMG 2703 I should have said before - it was destined to be a table runner, not a scarf. And that was the finished article. Finished because I was going to run out of yarn, not because the KAL was finished. I still had six Days to go. So, what to do with six Days to finish the KAL. Well, I have some cotton yarn in stash that I bought in Italy some years ago so I decided that I would knit a couple of table mats. That should do the trick. IMG 2864 The first three Days are now completed and all that is left is the final border, cast off and block. I should add that this time, instead of slipping the first stitch of the row I slip the last stitch (yf, s1 purlwise). It seems to work better. I was disappointed with the somewhat ragged border on the table runner. And one more thing - I thought that one ball of cotton would easily do two table mats. Wrong!!! So now I will be using the same yarn, different colour, for the second mat. Happily, both colours match my dinner service. We can have his and hers!
Next WIP is the Just Right Socks I have just started for Tony. I have added 8 extra stitches as the pattern only gives one size (medium). I'm not expert at knitting socks so will be looking for help when it comes to turning the heel. Here is a first pic: IMG 2860 So then I continue on to the Jubilee Diamonds shawl that I started way back in May. It is a lovely pattern, designed my Frances Powell of Buttercup Miniatures. I am much further on than the photo suggests but other knitting got in the way and, well, I need to just sit down and get started again. Of course, I don't take adequate notes as I go along so I have to work out exactly where I was when I left off. IMG 2518 After that, the 2011 Advent Calendar Scarf. I only managed a few Days - six I think. DSC01645 Should I continue? Well, there is one I would like to abandon. It is the Lady of the Lake Sweater. It is ZZZing at the moment. The yarn is impossible to frog so I do simply need to just bin it. Sad. It was expensive too. It's nearly finished, but I just don't like it and know I will never wear it. The yarn is gorgeous though. Maybe I should let it ZZZ a bit longer. DSC02451 That is probably enough of a confession for a first blog but perhaps one last WIP. This was another test knit, Vintage Love Summer Top and there are only a few hours work to get it completed. I love the pattern, very pretty but this is an example of using the wrong yarn. It is too thick and I have a finer yarn in stash that would be perfect. DSC02454DSC02454 That isn't all. Of course it isn't. But it is enough for now. Time to go block that table mat that I have now finished. And then knit socks this evening. Bliss.
Oh, and one final thing - a link back to Tami's Amis and Work-in-Progress Wednesday.

3 comments:

  1. My WIPs far, far outnumber my FOs. I always have excellent intentions when I start something new, but.....

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  2. Welcome to Wip Wed. I'm sure you'll find that we're an easy going bunch! I felt awkward at first, but after a few posts it was smooth sailing!
    It looks like you've taken on some very ambitious projects. Your table runner is just stunning.
    I think you'll find you're not alone and that many of us suffer from having multiple projects happening at once!

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