Katzundyarner Bits

I have spent the last two months knitting, although it's not apparent to anyone who is not privy to my living room. The cats know I have been knitting and some have tasted the yarn. DH knows I have been knitting because he has been commenting on the accumulation of bags by the recliner and the dust bunnies that apparently only I can vanquish with the vacuum. DD#3 knows I have been knitting because she has informed me she does not wear handknits. Maybe she doesn't.

Why project monogamy is a waste of time.



December 1 - the point where I realized my mistake. Very expensive yarn, worked carefully by alternating two colorways to make a variation on EZ's Bog Jacket. The variation is that I knit it from the top down, or from the bottom of the sleeve seam, over the shoulders, and down the back and around the front. I wasn't entirely sure that I had enough yarn so I postulated that making a slightly shorter jacket in reverse was better than knitting according to instructions only to discover would not be enough (discontinued) yarn to finish the project. Well, as one can see, this jacket might have worked if I hadn't planned for the wingspan of a California condor. Seems clear that there is enough yarn to make the jacket according to the impeccable instructions already worked out by Elizabeth Zimmermann. What was I thinking?

Lorna's Laces Chunky Swirl in Vera and Watercolor from Nana's Knit Shop. Whatever

Therapy

To get that bad taste out of my mouth, I bought some books on half.com, including America Knits and YarnPlay. America Knits is a compendium of wisdom and projects that could be the one and only book a knitter could have in her library. Any of the projects would be satisfying and keep one happy for a lifetime. I have plans to make the Latvian mittens with my $3 Dale of Norway yarn. I look at the pictures and plot my escape from reality. But YarnPlay has projects to scratch the itch now. One bathmat as seen in the wild:



4 skeins each of Sugar-n-Cream Potpourri Ombre and Countryside Ombre knit double-stranded on size 10.5 (I return over and over again to this colorway). The project did not turn out exactly but it's square when there aren't big wet footprints splotching it down.

What DD#3 doesn't wear.



I bought yarn for this project last year, when she was enthusiastic about me making her something. She picked the sweater vest from Louise Hardings Winter's Muse Classics (Audrey). Now she doesn't want it. A small project, with great interest at the beginning, then stockinette on 'til morning. I resisted adjusting the pattern to knit in the round. A little trim at the neck and armholes. If she still doesn't want it when it's beautiful, maybe my sister would like it.

Frog Tree, alpaca sport, from Loopy Yarns supposed to be on 3 and 6 but I think my gauge called for smaller.

A little snack



Inspired but unmoved at the time, by the afghan Kay organized for the Oliver raffle, I have begun to knit my leftover sock yarn into 4" squares. I can't say I will ever assemble these squares but I would have them handy to pass on to anyone who wants to make an afghan, for instance. Cast on 3, knit and M1 at the end of each row until the straight edge equals the required length. Then knit within 3 stitches, K2tog, knit 1. I remember that Kay especially appreciated knitters who slipped the first stitch of each row and blocked each square. This is yarn left over from Christmas present socks to DD#1 and DD#3. Maybe she wears stealth handknits.

I have other projects in progress but it seems I have 2 months to work on them before I post again. ;-)