Woolgathering

A quick look at Ravelry shows that I now have just the one WIP. The BSJ needs a few rows to see it finished - maybe half an hour’s work.

I could cast on a new project.

Or I could sign up for the WIPS wrestling event in the Ravelympics and tackle some of my officially dormant projects. I see seven six five ZZZ projects that are really WIPS-gone-cold. 17 days to WIP-em-off. Hmmm. 1 freeform project (doesn’t count - strike one), about 4.75 socks equivalent, and 2 most-of shawls (well, one isn’t even started, just swatched - strike two), and 1.25 mitts to do.

I think I’ll cast on the second Hamsa scarf, just to keep on the back burner simmering, and I’ll wake up the rainbow swallow tail shawl. Maybe I’ll even knit on Mr L’s socks…

I shan’t sign up for the Ravelympics, but will adhere to the spirit and do my own thing without external requirements being imposed.

It’s good to see the WIP and dormant piles going down - but there’s a lot of failed-start-again-stuff to work on as well, plus a huge stash of sock wool waiting for attention. Oh, and Mr L’s sweater to start on too!

I gave up on the Morning Surf wrap at 9:30 this morning, and washed and blocked it. It blocked to 74″ by 16″, which is just about the right length but 3 inches or so too narrow, really. It’s dry now and labelled and packed. Photos after the Show. Sadly, I found a large and glaring error as I unpinned the wrap. It’s no prize winner, but it’s all about making a good show, isn’t it? Not the winning of prizes…

I have two scarves ready for the Scarf class, and a pair of socks is joining the wrap in the 100 grams class. I managed to scrub up two so-so greetings cards, and a few dismal photographs - again, it’s just about filling the spaces really… For the “Other craft” section, I have nothing but skeins this year (last year I entered a hand-made stab-bound book.) That being so, I am now going to re-skein something vaguely interesting and doll it up a bit. Then, I think, we are ready to submit -  unless I take leave of my senses and begin to do some baking…

No. No fear, I am too tired for that.

Next year I will be more organised.

74 grams. About five feet long, unblocked. It’s 9:30 pm and my arm is screaming.

OK. So it won’t be on the blocking table tonight. Some time in the morning should do it, it will dry quickly - though I have many other things to be doing and could do without finishing off in the morning, really.

I shall give it one more hour, call it essentially done, then lose more than a few grams in an extravagant fringe to be added tomorrow after I cast off. Genius!

On the way to spinning today I stopped my bicycle to speak with R. I mentioned that I was madly knitting away ready to take my things in to the Show on Friday night. “You mean Thursday night,” she said…

Of course. I knew that. I knew the Show was on Friday 1st August, and not Saturday at all… So why hadn’t it impinged on my consciousness?

Anyway, my schedule is all out of kilter now. (Schedule? Ha!)

I have been furiously knitting my Tumult of Waves all day but the last time that I weighed it I had still only 64 grams in it. I’ll never make it to 100 grams - this lace cashmere goes such a long way, even when held double. I knitted a dark blue band into it this afternoon and it has spoiled the whole thing. If I had more time I would rip it back and remove that bit.

I’ll never be ready in time. And, seeing as Mr L can’t take time off for us to go to the Show together, I begin to wonder whether I shall bother entering anything at all.

On the other hand, I have two scarves washed and blocked and ready to enter, plus a pair of socks and one set of skeins is ready to go. But I  have no cards made, no photographs printed… no entry envelopes made up…

I don’t know. Ask me again tomorrow, around 9pm. I’ll know by then.

My bargain 10 balls of sock yarn from Astrid’s came today. Very nice indeed.

It’s done, and blocking - to 9″ by 46″

Photo in artificial lighting, with flash. I’ll try to get daylight shots later.

It was a bit of a marathon :-}

Onward! I shall try to finish the second Morning Surf tomorrow, but it’s only half done, maybe less.

You know that Sky and Water II is a replacement project for this weekend because Sky and Water I has some dropped stitches in it? You know how I have been knitting furiously through the pain barrier to get it finished in time? You know it is now just 1 pattern repeat from being finished?

Can you imagine how I feel to have just discovered that halfway through there is a dropped stitch? and it’s right in the line of yarnovers again!

*sob*

My head aches, my shoulder, elbow and wrist are all very sore…but the Sky and Water II scarf is now 85% done. I’d kind of like to get it blocked today if I can, but I know I should rest. What to do? *sigh*

If I stick to the pattern, I have two and a half repeats left to do. I’d like to do a few more, at least until my ball of yarn runs out. Perhaps an hour and a half of knitting to go, then.

Shall I?

If I do block this today, then I can finish the second Morning Surf scarf tomorrow… with a bout of determined knitting. The BSJ will take care of itself in bed. I *could* get them all entered in the Show on Friday night, but I shan’t have time to work up entries in other disciplines if I concentrate on my knitting.

oh, my… decisions!

Blimey - the car passed its test with no further work needed at all! Mr L is now doing my shopping for me, and we shan’t need to go back later in the week after all. Lucky old me.

Time for a lie down, my headache is gearing up again all of a sudden. I shall have to put some sheets on the bed first though, I had a fit of laundry excess this morning :-/

Hope Mr L brings something nice home for tea.

Really poor lighting conditions today, so utterly carp photos:

Ultimate Temptation, the Hamsa scarf is blocking (under a rather Heath Robinson arrangement in the kitchen) and I really wish I knew how to do a good job of blocking!

Gorgeous, gorgeous pattern. Must make another one soon.

The Merope socks finally got a photograph done, but I shall need to do better:

The Giggle yarn is being washed and I am stunned to find that the skeins have no bias at all! Here they are, pre-washing:

Aren’t we looking pink around here? Why is that? I don’t do pink!

Sky and Water II is back out for work, and the BSJ is about 3/4 done now.

Today was a total wipeout. A vile, vile, vile headache took me off my feet. I got up and showered, looked at my cereal bowl, threw up, went back to bed. The next thing I knew was that it was 4:30pm. I took some painkillers and came round slowly, with the help of a light tea provided by Mr L, and finally got myself vertical at half past six.

Of course, I didn’t know what to do with myself - I couldn’t read, or use the computer, or knit. So I started a  new spinning project, found that I couldn’t really get into it and was spinning rubbish instead of yarn. I decided to try the knitting then, being very peeved that I had been unable to finish the Hamsa scarf today as planned. I’ve managed half a repeat, but will have to put it down again now as my head is cranking up again. So, that’s nine repeats done, as per the pattern, and it is so tempting to call it done under the circumstances. But this yarn does shrink, and so I will be sensible and add the tenth repeat. It just isn’t going to be done today.

Now I don’t know what to do with myself…

Mr L has very kindly suggested that I stay home tomorrow. I still live in hope of finding the headache gone in the morning, but past history does not suggest much chance of that. I feel bad about it, he’ll have a long day to fill with nothing much to do and will have to carry what little shopping he can do on his own. I do hope that the car passes its test, though this is v unlikely. The old girl is getting a bit long in the tooth - just at that age where everything sags and wrinkles. Poor old bag - old enough to decay but not old enough to be interesting. Ah well, it happens to us all.

I’ve promised my dear bloke a sweater out of the current spinning. It must have been guilt that did it. Oh, my. What have I done? I shall be at it until next Christmas! I wonder if he can be persuaded to diet?