Baby cables and big ones too

It wouldn't fit in the fancy schmancy light box, but I finally got a picture of this finished object. Baby Cables and Big Ones Too took me about 33 days to knit on size 5 needles with 10 skeins of Debbie Bliss cotton Cashmere. I really enjoyed knitting it. The pattern is knitting top down in all one piece. No seaming!
Eh. Maybe I'll see about a better picture one day.

Frogged already

Yesterday I was stricken by startitis. You see, Mandy posted photos of her newest FO on her blog. Realizing that I had the book with the pattern and some great yarn. The yarn is a fawn colored laceweight blend of yak and silk from Shaska Designs. I also have a great desire to do a laceweight lace project. I've never finished one. But Mandy inspired me. Icarus looks like one I might be able to do.

So I cast on and worked on it. And just now ripped it out. I missed a major concept in the first chart. Oh well. It was only one day's work.

And now with new pictures

I'm not a photographer. I'm a knitter. So I've always been a little disappointed with the photographs on this blog and on the Rock Creek Yarn site. That's kind of why I've been stalling on posting; the pictures suck. But the other day I went to the craft store and bought some tissue paper and poster board. Yesterday was spent cutting and gluing, and today I have a light box.

Right now I'm working on updating the pictures on the web site with nicer ones:

New (and old) knits for the new year

In looking at my knit from 2008, I realize three things. One, I tend to knit a lot of spur of the moment small projects. Two, I feel like I need to interject some structure to my knitting life. And three, I probably cannot keep any more order to my knitting life than I can to my stash. However, I still feel like I need to give number two a shot and do some 2009 knitting planning.

First things first. I have some projects that are shamefully still on the needles and have been there for over a year. Here I refer to projects on the needles that I actually like and may finish. These include:

1. The Oriel Lace Blouse that I started 20 pounds ago. It may not be knitted to fit me right now, but still want to finish it. Only the front remains unknit. I guess I have a couple of choices for what to do about the fact that it is unlikely to fit me as soon as it could theoretically be done. First, I could patiently put it away until a future time when I can wear it. Or there's the second course of action. It's made of alpaca. Perhaps it could be blocked to fit.

2. Those Durin socks. After Summer of Socks 2008, these got put away even though they were nearly done. I was burnt out on socks at precisely the wrong time because I was writing the pattern up to put it on sale. As soon as I can stomach the sight of socks on needles again, I really ought to finish them.

3. The last project shouldn't really be lumped in here. It's a love affair of mine so intense that I can only endure it for several days at a time before my heart and hands are exhausted and we need some time apart. It's the Rheingold Wrap. I love love love it. It's creeping toward being done, and I can probably finish it in two more good goes. Sigh.

As for the rest on my list, meh. I recently cast on that hoodie, and it's been zooming along for the last three weeks. Like all my recent projects, I can't seem to photograph it. That is, I can't get the gumption together to fight with the camera. And the rest of the projects? Like I said, meh. They'll get done some day.

So now I'm looking forward to knits for 2009. Hats are on my list, but I know not which ones. I'm sure I'll knit socks, but I can't fathom it now. One that's definitely on my list to start, if I can get the book for it at the library, it St. Brigid by Alice Starmore. For a small project, I've been eyeing Eunny Jang's Anemoi Mittens for over a year. In the midst of all this dreaming, though, I have to remember that it could all be for naught. I've heard that a late holiday gift is on it's way from Scotland...

Time for thinking

Over the last two weeks, I've spent days worth of time in the truckster. It's a lot of time to spent driving, and the Amazing E and I have logged well over 2,000 miles on the road between our trip to Chicago and our trip to Tennessee. It was a lot of alone time to talk and to sit and think while not talking.

During that time I knitted. Once again, my bad habit of no pictures has stricken. I also thought about my 2008 projects. I forgot one more. Quant.