I’ve been fighting it. Casting on for more shawls, I mean. It’s not that I’ve been taken over by all the wonderful shawl patterns that have been published recently, it’s that my yarn is being noisy again. It all seems to want to be shawls. I generally try not to cast on TOO many things, but now I think it’s beyond my control.

I have at least four shawls that I want to knit next – all from my stash. So … if I listen to my noisy stash and cast on for these shawls, I will have a total of about six shawls on the needles. I think juggling that many projects would make my head explode. … but all the potential projects that I want to knit are already driving me crazy(er) …

Ok … let’s see…

1. Simple Yet Effective Shawl – on the needles – stalled again because I need the spin more yarn for it. It’s still not big enough.
2. Ulmus – on the needles – almost to the lace edge
3. Show Your Colors Shawl – in that pink Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton. ‘Tis a gift, just took a while to settle on a pattern.
4. Attabi Wrap – Some handspun yarn I just bought cried out to be part of this shawl. I will have to buy some yarn to be a contrasting color.
5. Daybreak – Use the ‘Doesn’t Want To Be Socks‘ Handspun and maybe the purpley ‘Yummy‘ yarn I have.
6. Impatience – A beautiful pattern, perfect for the Dream In Color ‘Starry’ I just bought. … What? It was Romeo Blue. I couldn’t resist.

*looks at list* Omigosh!

Do you see my dilemma? *thinks for a moment* Maybe I will cast on for the ‘Show Your Colors Shawl’ and that will drown out the noise from the other three. But alas, I know that in the end, Resistance Is Futile.

And finally… you didn’t think I’d mention stash in the list above without showing it to you, did ya?

‘Spectrum’ – spun by DebbieB. I’ve admired her spinning for awhile and I finally had to buy a skein.

Dream in Color ‘Starry’ in the colorway ‘Romeo Blue’. Oooo… Sparkles!

Ta ta for now!

I am so glad that it is Friday. It’s been a rough week.

Since my handspun shawl is kinda stalled until I can spin more fiber , I pull out the Ulmus and started working on it. I try to have about three projects on the needles for this very reason. The Ulmus still an enjoyable knit even though I haven’t worked on it for a while. My favorite part is the color sections, seeing where the colors will land.

I will say that my stash has been calling to me again. I never realized how noisy fiber can be. Which fiber to be exact, you ask? (I know you didn’t ask, but humor me, please. )

Alpaca with a Twist’s Big Baby – two skeins of luscious alpaca yarn – bulky. It’s telling me that it wants to be a scarf. A Christmas present scarf. But… that would be silly, right? Starting a scarf, destined to be a present, one month before Christmas…

…wouldn’t it?

I love when the yarn label tells exactly what the yarn is.

It’s Fibranatura’s ‘Yummy‘.

I couldn’t have described it better!

It followed me home from the yarn store.

Honest.

Do you knit everyday? I do. It’s very rare that I’ve missed a day since the beginning of the year. I never expected a ‘hobby’ to become so much more than that – Therapy – Solace – just something to do while waiting in line for 30 minutes a the bureau of motor vehicles or to quiet the mind when there’s just too much goin’ on in there. Therefore, it’s been kinda scary the last couple of days when I was almost too tired to knit. … I said ‘almost’. Even if I only have time to knit a couple of stitches, I make sure to make time for my knitting. It’s that important.

I shall end this post with pictures the two small skeins of sock yarn I got at the yarn store yesterday to expand the color palette of this years ornaments.
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I love this one – It’s ShibuiKnits Sock in the colorway, Peony.

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and I wanted a purple so I got this – Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet in a pretty periwinkle.

My handspun shawl is still growing. I still love knitting it. I got a longer needle and it make knitting much each easier w/out my knitting being so scrunched up.

One more thing – go visit The Kniterella View – She has instructions to make a yarn ball wreath. Who needs the Starbucks version when you can make and customize your own! (And if you Google ’starbucks wreath’, you see other people who have made one as well.)

ta ta for now!

Oh My Goodness! Just like I couldn’t stay away from my spinning wheel this summer, now it’s the knitting. Yarn I didn’t know what to do with is now screaming at me, telling me what it wants to be. I’m not complaining, mind you, because I know what it’s like to have a creative block, but it’s frustrating that I can’t start every project idea that seems to come to me almost every day.

The most recent one is a possible blanket. Remember that 100% organic cotton yarn I bought back in April?

My original idea did not work and I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what to make with it.

Recently, I remembered some yarn I bought at a fiber fest this past Spring.

It’s ‘Island Cotton’ in the colorway ‘Sunset’ from The Weaver’s Loft. (yeah, I know…again with the rainbow… )

Both yarns are very similar in texture and weight. I thought maybe if I knit squares and have a mostly natural colored blanket with a few splashes of color, it would be pretty. On US size 10 needles, that would knit up pretty quickly, I’d think. I’ve been wanting to make something for an aunt who is allergic to wool. This might fit the bill. (Even if a blanket doesn’t work out, I think the two yarns would work well together.)

If push comes to shove, I could use the other skein I got from The Weaver’s Loft in a similar fashion and make something for me. (It’s also Island Cotton and the colorway is ‘Twilight’)

So much knitting, so little time. BUT… it gives me something to work toward, right?

I forgot to show you the yarns I have in my stash to make the log cabin blanket. Some are leftover from projects and others are full skeins that I never ended up using. It annoys me to have all this yarn sitting around so I happy to have a project to put it all (or most of it) to good use.

I couldn’t have planned this project better. Blue, purple & red are my favorite colors!