Startitis!

I have startitis in a big way, and want to knit on everything at once! Which of course means that each project sees very little process from week to week. I think I have 8 (semi-)active WIPs at the moment, so I will spare you from showing off all of them, and just picking out my favourites.

In order of casting on...

I absolutely adore my $5 in Paris. It was the first sweater I knit, and I love everything about it - the colours, the yarn, the fit. So I've been planning to knit myself another pretty much ever since. And last Friday I finally cast on for one :) Didn't get much past the swatching and initial caston, but at least I've started now!!! ... and bought yarn enough for two others - shhh... don't ask ;)

Next up is my second bigger crochet project. My niece's birthday is coming up, so I offered to make her something, and she ended up picking Lala the Panda by Stacey Trock. I started out on a 4.5mm needle, but thought it turned out a tad small, so I've now switched to a 5.5mm and will either rip back the smaller pieces, or see if I have yarn enough for two!
The two legs for comparison - there's quite a significant size difference even over just 12 rounds!

Earlier this week I signed up for another test-knit! The first in ages, but I simply couldn't resist this one. It's an absolutely adorable baby cardigan, and I knew just what yarn to use for it - some of the lovely Candy Skein yummy fingering that's been languishing in my stash for a couple of years :) Whenever I knit with CandySkein yarn, I feel tempted to buy more! It is SO wonderfully soft and a treat to knit with :) The cardigan is a quick knit, but I'm once again reminded that I'm really not too fond of purling :-P Guess my plans of making a full-size cardigan for myself are a tad on the optimistic side.
So cute! Love the eyelet edging especially :)

Finally I decided that since I have multiple knitting WIPs, I apparently need multiple crochet WIPs as well. In past years I have done cross-stitch projects for my nieces and nephews baptisms, but I really don't cross-stitch any longer, so I figured I'd start a new tradition and crochet something for my newest niece instead. And of course, every child needs a crocheted alien, right? Of course right! :)

So three time-sensitive items that all have to be done before April... fortunately I love them all, and my problem is more that I want to work on all of them at the same time :) The cardigan is getting most of my love these days though, as the test-knit has to be done by February 15th, so that's cutting it a bit close. But with no plans this weekend, I should be able to get quite far on it... unless the siren call of some of the other projects become too loud to ignore ;)

Year of Projects - Week... I've Lost Count

I've been neglecting my knitting posts (but not my knitting!) over the Christmas holiday, so this one will be looooong with everything that's been on my needles and off my needles since I last posted.

On the Needles
I have four active WIPs at the moment... some more actively active than others though ;)
Despite me not repeating my "12 Socks in 12 Months" challenge in 2015 I still find myself with socks on the needles. But socks make for perfect travel knitting, and I'm sure I can find people to gift them too, when I run out of space in my sock drawer ;) ... in fact, I've already promised these to Nina :)

I have it as a stated goal to finish these puzzle pieces this year - even better if I can do so as part of the Clean Slate Challenge that the Just One More Row podcast is hosting for January-February. Not terribly likely, as I'm still missing more than 30 pieces, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Another stated goal was to finish the 30 Valentines shawl this year, so I figured I'd better get started early. I managed 10 rows in one night, so not too shabby at all!

Finally the only WIP I've actually cast on this year. I've wanted to knit Martina Behm's Leftie for ages, and finally found the yarn I want to use for it. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will turn out. So far I'm loving it! :)


Off the Needles
A LOT of stuff, fortunately! But most of this will also be to show off my gorgeous nieblings in their Christmas knitwear :)

I promised photos of how the "Little Pole" turned out, and I couldn't be happier with how it looks! It fits my niece perfectly, and I am very chuffed that she didn't take it off all night :)

Rosa loved her Princess shawl, fortunately :) It was a bit of a gamble, as she hadn't actually asked for it, but according to my sister it was very popular :) I'm glad!

And of course, there's my newest niece - born on Christmas Day. I got to visit her a couple of days later, and saw her both wearing the socks I knit her, and snuggled under her blanket :)

A pair of cozy socks for my sister. I saw this yarn in the shop and it just screamed "Nina" - so of course I had to buy it and knit her some socks :) This is the first pair of socks I've knit in DK/worsted weight yarn, and it's amazing how much faster it knits up! I did mess up the heel slightly though, so they're a tad too big, but as they're supposed to be used on top of other socks, I'm not too worried.

Finally, another Elfe for myself :) Yes, this is the third Elfe I've knit in as many years :) I just love the way it knits up and the way it fits me. Besides, it uses less than 750 meters at my size, so it's the perfect way to use up gorgeous yarn without going broke ;) This is made from CandySkein yarn in the Tardis Tart and Bubblegum Ice Cream colourways.


Stash Stories
I've been bitten by a mad spinner ;) I'd been getting increasingly frustrated by my spinning, until I happened upon some youtube videos and discovered I was drafting all wrong! Or rather - I was drafted woolen instead of worsted (or perhaps the other way round? I was letting the spin get too far into the fiber in either case). Once I got that sorted out, the spinning went a LOT better. I soon realized that the spindle I'd bought in the US was far too heavy though - my yarn kept breaking more often than I thought it ought to. So on December 23rd I decided to purchase a Christmas present for myself, and went on Etsy to get two knew spindles and a LOT of extra fiber! :D

Spindles from Turtle Made, fiber from Wool Finch Studio.Despite Christmas and New Years, shipping was surprisingly fast! The spindles arrived between Christmas and New Years, and the fiber on January 2nd! So now I have lots of stuff to practise with :) I'm considering joining Kristin Voolenvine (of the Yarngasm Podcast) in her D-SPAKAL (spinning enough yarn for a shawl), but am thinking that might be a taaad too optimistic. But a girl can dream, right? :)