Knit the Queue 2013 - Final Review

Looking back to my first post on the matter, it looks like I pretty much hit the nail on the head: 2013 turned out to be pretty darn stressful. I did manage to do a lot of work on The Thesis, pretty much plan our wedding, move cities and job hunt. What I needed was a pool of knitting projects I could more or less grab and go from, and that's what Knit the Queue gave me and I'm thankful for that. Knitting this year has been an oasis of calm in the crazy, and has helped to keep me sane.

I'm happy to report that I had a great year knitting-wise, and made lots of beautiful things. It wasn't exactly what was on the list to start with, but I finished 25 objects in 2013. These were 10 pairs of socks, 5 pairs of gloves, 3 hats, 3 shawlsm 3 cowls and 1 cardigan. Miraculously, there were 25 objects in my queue at the beginning. There are a few things that have a story to tell though....

Things that are still on the needles

These numbered two, both jumpers. I think it's fair enough not to finish a jumper on a deadline - after all, you really don't want to mess it up by knitting it when you're not capable of doing a good job.

Skelf was cast on in July, but I have made little progress on it in the last three months due to house-moving fun (it got left at my parents'). It awaits the dreaded picking up of stitches, which in my head is a daylight job and will get done the next time I have a free hour during the day - so hopefully sometime before 2015.

Spoke is one I've been aspiring to knit for ages, and finally cast on in mid-November, knowing that it would be a big ask to get it done by the end of the year but that it was better to not procrastinate further (I've had the yarn since June 2012). I've progressed pretty well, but for the past couple of weeks it has stalled as we've reached a sewing-up stage before we move on to the sleeves. Also the yarn in that photograph looks totally unlike the yarn in real life - though I've had hours of trying and failing to do it justice! I will try again... sometime....

Things that totally didn't get made

These numbered three: some gloves, some stars and a tea cosy. Each has a different reason for not getting done.

I did try with the gloves. I like knitting gloves, mittens, etc., but when I tried the pattern I first picked out (Susie's Reading Mitts) with the yarn (Rico Design Essentials Cotton DK in Green), they went together like orange juice and toothpaste so I decided to stop. I tried a second pattern that involved cables, thinking cotton yarn would give great stitch definition, but got myself in a twist. I tried again with both patterns, and failed again. Away with ye.

The reason the stars didn't get knitted was much simpler: I planned to knit them over Christmas, being a festive idea, and didn't sit still for long enough to start a new project. I had a lot of sleep to catch up on, and I already had knitting projects on the go (more on that story later), and figured they were a better bet. I'll keep the pattern in my favourites, in case

The tea cosy is a sad story of a missing teapot, that I've searched high and low for and not found. I'm particularly gutted about this as my soon-to-be-husband bought it for me some years ago now. I live in hope that it's around somewhere, and when I find it I will design and make the most fabulous cosy for it. Until then, the idea is getting shelved and removed from the queue to prevent me going on a search for the teapot.

Things I made that weren't on the list

These numbered four: two shawls, one cowl and one pair of gloves. The gloves were the one and only knitted Christmas gift that I made, at the request of my Dad so I could hardly say no. They knitted up quickly and I was so happy with them,  I nearly stole them for myself. The cowl I knitted in an evening for my long-suffering partner, after he got quite panicked when he couldn't find his scarf (handknitted by me), and declared that he would like something that he can fit in a coat pocket. It didn't take much time or effort but he seems happy with the result.

As for those shawls, one I'm not telling you about yet. Sorry about that. It is beautiful but it is still not blocked, so if it weren't top-secret, it wouldn't really be a proper FO. The second shawl I wrote about quite a lot when I did it, because it was my first deviation from the Knit The Queue plan; a project I called Hopeless Wanderer, because I am and I like that song. And who could say no to such a delicious yarn and brilliant pattern? I am so happy with the result that, as far as I'm concerned, this was sweet rebellion. I'll let you have a look and make your own mind up.

Overall, I'm happy I did Knit My Queue, I'm happy with the results. I didn't knit anything that was too hard; I didn't cram at the end; and I made a few things that were off-piste but were all the better for it. Great stuff - now what will 2014 bring?

FOs: Three Pairs of Gloves

Another post in the Finished Object parade - it's all helping me to Knit My Queue. As we rolled into autumn, I became aware that I needed to crack on with the challenge I had set myself, and knitting gloves means that the number of projects reduces, without needing a massive increase in knitting time. And I've really enjoyed knitting these three.

First up are my Waterhouse Mitts [rav link], a p/hop pattern. I loved the pattern, though I tweaked it to use it with DK yarn I think I almost certainly made it worse. The yarn [Debbie Bliss Cashmerino] was great, and it's the first time I've used it and I cannot wait to use it again. I really enjoyed doing colourwork for what feels like the first time in ages! Fair isle might feel fiddly but it gave these mitts just the right amount of interest, but the pattern was intuitive and I found it very morish. The mitts are also really cosy for the tough, Aberdonian mornings I now regularly face - as a city, it does seem to have perfected the combination of wind and cold so that they both permeate straight through to my skin while I innocently wait at the bus stop.

Secondly, these cabled mitts, a well-written free pattern [rav link] if somewhat unimaginatively named the One-Cable Mitts. If I were knitting for Christmas, I would almost certainly knit them again; making them in Aran weight yarn meant they flew off the needles in a single evening. I went down a needle size as they seemed a bit big, and I had to forget the ribbing at the top of the hand as I ran out of yarn. I like the result so on balance, I really enjoyed this project!

Finally, I have knitted one Christmas present. These are for a long-time friend of the family, after she admired my fingerless mittens when we were on a walk in the Dales. Apologies for the low-quality phone photo; there was not a lot of time to snap these! The pattern is the Nalu Mittens [rav link], which I modified to remove the tiny amount of seed stitch. The yarn is Artesano Superwash Merino in Teal (5167), which a Google Image Search shows (certainly better than the photo!) is a sort of deep aquamarine - deeply fabulous, too! It seemed like it would be lovely and cost but not itchy, fingers crossed that comes true!

FOs: Two hats

Oh dear, blogging fell off the end of my to-do list this week! It has been a helluva week - travelling the length and breadth of the country on top of the usual thesis writing. All that travelling did mean I saw lots of lovely people though :)

Anyway, back to catching up on my FOs. I finished a couple of hats that were part of my knitting the queue 2013 plans. Actually, since I last blogged regularly, I started them too - though the yarn featured in an earlier post. It was going to become a hat, but we were fighting about the pattern. Fortunately, we found the ideal solution...

I am really happy with this project - it fits really well and the garter border is really snuggly, and covers my ears which is always a plus. It could probably be a bit more beret-style too, I just prefer my hats further back on my head.

Pattern: Mayrose by Woolly Wormhead, queen of hats [rav link]. Not the first WW pattern I've knitted, and like the others, well written, well laid out and easy to follow.
Yarn: Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK, from the sale bin at Wool for Ewe.

Now, Hat The Second:

A good, solid hat - possibly a little big on me so I might see if anyone would like it for Christmas.

Pattern: Cafe au Lait Tam by Kathryn C [rav link]. A well-written pattern, easy to pick up and quick to knit.
Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend DK in Petrol (Blue/Teal). Bought at baa ram ewe in Harrogate, just because the shop and staff were so lovely.

FO: Dunkerton Sweet and Vorticity

Despite my absence, worry not: I have been knitting. It has been quite a productive month in terms of knit the queue - first off, I have finished four socks. So I don't overwhelm you all, that's all you're going to hear about today.

Pattern: Dunkerton Sweet by Jen Arnall-Culliford [rav link]. Really well-written pattern; I found the lace logical and pretty easy to learn, and the nearly-new thing to me was that they had 'footedness' - I've only done that once before and frankly, I was worrying about other things with that project. 

Yarn: Skein Queen Entwist in Beauty Berry (cranberryish red), the last of the three skeins of sock yarn I got at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show 2012. Delicious stuff to knit with, high twist and beautifully semisolid, perfect for socks.

If I had my time again, I might make the leg longer as I had plenty of yarn left - but it would only be by half a pattern repeat and, as they're top-down, that would mean I'd have to think about it. Generally loved the whole project though :)

And here's the second pair...

Pattern: Vorticity by Alice Yu [rav link]. I will admit, it did stretch my brainpower in places, but once I'd got my head around it, not too bad. Delighted with the result.
Yarn: High Twist BFL/Nylon by Wharfedale Woolworks. The inimitable Steph had it custom dyed for me in a colourway called 'A Typical British Summer's Day', so of course it is the colour of the sky just before a thunderstorm kicks off. Fabulous stuff to knit with; I heartily recommend it.

These are a bit of a geeky project, given my love of the weather, particularly storms and wind. Vorticity is a quantity that measures how much 'spinniness' something has - if you can imagine a tornado, it has a lot of vorticity! There is quite a lot of it knocking about in thunderstorms and the sort of things I work on. It seemed like a perfect match.

Both great patterns, both great yarns, and how I have more cosy socks! Hope you stop by again soon to hear more of my knitting exploits.

The Kindness of Strangers

Another week, another finished object. I cast these guys on back in February, knowing that they were going to be a slow-burning project. This is just down to the fact that the pattern involves a lot of cabling; one in every 4 rows is cabling every single stitch. Not something to do in half-light or when half-asleep.

I knitted away, finishing the first sock back in April. I carried on and then disaster struck: I ran out of yarn, at possible the worst point. I was so invested I couldn't rip back and knit another pattern, but not so far that I could get away with just minor adjustments to the pattern I was using. The socks got sent to the naughty corner, and we had a cooling off period.

Mid-August comes and I start to have an assess of  what was lying around and what was going to be easy to finish (though I was a bit slack in blogging and only confessed how bad things had got on the 28th). Dig out the socks, and decide that the only real solution is to get more yarn. In the hopes of not having to buy a whole new skein, I get on ravelry and do a little stash-searching, trying to find someone local who had a little bit to spare. Enter, hawthorn. She is the kind stranger that the title refers to. She's made a beautiful Baby Surprise Jacket in this yarn. This left her with had a little bit of yarn to spare, which she was willing to send to me.

Hoorah! It was enough!! It's not the same dyelot but it doesn't bother me. Six months is too long to have any pair of socks on the needles. I wanted them away. Needless to say, I am very happy with the result. It's a great combination of pattern and yarn, and has made some really cosy socks.

Knit The Queue 2013

This month, I have technically only finished one project from Knitting the Queue. I did additionally make some grey socks for my Grandpa, but as they weren't in the plan I'm not sure if they count - equally, him getting ill wasn't in the plan either :(

On a brighter note, we are down to ten things in the queue! Woohoo! I'm glad to be at this landmark, even if it seems a bit insurmountable at this point (particularly given how many WIPs I have - more on that story later).

Four things I know exactly what they're going to be: the three in the photo are [l-r] Waterhouse mitts, Dunkerton Sweet socks, and Susie's Reading mitts. I also have the yarn and pattern ready to go for the Spoke jumper, but feel like I need something else off the needles first.

Three things I know what they're going to be ([l-r] gloves, hat and hat), but haven't totally settled on a pattern yet. I'm pretty sure the hats are going to be one Rylands Cabled Hat and one Cafe au Lait Tam, but don't know which way round yet - opinions welcome.

There are also a few things in my queue that I'm definitely going to make, but don't have the yarrn yet:

1. the Bandana Cowl means I have to buy yarn, and don't know what brand/colour to go for. A trip to the yarn shop for a little contemplation is clearly needed ;)
2. the Star Tea Cosy is something I intend to design myself, in order to make it match my teapot. Needs a little research and time for the ideas to form properly. I know the colours so could probably go yarn shopping tomorrow, but otherwise I have no idea where I'm going with it!
3. the little knitted stars I plan on making for Christmas need me to finish with some white/cream yarn, from (1) the navy blue mittens I'm making for my OH, (2) the Waterhouse mitts above, (3) the star tea cosy.... alternatively, I might have some standard acrylic white DK in my stash somewhere, so I could just go digging. Though that would defeat the object a tad, of getting rid of scrappy little bits of yarn. 

That all seems fairly under control, right? And not at all impossible by New Year's Eve.....?

Holiday Knitting Plans

Dear readers, I have a quandary. I am going away for a few days but none of my projects are ideal. Let me review for you:

First up, Skelf. This is on hiatus until this warm weather ends - it's just too hot to sit with most of a worsted-weight jumper on your lap! [Yes I will keep thinking of excuses not to knit it.] Even if it were cooler, it is not sensible to take an entire jumper away for a week - unless I'd have a lot of knitting time. We're flying to a city break. Next!

The gloves I'm knitting for OH are also on a go-slow. I'm not enjoying these at all at the moment; scared of running out of yarn and keep having to rip back every time I knitted a finger, he tried it on and it was too small. Lost the loving feeling, but at least OH will be on the holiday to keep trying them on - though as I said, it is quite warm at the moment and whether he will want to try them on is another matter!

My blue criss-cross socks are definitely in time-out. I was doing so well and going great guns...

...and then, disaster struck:

Oh yes, that is how much yarn I have left to finish the second sock. A real moment for curse words. Shoved them into time-out until I work out what to do with them.


So what am I actually knitting at the moment, since everything is too rubbish / too hard / too big? The answer is some lovely socks, in a pattern called Kalajoki [rav pattern link] in Yarn Yard Yarn I bought two years ago. The colour is called Haar, named after the sea mist that affects the east coast of Scotland [according to Wikipedia] and it is beautiful to knit with. I'm racing through these with their just-addictive-enough pattern and slightly-larger-than-normal needles.

So now I need to decide whether to start something for the holiday. It's times like these I am glad of my approach to Knitting The Queue this year; to have a selection of projects I can choose from. I've narrowed it down to two options:

First, vorticity. This pattern and this yarn (from Wharfedale Woolworks) have been wedded together for some time. Things have been holding me back, sadly: the pattern is on 2mm needles (teeny tiny!); plus, I've mostly been going down one needle size on the sock body and two for the ribbing, which I don't own. However, now my gauge seems to have evened itself out a bit more, and so I could probably knit the body on 2mm and just slightly reduce the number of stitches in the ribbing. Ready to go!

Second, daffodil. I will admit that this yarn has been giving my pause for thought when looking at my queue. I thought I would make a classic, symmetric triangular shawl but then the pooling bugged me; it was random and chaotic (good) then pooled for ~12 rows (fine), but the two together were a bit funny-looking. Instead, we're going to try knitting a cowl with it, and hope that it doesn't flip between pooling and not, but at least picks one and sticks with it! I've got a slightly odd yardage (339yds/310m) so I've gone with the Irish Mesh Cowl [rav link], which takes 220yds/201m. So this one is ready to go, too!

What say you? Should I take two new projects away with me? Or should I be a good girl and take an old project to finish? 

Knit the Queue 2013

Back in January, I decided to try to knit my ravelry queue this year. We were at 25 projects, and when I realised I only knitted 19 things in 2012 my heart did sink somewhat. Given that I have quite a busy year going on, I more or less decided that it would be a great way of quickly choosing what to knit next without doing research on ravelry.

First the progress so far: currently in my queue are 13 items. "Great news!", I hear you cry; "it's still May and you're past halfway". I too did this, before the sinking feeling began in my stomach. I've only finished 8 things this year, and extrapolating that means you end up with 19.2 finished items for this year. More than a little short of the target.

I'm trying to comfort myself with the fact that these 8 finished objects include 5 pairs of socks (plus 2 pairs of gloves and 1 hat), and socks are labour-intensive. Plus, all of the 4 things* on the needles (all in the photographs) are more than half finished. Some so very nearly finished, like the purple mittens. However, this is on shaky ground too; I still have two jumpers to finish, one to start, and 5 pairs of socks still in that queue.

Too short - you can see my watch strap :(

This means that the guilt rolls in. I am prone to this, and it takes a lot for me to separate guilt from knitting. After all, it's my hobby, and your hobby should be something you enjoy doing. My coping strategy is going to be to keep my head down, carry on knitting as much as I possibly can, and have another look at the big picture in a few months.

*that 13 in the queue + 8 finished + 4 on the needles = 25 is miraculous. Total fluke though; I suspect some things were deleted from the original 25-item long queue, as I had a couple of things on the needles at the start of the year. Oh well, we will never know what they were and they will not be missed.

Green Socks, More Green Socks, and a Hat

Of course, as soon as I decide I am going to blog once a week even if i only say it to myself, I utterly fail.  Another gap in the blog caused by another slightly mad period of work and socialising. Ah, the difficult life of a PhD student.

Meanwhile, I have finished a few things; all patterns I loved and would heartily recommend - for me, they were the perfect balance of enough to keep me interested, but not so much I get frustrated. Mostly cracking on with my attempt to Knit The Queue this year - more on that story later!

First up, one of my hangover projects from last year: Mum's birthday socks, first mentioned in my blog post here and finished three weeks ago. The birthday happened so you can see them now

Pattern: Caretta Caretta, from Socktopus by Alice Yu. Good and well-written, and I love this book generally. A pretty classic top-down, flap-and-gusset heel, kitchener-stitch toe jobby, but with some pretty lacework on it.

Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft 4ply in Toxic (shade 459), from John Lewis in Aberdeen. Lovely and soft, with enough stitch definition to make it all worthwhile - though prone to occasional felted stretch of yarn (I have maybe 3 in the project, but only one was so long I did some cutting and Russian joining).

The second FO is the first thing from my knit the queue plans. I have forgotten how fabulous knitting hats is! Give me a short lace repeat and I'll hardly be able to put it down! After a load of socks, it was lovely to be knitting on something that bit bigger. This photo probably shows off the pattern best - it's a good slouchy shape (which you get from going up a needle size) with some good if sudden crown shaping. I think it's come out a bit big for me round the brim - I'd probably knit that portion on even smaller needles if I could have another go at it. But overall, a winning combination, don't you think?

(Apologies for the PJs - long day!)

Pattern: Pavone by Wooly Wormhead. Brilliantly designed and well-written, as always.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (DK), partly bought from the sale bin in Wool for Ewe, Aberdeen, and partly scrounged off my lovely (generous!) friend Naomi. The colour is a petrol blue - somewhere in between the two photos, but leaning towards the first.

And last but by no means least, I've finished another pair of socks! These I loved  - or  maybe it's fairer to say I got addicted to them! The pattern is very moreish, and I loved the yarn, a beautiful semi-solid that my camera struggles to capture. Also, I probably should have pulled my socks up before taking the photo.... oops!

Pattern: Hundred Acre Wood  from Socktopus by Alice Yu (again!). Yes I really do love this book....
Yarn: from The Yarn Yard, though actually bought from The Yarn Cake in Glasgow. I have a bit of a thing for this sock yarn, it is beautiful and sturdy.

The socks are toe-up and had an interesting twisted construction, out of which the leaves grow, which I liked. The heel is flap-and-gusset, which I have never done ona  toe-up. Generally, I loved it - except the not aligning the slip stitches on the back - it took about four goes on the first sock and two on the second as I clearly just like things lining up. I would not do that again in a hurry

I guess I have been kinda productive in my absence! I thought I'd show you my success first - there have been a few stumbling blocks lately. More on that story another time. 

Plan for 2013: Knit the Queue

Last year's plan had an air of self-improvement about it - and one reason for that was knowing 2013 was going to be busy. I'm sitting here in the first few days of January, looking down the barrel of it. The main thing I need to do is The Thesis, but after that there is our wedding to plan, and moving cities, finding a job and then buying a house. Not all of this is definitely happening this year, but it's on the agenda.

How do I deal with stress? I'm pretty sure this will be stress on a whole new plane, but past form suggests knitting, baking and social things. Over the past few days, I have been making plans for the knitting. I heard about mooncalf's Knit the Queue idea weeks ago, but things have been festively hectic and I've only just found the time to sort my queue out. This was definitely a two-way process - both 'I want to knit that - what can I make it with?' and 'I have this yarn - what can I make with it?'. The result is a whopping 25 projects*:

• 2 hats
• 6 gloves/mittens
• 10 pairs of socks
• 3 cowls/shawls
• 1 jumper
• 1 tea cosy
• 2 decorations (hearts and stars)

I have 6 things that need yarn - though 3 of these are acrylic DK jobs so not too much hassle. This was deliberate though - I don't want to ban myself from yarn shops for a year! - but I have to buy yarns that match to a project I want to make. 

The question now is where to start? I'm wondering if I should take January to finish up everything that's still hanging over from last year, but I don't want to start feeling behind. As I'm getting to know my knitting personality, the alternative is that I'll knit the smaller and easier things, to reduce the length of the queue as quickly as possible. The socks are going to be spaced throughout the year, as they are ideal long train ride knitting - something like gloves or a hat I would worry that I could finish during a 12-hour round trip!

My current attitude is to hell with the planning; at least for now, I'll use my queue as a Smörgåsbord of options, and pick what I'm in the mood for, and just crack on.

*according to ravelry, I did only knit 19 things last year - hmmm, I may have bitten off more than I can chew.