When Knitting (and life) Attack!

This post comes with a massive caveat that things round here have got a little too busy. I'm getting a little stressed as I watch all of the plates spinning, just waiting to drop one. Knitting has been used for stress relief in the past, notably towards the end of my Masters and just as I started my PhD. I will try to avoid this turning into The Blog Of A Crazy Lady but let's just say - you've been warned! It's probably better to not ask how I'm doing.

It has not been a great week knitting-wise either: my main story is definitely a When Knitting Attacks. I tried to knit a hat - a simple enough task in theory, but in practice not so much. I have had to frog it completely, twice. The yarn is some red Sublime Merino DK, which I love as it's more or less the same as what I knitted Lauriel with (less wool content, different colour). First, I had a go at the Rylands Cabled Hat [rav link] and didn't get past the brim as I got muddled at the transition. Then, I tried another pattern called Haywire [rav link] and got past the brim, but the hat was just turning out the wrong shape. The yarn went into the naughty corner, but might not have spent long enough there. I've started the Godric's Hollow Hat [rav link] but I fear it is a little on the large side; I've knitted for maybe an inch since the brim, and the brim is a bit slippy. I've not got far enough to check my gauge, but I think it's heading back to the naughty corner for a little cooling off time.

And an extra bit of bad news is that I've been meaning to design and knit a cosy for a teapot, bought for me by my other half. This week, I have totally failed to find this teapot anywhere :( not only am I sad because the teapot has sentimental value and I'm really worried it's been left somewhere in a housemove, I was really looking forward to having a go at designing, too.

Let's end with a positive! What I've mostly been knitting since I last wrote to you has been socks. These socks have been going like a dream, and like the oasis in the desert I have been devouring them. The lace pattern is a bit complicated for it to be 'brainless' knitting, but in all honesty that isn't what I need at the moment. When I knit, what I need is something that absorbs me enough that I don't think about all of the other things I'm supposed to be doing. These socks are doing just that, and they're flying off the needles!

Socktopus

For my birthday (in July), I bought myself the book Socktopus. I had a good nosey on ravelry and loved the patterns, had a flick through and liked the look of it, and got some birthday money for just such a purchase (I think the tagline was something along the lines of, 'buy something for yourself - though I know you have too much yarn!).

As is the way with these things, they tend to sit in the back of my head and then emerge months later, fully-formed ideas and projects I can imagine casting on tomorrow. This is what has happened over the past month or so. I now have four projects lined up from this book (and that's before I've let the yarn from Harrogate Knitting and Stitching show rest in my head for a while. I know that, alongside these patterns, my brain will sort something out before too long!)

The problem with these fits of inspiration is that it makes me want to cast on all of them. Right now. I can hold back the tide a little, but the problem is that as soon as I get stuck on one thing, I throw up my hands and just cast on something else. And as my maths lecturer would phrase it, these patterns are non-trivial. So now we seem to have two pairs on the needles and another than I am definitely NOT casting on today, if only because the needles I need are in another project.

First, I started 2luvcrew for my soon-to-be bridesmaid's birthday ion March. I saw the yarn on The Yarn Yard website in May, and knew it had to be used for her. The ideas fermented a little and voila! - yarn and pattern matched. It's a lacework pattern of hearts, in case you can't tell.

This pattern has five different lace charts, and I've got this far and got stuck. I'm meant to be working the Heel Transition Chart over some stitches and the Heart Pattern Chart over the rest, but I can't get the numbers to add up. One for a day when I have a lot of brainpower - fortunately I have plenty of chances.

So I decided to cast on something that needed a little less concentration. My mum's birthday is at the end of January and she does love socks so I cast on Caretta Caretta for her, in Rowan Cashsoft 4ply bought from John Lewis in Aberdeen. I've had my doubts about the lacework pattern - is it just me, or is there something slightly dodgy-looking about it? - but finished one sock regardless.

I've not done the beads which I think would lessen the dodginess, and I think the effect is also much reduced when done over the entire sock... or maybe I'm just hopeful!

Next on the list is Hundred Acre Wood, which is covered in little leaves (or are they trees?), so this colour of Yarn Yard Yarn seemed entirely appropriate - this time bought from The Yarn Cake, Glasgow, in earlly November. Wound and ready to rock for a while now, but planning to cast on as soon as I finish one of the others.

And then possibly one of my (weather-)geekiest projects to date - Vorticity Socks in this yarn: Storm by Wharfedale Woolworks (which the lovely Steph had dyed for me). In a nutshell: vorticity is a property that storms have by the bucketload. I am very much looking forward to using this yarn - it has a good lot of bounce.

So despite my knitting a LOT of socks in 2012, it looks like my 'sock thing' is going to continue well into 2013.