The pile of knitting

I was reading Rachel Matthews' new book in which she mentions one of the world's fastest knitters (Wendy Moorby, at 245 stitches in 3 minutes). I clocked myself for a minute and got about 30 stitches! Not in the running at all. Maybe if I got faster, I could get through all this stuff! So now I want to sort out what all this stuff really is! Am I really getting nowhere on lots of projects at once?? Let's take stock...

First, we have the very nearly finished pink cardigan.
You can maybe see that I have started the button band, and really have a day or two's work to finish this properly. I even have the buttons! Get on with it!

Then we have a sock. I don't think socks really count, because one should always have a sock on the go, n'est-ce pas?
But this is sock number one, and so I really should finish it and start sock number two, because after that, I get to start a whole new colour of sock yarn! Rewards for good behaviour are important...
This is good pub knitting, but I guess I just haven't been going to the pub enough lately.




And the multi- directional scarf. I often knit this when I'm out, when I don't want to have to concentrate or worry about colours or patterns... I have been known to knit straight across, missing my short-row mark, but it is easily fixed.

I'd say, no hurry on this one, but it can be easily got out of the way with another trip on a train!






Ah, the denim... Oh, Kay, what shall I do?? I like the idea of this a lot, but I really don't like knitting with this dark, string-like yarn! This is a pseudo-cable pattern from a sweater by Annie Modesitt in Interweave Knits from Fall 2005. It looks cool but I think I will rip out all I have, and then knit with a ball of light and a ball of dark together, and make a bag. That's about idea 763 that I've come up with for this stuff.





What's next? Ah, The Sweater That Makes Me Sneeze! This is so wonderful, I just love it! But I have to knit it away from home, because it really does make people cough and carry on. I have almost finished the main body piece, then I have to knit two sleeves and attach it all onto a yoke. I have high hopes for this baby, and will take it out more often.






Next we have the actual beautiful sweater for ME! (TSTMMS is destined to be a gift, but it's a secret.) This is Rowan Summer Tweed, and because it is silk, it has that silky stinkiness... But that'll pass, right? I think I was crazy to start with the diamonds, but if I just decide that I will sit and knit for an hour, say, I can make reasonable progress. It'll be a bit wild, no? Must make more time for this one.





And here we have the easy way out, the thing I actually pick up when I have a moment. A bunch of squares. Most of the wool was found on sale, and I've sort of settled on a bit of a scheme for a blanket, but mostly I just find a square I like in my book of squares, and set off. Easily accomplished, no muss, no fuss. My present goal is to see what it looks like when I've got 36 squares, but I think I have enough wool for a much larger blanket.

So, that's what's on the needles here. If I just finish all this stuff, I'll be doing great. I have to remember that I have to pack it all up again next summer to return to Toronto! Today I think I was very noble and restrained, and I walked away from the sale bin at Sew Creative, where there were several balls of Rowan Chunky Cotton Chenille for £3 a ball. Unfortunately, there were only 3 or 4 balls in each colour, and I thought it best to get outta there before I got another pile of lovely but projectless yarn!