starting

I'm still sort of stuck in my "What do I knit?" rut. I say sort of because, I sort of decided what to knit, but am still swatching, thinking, and doing the algebra necessary to perhaps pull it off.

I picked some grey Sidar DK country style yarn from my stash that I had gotten a long long time ago to make a different sweater. and decided that a top down sweater from Ann Budd's newest book Knitter's Handy Book of Top Down Sweaters. If you don't know about Ann's handy book of patterns collections, you really should. They are wonderful books full of all the math and directions you'd need to make sweaters, socks, hats, or mittens from virtually any yarn. They also make great templates for your own designs. You knit a gauge swatch decide a size and she lays out all the numbers you need.

This book also has a number of "copycat" patterns, some by other designers. One of these copycat patterns India Print Henley, really speaks to me. But in the vein of this book, I want to change a few things. For one, I only want the lace pattern at the top. And for another, I'm not getting gauge the pattern is calling for, hence the math. I think I have it figured up so if my gauge stays the same after washing I can make the smallest size and have it come out to my size (which is not the smallest).

At the same time, the book Knits that Fit that I requested from the library came in. I'm reading the fit part, and planning to make something from that book.

But the most exciting thing is that Saturday, I took a hand spinning class. I learned how to spin on a drop spindle. While I am hilariously bad at it, I do enjoy it. I know--practice, practice, practice will help me get better. So far, I've made a tiny bit of yarn, too little yardage to actually knit, but I still have more roving from the class, so hopefully I'll have enough to... well I don't rightly know what.

drought

So yeah, I'm having a huge creative block. I really have no idea what I want to knit next. It seems to me that my knitting life is sort of a "when it rains it pours" kind of thing. Usually, if I am excited about a project, I'm also excited about 20 projects and have a serious case of starter-its, followed by.... well a drought.

I have new needles, some spiffy knitters pride Carbonz dpns, in size 1.5 to replace my harmony dpns. And I love them, but....
they are a little off size wise. I mean I get that 1.5 is tricky as it is technically 2.5mm diameter, but these are closer to a US size 2. I don't use size 2 very often, as I like tighter knit socks usually. And I would have gotten straight US size 1 except my LYS was out. I do have birthday money though, so I may go back. And I have US size 1 needles so this in itself isn't holding me back. In fact I even have another set of US 1.5.

It is just I kind of wanted to use those new needles.

Except I don't want to make socks.
I should because I love hand knit socks, I wear hand knit socks 95% of the winter (exceptions being when I run, and when I need to wear my tennis shoes--like this volunteer stint I have caretaking butterflies with my knitting/running friend. That's my hand holding the orchard swallowtail). So you'd THINK I'd always need more socks. And I kind of do, I just don't want to make any right now.

See I'm kind of bummed at some of my socks and how fast they are wearing. I mean I fixed actual HOLES in a sock that I've only had for two years (I checked my ravelry link. Or here's the flickr link ). And I put a lot of work into those socks. And even though I KNOW that was a case where I was blinded by the pretty colors into not noticing that it was essentially knit picks sock yarn (which don't get me wrong, I like, but I don't put that much work into knit picks sock yarn anymore), I just feel all mournful about socks.

I did dig out some stash Lorna's laces and wound up a skein (and tried out my new needles and SWORE at how loose the stitches looked) and I know Lorna's laces last for freaking ever, because the very first socks I ever made were Lorna's laces and while I have repaired them, let's just say it was more than 2 years later and was not nearly that damaged. And I may get back to those because I did walk past it this morning and think "oh pretty. Oh lovely. pretty pretty yarn." (yes, it was as creepy as it sounds)

I also have some really nice yarn. I won some buffalo gold earth lite in red. I intended to make a cowl or something but I wore the skein around my neck for a while (shut UP) and found it to scratchy for my neck. And I dug it out this week because the newest Interweave knits has a pattern for a set of fingerless gloves that I thought would be perfect for this yarn. It was Inlaid lace mitts. But the gauge is wrong. Really wrong. Like I don't think going down a few needle sizes (I think we'd be talking US 00) is going to help.

I also have some nice laceweights hanging around the stash. Some Helen's lace, sea silk and one whose name I can't remember and I'm too lazy to dig it out and look--but trust me same category. But I'm a little burned out on lace. I need a project I can carry around.

And so I thought sweater. I bought some yarn to make a red sweater after seeing a red sweater that I LOVED in Knits that Fit, but before I buy the book, I'd like to look at it again and make sure, and maybe swatch. The library has it, that's where I saw it originally. But it is checked out and not due back for two weeks. I have a hold though so maybe it will come in faster.

I also have yarn to make that pesky dollar and a half cardigan but I'm afraid that if I knit this it will be: a) a pain and b) not a sweater that will magically transform me into the model.

I have a few more chunks of yarn in sweater amounts, but nothing that excites me. I guess I'll just keep thumbing though my books and magazines until something strikes me.

What do you do when you hit a knitting drought?

details

I must confess that since finishing my rick socks, I've been at a loss as to what to knit next. Me, the person who has always had a project going, has sat for the last 3 days with nothing to knit. Oh I've swatched and darned a sock, but really for three days nothing. It is something I'll write about later.

For now here are the details on the rick socks: Pattern: Rick found in Sock Innovation by cookie A.

Yarn: Cascade heritage in a purple that seems to be discontinued. Used most of one skein

needles: 1.5 us My knit picks harmony dpns, now retired due to a chip:

They took two months but I love them!