FO's and WIP's (Image HEAVY)

First up, I finished my Slouchy Entrelac Tam:



Apologies for the nightgown and scummy mirror.

• Pattern: Slouchy Entrelac Tam by Linsay Ingram

• Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (2 balls)

• Modifications: Pom pom! I did one extra round of 8 stitch squares to use up more yarn and add more floppiness. I blocked it on a dinner plate.

• Verdict: Love it! I've worn it a million times (well, not really)

• Link to my Ravelry entry for this project here.

Second in line, my Moderne Jacket is finished! And I didn't run out of yarn! Phew!

• Pattern: Moderne Jacket--free pattern from Lion Brand

• Yarn: This was a stash extravaganza! Cascade 220 Heathers and random Japanese stash yarn (cashmere content)

• Modifications: I fudged a few of the numbers in an attempt to get between two sizes. It didn't really work, lol. No buttons or buttonholes.
  

• Verdict: I didn't do a great job seaming because I'm not quite sure where to pick up stitches with crochet. Also, the seams might be a bit tight in some places. Again, I'm not super experienced with crochet...yet. I think it looks quite adorable without buttons as an open "jacket" thing. My favorite thing about making this was how much yarn it ate up! I only have one ball left of the Cascade 220 and just a scrap length of the blue Japanese yarn! Woot!

• Link to my Ravelry entry for this project here.

First up in the WIP's department:

We have a nearly finished soaker! All I need to do is figure out how many stitches to pick up around the legholes and do some ribbing. The pattern doesn't specify how many, all it says is pick them up "evenly."

Let's just say, I've already tried that once or twice. I'll figure it out eventually.

• Pattern: Adirondack Soaker

• Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted...Hand dyed by me!

• Modifications thus far: None

• Verdict thus far: Cute and easy!

And finally, yet another WIP:

• Pattern: Your Nana's Potholders. That's not a Ravelry link, so anyone should be able to click to see it! :)

• Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream (stash yarn!)
  

• Verdict thus far: Oh, so very kitschy! Love it!
  

You might have noticed that I am all about the crochet lately. I'm sure it's only because it eats up tons of yarn and is fast, fast, FAST! I'm still predominantly a knitter, but I am loving the change and challenge (and it's good for the brain!). :)

Because I'm a Grown-Up, Dammit...

...and I can have as many WIPs as I want!


Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery.

OK...so I loved this scarf at first sight and then I learned that it was designed by Veronik and said, "Yeah...ok...no wonder. She's amazing." I've finally found a use for my turquoise Hill Country Yarns sock yarn! The pattern reminds me of water and this yarn is a perfect fit! HAPPY! I'd also like to say that the yardage on this skein of yarn is pretty incredible. Check out The Most Mega-est Yarn Cake:


Yeah, I wasn't kidding. :)

My favorite hibernation

And now... Here it is, the moment we've all been waiting for, the first bind off edge of the Estonian Garden Stole:


Dun, dun, DUN!!!!

I know it's silly, but part of me considers this half-a-stole to be a finished object. I'm ignoring the fact that I have to create another half just like this one. That's just inconceivable to me right now. In other words, I took a picture of my pretty half-a-stole and shoved it into the closet for an indefinite period of hibernation. I will finish it, but I want to work on something else... something more triangular in nature... something I'll be using this yarn for:


THE SWALLOWTAIL SHAWL!!!! So far, so good. I'm not sure about my needle size to yarn ratio as of yet. I'll knit a few more repeats and then decide where to take it from there. I think it is going quite nicely as it is.

Right this instant, I am sitting at Bread Co. (what is also called Panera everywhere but my place of origin. I insist on calling it Bread Co. because I am quite stubborn). I am supposed to be working on the great novel, but I'm having problems...which I am about to share with you. Aren't you excited??

By midnight of November 30th, I am supposed to have accumulated a minimum of 50,000 words on my novel. Now, that will not necessarily mean that the novel is finished, so to speak, but in order to "win," I must at least have that much. Today is the 27th and I have a total of 39,584 words. Now, there is no reason to panic upon simply reading these numbers and doing the appropriate subtraction. I am perfectly capable of pounding out the required 2,604 words a day for the next four days to reach my goal.

Usually...

Right now, however, I am struggling. I know exactly what I need to do. I have a very clear climax in mind as well as a nice little dreamed up plot leading up to it. So, why am I not able to just sit my butt in this chair and pound out the rest of my story, a story I love and have great hopes for in the future? I have a few theories.

One: I am doubting myself and my ability. For some reason, I do this all the time, with everything I do, no matter how great I know I am at the task at hand. I do it when I brush my teeth in the morning (maybe not really, but I do it quite a bit). I have reached the point in my story where things need to turn a bit more sinister. My character has to change...the entire mood of the story needs to shift away from the woe-is-me and more towards the oh-fuck-what's-going-on. Usually, I'm pretty good at the darkness, but something is holding me back from it this time. I think it is the filler. I am bored with their lives, but their lives are so valuable because of how regular they are. These people aren't necessarily special in any way, which is something I appreciate. I am normal. I am regular. There isn't much to me, which I think is a good thing. However, it's difficult to write it. I need to get the story rolling, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting it to the point where the writing just pours out of me. I need to reach the approaching threshold so that I can pull this off.

Two: I feel that this is the most important part of the book and I need to be careful in how I deal with it. I know that I can always edit it later, but I want to edit the thing NOT rewrite it entirely. I am bothered by the time limit and part of me wants to just forget about the 50,000 words and go about this in such a way that would make me more comfortable. Part of me wants to take my time with this and not just write to write. That being said, I need to get over it. If I can't write it now, what makes me think that I will be able to write it any better later on? It's fresh in my mind and I'm very excited about it. I don't want that excitement to go away because I'm trying to be an artist or something ridiculous like that. Still, each time I scold myself, I come back to these thoughts and have difficulty getting words on "paper."

So, there you have it. I have writer's block, but not really. It's a strange phenomenon.

Does anyone commiserate? Please, feel free to tell me your writing horror stories! lol :p

Jeez

A word of advice...don't do business with these people, unless you don't want to get any responses to emails and want wait FOREVER for your package to arrive. Oh, and when you do send emails, you specifically state that you would like some sort of notification from them WHETHER OR NOT they can cancel your order...they still don't respond...

Oh...and weeks later, you check your account and the money is about to come out and then the doorbell rings and you have a box of yarn that you tried to cancel but BECAUSE OF POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE you were UNABLE to do. Oh and, by the way, STILL no responses to your emails.

So...now I have more Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Candy Apple than I know what to do with. Jeez. It's not that I had to wait...that's not why I wanted to cancel the order. The reason was that I was not responded to. If I send an email about the status of an order...it is NOT crazy to expect a response, even if that response is a "no, I'm sorry, but we cannot cancel orders." If that had happened I would have just waited...I would have been annoyed...but I would have waited...I WOULDN'T have assumed that the store was a joke/not real/closed down and went elsewhere with my business. But I did...and now I have tons of really red yarn...whatever.

You've been warned. Do with that what you will.

I've been working "hard" on my Rusted Root. I think it is going to be really cute...once it's finished. Right now, it is just an odd blob that is slowly overtaking the circular it is on. Today was a day of laundry and knitting...but all I worked on was Rusted Root, because I want to get done with the arms before I work on something else (the fronts of the purple Lace Blouse).


Oh, I bought another knitting book:


Believe it or not, I actually bought it because there are two sweaters in my queue that are NOT FOR ME in this particular book. They are planned for Max...can you believe it?? I let him browse the book and choose his next sweater and he picked one of the two!! This one:


It's Jarret...It's sexy. Of course in browsing the book, I found about a million sweaters for me too...but I can't think about it right now. I have too much on the needles right now.

Let's talk about that:
1. Rusted Root
2. Lace Blouse
3. Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern
4. Gentleman's Fancy Sock **not technically on the needles...I have to start sock two.

Yet...I can't stop thinking about new projects...that I don't have the yarn for.

What I DO have the yarn for:
1. Butterfly dress (Alpacas with a twist fingering)
2. Child's Sock in Miranda Pattern (that Regia Bamboo Color)
3. Breeze sock (Panda cotton sock yarn)
4. Hanami stole **still deciding if I really want to make it...it's gorgeous (Pink AlpacaWare fingering)

So...that's two pairs of socks that I have yarn for...a dress and a stole. ALL LACE. Part of me thinks I need to work on something non-lace for a while...but I guess Rusted Root is mostly stockinette. Oh, I really want an FO someday soon...I really, really do...If only to have something better to blog about.