finishing frenzy

I am still working madly toward my goal of finishing up all the languishing projects around here. After finishing that ugly quilt, I put away the sewing machine for a bit (also my in-laws came for dinner over the weekend and we needed the dining room table). I haven't felt the sewing jones in a few days, so I'm concentrating on the knits.

Yesterday I wove (weaved? wove?) in the ends on these sexy little numbers:

Oh yes, those are legwarmers, baby. I knit them two years ago while pregnant with Daughter. I decided I had to have them because I worked in a little shop and whenever anyone opened the door my legs would freeze. I finished the knitting but by then had outgrown all my skirts, so they went into the craft cabinet and I wore the 4 pairs of maternity pants I had that fit me for the rest of my pregnancy. I guess I will keep them, though I don't know if they'll ever see actual use.

Yarn: Wool-Ease in gray and cranberry
Needles: possibly US sizes 8 and 6 but after this long, who knows?
Pattern: good question. I know I got a pattern from the internet, but again, it's been so long I can't remember where it came from.

Moving on:

This is the last knitted item I worked on while pregnant with Daughter. On April 18, 2005 I woke up at about 8 a.m. having contractions. Little did I know I was in labor and Daughter would be born almost exactly 24 hours later (she was not due until May 2). All that day I did laundry and knit the entire sleeve of this little sweater to keep busy and keep my mind off the pain, oh heavens the pain. It finally got so bad that I couldn't even finish the cuff and cast off, so that's where I left it.

I've taken it out of the bag and looked at it a number of times since then. I could finish it, but now it will be far too small for Daughter to ever wear. If I do finish it, it will either end up in the cedar chest o' knits, or I will donate it to charity. Part of me wants to just rip it and donate the yarn (it's just craft-store acrylic), but I hesitate because of this:

Can you see that cable detail on the raglan shaping? It was hard to get a photo of this minty green yarn and show that detail in the light available today. Anyway, that shaping took me forever to get right, because it's a pattern from the 1940s, and those patterns were apparently written for persons much smarter than myself. The directions are printed in tiny font, in long narrow columns, with maximum abbreviations, and nowhere near the actual picture of the garment.

Also, this was being knit using US size 1 and 2 needles, and that's a lot of work. Hmmmmm. To finish or not to finish...

In other news:

GASP! It's...crochet!

Yes, I do that as well. Actually, I went through a long period of becoming proficient with a crochet hook before picking up the knitting needles again in my mid-twenties. These squares come from a Leisure Arts leaflet - you're supposed to make all the squares and then make an afghan out of them (this is only a small selection...the booklet had something like 100 block patterns). As I have a serious case of crafting ADD, the idea of this sampler-style blanket appealed to me. In March 2001 I flew to Europe alone for a week-long stay. I wanted to take along something to do that wasn't bulky, so I stashed a crochet hook and some (craft store acrylic) baby sport yarn in my carry-on. Mmmmmmm...lovely, lovely acrylic. Hey, I was young and naive...what did I know of good yarns? Not much.

So these got crocheted over the ocean and in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Then I came home and stuffed them in a bag. Are we sensing a theme here?

I just need to sew these puppies together and edge the whole thing. The blocks are approximately 6 inches square, so it will be a small blanket. I suppose I will give it to Daughter for her dolls/stuffed animals.

And finally, the knitted item I am saddest about:

Oh, Kinsale. I am so sorry for leaving you to languish.

I even blogged about this sweater over a year ago, and STILL have not managed to finish it. This one was started sometime after my birthday in 200........3? I don't even know if that's right. I know my mom gave me the yarn as a (very generous) birthday gift. It's Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool. Gaw-geous.

I did finish up all the pieces last fall sometime. And I knit the neckband...no small feat considering it's about 120 stitches on US size 1 needles. Yeah, think about that. It makes my hands cramp just remembering it. I was so proud to finish it - I ran into the bathroom to try it on in front of the mirror...and I couldn't get it over my head.

&$#^*@)#*&!!!!!!

I should have cast off with a MUCH larger needle for elasticity. But rather than un-casting-off the stitches and re-casting off with a humongous needle, I got mad and stuffed it in a bag. It's back out, though. I'm going to take out those stinking stitches and re-cast it off if it kills me. Then I'm going to sew in the sleeves, sew up the sides, wash and block it, and WEAR the damn thing. Enough said.

So that's it. Other than the 2 sweaters I've been working on for Daughter and the pair of socks I always have in progress for waiting rooms, visiting with parents/friends, reading blogs, etc., I've really whittled down the wips.

The knitting wips, that is. Let's not talk about sewing, embroidery, and cross-stitch.

Woops, my stomach just made a noise that sounded like Chewbacca. Guess I should grab some lunch while Daughter naps. Stay warm, everyone!