Zen and the Art of Knitting

FO: Trio of Hats, Ravelympics Fortitude

| yarn & yarns

Just to be clear: I haven’t thrown in the proverbial towel on my Moderne Log Cabin blanket.

Rather, thanks to the wise words of McMary, I’ve reframed my perspective. The new goal? A personal best, which really couldn’t be more achievable given that this is my first Ravelympics appearance. So let’s see just how much I can get done in the remaining Olympics week. And let’s be smart about competing — like the marathon winding session this morning of all remaining blanket yarn (with an assist from Izzy).

 

As the weekend comes to a close, here’s the current standing: one block (#5) down and another well on its way. Not to mention a renewed appreciation of the miles of Zen this project offers.

Oh yeah, and just to appease that crazy type-A part of my personality, I made and attached the tassels on my trio of hats WIP. Knitting was done a few weeks ago, but I just don’t enjoy making pompoms, tassels, etc. Seriously, the amount of angst (and procrastination) produced by these finishing details is crazy.

FO: Askance Cowl

| yarn & yarns

Wanted a scarf better suited for running around ABQ, and I found this one-skein Askance Cowl pattern on Ravelry. It was just complicated enough to keep it interesting, yet simple enough for a relaxing evening project. (Did I mention it was a crazy-busy week at work?)

Pleased with the yarn (soft, washable, light-weight wool) and the colors (green, blue, purple — big surprise — with a nice gold to set them off). In fact, decided to grab another skein from my LYS so I can create a matching set of fingerless mitts.

I finished the knitting on Thursday, while watching Conan. Still love me some Robin Williams. But now as the mother of a spirited child, I can’t watch him without thinking about what he must have been like as a child. Oy.

Anyway, had planned to block the cowl this morning, but decided that I liked it wavy. Of note: It’s also been quite a week for the bulb Izzy gave me for Christmas, which was just barely sprouting last weekend. (Have I mentioned how much I love Izzy’s Garden Club at school?)

FO: Izzy’s New Hat

| yarn & yarns

Right before Christmas, Izzy spied a pair of mittens at the holiday craft safe at our church. I try not to give into these whims — the whole giving rather than receiving thing — but not only were the mittens adorable and fleece-lined wool, they were also crazy cheap. The fact that they were fair-trade wares from Peacecraft is what pushed me to “yes.”

But then, of course, my little fashionista needed a hat to match. And it needed to be a quick knit — we are in Albuquerque, where spring is right around the corner.

Well, I pretty much knit the whole thing up today during a two-and-a-half-hour spelling bee. Mission accomplished plus sanity preserved.

 

And, yes, that is the Christmas tree still up in the background. It’s coming down this weekend. Hey, St. Knut’s Day fell during the week… (I’m Swedish, so that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)