Greetings dear Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
I have a case of cast-on-itis and it seems that everywhere I look I see something that whispers… come on, knit me… you know you want to! I am doing my best to ignore it and have a bit of “knitting rotation” going to stay focused. So several projects got some attention this week:
Marling is never boring… and this sock just needs to get done!
- I am done with the decreases and am moving down the foot on the long ignored socks – yes, this is still Sock #1… sigh.
- I have made some headway on the Kinu Marled Scarf.
- And I finished another section on Wriley… which puts me at the 16% completion point… hilarious, truly!
I like this rotation very much and it is working because I have not cast anything on! However, the abrupt arrival of summer heat and humidity means the AC has been running full tilt. Sigh. During the week when Steve is at work I turn the AC way up… however, when he is home it is like living in a blast freezer. I need a sweater and this issue points out the gap in my summer wardrobe. Years ago I had knit a couple of linen Ranunculus sweaters but the linen (Quince & Co Kestrel) did not wear well at all. Sadly, both sweaters have gone beyond the “repair” stage and are unwearable. But the fabric of the Ranunculus is really the perfect summer layer. One would think with a stash the size of my stash I would be able to find something that would work but I just don’t have enough of anything. I remedied that and ordered some yarn and am waiting for it to arrive. Thankfully, it is a really quick knit!
The other things that have been knocking around my brain is this vest and this vest… and I do have enough yarn to cast this on the striped vest but I am holding off until I can get those socks done! And for Mercedes, I have some yarn in my stash that might work… I just need to do some swatching to see if it actually will work! I have never knit a CocoKnits pattern but I have looked at the instructions and they are quite detailed instructions plus there are videos for several bits. (PLUS there is a row by row worksheet you fill in for the size you are knitting which seems really genius!)
Twenty days in and the first half is almost done. I just have some embellishment to add to the bottom herringbone stitches!
AC Stitching is continuing to delight… I have been reading and contemplating the stitch patterns laid out in The Geometry of Hand Stitching. So many ideas… good thing I have more stripes to experiment on! I am not making each side a mirror image but rather using both sides as a true AC Sampler… trying out a plethora of stitch combinations!
The reading is penultimate summer reading… I have departed for Mystery Land and it is perfection! I am currently reading Ann Cleeves latest in the DI Matthew Venn series, The Dying Light. And I picked up a copy of Anthony Horowitz’ A Deadly Episode when I was in Erie in May. I have been reading a chapter or two with lunch each afternoon. It is the thing that is most reminding me of past summer reading… lost in a book while eating a meal. And, if that was not enough, I am listening to Umberto Uno’s The Name of the Rose… a mystery that takes place in a monastery! All so good! Anyways it is fun to be working to solve mysteries again!
What about you? Are you itching to cast on something new? Is there a pattern that caught your eye recently? And what about your reading… what summer reading are you doing?
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So many wonderful projects! I think I have the opposite problem; for a while I didn’t feel like knitting anything except dishcloths, but Ryan really needs kitchen towels for Christmas, so now I’m basically knitting bigger dishcloths. I loved The Dying Light and I might have to look for that Anthony Horowitz, too. Happy Knitting of All the Things!
It sounds like all my mojo to cast on something new went to you! I truly don’t know what to knit next, so I’ve been working on my hat and crocheting a dishcloth. I used to always feel chilled in the AC during the summer, but the current state of my hormones means that I’m running warm for only the second time in my life (the last time was when I was pregnant with Molly). I wish you luck in finding another linen yarn. I’d recommend Knit Picks Lindy Chain, but I think I heard it was discontinued.
Ooooo! Look at all those yummy projects, Kat! There will certainly be SOMETHING among them to suit whatever current “knitting itch” you need to scratch. 😉 Personally, I can’t wait to see what yarn you ordered for the new Ranunculus. I, also, have been studying that Mercedes vest and checking into my stash for appropriate yarn. I find vests VERY appealing right now . . . Knit on, my friend! XO
My daughter is an Ann Cleeve’s fan, and I’ve enjoyed some Anthony Horowitz myself – there’s nothing quite like a summer mystery binge. Your AC work is lovely. I’m getting a new perspective on summer sweaters here in Montgomery. It’s unbearable outdoors, but inside, the air conditioning in many places seems set for people in suit coats, not t-shirts.
So much good stuff in this post! I feel you with the distractions of new projects, love the marled scarf, the Coco Knits vest possibility..and the STITCHING!
I’m going to add some mysteries to my queue, your post reminded me how great they are for the summer.
I love his story writing and how he unfolds a plot within a plot!! I have a pair of socks and a shawl on the needles but I am considering adding another shawl in the rotation.