Please Come In.

I'm in !!! I'm in I'm in I'm in!!!

RAVELRY!!!!!

I got my invite on the weekend and got all signed up. This site is so cool!!! I'm not going to bore you with details becaus if you're in, then you'll know all about it. If you're not in, then you will want to get on the waitlist but not because you heard about it here. I'm sure you've read more interesting posts than this one extolling the virtues of Ravelry.

This invitation has got me feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I'd like to invite any Ravellers out there to be my friend. Come and find me! I'm the only Joline there. (Ok, now you know my dirty secret.) If you are Unravelled, then I hope you will sign up for this amazing resource and if you don't think you're interested, then leave me a comment. We can still be blog friends. I don't mind.

I have been plugging away on my Tomten. I finished the hood last night at SnB and started picking up the sleeve stitches. I love SnB. Where else can you talk about the pros and cons of the new Harmony needles from Knitpicks? And would I prefer the DPNs or the options? And should you subscribe to knitting magazines or just get them from the library? And I learned all about Magic Loop in 5 minutes or less!

Here's my Tomten. I plan on sitting on the couch and watching TV while soothing my sore throat with a hot toddy. And I'll be waiting to hear from my friends.

T.'s Top 5 Favorite Knitty Patterns

What Knitter doesn't love Knitty?? Amy Singer is a genius editor (not just of Knitty - her book No Sheep for You is fairly fabulous also), and she finds some seriously cute, fun, useful, different items. My dream is to have something published in Knitty...I'm working on it. I actually have 'lost' my project, but the idea is still hidden somewhere in the recesses of my mind.



Anyway, back to my original thought. Things I want to or have knit from Knitty:



1. Hip in Hemp - have not knit this yet, but I love it. There are not a lot of knit skirt patterns out there that are made for us women with curves (that's the nice way of saying hippy). I love the shape of this skirt, and would really like to try knitting with hemp. It's definitely in my queue.



2. Monkey socks - the pattern that is #1 in Ravelry. 'nuf said. FABULOUS.



3. Trellis - I knit this for my boy and it was my first real cable project. What little kid wouldn't look freakin' adorable in a cabled sweater with a rolled collar. Really.



4. Leftovers - Very smart use for yarn you have lying around. It actually took way more yarn than I thought! It was the first project I knit that fit me really well (that's to say that I usually 'overestimate' my size and end up with large projects - this one was nicely fitted so it worked out ok). The yarn is wonderfully soft and I love wearing this. The same can't be said for all the things I've knit.



5. 302 Calories - I have not knit this, but any knitting magazine that publishes a pattern of a thong knit out of licorice is high on my list of must see sites. The Summer 2004 issue is for all the knitters of our generation - fun, sexy, and tongue in cheek. I tell you, that Amy Singer is one smart lady.



There are many, many others (like this and this and this and this). If you haven't been to the Knitty site before - go, go quickly. You will be entralled, you will laugh and you will run out and buy yarn.

Guess What Country We Live In?

Now I just have to knit some nice warm wooly socks and these, and he's good to go.

Dabbling

I have been knitting. A little here, a little there and you know something? I'm actually seeing some progress.

I finished a pair of socks. They are meant for little feet and are doing their bit to boost my Christmas sock count. (Eat your heart out, T.)

Here they are basking in the glow of my computer screen. Actually, they remind me of these. Great minds think alike. (Note: Not, in fact, the same pair of socks.)

I've been dabbling with this...

...and that. I'm finding this Hanami thing a bit tricky. On the one hand, I would love to just knit it up and finish it but I'm co-hosting a KAL for it, so I should set a good example and practise what I preach.

And finally, the much awaited Tomten. (Cue the Angel Choir.) This thing is going very quickly. I had to fudge the numbers a bit because my yarn is extra fat. As it is, I'm getting 3.5 stitches per inch on 6mm needles. I cast on 96 stitches and did 32 ridges until I divided for the armholes. I'm really liking my color selections. The browns and green are very 1970's retro. Good thing I'm vintage 1976. I hope things continue on the way they have. It's unseasonably cool here right now and I'd love to wrap my bundle of joy in this bundle of garter stitch.

Head Down, Needles Up

I have not cast on anything new in the last 7 days. This is huge for me. Huge. I have been working primarily on my Hanami and my Tomten jacket.

In an effort this "fix" this problem, I have been evaluating my need to continually cast things on. This habit appears in many other facets of my life. I think the root of the problem is that I am easily bored. I got bored with my old job, so I went back to school. I was bored with my current job so I looked into other jobs (I stayed put, which is good, but spent a lot of time considering other options). I always say "I like a new challenge", but I'm not sure that is the reason why I roam. I think it is more related to my inability to follow through. It's the thrill of starting something new that gets me and then after the initial buzz wears off, I'm bored. I don't have staying power.

I realize the same thing is happening in my knitting. I get bored with a project, so to get a buzz, I start something new, then I get bored with that, move on, get bored again, and so on and so on. Hence, I never get anything done, and I get frustrated with my progress. How the hell am I ever supposed to finish anything if I can't focus on one project at a time???

In my defence, I have recently finished these:

And these:

So I am making some progress. I also recognize I have a problem (the first step on the 12 step program, right?). I'm working on my follow through. My staying power.

It's a good thing I haven't gotten bored with this:

or this:

I'm putting my head down, keeping my needles up and perservering. I am looking forward to the buzz of finishing projects, not just starting them (that happens, doesn't it J.??? Tell me it does so I keep on going....). Head down, needles up.