A Glimpse of the Unfinished...

Spring Semester started almost three weeks ago.

So far I'm surviving. I have a calculus tutor, I do my homework on time, and I'm still able to find time to knit every so often. I try for at least an hour a day, but that's not always possible - last week I went three days without knitting (oh horror!). But, I remedied that this week - with the picking up and knitting of the collar/button band of my sweater.

It's pretty curly, as you can tell. But I like the line that the steek left, the clean shoulder seams, and the truly lovely decrease edge. I wasn't sure how much I liked the diamonds while I was doing them, but after seeing the sweater hanging on my wall for the last week or so, I really enjoy the focal point that they provide - first you look at the stripes, and your eye is drawn upward to the shoulder motif - beautiful!

I can't even say how fun it is to work on the sweater now that it's a hobby again, rather than a project with a deadline. I sew some seams here, weave in some ends there... and holy crap, there's a work of art (thanks, Ms. Avery!) hanging on my wall when I wake up in the morning.

I've been trying to finish some little projects in the time I can steal between homework and classes. I finished the first hand (sans thumb) of my Corazon mittens, and although kitchener makes me frustrated and the hand is in need of ironing, I will hopefully have warm hands sometime in the next two weeks.

I find it hilarious, by the way, that for a person who knits constantly, I own the following hand-knit items:

1 Twinkle cardigan
6 pairs socks
2 pairs fingerless mitts
1 little scarflet (blue Cash Iroha silk - yum!)
1 long, skinny silk scarf
0 hats
0 mittens.

No one ever said I was practical!

So, after a long time without an update (and I'm afraid this one will be without pictures too - my camera is being spaztastic!), I have news: I'm done with the body and sleeves of the sweater. And actually, I have cut the body steeks and picked up 210 stitches for the right front and 62 for the neck. Only 210 more to go, and then I can knit the cuff, cast off, sew on the sleeves and buttons, weave in the 50,000,000,000 1-inch ends and then I can wear it! Probably, though, it will be April by then, at which time I won't need the damn thing.

There has been very little progress on the knitting front since last Tuesday morning at 3 am. I met with my Winter Term advisor (also my chem professor - whee!) and turned in my paper, so I wanted to have both sleeves done so I wouldn't feel lame when turning it in. So I stayed up late and finished. I watched Juno, which was adorable, and Ella Enchanted, which was disgustingly sappy and overwrought. I didn't finish it, partly because I was sleepy, and partly because it was just so awful that it needed to end prematurely. Which is disappointing, since I loved the book when I was 9 years old.

The reason there has been no knitting lately is because a) I was so sick of the sweater, and b) the semester has started, and there's very little time for knitting except between classes, when I've been trying to diligently do homework instead. (Hahah.) I have picked up stitches along the steek, though, which is a strangely zen process involving counting and picking up and ripping and picking up again, and just being ok with that somehow. I think it's funny that I get so keyed up if I don't get to knit. I'm trying to allow myself at least an hour a day to do it, but sometimes it gets lost in all the homework I have to do. Sigh.

Luckily, I have a bunch of projects on the needles, which I will hopefully document and finish in the next few months. Here are my top three most important to just finish, seriously, ok?

1. Tubey. Tubey tubey tubey tubey. It's a gorgeous color of purple, and the neckline is very flattering on me, but it's on the home stretch, and I get so ridiculously bored doing 3x1 ribbing without watching tv or doing something else. This is #1 on my sweater priorities after the Fair Isle Cardigan. I started it almost two years ago, before I understood ease even a little. Yeah.... it needs to die.
2. Sparkly Surplice Camisole. From Knitting Lingerie Style, which I love. Again, it's on the home stretch. I wasn't sure how much yarn I actually had, so I modified it to knit the top flat and the bottom lace part in the round. Just need to get the motivation to knit simple lace for another 18"....
3. Embossed Leaves Socks. These shouldn't be too bad. I can usually bang out a sock in a week or so, and this sock in particular is fun to knit. I switched needle sizes after a catastrophic STR Embossed Leaves sock that never got a mate because it was way too big, even for my enormous feet. I finished one during winter term, but then it got to be Fair Isle Crunch Time, and it was promptly dropped for lots of tiny little balls of Shetland.