I'm Cursed

So last post was all about how I'm finally starting to get some energy back after adjusting to my big new workload and am finally starting to feel like I want to knit again... Well, says the Universe, We'll see about that. Last post I showed you my Mojo socks:



If you look at the picture you can see the sock is on one circular needle. It's only a 24" needle which means that it's impossible to work magic loop on. It's arranged that way because the Yarn Destroyers, aka



decided that they didn't like the two-circs method of sock knitting and plotted to relieve me of one of the needles I was using by chewing through it. I transferred all the stitches to the one remaining needle, but I can't actually work on the sock now...

That's OK, I say to myself, I've got a lot of other WIPs that I could give some attention to. So I pulled out my Climbing Vines (rav link) pullover that's been languishing in a box of "needs to be sorted through" stuff from the move. Back in Wisconsin I had completed the back and one sleeve, but once I moved to New Mexico working with aran-weight angora in the blazing summer didn't seem very attractive. Once I got to Oregon it wasn't as hot outside, but I have no air conditioner so until it cooled off here I had the same heat-induced adversity to working on the project. Now it's become pleasantly cool and the sweater became a very attractive project. So I blazed through the second arm and was working away on the front. Then, I decided to put my knitting in my purse, just in case an opportunity to work on it while running errands presented itself. Apparently, one of the needles was sticking out a bit because as I walked up to the check out counter at the grocery store I must have clipped one of the displays because the next thing I hear is a snapping noise. Bye-bye number 7. Now, I don't know if you remember, but I already broke my number 7s while working on this project and had to order a new set. I don't know if this particular project is cursed or if it's just me...

Now I do have two other projects that really do deserve attention, but come on universe! I was really on a roll with both projects and I want to work on THEM dang it! By the time the replacements arrive I'll have lost all the momentum I built up and I'll have to start getting enthusiastic all over again.

The truely problematic question is, be good and work on WIPs? or comfort myself by starting and exciting new project?

Dead Dead Dead

is how I have felt for the past three weeks. I've been meaning to blog, really I have, no really... On the other hand I've been feeling so exhausted from school that when I do have free time all I can handle is sitting and staring at the apartment. Seriously! I spent two hours one day after my classes feeling like I wanted to watch something on TV but ended up just sitting because I couldn't make myself move. I never thought that hard school work could make your body physically exhausted but, turns out, it sure can. I have done a depressingly small amount of knitting since my energy has been drained. I tried a few times but it really felt like the knitting was WORK instead of the wonderful relaxing calming fantastic activity that it actually is. I think the workload change from my summer of doing nothing (well moving across the country, but that wasn't draining and I could work at my own pace) to the jump-in-head-first atmosphere of law school was a major shock to the system. Now that I've been at it for 3+ weeks I'm adjusting a lot more to the energy expenditure needed to get though day and I'm even starting to have a bit of left over energy... a bit.

Look what I finally managed to finish:




The market bag kit I got from Knit Picks--Montavilla Market Tote. They released the bag pattern plus one ball of each of the colors of their worsted weight undyed organic cotton yarn called Simply Cotton as a kit. It's a very soft yarn but it does shed while you work with it. I followed the pattern as it's written but I think if I made it again I would knit the body in blocks of the color from dark to light instead of striping the yarns. The stripes take away from the lace pattern. I don't really care that much though since it's just a market bag. I took it to the grocery store the other day and it held up fine to a pretty heavy load of groceries. There is enough yarn to make a second one but I'm not sure if I'll make another bag or maybe something else... Like all cotton yarn there's little give, so I think I'll do a few projects with wool before I pick up cotton again--my hands were pretty cramped by the time I finished casting off 200 stitches.

I also am about half way done with one Mojo (rav link) sock.




I'm making these for Andrew so that he has some good-luck-teaching-mojo since he's working on his student teaching this semester. (Side note: it's so weird that he'll have a career in 4ish months... jobs are way to grown-up.) The yarn is Regia Silk (rav link) which is the softest sock yarn I've ever touched but the ball is already looking pretty ragged just from being carried around in my purse for the past few weeks. If it's pilling in the ball it's probably not going to hold up that well to man-type wear and tear... but for now it's soft and pretty. I had to change it from 64 stitches to 72 stitches to accommodate Andrew's giant feet, and I did a short row heel instead of an afterthought heel because for this pattern they have the same effect and I don't have to go back later or weave in extra ends. That's really all I've accomplished since my last post but hopefully now that I'm feeling like I have more energy I'll get more done.
Hopefully I have more to post in a week or two.