Knitting One Project at a Time

Here's the thing: I used to have up to seven knitting projects going at one time. I would alternate them every day. Then one day, I thought I was driving myself crazy. So I changed my chaotic way and went down to one project at a time and I think I've probably been that way for the better part of a year.

Every once in a while I would put down a project to whip off a quick prayer shawl because we needed one at church or a hospital would contact us saying they needed more preemie hats, but as a rule, I was doing just one project at a time.

At the moment, I am working on some squares for an afghan I designed and I have the itch to begin another project. I find there may be several reasons for this:

1. We have a sale coming in November and I am always worried about not having enough items to sell.

2. My next 10 projects are full sized afghans (I don't work on more than one, but I know what they are) and I am a bit afraid of never leaving the afghan world if I don't get through these next ten projects.

3. I have a ton of yarn but I always have the urge to buy more. However, my house already resembles a LYS so I have to use it up before I can satisfy the gnawing urge to order more.

4. I'm stalling because the colors I chose for my design is not as stunning as I thought, but I have to carry it through. (None of the photos in this post is the square - under wraps it is.)

5. The squares will take a bit of time to complete and I have the attention span the size of a newborn gnat.

Now, I personally believe there's a little bit of all those reasons in the itch I have, but the last two are probably the most true with reason three a strong next in line.
So, will I start a new project? Not today. But I have solved the problem by putting a new item in my schedule: "New project" Yep, it's an actual part of my schedule like my workout and cleaning the kitchen. My weekly schedule takes about 10 days to get through so I suspect I will start the next afghan around Tuesday or so. I believe I can happily alternate between two projects and by the time I get around to that entry in my schedule again, one of them will probably be very close to completion and I will be ready to begin again - because hope springs eternal.

The Knitter as a Writer

I had to change my profile and I've changed my schedule. I use an Excel spreadsheet to hold my weekly schedule and the days are broken down into hours.

This is the hour I am to be a writer. I have two clients, I have the blog, I have to source new clients (because I freelance) and I have my own projects I would like to work on. So, this writing session (which includes this blog) will take about five hours and I work five days a week. Doing the basic math, that means I work about 25 hours a week.

Not bad.

I understand how blessed I am. I understand how many talents gifts I have been given - and I really understand how long it has taken me to acknowledge the creativity I have because I was so scared people would call me arrogant.

And they have. But I don't believe I am - I believe I have a great capacity for it - but I do believe I fall short of it. (Thank God!)

I am coming to believe how incredibly important it is to recognize what God and the universe has given each of us in the way of lights to shine. I think we need to tell what gift we have that we can offer to others and learn what they can offer to us. We share that knowledge and share the gifts because we share the planet.

It just makes sense.

So, I have several hours to go on my job. I have some hours ahead of me. I am going to look for some new clients. Then work on the projects of the clients I have and end the session with working on my next project - I think I know what it is - but I'm not letting the cat out of the bag just yet. And I will knit. I was knitting right before I started working. I am working on a nice afghan that I designed. I am eager to see it finished and placed on line - I am eager to see if anyone finds it.

Smooches.

What's New

OK, so it's been about eleven days since my last entry. I actually have completed two more projects in that time. I've done a prayer shawl and I just completed a hat and scarf project. I've taken the pics of them and they are on the laptop computer. I just haven't gotten around to writing and posting.

I suppose life has been in the way...which really isn't an excuse at all. I haven't thought about the postings and when I have; i haven't thought enough to get up and write about the knitting I've been doing.

And I've been doing the knitting. The truth is, I had begun to design my own afghan making my first pattern and I didn't like how it turned out. That's when I moved on to the prayer shawl and the hat and scarf. But, I looked in my books, 200 Knitted Blocks and Knitting Out of Africa and I came up with something.

I didn't think I was ready to tackle the sweater in the Africa book, but it did include the pattern for a square I could make and I was thinking about how to do the design. I know that same square is the 200 book so I leafed through it and came up with a design I really liked. I looked all through the book again to make sure I wasn't stealing a design and I wasn't. I started work on the afghan last night using the yarn I have left over from the Sit & Knit. It will take a total of 56 squares. Of course, if it comes out right, I will have made a major breakthrough.

Wish me luck!

Photos from the Sit & Knit - Part 1

A bum knee and the registering knitters kept me in the lobby where Marilyn made this beautiful set up of the yarn. Knitters were free to come and browse through whatever skeins they wanted to take and there was more yarns in the boxes off to the right.
Hats and squares were the order of the day and this cute little pom-pom was a favorite. We think the pom-pom is bigger than the hat, but someone will be able to use it and they will look very cute in it!
This little hat is especially important to us because Sherry made it - it is her very first project EVER. She did not know how to knit when she walked in the door. This was actually a sampler to teach her how to knit and purl and we were able to turn it into a hat for a very small preemie.
Here are a bunch of preemie hats. You can see the subtle differences in the hats. Everyone was free to put their own spin on the hats and they did. They're cute in the pictures - you should see them in person!

These two were top favorites!
We had a great time! The Pleasant Home staff was great and everyone wanted to do it again. And so we shall...planning for the 2009 Sit & Knit at Pleasant Home has already begun!

The Knitter's Restaurant -Color Block Afghan

It seems like it took forever for this afghan to be done and when i finally laid it out - it's huge! This is draped over the dog's cubby hole with more to spare!

This was a very simple design and was a way to use up a whole bunch of yarn! This is mostly done in Caron By the Pound, but there's a few Red Heart and Herschnerr's in there somewhere.

Basically, it's six strips of seven blocks in a stockinette rib of 46 rows per color; 33 stitches per strip. I used the cream as the main color then just placed about seven other colors in a tote bag and pulled them out at random. I used size 8 needles.

It's fluffy, soft and warm. It is certainly colorful. It reminds me of the Twister game - though this would be very hard to play it on!

If you need to follow a pattern; the one which inspired this afghan is here.
It uses only three colors and is way smaller, but is a nice, novice pattern that produces a very nice result. You can follow it to the letter, of course, or just get crazy and do your own thing!

This will be placed in the completed project bag and held until the November craft sale.