ECF - Lonely Flower Edition

Here in the US we've got a long weekend ahead of us and I've got nothing at all planned beyond grocery shopping and a lot of knitting. Isn't that fabulous? I may not even get out of my pj's again until Tuesday.



I hope that wherever you are and whatever you're doing - it's all good.

UFO's and Why They Never Get Finished

It's September again and not surprisingly I've got a list of stuff I had hoped to finish that just didn't happen. This isn't to say that the summer has been a complete fail - I finished a baby sweater, a pair of socks, a few potholders, a hat and a shawl. Not too shabby.

The problem is that I keep picking up UFO's with the full intent of finishing them and getting sidetracked be needs, musts, and wants.

Here is Que Sera. I started it back in March and by late April the body was complete and the first sleeve was nearly finished too. Then something distracted me and the next time I picked it up it was August. Now I've got the second sleeve started and this should be a dash to the finish line but instead it's sitting again waiting till I have the time to look at it again.



One of the projects that got in the way was this pair of socks - Gothic Spire by Cookie A. The first one has been finished since the end of June and I know that all I need are a few short days to finish the second. I feel like the finish line is so close that I said I'd share them as a finished pair way back at the beginning of last month. So close and yet... not quite there.



Here's another thing that I'm working on right now. I call these my Staycation Socks because that's when I started them and they're likely to be finished before anything else just because plain toe-up socks are a no-brainer for me and I can take them out to work on anywhere. Even so, these are kind of stalled because of a need that kind of crept up on me.



Here is the thing that is forcing me to be monogamous. I realized 2 weeks ago that DQ has 3 new dresses that look great on her and yet, none of them is quite appropriate for the upcoming Jewish High Holy days because they're all sleveless. I just feel like the occasion calls for a bit more modesty but the dreses are brand new and in all other ways they're perfect.

Happily a black shrug or bolero is all we need to fix the situation so 2 weeks ago we chose the pattern and I bought the yarn. And put it aside because - what's the rush?



Now I remember what the rush is. The High Holidays are early this year - just a week away as of today. Why is it that they always creep up on me like this?

So, no matter where I am during the long weekend ahead - the pool, the deck, the store, a softball game - I'll be working feverishly on Ysolda Teague's Briar Rose. I have very little expectation of finishing in time but hope springs eternal. Then maybe I can think about finishing some of the UFO's.

Blue For Baby J

Way back at the beginning of the summer our little friend Miss B got a Baby brother. Baby J arrived and, I started knitting. But only after lot's of angst. I already had the yarn, Debbie Bliss Rialto DK, but then I couldn't find a pattern. Then I found a pattern but I thought I'd need more yarn. You know the drill. I went on and on like this for at least a month before I found the perfect pattern in Sirdar leaflet #297-Cheeky Chinos. How did I not see these patterns before?

Anyway, I like a lot of the patterns in this leaflet but the very imaginatively named Design J really spoke to me. It had just the right amount of interest without being fussy.



This was a very good knit for me. The pattern was clear and easy to follow. I even managed to do most of the seaming without too much grumbling in a way that shows a wee bit of skill. I was a little worried about the collar at first but after blocking it sits exactly right. I love it.



As I worked on this I envisioned wooden buttons and I was so excited when I went to my favorite button store to choose exactly the right ones. It turns out that the right buttons weren't wooden at all. Something about the slightly purple cast to the yarn really wasn't right with the natural look buttons.

Perfectly matching blue buttons were way better. I really do think that the right buttons are important. Thet can make or break a project either by enhancing the look or distracting from it.



This was finished in mid July but I just gifted it a week ago. Thankfully I always knit a size or 2 into the future so this is still just a little bit big on Baby J so I bet that it'll be perfect for the fall and winter.