Recently, I read the Yarn Harlot‘s recent post on blocking the pieces before she finishes making up a sweater, and I have to admit, it gave me pause.

I started out knitting as somewhat of  a lazy knitter. I originally learned to knit from my Nanna, who didn’t spend time on things such as gauge swatches. I imagine that was because she mainly made the same things and had been making them long enough that she didn’t need one anymore, but she never taught me to do one. When I picked up knitting again on my own, I mostly wanted to play around and make things. I’m a bit impatient, and I tend to want to get to the finished product as quickly as possible.

But as I keep knitting, and begin to see the things I’ve made as crucial elements of my wardrobe, I find that I’m slowly beginning to take more of the steps in proper knitting seriously. Which explains this:

Yes, that’s a sweater body blocking away in my living room, pre-making up. As I pinned this out, a couple of things occurred to me.

1. I need more blocking mats. I have a set from Knitpicks, and they’re fantastic, but there isn’t quite enough space for a full sweater. I can block out a small shawl okay, but a large  one would be right out. It tends to take things a few days to dry here, so I can’t really block on my bed, either.

2. Cats are seriously compelled towards blocking knits. I don’t know why, but it’s ridiculous. I shoo them off, so they’ve learned to only go sleep there when I can’t see. I find the telltale fur and paw-wrinkles later. Someday, I’m gonna find one of the cats with a pin stuck in them from getting too cozy with a blocking sweater.

3. This had better be as miraculous and awesome as people make it seem. I want to be able to sew this up!

Apparently, I’ve developed an aversion to sleeves.

Not wearing them, mind you. When it comes to clothes I wear, I am adamantly pro-sleeve. This mainly comes from working in an overly air conditioned office and living in a city where the weather is both chilly and unpredictable. Tank tops, once the great love of my life during DC summers, have been relegated to a drawer, waiting for the handful of days where I can wear them.

Then I get sunburnt and vow once more to love sleeves.

So you see, I am not opposed to sleeves. In fact, I am rather fond of them. Except, it seems, when it comes to actually knitting them. See exhibit A: Mrs. Darcy.

As you can see, Mrs Darcy has been knit all the way up to the sleeves. I finished the body last night and immediately began prowling through my kntiting basket pile of projects for something to work on. That’s when I realized it.

This is the third project I have awaiting sleeves. I am systematically starting projects, knitting up the bodies, then merrily casting them aside to move onto something else. I briefly considered continuing that trend and casting on for another sweater in my queue, but after a quick pep talk, I forced myself to cast on for sleeves.

I don’t know what happened. I don’t consciously dislike sleeves, although by the end I frequently find myself wondering why it is that people insist on having two arms. But there, right in front of me, is the evidence. I do not like sleeves.

I do have options, I suppose. I could move to Florida. Or Hawaii. Those both seem like very tank top friendly places. I could cultivate a love for vests (or people who wear vests). I could consider the value in a knitted straightjacket.

Maybe I’ll just try knitting the sleeves first next time.

For a knitting blog, I haven’t talked all that much about knitting lately. There are several reasons for that, but one of them is that I’ve been working on a secret project.

I’m not ready to reveal it yet, but here’s a sneak peek.

Isn’t the color lovely?

Since I’m using swap yarn to work on the community sock yarn blanket, I’ve decided to try to do at least one square a day. They’re only 31 stitches, so it doesn’t really take too long and I can easily do two squares if I miss a day.

It also gives me some hope of finishing this blanket in this millenium.

I’m loving all the colors. Even the yarns I don’t think will look good wind up looking pretty nice in the blanket. I’m not wild about the back though–the ridge where stitches are picked up and the bits where ends are woven in just looks really unfinished to me. I’m thinking I might sew a backing on when it’s done, but then I’m not sure how I’d handle an edging. Though I suppose if I did a blanket stitch to attach it, I could always pick that up to crochet an edging.

But that’s a long time away! In the meantime, I just need to keep knitting squares.

Alas, not me! But I am working on my newest WIP, the Travelling Woman shawl. I’ve seen this one around quite a bit, and I’m developing quite the fascination with small shawls. It’s not that I don’t like larger shawls, but they don’t seem quite as practical. I get the caught on things, and I don’t feel like I’m really dressed up enough to wear them much of the time. But small shawls–like my Ishbel–are easy enough to throw on with a pair of jeans and a shirt to make me feel like I actually have some sort of fashion sense. Or something.

They’re also super quick to knit. I’m using Neighborhood Fiber Co Yarn in Truxton Circle. I love the color, and it was even on sale! This is just ziping along and I can’t wait to find more to knit….there’s a whole small shawl group in Ravelry that I found. I see lots of shaws in my future!

No, not the kind with little green–er, I mean, grey men. No, the unfinished object kind. The half knitted, the just-need-to-weave-in-ends, the forlorn sad projects that get cast aside when I get distracted by something shiny.

Last night, as I was frustrated and stressed and decided to cast on for a new project to take the edge off, I also did a run down of what I have on the needles.

I’m not going to lie–it ain’t pretty.

Here’s the deal:

• Princess Buttercup sweater (just separated and began to work the front)
• Mrs. Darcy sweater (Nearly finished the body)
• Baby sweater for a friend (Who, uh, just gave birth. Really should finish that one.)
• Socks for a friend in CAYA (half done; need her to try them on before I start sock #2)
• Socks for another friend in CAYA (set aside because they require more concentration then I’ve been able to supply)
• A long, long, several years abandoned Rogue pullover that should be revived (Years, folks, I’m not kidding)
• A Clapotis (I finally untangled the yarn at least)
• Commuter socks (Not even sure these *really* count as they’re perpetual WIPs)
• Sock Yarn memory blanket (ditto)
• Community swap patchwork blanket (am actively swapping yarn and working on this)
• A basketweave scarf
• Lacy stockings
• A Cutaway Skirt
• Travelling Woman shawl (started last night with some sale yarn I snagged on Sunday…because I have no willpower)

Also, on deck is a baby sweater for another friend who is about to give birth. Not started yet, but needs to be sooner rather than later. Plus, I have a couple of finished objects that still need to be modeled, photographed, and blogged.

It’s possible I might have a problem, here. Someone remind me to actually finish some of these before I’m allowed to start anything new!