The Misadventures of GaietyGirl

I’ve officially hit max capacity on projects. I’m at 4 WIPs now, which is the most I think I’ve had on the go since I first learned to knit. While I realise that some people have more WIPs than finished projects to their names, I am normally very strict at keeping my project basket as free as possible.

It’s possibly a form of OCD or something. Personally I think it’s a reflection of the fact that I get distracted by teh shiny quite easily (some would say that I actively launch myself in that direction on a regular basis) and if I didn’t make myself either finish or frog projects, then I’d be living in a house of WIPs and not much else.

Honestly, one of them needs to be frogged. I started some megaboots socks a full eight weeks ago on the train home, and have progressed no further than the toe. It’s progress, and in the right direction, but there’s not a hope in hell of me getting them done any time soon, and I swear they really are taunting me from the WIP basket.

The handbag project is, as usual, socks. My STR socks are still moving along, but they really only get attention on the train to and from work. Unless I fall asleep. I’ve about an inch to go before I get to rib away to my hearts content.

This cheeky little minx is the Retro Redux shrug from Lace Style. It’s mostly true to the pattern, though I couldn’t resist a little fidgeting with it, as is my way. I’m up to the end of the first “arm” and the next needle size up. Which I don’t have.

Argh.

I’m starting to think that this thing does not want to be knitted. By me, at least. I was in my LYS on Saturday and picked up some needles for another project, and forgot the 6mm needles that I needed for this. I did a mad five-minutes-before-closing dash there again this week and picked up my sixes. Knitting away last night, smug as a….smug thing, I got to the next line of the pattern that advised me to move on to my largest needles. You know, the 6.5mm ones that I don’t actually possess?

Did I get stressed? No. Did I wonder how I got to this point in my life without a set of 6.5mm needles? Nuh uh.  Did I hurl my project across the room, questioning the parentage of everyone in the room in the process? Nope!

I did what any knitter in the same situation would do.

I cast on another project.

Two hours later I had what essentially amounts to a yarn pretzel.

The second smallest size of Eunny Jang’s Tangled Yoke cardigan requires a 269 stitch cast on. While this will be awesome for the lack of sewing at the end, I nearly went blind and insane in the process. It seems that I lose my ability to count when tired and/or stressed. First attempt I had 267 stitches. That had to go. Second attempt I was clever. I got HusBeast to hold both ends of the circ while I, looking like someone who should clearly be on meds, went along the cable and counted each stitch. Twice.

I’m going to completely ignore the fact that it took me an average time of 35 minutes to a row by the time I got passed the epic casting on and reached the stage in the photo above.

Now that there’s some actual fabric (all one inch of it) it’s a much easier beast to tame. I’m even feeling brave enough to take it to SnB this evening. In a pub.

Perhaps a lifeline might be a good idea….