Autumn on the Mountain

My oh my, doesn't the time fly!  Can you believe it's almost Halloween?  Only a second ago I looked through my window and saw this...

...and now?  See for yourself:

I'm manipulating the evidence here, but only slightly.  The pictures were taken no more than a few weeks apart. The ugly one, however, IS from today.  What you see is not fog, not exactly - I'm in the centre of a %&*#^% cloud!  It happens a lot around here, because of the elevation: the clouds just can't be bothered to lift their lazy backsides over the mountain so they hug the ground instead, enveloping us in the grey wetness.  The effect, when you go outside, is curious - like rain, but stationary.  The droplets don't fall, they hang in the air, so you crash into them as you walk through, not the other way round. 

Usually I hate being all Pollyanna about things but at times like this it's either this or crying the afternoon away.  A lightless, dripping day outside?  Brilliant!  PERFECT knitting conditions.  Let's grab some needles and talk yarn stuff. 

Last time I was here, I was working on a pair of Owlies for my Sister's birthday.  Here they are, all done:

I fell in love with the owl cable and with adding beads to knitwear, so I went on knitting and improvised a matching pair of fingerless mitts.

The package still felt little light, so I added something else to the bunch:

This fella is King Cole's Tinsel Hedgehog, if you were wondering.  I'm not a big fan of glitter, so I chose a down-to-earth colour for his fur but otherwise I followed the pattern as written.  A very pleasant pattern it is too, quick and simple, perfect for a last minute gift. 

Next up - Indian Feathers shawl.

As you can see, I'm still under the beading spell.  I *blush* may have bought a *more blushing* rather substantial amount of size 6/0 beads, so this probably isn't the last word on the matter...

I'm uncomfortably between projects right now.  There's enough yarn in the stash to last me a decade, but after a few days wasted browsing through patterns, I'm still undecided.  Something biggish is on my mind, a jacket perhaps, but whatever design I look at, there's something not quite right.  The fit is not 'mine'.  The gauge is all wonky.  The 'wow factor' is just not there.  I rather feel like mindless knitting just now but I fear I'll end up designing something from scratch.  I've been lazily swatching today, trying out various pretty stitches, thinking the pattern up.  We'll see if the idea ever becomes solid enough to be born as a garment;  keep your fingers crossed, will ya?

I can't sign off without introducing you to the newest member of our household.  She's nameless as yet and disarmingly cute:

Any ideas for a decent rabbit name?

A triple 'ta-dah!'

Oh boy, don't I have things to show you!  I've been knitting like a demon recently and I have a small pile of Finished Objects to present.  Well ok, maybe two pairs of socks and a shawl don't exactly constitute a pile, but still - considering I've knit them within a week or so, it's decent results, no?

Number 1 - Vestigial Socks by Beata Jezek

Nice, eh?  I loved the pattern, so straightforward, so quick to knit up, so lovely.  Highly recommended.  In fact, I HAVE recommended it to my newly found knitting friends and one of them already has a Vestigial Sock on her needles :)

Number 2 - Aylesbury Shawl

Lo and behold, another shawl done and dusted.  To be honest, it's a shawlette rather than a shawl, it eats up around 400m of yarn and can be knit in three days from start to finish, average knitting speed.

A lovely little pattern;  I was halfway through before I realised it was designed by Aisling M. Doonan, whose Ardrum Scarf I've knit a while back.  A quick browse through Ravelry revealed that there are quite a few knitworthy (and free!) designs in her collection so if you're into lace, do check her out. 

It's lace on garter stitch background, therefore details of the pattern can be a little hard to make out.  On the plus side, it stays flat.  Really, really flat, without the slightest inclination to curl anywhere and you have no idea how much I appreciate this.  Hatred of curling edges in knitting is one of my (completely irrational) quirks. 

Number 3 - Foot Ovens, or my variation on the theme

A simple design by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (known also as the Yarn Harlot - in the unlikely event of anyone not recognising the name).  Originally written for chunky alpaca, I made my pair out of aran weight acrylic and it worked just fine.  I had to fiddle with the numbers a bit of course, but there are few patterns where I don't.

The best part?  A pair can be whipped up in a day or two.  That's size large, too.

So, what do you think?  Not too shabby for a week of work? 

Let's hope the productive stretch continues for another while.  I have Owlies on the needles now - I saw the pattern yesterday evening and could hardly sleep at night from the desire to cast them on.  It's my first time beading, too.  By a total coincidence (synchronicity???), I found a teeny tiny crochet hook in my hardware tin, so I'm all ready to go. 

I'll keep you posted.
 

Borderline scratchy

Just as promised, let me present another shawl, fresh off the needles.  Here's Danielle:

Oops, sorry about that!  The Puppy likes Danielle too, take your eyes off for a second and she'll install herself right on top of the lace, without any regard for its fragility. 

Let's try again.  Danielle, in all of its (block-in-progress) glory:

Right, I know pictures are rather unimpressive so far, but would you be eager for an outdoor photo shoot when the outdoor looks like this?

I didn't think so.  Wait for the weather to clear, you might say, but with Ireland experiencing the worst summer in decades, this could be quite a wait.  A pretty detail will have to do:

A quick knit, simple and lovely (free!) pattern.  About a week from start to finish, with a logical, easy to memorize chart.  Unless I'm very much mistaken (which could happen, but Ravelry notes confirm my version), one line in chart 5 is off by 1 stitch (per side)*.  Easy enough to rectify, just add one stitch near the beginning and the end of the offending row and from there it's smooth sailing. 

Yarn:  30% mohair, 20% wool, 50% acrylic, 350m/50g.  I ordered it specifically for Danielle - I couldn't imagine so leafy a shawl in colour other than green - and while I love the shade, I'm slightly disappointed by how the yarn feels against the skin.  I'd call it borderline scratchy - not quite unpleasant, but definitely not smooth and soft.  That's natural fibres for you, I'm afraid.  This particular yarn is not too bad, but I've seen (touched!) wools you could flay someone with. 

Just something to think about, before you order online :)

* I'm sorry, I forgot to write down exactly which line has the mistake.  Now I'm not 100% sure anymore and I don't want to mislead you.  You'll see it when you get there :)  

Alone no more and a brand new shawl

Despite silence on the blog, a lot is happening in my little knitterly world.  Turns out there are knitters - and even spinners! - on my mountain.  While spending time with other people is not the easiest thing in the world for the introvert me, it is really good to meet someone who gets this whole knitting thing.  I'm more used to the look of friendly incomprehension from the general public and while I don't hold it against anyone, it's a pleasure to experience something different. 

A lot of brainstorming takes place, and who knows where it will lead me and my new friends?  I'll let you know when anything significant emerges, for now let me share another recent creation - and why, it is another shawl, thank you so much for asking!

A very pleasant pattern by a Polish designer, Kasia Smolak, it's called Creamy Shawl and it works up in a breeze.  I think it took me about a week, maybe 10 days from start to finish, eating up around 600m of sport weight yarn (20% alpaca, 40% merino, 10% mohair, 30% acrylic).  Just imagine it wound up around your neck rather than this handsome fence post on my patio*:

It could happen, you know? The shawl may still be snatched by my sister for an upcoming wedding but if it's not, I'm putting it up for sale.  Do let me know if you're interested - my email address is contactstitchsmart(at)gmail(dot)com.  I thought I'd like to wrap myself up in something warm and pretty but in the end, it's not quite 'me'.  Off it has to go, one way or another.

What do you think about the frilly edge?  I'm inclined to block it out of existence (whether it would block out is another story), but a friend said it adds character to the piece.  Does it?  Should I try and fight this particular windmill? 

More shawls coming soon.  I'm on a roll.

* See the stormy sky in the background?   That's Irish summer for you...

One Lousy Day

I didn't finish Oceanspray in time.  I was late.  By one day.  ONE LOUSY DAY. 

The world didn't end.  Even with the surprise element spoiled, the shawl was gifted away and duly admired.  All's good.

I don't know if you can fully appreciate it from the picture, but the finished knit is HUGE.  So huge, in fact, that I had serious problems trying to block in on two single beds put together.  I never bothered to measure it but my goodness.  It's a blanket rather than a shawl. 

Just as I suspected, silk/alpaca mix is a tad too drapey to really bring out beauty of this particular pattern.  Eyelets get lost in the stockinette, but as long as the leafy border looks ok, I'm not worried.  It does look ok, doesn't it?

Puppy, as ever, insisted on joining in the photo shoot.

I am very, very happy with this pattern.  I used up 4 (and a tiny bit) x 50g skeins, 350m each.  I have another four left.  Any ideas?

Speaking of yarn, I went on a binge recently and bought a small mountain of it, mostly in lace but also some fingering in sweater quantities.  I'm told winters on my mountain get pretty ghastly, with storms and clouds enveloping the whole area.  Rowan berries are already turning red, hazelnuts are almost ripe, summer (such as it was) is on its way out. One needs to be prepared, yes?  

Chores and deadlines

Can I tell you a secret?

I'm really not good at chores.  I'm supposed to be a proper, organised adult, with a 'to do' list, spotless house and a solid plan for life.  I have none of these things.  Sometimes I even feel guilty for not having them.  More often, I shrug and get over the fact that I won't be called the Housekeeper of the Year anytime soon. 

There are so many things I'd rather do!  I mean - look how uninspiring housework is.  You wash and brush and wipe and dust and polish and clean and two days later?  You have to do it all over again.  It's a never ending battle and you have to sprint constantly just to keep up.  Nauseating.  Wouldn't you rather be knitting?  Wouldn't you?

It's simple.  One day I have to be rich enough to be able to afford a cleaner.  Until then, I'll compromise.

I don't negotiate with animal chores.  Critters need to be fed, watered, walked, cuddled (whichever is appropriate at any given moment) and that's that.  All the rest?  I'll do it if there's no way to avoid it (having no clean underwear is a potent motivator).  I'll leave it for later if I can.  I'll try not to feel guilty about it.

Do you want one more reason to chuck housework? 

Knitting deadlines. 

I'm some 2/3 through Oceanspray.  Another 10 (long) rows and I'll be able to start the border.  I need to finish it by July 24 or the secret gift will not be secret anymore.  Anyone wants to take bets?  Or at least cheer me along?  I can do it.  I can do it, right?

My Oceanspray doesn't look like much at the moment, just a shapeless pile of grey (Puppy helped in the photo shoot).  I hope blocking will make all the difference although part of me wonders if silk/alpaca yarn isn't too drapey for this pattern?  I suppose I'll find out soon enough...

If you need me, I'll be knitting on the porch. 

Giant's socks and garden sheep

Remember my latest pair of socks?  They were little on the large side, but now...  guys, my socks GREW in washing.  They grew a lot.  As in - they are some giant's socks now, not mine. 

Look, here's the Giant Sock pictured together with a fitting handmade sock and a commercial sock in my size (just for the joke):

As much as I hate the idea of knitting them anew, I see no other option than frogging the whole thing and re-working them with severely reduced stitch counts.  To start with, I'm going to work on 56 rather than 64 stitches.  I'll probably make them shorter, too... hell, I think I'll change pretty much all there is to change because in hindsight, the pattern does not really work that well with this particular yarn.  I'll use Rebecca's pattern as a springboard, but what I'll end up with, only time can tell.    

I'm also going to start soon because I know that if I leave them be for now they'll remain untouched for years, lurking in some dark corner of my stash. 

That's the Plan.  The Plan may be influenced by two things:

1) suddenly I'm flooded by a shitload of work (you know, work, the nasty stuff that keeps the bills paid and gets you all that yarn.  I don't like it either)

2) deadlines for Oceanspray (end of July) and one more - unbloggable - knit gift (three days from today?  I'll need a Tardis for that one...) are approaching fast. 

I'll keep you posted.

By the way, did I ever mention that my neighbourhood is full of sheep?  Look what I saw through my window this morning:

Apologies for the crappy picture, I had to be very sneaky because I didn't want my SHEEPdog to notice and chase the visitors away.  The more grass they eat, the less there's left to mow for us :) 

Could anyone tell me what breed sheep are they?  I strongly suspect that only meat breeds are kept on my mountain but you never know... 

Shawl addiction

My friends, shawl addiction is a terrible thing, especially from the blogging point of view.  Shawls take long time to complete - laceweight shawls, that is, and my brand new obsession seems to be confined to just that kind of yarn.  They also look like nothing much before blocking. If the shawl in question happens to be grey, the battle is lost before it even begins.  There is no way in hell I could possibly take a pretty/interesting picture of a grey shawl-in-progress, on a cloudy Irish day, with a smartphone.

See?  A boring, shapeless pile of mostly stockinette, because in this particular pattern - Oceanspray - all the fireworks happen at the end.  I've actually finished the plain stockinette bit and now bravely knit through part two: stockinette with an occasional yarnover or k2tog.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  I'm enjoying the simplicity, daydreaming a lot and caressing the softer-than-soft yarn. 

I swore I'd never let 'posh' yarns steal my heart but I have to confess a little love affair with silk nowadays.  I found a place that sells laceweight with high silk content for next to nothing so I bought over a kilogram in grey, cream and yellow/orange. I'll probably buy more, too, as soon as I spot a bargain I can't resist.  I have enough laceweight to last me a decade but I'm on a binge.  Please don't judge me.

Anyway, I'm under a self-imposed ban on sweater knitting.  See, I quit smoking last February, after 15 years of heavy puffing.  NOT the easiest thing I've ever done, but it looks like victory is mine.  My lungs might be grateful, my waistline, however, does not like the change at all.  I've put on tremendous amount of weight (so much that for a while I seriously thought I'm pregnant!), despite significantly reducing calorie intake.  To tell you the truth, I'm horrified by my new shape and I refuse to knit a garment to fit the huge, flabby me.  There'll be no sweaters until I can step on the scales without screaming.  Howgh. 

Shawls it is, then.  Oceanspray is for my partner's Mum, whose 60th birthday will coincide with her upcoming visit next month.  After that?  Normally I don't wear accessories, but all that lace I knit for other people got me greedy.  Let me tell you: next shawl is mine! 

Any suggestions for a cool, free pattern?

Hey, do you want to see a sock?

My wee orange socks are all done.  Let me present socks no. 5:

Pattern:  Simply Sweet Toe-Up Socks by Rebecca Bailey.  They are sweet indeed, and simple, even if you're attempting any of the techniques involved for the very first time.  Oh yeah, I learned a bunch of stuff with this project.  Let's see.  These are my first toe-up socks, also first time using magic loop method. 

The pattern is written out for 64 and 72 stitches and I went for the former.  If I ever knit this design again, though, I'll resize to 60 because...

That's where my toe is if I stretch the sock ever so slightly.  Despite going down from 2.75mm to 2.25mm needles, using thinnish yarn and frogging quite a lot, I ended up with socks that are simply too big.  They're wearable, but definitely not perfect.  Perhaps as an extra, to put on top of another pair? 

I'd give them away but I know neither a man who would wear those colours nor a woman with feet this large.  See, I'm size 41 so I'm guessing you'd need a foot size 43-44 to have these fit comfortably.  Oh well, lesson learned.  If your sock looks massive when you're knitting it, it will most likely stay this way when you're done and NOT FIT YOU.  Who would've thought...

On needles these days - Oceanspray.  I've barely begun and already had to frog a day's worth of knitting because I spotted a forgotten yarnover 20 rows on.  Depending on how you want to view it (glass half-full of half-empty kind of choice), this either doesn't bode well for the future or used up my quota of mistakes for this project and guarantees success.

Luckily, I'm loving the yarn.  Silk and baby alpaca, what's not to love?  It'll probably be a nightmare to care for but my goodness, isn't that thing soft! 

Stay tuned for updates!

Iris

Iris - finished and photographed.

I am slightly disappointed with the result.  It's not that there's something wrong with the design, it's just that I imagined it would look different.  It's too narrow, for one.  I should've noticed before I knit almost two running metres of the thing, shouldn't I?  I thought blocking will make all the difference.  It did not. 

Also, edges curl which narrows the shawl even further and pisses me off to no end because I really don't like the look. 

Pictures taken on a really windy day:

I tried to anchor the shawl to various pieces of greenery to stop it from moving around...

...and in the process discovered that it is almost exactly the shade of red clover:

I may be a crappy photographer, but I have the coolest props:

Chicks hatched between Wednesday and Friday in a dramatic - if slow - process that kept me glued to the incubator for most of the time.  7 out of 10 hatched successfully, which is a decent result for first time breeders, isn't it?  The last two really struggled to get out of their shells, getting stuck for hours halfway through the unzipping stage.  Eventually we helped them a bit and I'm pretty sure this saved their lives. 

You have no idea how fervently I hoped that the little fella wouldn't go to toilet on my scarf...

Mission (almost) accomplished

Sometimes I am almost willing to admit that I do not lack self-discipline*.  Remember my three WIPs from recent entries?

NO. 1 - FINISHED!!!!!!**

Finished, blocked, done, almost forgotten about.  Not my favourite project in the world, although I'm reasonably satisfied as to how it turned out in the end. 

Lace-up sides result solely from my impeccable fashion sense and have nothing to do with any sizing problems, nothing what-so-ever.

They DO look nice though, don't they? 

PATTERN: my own improvisation, 100% cotton, +/- 300g, 3 mm crochet hook.  I don't like it enough to give it a proper name. 

NO. 2 - FINISHED

Believe it or not, my knitting mojo held and I finished Iris a good few days ago.  It's stretched for blocking now, waiting for any half-decent weather that would allow me to snap some pics. 

BTW, I almost ruined the shawl at the very last step.  A new (to me) bind off technique, described in a tutorial as stretchy and perfect for lace, turned out to create an edge that is very beautiful and...  completely inelastic.  It is also impossible to undo without destroying the yarn so now it's either some very complicated knitting surgery on lace yarn or ignoring the problem and letting it stay as is.  Bound off edge in this particular project is short, so it doesn't look quite so bad.  I think it will pass muster, but only just.  In the end, no harm done, but my joy at finishing the knit is tainted. 

NO. 3 - 90% done. 

On hold for 24-48 hours.  Not my fault.  Too boring to explain. 

Anyway, I'm damn proud of myself.  I really, really, really felt like ditching all those WIPs and starting something new.  I deserve a medal.  Or a cake.

Or a teeny, tiny, super quick sock...

* Do not ask me about cleaning, though.  Or sweets.  Somehow my self-discipline never stretches that far.
** Relief directly proportional to the number of exclamation marks

Assorted randomness

Did you know that if you work on things, they get done? 

Insightful, I know. 

Somehow, I tend to forget that when it comes to finishing projects, nothing works quite as well as sitting down on your ass and putting the hours in (and no, spending those hours on reading crafty blogs does not have the same effect.  Unfortunately.)

Guys, I've been a good little knitter and while I don't have a Finished Object to present just yet, I can definitely report some progress. 

Item A - lace scarf (Iris, if you're curious)

Look, it's growing!

I tackled this unloved and forgotten baby a few days ago and magic happened - suddenly I'm enjoying working on it!  Seriously, while a few weeks back I had to force myself to knit a single 8-row repeat, now the repeats are flying off the needles at lightning speed.  Suddenly I'm not bored by the pattern, thin yarn doesn't irritate me anymore, I'm not even intimidated by the apparent endlessness of the project.  Must be spring or some other charmed vibe in the air.

Touch wood, I can visualise finishing it within a week or so.  IF the magic holds. 

Item B - beach tunic

It's blocking!!!  No, the ordeal is not over yet.  The pieces are not sewn together, I just layered them like that to save space and make sure I block them to the same measurements.  I still need to join the two pieces, weave in the ends and nicely finish all the edges.  Plus, I'm contemplating adding something pretty and lacy along the bottom edge.  A few hours - at least - still need to be invested here, but I can see the finish line.  Just a little further... 

While I'm in my craft room...  hey, do you want to see my stash?

Just a quick pic, to give you a general idea :)  It doesn't look like much but believe me, this shelf is pretty deep and there are tons of yarn hidden in there. 

I get a mood boost just opening the cupboard and peeking in. 

Speaking of mood boosts - if all goes well, pretty soon I'll have a whole lot of cuteness to enjoy (and share!).  Look:

We bought a rooster a while ago, to see if we can raise some chickens for the pot.  He performs his duties admirably, but the ladies are not very interested in motherhood and refuse to go broody.  Technology to the rescue, we invested in this tiny egg incubator and a brooder.  So far so good, keep your fingers crossed for good hatch rate.

15 more days. 

Do sunshine and crochet mix?

That was a rhetorical question.  In my, not at all humble, opinion, they most certainly do not.  I made decent progress on my striped beach tunic, but today the sun came out and, well, not a single stitch so far... 

I'm not ashamed.  This is Ireland, which means that you have to make the most of rain-free days.  There aren't that many. 

I'm in the process of filling my brand new raised beds.  As you can see from the picture below, this is a slow, gradual process.

At the moment, I can't quite afford to buy topsoil, so I have to do things the hard way.  In a far corner of our new property, there is a small hill covered with grass and nettles, and once you strip the greens you find plenty of topsoil mixed with building rubble.  Once again, this is Ireland, rural Ireland, so by 'building rubble' you can substitute 'stones'.  Lots and lots of stones, big ones, small ones, mixed with some rubbish and even bits of broken glass.  I sift through it all shovelful by shovelful and then trawl buckets of topsoil across the garden and into the beds.  See?  Slow process.  It takes me about two days to fill one bed but hey, I'll get there in the end. 

I'd get there sooner, but someone keeps scratching my precious soil away. 

I didn't catch the culprit red-handed but I'm 99% sure it's the chickens*.  They act fast, the little monsters.  I finished filling less than an hour before taking the picture! 

Anyway, there's still some crafting planned for the evening.  I'm a few rows away from finishing second part of the tunic.  At this stage, I have to juggle between four balls of yarn which drives me up the wall.

Just one thing worries me.  It's hard to see on the picture, but the tunic looks very, very small.  A child's garment, rather than adult woman's.  NOT funny.  I'm putting a lot of faith into fabulous stretching qualities of cotton - how much do you think it will grow in blocking? 

I have a plan B up my sleeve - crocheting little inserts on the sides to make the tunic more roomy - because no matter what happens, I am NOT frogging this thing.  I never had a chance to tell you (what with the Internet starvation and the Big Move), but this is my fourth attempt at this design and I simply can't stomach another.  No can do.  Whatever I end up with this time, stays.  Please send stretchy thoughts my way.

* Or neighbours' dog.  But since he's probably the only thing standing between our chickens and Mr Fox during daytime, I won't hold grudge. 

Wanted: project bags

Before I say anything else, let me quickly explain that I'm not going to steal beg for ask you to share your precious collection of project bags.  I'll make them myself, my soon-to-be-recycled fabric drawer is overflowing anyway.  I just badly need a few, and the urgency chimes well with the idea of a wanted poster.  I'd make one such poster if I could draw but really, stick figures are the peak of my artistic ability in non-fibre media, so the dramatic post title will have to do. 

You see, I used to be a faithful knitter.  I would take one and only one project onto my table, and then I would plod away at it until it was finished, even if the very sight of the same yarn for (e.g.) three weeks running made me sick.  Among other things, it meant that projects got finished - if only because I so badly wanted to work on something else, or get my hands on some new yarn or whatever.  Something about the neatness of such strategy worked for me, and when I say 'neatness' I mean this metaphorically and, well, literally.

Just look at this mess.  Here I am in the new house, trying to keep it as nice as possible, and suddenly I find myself with three projects going and yarn/fabric/thread/notions EVERYWHERE.  Skeins keep falling on the floor, rolling happily in my dog's hair (which, I am convinced, hides somewhere whenever it sees the broom and resurfaces happily after the danger's passed), and there's no free chairs anymore because, well, yarn sits there. 

A long time ago, I started a lace shawl for my Other Sister.  I'll be frank - I was sick of it almost instantaneously.  The pattern is simple but so. damn. boring.  I have this much...

...and I'm adding a few rows now and again but on the whole the project is not exactly speeding by. 

No wonder then that when a friend commissioned a crocheted beach tunic, I jumped with joy and forgot all about the blasted lace.  I'm improvising the pattern, working in the general direction of a picture I was shown but I was given a free rein so the piece is definitely going to be unique.  I do hope it's also going to be wearable...  but that's another story. 

The tunic is worked in two pieces and today - oh, glory! - I finished the first one.  

As you can probably guess from my tone, by now I'm slightly fed up with project no.2 as well.  Hey, it's a big one.  And there's a mountain of new sock yarn in my stash, singing siren songs to me. 

For now I'm resisting and socks will wait.  However, another project jumped the queue and changed status from 'I'll deal with it one beautiful day' to 'need to finish soon'.  You see, about a year ago I designed and knit a dress (I will show it to you one day, I promise).  I had some yarn left over, so I added matching boot cuffs.  Yarn still there, so I crocheted a tote bag to finally use it all up.  The bag turned out rather nice, but it needed lining and I'd rather knit than sew so I packed it up and forgot about its existence. 

Last week I had my sister here for a few days and she sewed some 80% of the lining for me (thank you!!!).  I'm a few hours away from the bag being done, dusted and usable.  It would be a sin not to finish it now.  So there you go, project no. 3.

With all this, various tools and pieces are slowly taking over my living space.  Project bags, guys, I badly need project bags!  But - and this is a huge but - sewing project bags would mean starting even more projects and this is simply too much mayhem for me. 

Deep breath in.  Finish what you have.  Sew project bags.  THEN go to socks and the myriad other projects that float through my mind.  Become a faithful knitter again.

That's the plan.  We'll see how it goes.