skein

More plain socks

Yarn: Fortissima-Socka Mexiko Color 0029 dk weight sock yarn.
Needles: 2.75mm
Pattern:  Top down ribbed socks with heel flap and gusset, worked on 52 stitches. 

Very quick, very easy. 

I'm planning to start another pair of socks soon, but I want to try a patterned sock next time.

As these are off the needles my new commuting / foolproof knitting is now the Knitting Pure & Simple Neckdown Scoop neck T-shirt.

Rowan's Damask is proving to be a right pain to knit with.  The yarn's splitty, I'm having to watch that I knit each stitch properly. I tried to take  a photo of my progress last night, but the yarn has shiny bits in and the flash wipes out the colour.  This morning I fared no better; the weather has returned to its usual dank, dismal, dreary, damp state.

May's Mystery Blanket squares

I've finished the last two of five squares for May's squares.

Old stone wall

Farmhouse

All five squares

And that's all the knitting I've done this week!

The sudden hot weather has made me go all Spring Cleany. 
I've turfed my woollies out of the wardrobe

The camera doesn't quite catch the huge pile of garments!  Some of these haven't been worn at all this winter, some only a few times.  So I've spent today doing a HUGE woollens wash.  In the bath, which is quite back breaking.  I've spread them all outside on our two airers, and we've also improvised by putting 4 planks of wood across from the window ledge to the wall. 

Then I spring cleaned the living room.  As I don't do housework, this is a real chore. Instead of just vacuuming around the furniture, it's all been pulled out, the shelves and any ornaments have been washed, woodwork washed down, windows cleaned and the living room nets washed. I've even sorted out all of my knitting tools and needles.   Phew!  I am exhausted!   I've started sorting out my winter clothes to store, and the summer clothes are out ready to iron.  I think I'll do that next week, now it's time to cook supper and relax with my knitting. 

I'm going to work on the Norwegian Woods next week.  I haven't picked it up since starting it, and I don't want it to become a UFO. 

Mystery Blanket May Squares

No, they're not finished yet, but will be in a few days time.  Last week I didn't have a WIP of the week - I decided I needed a break.  This week it's the Mystery Blanket.  I haven't had as much knitting time as I thought I would, but still, I've managed three of the five squares. 

All repeats, or variations, this month.

Furrows

Another sheep (with a black face and white eyes this time)

Harvest Cable

I haven't 'sorted' the bobbles out, so they're looking pretty messy.
I've two more to do, one is a basketweave variation with 3 colours; the other is another intarsia with beads.  By Friday these will be done, leaving me with a weekend for other knitting.  I might pick up the shawl (Norwegian Woods) which is sadly languishing.  Or my newest project, a plain top down scoop neck t-shirt.   

Please tell me I'm not alone in wanting to cast on a million summer projects as soon as the weather warms up!  I've not shown the slightest interest in starting what I call Summer Knitting (cottons, short sleeved tops, the latest summer season magazines) until last weekend, when we had warmer weather.  I very nearly didn't just cast on the scoop neck t-shirt - I actually had a bag of the latest acquired yarns and thought I might cast on six new projects last Sunday!  Common sense prevailed, and the bag's gone into the wardrobe, out of sight. 

Must concentrate on:
Plain socks
Top down scoop t-shirt (lots of stocking stitch)
Norwegian Woods
Buying buttons for Autumn Kauni Cardigan (so it can be put away with the winter knits)
Buying buttons for Neutral Tailoring Cardigan
8 Picnic squares (which will mean I'm joining the 4th out of 9 strips).

There's many more garments I want to start, but will wait a month, then post up a list!

Gingerbread baby cardigan

Gingerbread, by Kim Hargreaves. 

Started in late April, finished 2nd May. 
This is only available as a kit at Kim Hargreaves' site, in wool cotton.  I substituted some stash Debblie Bliss cashmerino in a lovely, girlie pink.

Pattern: Gingerbread, by Kim Hargreaves.
Size: 3 months.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino dk.
Needles: 3.75mm (I think, they're put away now and i didn't make notes).
I followed the pattern, but ran out of yarn about 1cm short on the collar - you can't tell.
I even knitted it in pieces, because I grabbed yarn and needles on the way to work one day, and didn't want to fuss with the conversion.  This is raglan shaped, but the fronts are shorter, and each sleeve has different shaping at the top to accommodate the shorter fronts raglans.

Next on the baby list is another Kim Hargreaves design,  Sweet Dreams, in some gorgeous pink 4ply Soft.  The only sticking point is the edging - it's a lace sewn on edging.  I will have another look at the pattern and see if I can rework the edgings. If I can't be bothered, I might just pick up stitches from the edges, and work the (side knitted) lace pattern together iwth the picked up stitches.

Neutral tailoring is going fine. The knitting's done. I need to sew in a few ends, half a side seam, and buy buttons. 

And what do I do today?  Do I pick up the Mystery Blanket squares, or my new cast on shawl?  Nope,  I start another project.

It's Knitting Pure & Simple neck down scoop neck t-shirt.  I'm using Rowan's Damask, which I bought this year.  I intended knitting Tulip from Rowan 41, but decided against it.  I have yet ot knit a wraparound cardigan; there's a stubborn part of my brain which thinks it's a waste of knitting to knit the front part which goes under the wrap.

There's a new sock on the needles too, a plain, top down ribbed sock in Fortissima Mexiko, for my brother (who loved the thick socks I knitted last month)

I have a strong urge to start lots of new projects.  I think it's because I spent most of today sorting out my individual patterns, and looking in the bag of 'summer' yarns bought this year, which is sat behind my chair, it never made it into the stash proper. I'm  hoping that by casting on a top down summer top this will rein in this urge.  I don't want to get the number of wips up again, it's so nice to finish a few things and I know if I have too many things on the needles it seems to drag out each project.

April knitting and May knitting goals

Where does time fly? Another month gone. 

I haven't done as well as last month, with 100% success rate. Only five out of seven (and barely that) completed this month.

1) Knit another 8 squares on the Picnic blanket. Done!

2) Knit the April Debbie Abrahams' Mystery squares.  Done!

3) Finish Neutral Tailoring 1  Not done! I'm working on the collar now.  Most of the seaming is done.  I need buttons.

4) Knit some socks for one of my brothers. Done!

5) Start and finish a small shawl (I have the yarn right here next to me, all wound up).
Done!  This was a gift for a knitting pal.

6) Start another shawl.  This is the Norwegian Woods shawl by Sivia Harding. (Barely) done! I have cast on and worked a few rows, so it is started, but just!

7) Baby things! Not done!  One sleeve and border/collar to complete.

Not bad but I could have pushed the boat out and knitted a little faster.

MAY GOALS
1) Knit my May Mystery Blanket squares
2) Knit 8 Picnic Blanket squares, which will mean I'll have finished strip 4 and 7/9 of strip 5.
3) Finish Neutral Tailoring 1.  I need daylight, so this will be finished (hopefully) over the weekend.  (Apart from buttons. As usual)
4) Finish Gingerbread baby cardigan. Just a sleeve, collar and buttons (which I have!)
5) Start something new - a garment, for Spring. Plenty of choice! I like a few Rowan designs, as well as Spring IK, and the new Kim Hargreaves book.
6) Carry on and try to finish Norwegian Woods shawl (I'm knitting the smaller version, so might get this finished)
7) Plain socks.
8) Patterned socks? 

This makes eight, not seven knitting goals for the month.  I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and lucky number.

And I've joined the Summer of Socks.  What, with two blankets on the go and the urge to knit a few summer tops, as well as baby garments, I might not have much time for socks, but I've not knitted as many pairs as I'd like this year, and I have boxes and boxes of sock yarn, so I'll give it a good go.  It's not until June 21st, so I have six or seven weeks to get stuff done.