In Which I Give Myself a Stern Talking To. . .

The WIPs are piling up.  And piling up.  I've been busy trying to sort out my ever-expanding stash and in doing so have come across quite a few bags with half finished projects going back at least six years.   Blimey.

Here's the problem.  I love to start new projects. It makes me feel virtuous to be using up stash and it's exciting to venture into a new knitting experience. It doesn't help that I subscribe to a number of knitting magazines and there are just so many beautiful publications coming out this year.  The inspiration and temptation is overwhelming.  These are just a few that have popped through the mail box in the last month.  I want to knit about a dozen things from this lot alone.

And so, in a burst of creativity and optimism and quite frankly, smothering myself in a cloud of delusion, I happily cast on. And I get so far.  And then I get bored, or tempted by another project, or I pop it temporarily in a bag and forget about it.  Yet,  I still really, really, want to finish these projects.

Enough!

It's time to get tough with myself.  I have some absolutely lovely knits on the go and I am determinedly pledging to get at least three WIPs - any three - done before I cast on anything new.  I can see myself trying to get smaller projects done first, but that is fine - I have socks and wrist warmers and hats, all in various stages of completion.  And if nothing else, I need to free up those needles.

So here are my most pressing WIPs and the ones I will be trying to finish first.

#1.  My Next Year in Lerwick jumper by Tori Seierstad.   I'm off to Shetland in just over six weeks and I really need to get this done.  I have the bottom third to knit, two sleeves and the neckline. It's doable but I need to get cracking.

#2.  The Talmadge Cloche.  Designed by Romi Hill, this is June's project for the Year of Techniques and it's so modern and stylish.  I never though I'd go for - let alone knit -  a lace hat, but I've seen several finished projects now and it's the type of design that suits a lot of different heads.  I'm nearly at the brim so one more push and a block and I'll be done, although I'm reminded I still have May's mouse to finish too.  But I won't cast on July's project until my three WIPs are done.

#3. When the heatwave hit last week, I went scrambling in my stash for some linen or cotton to knit with (another excuse to cast on something new).  I'm half way up the body of Waterlily by Meghan Fernandes and it would be nice to wear this before the end of summer.

#4.  Another Shetland jumper.  As soon as the pattern was released, I knew I wanted to knit this, also in time for Shetland as we'll be meeting up with the designer, Ella Gordon.  This is the very pretty Vatsland Jumper and whew, I've been having a time trying to decide on my colours.  I had enough Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in my stash for the main body and this was my first version - just pulling some scraps from stash.

But Brooklyn Tweed yarn has a very distinctive, soft, mottled look and the different yarns just weren't playing well together. It also had too much of a Ronald McDonald look for my liking.  So on to the second incarnation.  This time I used a few colours of Brooklyn Tweed Loft held double, along with the main colour.  It was an improvement but I wasn't in love with it.

Just as I was pondering whether to continue or rip back and have another rummage in the stash, as if by magic, there was a thump on the door mat and this lovely box arrived.

I have long heard knitters rave about the legendary Alice Starmore's Hebridean 2ply yarn and since I'll be heading to the Outer Hebrides later this year on holiday, it seemed only fitting that I try it out. I ordered a few skeins for some different projects entirely, but as soon as I held the Pebble Beach colourway (in the middle), I knew that this was exactly what my Vatsland had been waiting for.   And so Version 3 was born and this one is a keeper. The Barn Owl colourway of the Shelter really responds to a lighter colour palette and the Hebridean looks perfect next to the other Brooklyn Tweed shades.  In fact, the texture and airiness of the Hebridean is surprisingly similar to the feel of Shelter and Loft, whereas I'd expected it to be a bit stickier, more like Jamieson and Smith's 2ply.  I am delighted with this discovery as it's much cheaper and quicker for me to order from Virtual Yarns and so far I really love knitting with it.  This has a simple stockinette body and three quarter length sleeves. I so hope I can also finish this in time for Shetland although my Lerwick remains the priority. 

#5.  My Firth O' Forth Cardigan by Kate Davies.  This is my latest cast-on, which I am knitting with Portland Lace in a beautiful deep teal blue colourway called A Day in the Woods.  I won't be finishing this anytime soon as it's knit in lace weight but it's a fairly easy pattern to memorize and so could be a good portable project. I'll be crossing the Firth of Forth by train on my way up to Ullapool so I must get a few stitches knitted on the actual bridge. 

I won't bore you with the many other WIPs I need to tackle, but hopefully they will be making an appearance on this blog as Finished Objects before too long.  I must stay strong. . .