Status and Priority

Or, World's Longest Post Ever, in which I admit to my gluttony of projects.

In-Progress:

1. Grandma's Birthday Socks. 4 repeats and one toe to go. Due: in two weeks Estimated Time of Completion ("ETC"): tonight


2. Hubby's Tomten. Minor adjustments + button bands to go. ETC: this weekend, even if I have to hide in a bedroom to get it done


3. Little Child's Sock. First sock completed. Second sock yet to be cast on. Still feeling the love, just distracted by gift-knitting. ETC: next week


4. Anniversary Socks. Two inches from the heel on the first sock. Currently my sock-on-the-go. ETC: week-10 days


5. Hubby's Plain Trekking Socks. One down (but too short, need to rip the toe and lengthen), one cast on. These should become purse-socks, but I need to get past the ribbing first to be sure that they're exactly the same length, and they're just about the most boring thing I have going so they haven't seen the light of day in a while. I really should finish them before I start any more socks for myself. ETC: two weeks


6. Baby blanket/shawl. I just frogged and re-started this last night. I had intended to do a bias garter-stitch square for the middle, and then do some kind of lace border and edging as in Heirloom Knitting but I switched needles so many times that my gauge was inconsistent in obvious ways, so I needed to start over. This time I'm using the February Baby Shawl construction from Knitter's Almanac. It looks a little ooky because the yarn has sat around in garter stitch for months. It will still have a plain center; I don't want it to be too lacy, as it's for a baby boy and the mother isn't really the lacy type. The baby will be born in San Diego and then move to Louisiana, so I'm thinking some pineapples around the border (pineapples are symbol of Southern Hospitality), and a print o' the wave edging. Due: early January ETC: October(ish)


7 Hex Coat. I've finished one front. After I finish Mom's sweater (see "Upcoming"), I'll probably make this my main large project. ETC: November


8. Lily of the Valley Shawl. I kind of have the urge to rip this out and restart it on smaller needles, but I probably won't. I love the pattern, and if I just stick with it it will start to go faster; the rows just get shorter from here. But with three wild dogs and a chatty husband in the house, it's hard to find an appropriate time and place to knit lace. ETC: maybe never


Upcoming:

1. Mom's cabled cardigan. She bought the yarn and wants me to knit a sweater. This is kind of part of her birthday present. I've pretty much designed it in my head; I just need to swatch and get going. The yarn shipped today. ETC: October-November

2. Fancy Silk Sock for a Child of 5 or 6 Years. Every time I see this sock in Knitting Vintage Socks, I wonder what it's doing among such a nice collection of socks. It looks like nothing in the book. I found this photo on Flickr ages ago, and have been dying to knit the pattern ever since, but I couldn't figure out what it was; the knitter just says it's from Knitting Vintage Socks. I've scoured the book for it several times, but never would have suspected that it was that pattern. Thanks to Ravelry, I've put two and two together, and the socks, at last, shall be mine. ETC: two weeks or so, unless I just can't stand it

3. Nordic mittens. Just got the kit in the mail yesterday, and I'm dying to get started. I want to finish all of my socks-in-progress (except whatever socks I have on-the-go in my purse) before I get started, though. I had planned to do white on navy, but now I'm thinking maybe navy on white. Except white mittens would be highly impractical. Whereas knitting mittens in Dallas, Texas is not at all impractical. It's cold here a good three days a year. What do you think?


4. A sweater for myself. Probably a modified Cobblestone out of recycled yarn. ETC: December?

Falling by the wayside:

1. Welsh Country Stockings. I wanted to make these more like the picture of the original in Folk Socks than the actual pattern, i.e., knee-highs. I started first from the top (without swatching, of course), and the fit was good but the color pattern kind of distorted over the calf. I knit all the way down to the heel, but my decreases were off and the sock was baggy around the ankle. So I frogged and started from the toe (again without swatching, or even taking gauge from my first failed attempt -- I hate taking gauge on socks). This time they're a little short, and, of course, the short row heel doesn't really fit my foot. Maybe I'll give it another shot someday, but for now the love is gone.


2. Neon green socks. I started these a long time ago two at a time on size 4s, put them down, scavenged the needles, put them back on 5s, thinking that's what I had started them on, knit one up, and got a sock that's a little too big. And a little too bright. The yarn is Artyarns Supermerino. I bought it to knit some Embossed Leaves socks with thinking it was the Ultramerino. (Hey, it was with sock yarn at the LYS and I was too much of a newb to check more closely. Also, The Woolie Ewe sends me into a bit of sensory overload.) I tend to like my greens on the gaudy side -- chartreuse is my BFF -- but this is a little bright even for me, even on my feet. What would you do with two skeins of put-your-eyes-out-green supermerino?