WIP roundup aka do I have the right to knit a sweater

Actual WIPs
Noro Linen Bits (see above) - Most successful socks ever, finished one in ten days, going well on the second.

Nightwatch Lily - Not being sure if it will get much wear by my daughter has put me off knitting it. I hope to finish it before the end of the year but its not a priority in my knitting mind.

Hibernating
4 pairs of Socks - Vinnland are too hard, Hungry Bees pattern is stupid, Twin Rib is boring, Jays are tedious and tricky

Red Twisty Turvy - Will try to get it done before Autumn

Gotland Driftwood - Need to prepare and spin fibre to finish, not on the cards right now

Rock Island - This pattern kills, don't have the time for fancy lace.

Cast offs & WIPs & a UFO

I've had a good week, two cast offs, hurrah! I don't think this has ever happened to me before.

First was my Feather & Fan Comfort Shawl which was a way of dealing with an odd pale green fingering yarn called Daphne I didn't want to make into socks. I'm really happy with it, quite big and soft. I think it looks quite fashionable, which is awesome. I very inexpertly blocked it, but it came out alot better than before blocking.

Second was Camo Gentleman - casual socks for hubby. Nanacindynz did a lovely job on this yarn for me, I'm really going to miss her yarn when I run out. I've still got 50g left of this yarn, 150g of Party dress and 100g of Aroha though. I like the simple pattern and that the yarn colour is a bit different on each sock, one has much paler green stripes than the other.

On to WIPs

I've got serious work to do on the finishing chart of Haruni to get it done. I do hope to get it done this month but its not knitting I can do in the car or anywhere I can get distracted.

My grey Los Monos Locos (Monkey) are now my car knitting, I'm zooming through the ankle of the second one at the moment. I'd like to get them done this month too.

The very stalled Vinnlands look great but the tricky pattern makes me tire of them after one row. I think I will try and finish them before I start another pair of sock, we'll see.

The baby twisty turnies's needles have been stolen for the Haruni so its stopped at the moment. I think it looks good but I wish I'd waited to get some soft merino, but I do like the colour. I'd like to get it done by mid-year.

The matchy-matchy cardi just needs sewing up, which I'm scared of. Like picking up for the ribbing around the front, I'm sure I'll do it inexpertly and make a mistake. Again I hope to get it done mid-year.

The horrible UFO of doom is my Mum's horizontal stripe scarf, I hate it and the horse it rode in on. I might finish it one day but if I make my Mum possum socks for her birthday I hope she'll forgive me if I don't.

Ten shawls in 2010

In this first year of the ten-ties, I'm quite keen to try to knit ten shawls. This is definitely an aspirational goal and I'm happy to include the shawl I started last year. I'm really enjoying shawls at the moment, and they are perfect for all the fingering weight yarn I have collected for sock knitting.

Here's what I think I'd like to do:

1. Feather & Fan Comfort Shawl in VP Daphne 
• I'm 2/3s through this one having started in December last year
• A bit stalled as its boring now and there's no finishing chart
2. Haruni in Wollmeise Ballerina
• I've only been working on this for five days but I am going really well
• Halfway through the second out of four repeats of Chart A
• With Chart B being an exciting and beautiful biggie I'm feeling very motivated to get there
• I love the almost single ply nature of the Wollmeise, beautiful stitch definition and no splits
3. Northern Lights
• I love how this looks but it maybe a bit boring and I'm not sure if the yarn I have has a long enough repeat
• Yarn options
• NF Fruit Salad
• NC Aroha
4. Swallowtail Shawl
5. Adamas
6. Percy Shawl
7. Something else?
8. Entomology
9. Ishbel?
10. Gail?

I may come back and re-post this list with editing later on, but good motivation to do it now.

Grrrl Shaped Yarns

My friend Brooklynne has been working away at her online yarn shop for a while now. Creating her own yarn line, thinking about different options for selling other yarns and knitting items like needles. She's launched the shop today as Grrrl Shaped Yarns (GSY) with three fingering weight yarns and eight different Knit Picks fixed needles in sock sizes

In the top left we have Fire Island - 50/50 Merino Silk for NZ $25, top right Life On Mars - Superwash Merino $20 and Theresa - 50/50 Merino Silk $20 of which 50% of all proceed will be donated to UC Davis Cancer Research.

I love these yarns, they are well priced for hand dyed quality yarns which would look great in socks or shawls. I think Theresa would look gorgeous as soft colour changes in silk, lovely.

I wish Brooklynne good luck with her business and look forward to seeing the new yarns she dyes.