Manic Monday: Progress?

I don't know if you can call it progress when I had 20 projects on the needles and still have 20 projects on the needles. In my last Manic Monday post I had 4 projects I was dying to start and 4 projects that had to get done before Stitches. I finished 2 of the 4, a reknit of my Giant Kelp in Cabled 8 and Drunken Path in So Soft Sock, and started 1, Canyon River in Super Twist in time. But after Stitches I really, really wanted to cast-on like crazy. So I started and finished 2 projects, the Lucy Hat and my Downton Abbey MKAL gauntlets.  I also cast on Celestarium, which including Canyon River which I've made a little more progress on keeps me at my running 20.  To date if I finish any 2 things I'm now working on I'll have reached my underachiever goal of 6.5 in 2013, okay 2.5 things -- but really?  What constitues half done?  A sock?  I think I have one of those.  I'm shooting for our annual participation in The Golden Fleece anniversary in Santa Cruz to have at least one Canyon River sock done.  Handwerks will be there with yarn and I'll be there with patterns.  If you missed us at Stitches, Santa Cruz is just down 17 and near the beach, stop by and say hello on Saturday, April 20.

And while I've made progress on the knitting (really I got stuff done!), I have not stopped the stash enhancement.  During the birthday week I made a trip to the new location for Green Planet Yarn to get supplies for this beautiful apron by Pam Powers, basically 7 sks of Spud n Chloe, for the flowers I'm using leftovers (does that count as stash reduction?)

Somehow or another other skeins seemed to have found their way into my basket.  Here's a mini parade of stash acquisitions from various stores, local and online:

Finally, I didn't buy much from Stitches West, but I did manage to get these slated to be a handwoven scarf on my soon to be obtained Cricket Loom (belated bday present from the dh, just haven't gotten around to purchasing):

Cast On Cast Off

Ah the joys of knitting with no deadlines.  There are several projects that I've been dying to start but with all the prep for Stitches and 20 wips already on the needles I had to show some restraint.  Immediately after Stitches I cast on a bunch of things and so I have a mini parade of FOs for you on this FiberArts Friday.  First, I cranked these out on my Quiknit circular sock machine:

The yarn, Handwerks So Soft Sock, was leftover from my Drunken Path and since I used the same yarn for the demo (different colorway) the machine was already set up for it.  Plus I wanted to try out the ribber on this machine so these were the perfect trial, and I got socklets for my efforts!

Here I am with my Lucy hat.  I bought the yarn in January and impatiently waited to cast on.  It goes fast and is so satisfying.  I finished it at my knit group and wore it after while I ran errands. Yarn is Madelinetosh Vintage in Black Velvet and Baltic for the band. Pattern from Knitscene Winter 2012.
 

Finally, long after the final episode of the 3rd season of Downton Abbey had aired I started my MKAL gauntlets.  See my last post for pooling issues.  I just finished the right and immediately started the left.  Once I finish these I have one more project I want to cast on.  I'll still have my running 20, which really is a rotating 5, one of which is this:

I cast on Celestarium!

Happy FiberArts Friday and FO Friday!  How many WiPs do you have?  Leave a comment and enjoy cruising the blogosphere.

To Pool or Not to Pool

I'm a little behind.  I'll talk more about my other WiPs (a running 20) another time.  Today I want to show you this:

This is how my Downton Abbey MKAL started out.  I didn't like the way the colors were pooling and the gauge was off anyways.  So I frogged down to the provisional caston and switched to smaller needles.  Here's how the colors stacked up after one repeat of the pattern:

And after two:

I like this much better than the swirl.  Some knitters participating in the KAL didn't like how you couldn't see the lace pattern, but I like how the lace pattern breaks up the colors into stiped blocks. 

That's it for me, it's WiP Wednesday so be sure to check out what other fiber artists are up to at Tami's Amis!