The redirect

Have you ever started a project and got about halfway through when you thought to yourself "this would look so much better as ...."? It doesn't usually happen to me because I tend to plan ahead and deliberate about the next project while I work on the current one (or as of late, four). Well, it happened to me this week. I had about ten minutes to kill off in between kidster taxiing so I sat down with my socks. I had the weather channel on (Why? They never get it right.) and was listening to the forecast of teens and negative degree wind chills. I happened to put my feet up and this was the view.

Normally I take my shoes off the second I come in the door, but like I said, I knew I was leaving again in a quick 10. I thought how funny it was that this yarn that I seemed to have no use for matched my sneakers. Then I thought about how I don't have any mittens. I have thin fleece gloves for driving and thick insulated gloves for snow, but no mittens. So the socks were redirected. I've had the peekaboo mittens pattern queued for about as long as I've been queueing in Ravelry, and what I had so far was perfect for changing over. Here are my mittens, that are just as good as gloves but better! The cuffs are a little long since I decided not to rip back the progress I had made on them as socks, but rolled up they fit just fine, perfect actually! And just in time too, it is 18 degrees with a -5 windchill today! I guess they got this one right.

About the big ticket items

I've had two "big ticket" items in my immediate mental queue for a while now. The first (you might remember from this post) is the Heather Hoodie, but in a regular person size. I've been wanting to make it for a while now. I bought the Fall 2009 Knitscene magazine and even bought yarn for it, too.

The second is Mayer. I loved it immediately when I saw this picture on the Berroco website. I loved it even more when I saw this picture on the Webs Yarn Store blog. I have eight balls of this yarn perfect for it. Shhh, I've even done the S word for this project! Yes way! So this has been in the top position for when I am done with Holiday knitting, kidster knitting, and the other small projects I want to finish first. I figured it was about time I made something big again. And for myself. I even thought about returning the bulky yarn I bought for the Hoodie.

Then it happened.

I was out gift shopping and with an arm full of stuff when I saw this. It's not exactly the same but it has a lot of similar elements, the most obvious being the wide collar and the similar (not exact) stitch pattern. It has snaps that can turn that wide collar into a turtleneck (which at first I didn't think I'd like, but once I tried it I did). I tried it on in off-white because it was close to what I was going to make. But because of the snaps being a darker color it looked a little odd and they stood out too much. There was a black marl that I liked but three quarters of my sweaters are black or gray and I couldn't justify it. This brown one was a nice color and those big snaps blended in a lot better.

I hemmed and hawed, a lot.

1. This one is longer than Mayer.
2. I'm tall and can manage a long sweater.
3. If I did try to make Mayer it would probably take me until next winter, at least!
4. With a 30% off sale and a coupon in my pocket it would cost less than the yarn I had at home.
5. If I buy it then I wouldn't have the pleasure of making it.
6. The brown blends in with my hair color and I might look too washed out.
7. It's still not the same as Mayer and I might still want to make it and then where would I be?
8. Buy it for $20 and you can wear it right away.

Get it, or not? What do you think happened?

More yarn projects!

I recently inherited a huge box of yarn from my terrific neighbor. Since retiring she hasn't had any time for knitting (isn't that funny?) and decided to donate it to me! Most of it was Lopi which I am looking forward to felting into lots of fun things (slippers, anyone?). But there was also quite a bit of this cotton. I thought it was interesting because I am churning through the red cotton I bought on sale this summer and I am looking now for an apple green color. I know, this isn't quite apple green. Or pine green. Or green at all.
It's teal, and quite bright. But I am going to play around with it and some yellow and see if I can get it closer to some kind of green color. I made up my homemade swift (I love Ravelry!) and got one of the skeins all ready. I have the dye. Now I just need to find a pot at a yard sale or something. I don't have any extras that we don't use!

It's all about the yarn.

Remember my trip to the thrift store? Of course you do, it was only the last post. Well, I didn't mention this sweater that I bought for $4.00. I found it in the men's section and it didn't have any tags. It's huge, so I'm guessing it's an XL. It is a tweedy darkish blue with hints of green. And these pictures don't do the color justice.After closer examination I determined that it might even be handmade. The front and back were knit then seamed (not cut!) so I should be able to get some great yarn from this!

I am so excited. I have had my eye on this hoodie vest. I think I'd make it longer since I am not a size 2 like this model obviously is. But checking out the Ravelry projects for this one shows a lot of different body types and it seems to work for everyone. With the blue yarn I think it would go great with jeans! This might be the yarn and project to get me inspired for something a little bigger. Off to disassemble my first sweater...

Some progress...

I've been working on writing up that pattern we keep talking about. That's why I've been a little quiet lately. But I have made some progress on my knitting queue too. I ended up making two candy corn hats. They are for the kidsters though, not for Super Aunt. But I still have more yarn left so she might get one after all.

Donatello (aka the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) is coming along. Right now he's a one-legged super hero crime fighter. Kidster #1 has informed me of various "enhancements" he should have so I'm sure he'll need more than his leg to be considered complete.

And my car knitting project is complete. Why did it take me the whole first cloth to get this easy pattern down? Maybe because I was doing it one or two rows at a time. Hmm. Anyway, it's not quite for me. I like the front, but the back makes me frown. Remember, I need things to balance. Symmetry. This doesn't have it.

What's in your knitting queue?

I don't mean the 145 things you've queued in Ravelry. I'm interested in your immediate queue. What are the next five things you are going to make or finish?

Here's mine:

1. Finish mini cable handle bag before Brenda's niece drives her nuts.

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Kidster #1. He's literally obsessed with them (he's my son?) and ever since the puppy and giraffe he's determined that I need to make him something. He even picked out the yarn so that I would make the right color. I'd like to make a kid sized mask for him too, since I know already what he wants to be for Halloween.

3. I have a new purse design floating around in my head and I need to get it out!

4. Speaking of Halloween, my SIL (aka Super Aunt) has a birthday in the beginning of October. She loves all things fall and Halloweeny. I'd like to make her this hat with matching ones for the kidsters just for fun, and some felted candy corn.

5. Make more Christmas Gift Holders. I made some a few years back and they were a huge hit. A little vague? Yes. Does that mean another pattern is coming? Yes. I'd better get on it quick so that I can get it out there for all of you before New Years!

So what are your next five? Leave a comment with your list or post it on your blog. Don't forget to comment so I can check it out!