Mindless Knitting

We knitters, being normal humans, like to classify our world. The yarn and projects we have are classified as stash, UFOs, and WIPs, and become FOs when they go out of the project room and into the closet or into a gift recipient's hands. We also tend to classify the difficulty of our projects.

Currently, I am on a mindless knitting jag. I have a mindless portable project, perfect for bringing along for car rides and endless soccer/hockey/name-your-sport games. This cowl is in Noro Chirimen (a finer gauge version of Taiyo) and is a 2 row lace pattern that is a 3 stitch repeat. You can't get much simpler than that, and since it is a one ball project, it certainly qualifies as portable. My rule for mindlessness in portable projects is that I need to be able to figure out where I am in the pattern within a minute of putting the project in my hands. This guy falls into the 10 second category. The other qualification (which also goes for the nonportable projects) is that I should be able to avoid staring at my knitting. I do look down at this one, but I can knit a fair amount in the dark.

This cowl is living on my bedside table when it isn't in the car.

I am also working away on a mindless project which quickly grew out of the portable phase. This is the Moderne Baby Blanket (Mason-Dixon Knitting) that I am making for my brother and his wife. Since it is pure garter stitch, the mindless factor is high. I only need to look at what I'm doing when I'm picking up for a new color.

I hope the enjoyment of mindlessness lasts long enough to finish this big guy off.

Knitting Progress and Redirection

The good news is I have finished almost everything listed in my last post as "current projects". Here is the Universal Scarf in Classic Elite Princess and another in Trekking Fach (leftover from the February Skacel knitalong project).

I also finished the June Trekking knitalong project (some cuffless socks).

Here are the March Rockin' Socks Club socks. I knit Merry Socksters and each sock is slightly different (I didn't notice until I finished the second sock). They are still cute and comfortable.

The only WIP I mentioned last time that is still unfinished is the Pebble Beach top in Classic Elite Sprout. It is, however, about 80% complete. I got impatient and added the scarf at the neckline even though it weighs down the knitting.

Dad's birthday was July 3rd and he always likes a new hat, so I knitted him one from Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash (denim blue). It is soft and very thick with so much texture.

Although Dad's hat distracted me from my goal of finishing the Pebble Beach top for a few days, the bigger distraction came from my brother. He has been dating Karen for 10 years and introducing her to everyone as his fiancee for the past 8. A few weeks ago they eloped (they are both in their 50s and have been married before, so I guess they decided this time to be a bit more casual). After getting over the shock, I spent at least a week trying to figure out what to get them. I settled on a throw, then spent days going through every book of afghan designs I own. I finally remembered that the Moderne Baby Blanket (from Mason-Dixon Knitting) always looks great and that I had a dozen skeins of Lamb's Pride (5 colors) that I could make it from. I just started block #4 tonight. My goal is to finish it before our family party on July 30th.

Actually, my goal is to finish well before then so I can knit other things this month besides garter stitch!

PS: Spotted some yarnbombing at Menlo School the other day.