Good night. Good morning. Whatever.

It's almost 4 a.m. and I'm trying to unwind enough to go to bed. I'm in the last throes of deadline psychosis and I can't tell night from day. So goes the life of the working writer.

About three weeks ago I took away my knitting needles and I refuse to give them back to myself until I finish the book. It's very good incentive but it makes me exceedingly sad to be without.

So here's a sweater I knitted earlier this winter for one of our family's new babies.

This is the Seamless Baby Sweater designed by Emily Watts and I found it (where else?) on Ravelry.

I used Noro Silk Garden #8 which was probably a ridiculous choice for a baby but I love it. Totally love it. I think I used a 24 inch US6 circular but don't quote me.

It's an easy, satisfying knit that makes a great gift.

When Knitting Mimics Writing --- Again

I'm still working on the Vortex shawl but it's gotten a bit big to carry around. Add that to my issues with project monogamy and I cast on a new shawl. Right now I have a fascination for lace so I cast on this project....



This is Girasole - a pattern by the talented Jared Flood. You can see it on his blog or on Ravelry It's not a free pattern but it's well worth the small charge.

Right now I'm making it in KnitPicks Gloss fingering weight yarn in a color called Serengeti. It's a discontinued color that's a sort of butterscotch.

Now here's where writing and knitting seem to mirror each other. I've started my Egyptian Steampunk story, Desert Alchemy, but find myself unhappy with the start - over and over. I think I've restarted this story about three times so far. It's being a problem-child.

The shawl I've restarted six, yes SIX, times. I kept making mistakes and was obsessed with perfection so rather than fudging something so I could keep going (it's only for ME), I ripped it ALL out and started again. As of today, I'm on chart D and it's looking nice. There now are a few fudges in it where I made a mistake and couldn't figure out how/where but I'm not ripping the damned thing out again. I swear.

Today I'm going to try that with Desert Alchemy. Just write, stop fussing over every word. I can go back and fix or massage them later.

We'll see if my resolve holds....

Ravelry

I'm Wickedsplitty on Ravelry. Who are you?

From the goodness of my heart . . .

. . . and because if I'm going to be buried in a giant mountain of yarn I want company, I bring you a few more yarnal temptations:

Herrschners - you do know about Herrschner's, don't you? Kind of old school in feel, lots of stamped and counted cross stitch, some embroidery kits, and lots and lots of surprisingly upscale yarn choices (e.g. Noro, Debbie Bliss) at very good prices when on sale. Sign up for their sale email notifications and pay attention! The good stuff literally flies out the door within an hour or so.

Wool Needle Work - odd name, great selection at nice discounts. I think it's a Canadian company.

Alpaca Direct - not necessarily sale priced, but gorgeous stuff. (Not just yarn, btw, but other alpaca-related items)

I'm having way too much fun working the neck-down cardigan. Highly recommended pattern.

And did I tell you I joined Ravelry? I need another knitting time sink like I need a hole in the head, but their stash management section is FAN-TAS-TIC! I've only typed in a tiny percentage of my stash but I'm loving the experience. Oh, and there's this: you can enter your books in a personal "library" and the covers magically appear on bookshelves! (I'm a sucker for stuff like that--don't ask how much time I spent playing with that feature.) I'm "wickedsplitty" on Ravelry. If you're there, please say hello!