Project Overload

I have three main knitting projects going right now.  Plus a few that are in hibernation right now...  But three items that I am actively knitting on.  And I'm equally in love with all three, so it is very difficult to choose which item to work on.  It has caused some indecisive knitting issues, including bringing all three projects in to work because I couldn't decide which one should keep me occupied at lunch.  And it is how I ended up doing almost nothing this weekend besides sit and knit.  Dishes, vacuuming, tidying, and laundry were all neglected.  It was a busy Monday night playing catch-up on the apartment.  It was finally at the breaking point where desks and tables were starting to eat items.  But I did make some serious progress on my re-watching of Torchwood, made the cats very happy with some blankets and wool yarn naptime, and made some decent progress on the Works-In-Progress.

All three of these project bags rode to work with me, because pre-caffeine decision making made it impossible to decide which one was getting lunchtime attention.

The Mix and Match Socks I've been working on are a little over halfway done.  The first sock is completed, in all of its sparkly glory, and I started the mixed and matched second sock this weekend.  I'm making the colors opposite on each sock.  I only had one ball of each color, not enough to make them 100% matching.  And I love funky socks.  And they're extra special, because I pulled the cable stitches from elsewhere and arranged them myself.

Sparkly mixed up socks.  So fun!  Plus some cables and things to keep them interesting to work on.

I'm a decent way through the alpaca/merino/bamboo blend cowl too.  I'm trying to power through it this week so I can have one less thing on the needles.  It's incredibly soft!  It will be marvelous on my neck for the cold winter that is rapidly approaching.  I'm still unsure of how I feel about the yarn itself.  I love the softness, but this is my first time working with thick and thin yarn, where the thickness of the strand varies throughout.  It creates a neat look, but I am not a huge fan of working and knitting with it.  I probably won't be buying more of it in the future, and won't make anything larger than a hat or cowl with the other thick and thin skein that I already have.

I feel so-so about the yarn, but I do love how the cowl is turning out.  Just a little bit further!

Now, onto my newest and most recent large project.  The Ginny's Sweater from the Harry Potter Knits Magazine!  I got the yarn in, started knitting the ribbed waistband, and have already started some finishing items selection.  More on the finishing in a bit.  I love the affordability of Knit Picks yarns for larger projects, which is why I chose Swish DK.  As much as I'd love to use fancy, more unique yarns for big projects, it's simply not in my budget.  The Swish DK is machine washable and dryable, very durable, quite soft, and is only $4.70 per 123 yard ball.  Since I'm estimating needing 8-9 of those balls, every dollar saved counts.

The yarn color is tricky to capture on my phone's camera.  The top panel is the most true to actual color.

On to my sweater finishing excitement.  I found a new technique to try!  I'm going to be doing a grosgrain ribbon button band, and will also be using backing buttons for a more sophisticated, secure way to attach the buttons.  The ribbon, sewn into the inside of the button band, makes it more sturdy, and the backing buttons put less stress on the knitted fabric.  The Knitmore Girls Podcast ladies made a couple of excellent tutorials for sewing on the ribbon and the button attachment.  I watched them once already, and it goes through every single step needed.  I'm a bit sewing challenged, but this technique looks quite approachable.  I already picked up a couple of ribbon and button possibilities to contemplate.

Possible front buttons on the top, possible ribbon choices on the bottom, and the simple backing buttons.

It makes me so excited to have such interesting projects to work on.  The only tricky part is deciding which one to work on at any given time!  If only I had more arms... It's not like the beasts can do anything to help me.

The felines Apollo and Linus "helping" around the house.