Where are they now? And why I have 6ish single gloves

My track record for WIPs and FOs is pretty good. I chat with some of the girls at work and they have upwards of 15, no, 20, sometimes 30, things on the needles at a time. While I do knit a lot of different things, many of them gifts, a few of my WIPs have been lost along the way.

As you've gathered from this blog, I am a bit of a mad hatter. I love me some hats and a lot of hats look good on me. My second love is fingerless gloves and mittens. The first skein of yarn I bought from my LYS many moons ago was used to make a fingerless glove. Yes, just one. Doing a quick sweep of my room I managed to dig up one Panache mitt, one Memento Mori mitt and one Fetching (with fingers!). This isn't exactly terrible, per se, but I can also remember making one campfire mitt, one reading mitt, one wishbone cable mitt and, I think, one Bella's mitt.

The Lone Rangers

This is not good. And does not bode well for my knitting track record. To look on the brightside, which I try to do from time to time, if I ever do complete these mittens I will have at least 7 pairs of fingerless mittens. Rock on!

I don't like to have too many WIPs on the needles at one time and I try to draw the line at four, with three being very active (meaning I work on them at least once-twice a week) and one dormant, lonely guy sitting in a project bag beside my desk. This current sad fellow was supposed to be a gift. The holiday has been shoved around so much that maybe he'll get it for Arbor Day.

Well, hello there toes

 I fell in love with Jared Flood Jared Flood's Urban Aran Cardigan the moment I saw it. It is an intense piece of knitting, but I knew at some point I would have to make it. When Matt got offered a job with 100% travel last year, I started planning our last meals/trips/etc. together. And made the first steps towards actually knitting the damn cardigan (I had bought the yarn and pattern the Christmas before, haha). But then travel plans were put on hold (he's been "traveling" in about a 30 miles radius, thank goodness) and so was the sweater. I made plans to REALLY start the sweater for our four year anniversary  (December 14) and, when that passed, Christmas. Finally, when I conceived of my resolution for something new every month, I decided that February was the perfect month for a cardigan AND it could act as a Valentines Day present...except not. I knocked out the back in record time (five days? a week?) and was sufficiently sick of it after that. Now it lives in a bag next to my bed. Happy Arbor Day, dear! Here's my project page for more information.

Matt's three year sweater

Not all of my gifting has gone awry, though, and Matt has reaped the benefits of having a knitting girlfriend several times over. I guess I was more motivated to impress on our third anniversary ;) This is an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern and my first completed garment. I fudged up the shoulders a bit and think I should have maybe selected a better first garment pattern. I'm really in love with this color combination and so is Matt. The sweater has held up well over the past year and he still wears it all the time. I even embroidered a three on the cuff.

And the last gift I would like to share before a dash off (eep! Meeting a friend for a walk on this glorious, glorious day) is one I made for Matt's mother two years ago as a Mother's Day present.

A Hemlock Ring Blanket for Mother's Day

My second Hemlock Ring Blanket in two-three months, I think. As I said, Matt's mom loves to knit just as I do. When I gave this to her, she almost cried and told me it was the best and most beautiful gift she had ever received. It stayed on the back of the couch in the family room, a very "prestigious" spot, for over a year until they got a puppy that eats everything. Also, I don't know why but I always knit pink things for Matt's mom.

Stay tuned for a yarn pornz post either tonight or tomorrow!