Hooded Scarf is done!

Well, the title pretty much says it all.

I put it on my head to get a decent picture -- it's currently stashed away in my room to be gifted later.

It ended up being absurdly long after blocking! (It was long -before- blocking!) I think it was the yarn I used, in part.  But I'm still quite happy with it.  My giftee can always wrap the extra length in the ends like a cowl or something, and I don't think she'll mind.

I ended up with a lot more yarn then I thought I would.  I'm now wondering if this yarn will make really cozy-soft socks . . . I suspect it will.  I will have to give that a try.  (Edit:  I found this pattern for Cabin Socks on Ravelry, and I think it will work wonderfully.  I'll have to pick up the book, but I don't mind.)

Speaking of socks, I really have to finish those darn Birthday socks. . .

Very Long Rows

I was right about this new job eating into my knitting time. 

That's ok -- and it's not nearly as time-consuming as I thought. I'll be doing almost completely remote work and so a lot of it is working from home, so no, the new job isn't cutting into my knitting time that much.

And Shadowrun Returns is still fun, but the 'ooh, new!  shiny!'  has now worn off.

No.  My current time-sink is the Hooded Scarf.

This picture has me finally at the 6 row mark (the pattern calls for 14 rows).

You can't see scale, in this picture, but this thing is finger-tip to finger-tip on me.  It's really -really- long.

So, since getting one row done on it takes a while, my other projects are. . . well, kind of languishing, unfortunately.

I really need to get back to work on my Birthday Socks.   That August deadline isn't going away, and I still only have 1 sock.

Crochet, Christmas Presents, and Distractions.

Hello all!

So I'm still working on the Hooded Lace Scarf.  

No photos yet, right now it just looks like a long, annoying snake.  I know that's an odd description, but with a pattern that has a foundation chain of 448, it is -long-.

Long and annoying.  Each row takes me over an hour.  The pattern itself it not hard at all and easy to remember.  But the rows just take -forever!- It's great as a brainless project, because I can just kind of keep going until I hit the end, but it's unfortunately, not a very interesting project, even if it also crochets up relatively quickly.


This is not helped by the fact that a friend was kind enough to gift me a copy of Shadowrun Returns.

It's a lot of fun! It harkens back to some of the older CRPGs; and also manages to capture the feel of the Shadowrun universe quite nicely . . .

And with it as a distraction, I've done very little knitting over the last few days.  I've put in the odd stitch or two during loading scenes, but that's pretty much it.  Despite it using a turn-based combat system, I can't really knit while the enemy is throwing grenades or fireballs.  I need to be paying attention, I find.

So yeah. 

I'm trying to tell myself that come Monday, I'll buckle down and actually knit more.

Maybe.  I'll see.   No promises.

New Project! (That is, more Christmas Knitting. . . )

I had the goal of trying to clear out a few projects from my needles.

Really I did. . .

And I guess I'm not exactly breaking that goal, since my newest project uses a hook, not needles.

I've started into a Hooded Lace Scarf.  It's my first foray back to crochet in over 10 years, but now that the foundation chain is done, it's actually looking ok; and not as scary as I thought.

When I first saw this pattern years ago as a teenager, I really thought it was pretty.   But as a teenager, there was no way I was wearing a lace hooded scarf; and I didn't have the crochet confidence to make it.

Flash forward, and that pattern still appeals to me.  (I'm -so- glad I kept my old pattern books!) 

But it's still not my style.  But I want to make it, and the challenge of a simpler crochet project is appealing. (Even if I did have to go to tutorials for single and double crochet to remind myself of what I was doing!) 

And then I had a brainwave.  I know someone who's style it is, who would actually appreciate and have opportunity to wear such a thing.

Yeay for a new Christmas project!   

The yarn I'm using is Handmaiden Fine Yarns Lady Godiva.  It's a silk/wool blend that has a gorgeous sheen.  I ordered some from EatSleepKnit, since I couldn't find a place near me that stocked it (this was the order that had my winning ticket for a skien of Malabrigo, which is still awesome!)

Why did I start this now, though.  When I've got so much other knitting to do?

Well, part of it is because the Lady Godiva yarn has been calling my name since I got it.  It's really pretty. . .

But the bigger part is that I needed a brainless project.  My volunteer work, while I love it, has me sitting through very long meetings.  Knitting/crocheting keeps me from getting too fidgety, which means I actually pay attention.  But I need a brainless project, something that I don't have to think about, and this pattern, with a foundation chain of 448 stitches and a 1-row repeat, is pretty brainless.

So there we go.  More Christmas gifts started.  Maybe I'll actually finish some of them!