I think I need to start using this place as a way to track inspiration for projects. I spend so much time scouring Ravelry, looking for the perfect pattern for yarn I have in my stash, or things I really want to knit, it makes no sense unless I have a sort of “notebook” in which to record my finds, that I can come back to and consult with before proceeding with a new pattern.
First, a quick inventory of current projects:
- A pair of Spatz I began when I first started knitting, and failed miserably on. They have been hibernating ever since, but it’s some of the first yarn I bought, and I’d love to be able to finish them through properly sometime soon.
- A Rebecca tank for which I’m attempting to read a damn chart, and which is impossible (practically) to understand, and which I am modifying heavily to make it more… well… sexy. Hibernating since last summer, when I realised I had read the chart wrong and was screwing up a bunch of stuff, and I now have to sit down with a very clear head and absolutely nothing else on my plate in order to figure out exactly what went wrong, where, and how to go back without screwing the whole thing up and having to start over. Oooh, the self-induced stress. 😛
- A ridiculously illogical asymmetrical Beaded Ties Shawl, which looked amazing on the pattern page – just need to make up the beaded ties, and photo shoot it – and it shall be ready to wear! (I don’t wear shawls. Unless I’m in Thailand, where it’s boiling outside and freezing indoors with the A/C :P).
- An Ume Shrug for which I need to do a quick photo shoot. Completed this a month or two ago – was a quick knit. Oh, how I love those bulky yarns… for their speed, not their look. Not sure if I like this much – but I’ll save that for the entry about it, once the photo shoot is done.
- My Gretel Tank, which I also finished months ago, and needs a proper photo shoot / debrief post.
- A while back, I started a Goth Girl Sweater, but for some reason when I split the yarn to begin the sleeves, they begin to be knit inside-out. It makes absolutely zero sense, I’ve tried splitting it off in a multitude of ways / orientations etc, and nothing works. I have no idea why it’s so impossible for me. WTH am I doing wrong? I must be retarded.
- A Bronwyn Capelet, because I couldn’t figure out what else to do with that particular yarn, I wanted something I could easily zone out on during class, and I wanted something with a bit of lace. And hell, capes are awesome. Need to finish this one… although it’s probably too warm to even think of wearing woolly capes now.
- The Lacey Accent Scarf I began two years ago and couldn’t complete, because my brain wasn’t big enough to handle all the changes in lace. I’ve since learned to vigilantly use a row counter and consult the pattern until it’s absolutely 100% memorised, so it’s going better now. Except it took me a week to do 75 rows, and my goal is 450, so I can imagine that a) I shall become quite bored with this pattern quickly (already happened actually), and b) therefore, it will take more than 5 more weeks to complete the last 375 rows, due to procrastination and school work.
Okay, with that out of the way, I’d like to mention something I saw today that I thought was brilliant. I keep seeing shops trying to sell their ruffle yarns, which I’ve found utterly gaudy and cheesey up until now. Mainly because, as scarves, they just look tacky, and with so many people wearing them, and seeing them in so many knit shop windows, I dunno… I just don’t really care for them. As appealing as the yarn itself looks in a skein… as a scarf, it’s just… meh.
But today, I came across a Portuguese site that displays the yarn done up as a skirt – which I thought was quite interesting. While I don’t love pencil skirts, I do enjoy the look of this.
A quick Rav search came up with a couple of adorable children’s patterns using these yarns in a similar way, so I think I’ll be able to adapt one of those patterns… they’re cuter than the one pictured here, shorter, more… I don’t know what the word is. Just the shape I prefer for skirts.
Now, I’m tasked with finding the perfect ruffle yarn to make one of these… colour, weight, brand… hmm.