FOs and WIPs (and how you keep track!)

You asked and here it is – The Swing Jumper photo (I’m not including the link because I’ve done it so many times before). This is a crappy photo of a really lovely jumper. I’m wearing it today for the first time and I just love it – I’m already planning on making it again (and again – who wouldn’t love a jumper that takes about 16-18 hours to knit and looks just gorgeous and is really flattering?)

As I said, I used my standard no-brain tactic of increasing the needle size (to 7mm) and making it in the largest size, and in future sweaters I may do 1 more decrease at the neck edge (messing with perfection, I know).

I started the squatty sidekick last night, and as I had Lamb’s Pride Bulky, rather than worsted. I used 8mm rather than 6.5mm needles and used 10 sts across the bottom, rather than 5 as I like a bigger bag. (Yes, yes - I just can't help myself - I've always got to play with other people's instructions - it's a character flaw - what can I say? You should see what I regularly do to recipes!)

It’s looking pretty good so far (even if I do say so myself), and I like a big bag because of all the stuff you tend to carry around in it when you have kids (books and amusements, wipes, tissues, snacks etc), so I’ve had to account for those extra stitches in the shaping. Oh and my copy of the pattern has an error in the stitch count, which I will let Knitting Daily know about (that is, if you have 5 sts on the needle and you pick up 30, then 5, then another 30 you tend to get 70sts and NOT the 90 my copy of the pattern says).

This is also the first thing I have used to Knitpicks options on – although I have possessed them since March (Omigod! I can’t believe I’ve had them that long!) . This has been a combination of habitually reaching for my usual needles (and then not changing over part way through an object) and partly wanting to start something worthy of their wonderfulness!

Well, they are wonderful – I had a moment of worry when one end of the cord started to loosen, but I hadn’t tightened it with the key, and once I did that we’re fine again!

I was reading Bells post about her plethora of WIPs. I find it hard to do that – mainly because my knitting time is so limited. I generally have something easy on the needles for travelling or meetings, and another thing – which may be larger (so not so portable) or more complex (so requires concentration). My travelling knitting is generally socks (plain or with an easy repeat like the feather and fan socks) and my other knitting is garments of some kind. The Monkey socks reversed this, because they required me to concentrate and to keep track of which row in an 11 row repeat.

So now, we’re almost back to normality. I will cast on a new pair of travelling socks as soon as I finish the scarf (not long now) and after I’ve run off a few Squatty sidekicks (as per the pattern with corrections) I’ll cast on a garment. Easy!

I admire and envy those who can keep track of more than 3 WIPs (3 is definitely my upper limit), but secretly suspect they have more knitting opportunities than I. They may travel on public transport (of which there is none locally), have lunch hours, attend more meetings, or not have children threatening to destroy their knitting to get at the coveted pointy sticks!
In other words – they have lives!