Pictures Today!

One of the guidelines of the 52 Projects in 52 Weeks group is that we should only work on 4 projects at a time. My goal is to finish something every week, and then add another project to the 4. Hopefully this will give me time to continue working on bigger projects as well. So I have been giving careful thought to what my first 4 projects will be. (Once I clear out some of the UFOs that I have once again found in my yarn room, I will actually get to cast on some new projects, which will be very exciting.)

One thing I know is that I always need a small traveling project ready to go. Right now, that project is a One Row Lace Scarf.
I'm using some Lion Brand Microspun that I found in a drawer. I have 2 skeins, but I may only need to use 1 for the scarf. I'm just going to knit until I think it's long enough. I am very pleased with the pattern, so I might keep this one or put it in the gift pile. But in the meantime, I'm not in any hurry to finish it.

I am also working away on the Classic Elite Premier Vest and enjoying it immensely, so this will definitely be #2 of the 4.
Classic Elite Premier is a cotton/tencel blend that is the softest cotton I have ever used. I love working with it.

I am doing another sock workshop on Sunday for some of my friends, so I have been working away on a sock for teaching purposes.
I should turn the heel on Sunday, so I want to finish the sock next week. Then it will be the first of my 52 finished projects and will be replaced by a mitten probably.

Then I come to #4 of 4, and I am facing a hard decision. I have 2 shawls in progress right now. Eva's shawl, which is crocheted, is getting close to being finished.
It's actually big enough to wear as a shawlette, but I want to finish the skein of yarn and have a bigger shawl to wear. So I really should concentrate on this one and get it finished.

However, it's going to be really hard to stay away from the Estonian Garden Shawl until I finish Eva.
I am about halfway done with the body of the shawl, and then I need to work on the edgings, which will be a bit more challenging. (My first nupps!) This project has also been a delight to work on. I love watching the lace grow. But I will try to be good until Eva's Shawl is finished.

I Guess I Needed A Rest!

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I don't know where the time has gone, but I think that I really needed the break. Nothing has really changed, but this year, life has felt increasingly hectic. It's hard to put my finger on what is wrong, but I think the feeling starts at work and continues into my spare time. However, today is my 3rd blogiversary (which blows me away - where did the last 3 years go?), and if I am ever going to get back to blogging, today seems like a good day to do it.

So, I have been doing a bit of knitting on some larger projects, and I have been doing a lot of reading. I can't remember the last time I have enjoyed reading this much. I am currently working on book #35, so I think I am going to surpass 52 books for this year. I am reading The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler (as a break from all the Regency romances I have been reading), and I am enjoying it immensely. I just watched the movie again Sunday night, and although the story in the book is somewhat different, I can see why they made some changes for the movie.

Now, however, it is time to get back on track with my fiber projects and with my stash busting efforts. I have found yet another new group on Ravelry. This one is called 52 Projects in 52 Weeks. We are starting on June 1st and continuing until May 31, 2010. The enthusiasm in the group is infectious, and I am really looking forward to meeting this challenge. In order to make it a bit more challenging for myself, I am going to limit my 52 projects to any knit or larger crochet items. I can make smaller crocheted items, but they won't count towards the 52 project goal. I'm hopeful that this will get me to continue working on my larger projects. I have also rejoined the Stash Knitdown 2009 (although I am still struggling to catch up on reading all the posts). I am going to take up the 100 skein challenge again, but my year for accomplishing that will also run from June '09 until May '10.

I will post some pictures later this week of my current projects and where I am going to start for the 52 project challenge. I am off from work this week, so job one is to get myself organized and ready to go!