Knitting has not been going very well lately. I’ve been trying to knit a little every day (when I say a little, I mean like a few rows, just to relax), but I’m just not feeling the love for anything that’s on my needles these days. I started a modified Irish Hiking scarf on Sunday night with some Cascade 220 from my stash (it’s a very small stash, and this was the only aran weight yarn I had). I’m thinking 220 is not the best yarn for this scarf. It’s knitting up a little stiff and scratchier than I’d like for something around my neck. It looks good though. Sigh.

Verdict: Rip it, buy some softer yarn, and knit myself a quick scarf. [hey there, you other Irish Hiking Scarf knitters - what yarn did you use? what would be a good soft yarn for this scarf?]

Oh, and is it just me, or does this pattern look VERY similar to these Gap scarves? I’m pretty sure the Irish Hiking Scarf came first. Hmmmm…

Then there are my Koigu socks. Ever since I got this yarn, I’ve been dying to knit some socks with it. So I started. And then restarted. And restarted again. And here’s where I’m at. I’m just not feeling it with these either. This pattern doesn’t show off the yarn very well, and I’m really not enjoying working with the Brittany birch needles. They’re really too short and fiddly. I much prefer sock knitting with the long, metal Addi dpns that Lynette gave me a while back. Although I’ve been wanting to try Magic Loop for socks. I have a size 1 32″ Addi circ… will 32″ work for magic loop?


Verdict: Rip it, use my never-fail stockinette sock pattern.

And then there’s this bag, the Gallery Bag from Bags, A Knitter’s Dozen. I started this a while ago. I love the colors, enjoy the pattern, but knitting from three balls of yarn at once is driving me nutso. The twisty silk is making me a little crazy too. And I’m not sure that I’ll love the bag when its done. It might be a little too hip for me.

Verdict: Keep knitting, if I don’t love it I can gift it to someone whose style is better suited for the bag.

Finally, poor neglected Snowflake. This is the only one of the projects I love unconditionally, but also the one that overwhelms me the most right now. It isn’t a super fast knit, but it is fairly easy, and I’ve memorized the pattern already. It’s just that after I get the back done, I still have to knit the front, sleeves, and collar. This is just not going to happen until March.

Verdict: Love it, keeping it, probably not working on it for a while - or should I? After all, it’s about the only thing in my life not making me crazy right now.