Well, so what do you know...

...almost an entire year has passed without me blogging. Not that I think anyone expects me to, or... it's been an EVENTFUL year.

A happy year, for the most part.

I wish I could be creative all day and not accountant-y, because that would make me even happier.

To knit:

1. A pair of mittens for my friend in Estonia, the poor boy has cold fingers. So I designed a colourwork pattern for him (never mind that I've never done colourwork, OR mittens...) in our clan's theme so he'll have a giant "THE ORDER OF LIGHT" going around his wrists. Somehow that pleases me, and I hope it will please me to knit it. *crosses fingers*

2. After designing the above-mentioned mitts, I designed another pair for myself...also colourwork. But they fascinate me so! And colourwork is so much easier to chart than lace. Speaking of which...

3. Odd V-shaped Lace Shawl. Is on the needles now in Malabrigo Lace, which is a joy to knit with, aside from the fuzziness and the annoying propensity to felt together. But I'm already bored of knitting it. After charting several wildly ambitious lace stitches and encountering mild distress at the clumps of hair I pulled out, I decided to KISS. And now I am paying the price, in many many repeats of the same faggoting stitch. Sigh.

4. Also in the works is a peasant-style-ish top, blouson-ish, that I was inspired to sketch a schematic for based on someone's sweater that I saw. I don't adore short rows, which no doubt prompted me to add many of them in the shaping areas.

5. I didn't come up with this from scratch, but I have a bad case of startitis and craving to cast on the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark in my lovely Wollmeise Twin - yes, I felt that my Wollmeise wanted to be made into this shawl. It would look lovely. It will have that subtle gloss like so many of the beautiful FOs I saw... darn darn darn I'm at work now and I can neither wind my Wollmeise nor cast on for the shawl.

On the home front, the long-awaited holiday is coming up. I admit the first trip away is a little stressful but I have no fear that we can't make it because I want to make it and he wants to make it. So we will make it (or die trying, but let's not dwell on that possibility) What knitting project shall I bring?? Could I possibly wind the Wollmeise and CO for the Shetland shawl? I have too many UFOs now, but AUGHHHHHH.

UFOs
The Fountain Pen Shawl I got frustrated at when there was an unpickable knot and I had to cut and splice. The Malabrigo Mrs. Darcy cardigan that I got tired of 5 rows into the 25 rows of 1x1 rib. The FLS #2 that I got bored of because Cascade 220 doesn't feel that good on my fingers. (!!) The KAL Vortex Shawl with Rikki that I hate the yarn for, it keeps falling apart and felting together AT THE SAME TIME. The Pi Shawl I'm stuck on because I can't decide what pattern to put in the outermost ring - and the 576 stitches a round only fazes me a little. As does knitting on a border on those 576 stitches. And the current carry-around, the V shawl.

I'd say the Vortex shawl and the Pi shawl are in definite time out. I wouldn't bring the cardis along for a holiday as they're bulky and many-balled, neither of which is Good Travel Knitting. So... to bring the half of the V shawl I'm on, or the Fountain Pen, or to start on the Shetland Triangle? Or even... a Swallowtail shawl? (Serious salivation going on now)

While on the train of thought of possibilities, what to do with my I-Love-My-Mother-So Wollmeise Lace-Garn?? It's 300 grams of Miss World splendour. I would rather go to the Wollmeise shop than attend the Miss World pageant. *randoms* But it is beautiful, and perfect, and crying to be made into something wondrous. So I'll just keep it in its box for now and wait for a pattern to cry to me too. Perhaps one day when I move out (if, rather) I will place it in the middle of my living room table. Under a glass box. :D

For now, though (having completed evaded the decision of which UFO to bring), how long will it take me to finish the V shawl? Another couple weeks? It'd be nice to have something to wear to the familial Christmas dinner. ("Oh, this? I made it...") So I have to KNIT FASTER. Zomg the purl rows. Happy knitting!