Project Pileup

The secret projects that have occupied me for the past couple of months are all done. Hurray! That means I can get back to work on other things--things that can actually be blogged about. So without further ado, here's my Sunday WIP Report . . .


Pattern: Mimosa, a square lace shawl knit in the round, from Bad Cat Designs
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr in Ruby


Pattern: 64-st stockinette socks
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in the Caribou Creek colorway

They're both at the heels now, ready for a daylong meeting I have to attend this week.


Pattern: Mitered Top by Norah Gaughan, from the summer Vogue Knitting
Yarn: Classic Elite Classic Silk

I'm only a few rows away from the waist ribbing! This is moving along faster than I thought it would. (It helps that the stitch count decreases by 8 on every other round.)


Pattern: Claudia Scarf
Yarn: Schaefer Anne in the Margo Jones colorway

I work on this crochet scarf every now and then, with no sense of urgency. After all, it's a fall scarf and too hot to wear in summer.


Pattern: Lace Class Sampler, a pattern I wrote up for a class I'm teaching at Metaphor Yarns
Yarn: Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace in Cloud Grey

I knit my sampler in laceweight yarn; the students are using DK or worsted. We'll block them next week and compare how the three stitch patterns look in different weights and different fibers. Then they're going to learn about triangular shawl construction, various cast on methods, ways to keep track of where you are, and more. Should be fun!

I finished a new knitted drawing this week, too, but am not ready to blog about it yet. Yes, you read that right. A knitted drawing. More on that another time.

I'm glad I have so many projects to keep me busy. It takes my mind off sad events. We've had some layoffs this week at work, which came as a shock since they'd told us the budget was balanced for the coming fiscal year and there would be no layoffs. One of the people let go is a dear friend, a truly creative, hardworking, goodhearted person. She's the kind of person you can count on in any situation, "the salt of the earth" as they say. It seems so unfair--to her, to everyone. I'm going to miss her a lot.

I've experienced many emotions since we got the news--anger, disbelief, sadness. I could end today's post with the words of that old pessimist, Bob Dylan. Because there have been many moments in recent days when I've felt exactly like this:

Well my sense of humanity has gone down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain

That would be a perfectly honest sentiment to end with. But no. In honor of the upbeat, positive spirit of my friend, I'm signing off instead with the words of that old optimist, Ray Davies:

Here’s wishing you the bluest sky,
And hoping something better comes tomorrow.
Hoping all the verses rhyme,
And the very best of choruses to
Follow all the doubt and sadness.
I know that better things are on the way.

I know you’ve got a lot of good things happening up ahead.
The past is gone it’s all been said.
So here’s to what the future brings,
I know tomorrow you’ll find better things.
I know tomorrow you’ll find better things.