Organization Woman

Yesterday, thanks to the WEBS gift card my sister Jenny gave me for my birthday, I treated myself to something I have needed for a very long time ... something I really, really needed. You can probably guess what by looking at this photo:



That's most, but not all, of my circular needle collection, which used to be crammed into a box, along with all my dpns. Even though I kept them in their packages and did try to keep them in some kind of order, somehow every time I looked for a particular needle, it was always the very last package I found in the box.

But no more!  Check this out:



That's my new Knitter's Pride needle case. It's got spaces enough to hold the interchangeables, circs, and dpns I use the most (US 0-6), plus a couple of nifty zipper pockets for the interchangeable keys, etc. Folded and closed up, it looks like this:



Huge improvement! The larger dpns and circs that I don't use very often (US7-11) have gone into the Angela Adams bag that formerly held my interchangeables:



And my crochet hooks?  They remain in the lovely case made by my sister Betsey:



I'm so happy to finally have my needles organized by size and type. No more fishing around in the catchall box, resorting to unladylike language when I cannot find that 16-inch US4 circular I know is in there.

OK, now how about some actual knitting?  Here's a quick WIP report, as well as my first FO of 2012:


Pattern: Flukra, by Gudrun Johnston; photo shows the knitted-on edging in progress
Yarn: Fearless Fibers Laceweight Merino
Needle: US4 Hiya-Hiya


Pattern: Bosc Hat by Robin Ulrich
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool, in the Natural Mix colorway
Needles: US 5 circ for the ribbing, US 7 for body


Pattern: Through the Loops Mystery Sock KAL 2012 by Kirsten Kapur; photo shows sock midway through the second clue
Yarn: Fiberphile's 2-ply Squooshy Sock in the Mithril colorway
Needles: 2.00mm dpns


Another view of the sock, with a bit of the embroidery sampler I'm working on—the 2010 Stitch Dictionary Sampler by Rebecca Ringquist—and Snickers waiting patiently for the photo shoot to end, so we can resume playing with her favorite new toy, the cork ball by her right paw

And here's the FO, finished just in time for this week's cold snap:




Pattern: Rockywold by Bonnie Sennott
Yarn: Quince and Co. Finch in the Kumlien's Gull colorway
Needles: US 1-1/2 (2.50mm) dpns

I added length in both the wrist and hand for this pair, so they'd be extra warm for winter picture taking. 





It's icy cold here in Massachusetts. Hope you're warm, wherever you are!