progress, finally

For the past month or so my knitting has felt stalled (I’ve been knitting, just feeling like I’m getting no where; but huh, I have two entire projects that I’ve finished and forgotten about, interesting).  After ripping out one sleeve cuff on my FLS I put it in a “time out” (I just need to let projects sit a bit after the blow of a frogging session) and brought my marigold socks out of hibernation.  Because trip knitting is a very particular type of knitting that needs planning and back-up (while maintaing packing restraint) I also brought along a couple patterns and the yarn for my camping hat (the one I’ve been plotting since probably September 2007).  On the flight out to my parent’s I worked on the third heel of my first marigold sock (what is it with me and heels?) as seen in the previous post where I was so happy to discover that the little cord stopper on my project bag also made a handy hanging implement when paired with a springy seat pocket and got over that awful “I’m doing the heel yet again” hump.  Then I decided to start my camping hat.  Halfway through my trip I ran out of yarn (about 5 rows before the end too) so I switched back to my marigold sock.  I figure I started the leg portion of the sock the last week of May and just knit here and there (in the plane, in the car, while waiting 1  hour for graduation to start and then through most of the 2 hour ceremony).  I eventually got to that point where is just doesn’t feel like the leg is growing in length.  So I brought it camping with me and spent a decent chunk of my Saturday down time just knitting while we sat around the fire pit.

Eventually I got to the point where I thought maybe the leg was long enough, so I knit two more repeats.  Tonight I measured it against a favorite store-bought sock and it is actually about 2 repeats longer in the leg.  Wooooo.  This means I get to start the cuff and am still on track to complete one pair of socks in a year.

Wednesday  I went to knit night and forced myself to work on the sleeves of my FLS (after winding a skein for swatching and wandering the store just a little).  It is a good thing that I thought to put a marker at the row I started adding to my lace repeats because that too felt like endless knitting with no progress, then suddenly I look down and I’ve knit just over an inch since placing that marker.  Shortly before 10 pm I bound off on the first sleeve for the second time.  This time I am very happy with the sleeve length and now I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Perhaps the June weather will normalize next week and I can wear my sweater to knit night.