This Month, Think Of The Knitters

In case anyone doubts the veracity of my statement that the living areas of my house are covered in yarn, I present the following photos for your viewing pleasure:

Neglected, but not forgotten

Behold a pair of socks, sitting on a sort of hutch type table that we got free from a neighbor and has been sitting in our front hallway ever since the basement renovations commenced, waiting to be delivered to another neighbor. I'm working on the legs now, which means it will take me forever, because once I finish the foot and the heel, I think, "Wow! I'm almost done!" and then go on to more exciting things, while my unfinished pair of socks languishes (like this poor homeless table) unwept, unhonored, and unsung.

Bird's eye view, inside the cutest knit shop bag ever

And there is a Clara Cowl, sitting on the dining room table, which I finished in record time (for me), only I lost some stitches when I removed the provisional cast-on and I had to beg a knitting friend to find them for me. Which she did, which means I really should graft this item shut and put it in the gift box. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the following:

Alas, I am terrible at photography, so you can't see this yarn's
cunning dark brown highlights that delight me as I knit round and round

Above is Hat #3, almost done, resting comfortably on our Ektorp ottoman. I picked up a bunch of worsted at 30% off on Black Friday and decided that it would be a hat Christmas this year. I'm not even sure anyone wears hats anymore, but why let reality get in the way of my knitting aspirations, hmmm? Besides, most of our relatives live in Maine, so I can't see if they are wearing them or not. What I don't know won't hurt me.

Again, colors regrettably washed out - that is really a delightfully bright purple and blue green

This is also a hat, you just can't tell yet. It's sitting atop its inspiration, a Sockhead Hat that I got during our knitting group's Christmas swap last year. I like it so much, I'm making one just like it. I mean, there's no point in not having it in ALL THE COLORS. This project may have to wait, as knitting in fingering yarn during the December gift-making rush is only for the extremely skilled. We mere mortals stick with the heavier worsted and bulky yarns, in order to increase production speed.

I am inordinately proud of this photo, which captures
both the chaos and the beauty intrinsic to knitting in December.
Also, it features our "other people" IKEA throw pillows...

And, anyone? Can you guess? That is an incipient felted tote bag. It is silly of me to be working on it this month, as I am keeping it for myself and not giving it away, but I wouldn't be a knitter if I didn't harbor the quixotic belief that I have the time to both make presents AND work on something for myself.

There's more, people. So much more. You're seeing only the proverbial tip of the iceberg here. And why am I showing you this? Well, it's part of an outreach effort of mine.

Do you know a knitter? This may help you understand why he/she might be looking/sounding a little distracted this month of holiday cheer. Between keeping track of the projects and spending inordinate amounts of time searching for lost darning needles and stitch markers, it's hard for us to maintain focus. Be patient. Be supportive. And, for the love of God, DO NOT move our stuff.

Larry? Are you listening?