Signs of Neglect

Now that the baby blanket is finally done, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Even though the deadline on that project was somewhat self-imposed, it was still a point of stress. Usually when I finish a big project I'm keen to cast on something new. But the truth is that I have projects already on the needles that have been languishing and it's really time I stopped neglecting them.

Chief among those is Rainbow's Dancing Leaves Cardigan. When I last worked on it, I had just done the set-up row for the ribbing at the bottom of the body. I've now got about eight more rows left to knit before the body is done.

The ribbing is being worked on size 0 (2.0 mm) needles, which are small for a sweater but the usual size I use for socks, so they don't feel so bad to me. I'm not sure I could knit an entire sweater in this size, but I can deal with it for a dozen or so rows. I'm hoping to be able to finish off the ribbing tonight and then I'll likely weave in all the ends on the body before I start in on the sleeves (mainly because I don't want to get stuck dealing with all of them at the end). The sleeves should go much faster, given that there will be fewer stitches and that I'll be working in the round, and I'm hopeful that if continue to give this project some attention, I can get it done in a reasonable amount of time.

The other project on the needles is a pair of Arne & Carlos Regia socks that I've been knitting on in fits and starts. They're just a plain vanilla pattern, so I've discovered that I can work on them while I sit with Rainbow in the evenings (she's been having trouble getting to sleep the past couple of months, so she likes us to sit with her under she nods off). I can knit stockinette in the round without looking, so it's perfect for knitting in the almost dark -- almost because I've also been reading a Kindle book on my iPad while I sit there (might as well be productive with the time, right?). The first sock was knit finished up last night, and I'm well on my way with the second.

I'm not wild about this yarn, if I have to be perfectly honest. I mean, the socks will wear like iron, I know, but the patterning is not as nice as I'd hoped. The sequence even seems to have changed somewhere in the middle, because the patterning on the foot is not the same as the patterning on the leg of the first sock. I'm not sure if that was meant to happen or if it's just a screw up in the machinery that dyed the yarn. In any case, I'm not too concerned. They'll be sturdy, warm socks that are likely to be in my sock drawer for many years, and they'll represent another skein knit from the stash.

Rainbow and I will be home tomorrow (she is off school for an in-service day; I'm taking the day off), and then the Mister and I will largely have the weekend to ourselves, as she's got back-to-back sleepovers at the grandparents' planned. There will still be the usual chores and errands to get done, but it will be nice to enjoy some time when we don't have to worry about being home in time for bedtime or being awakened earlier than we'd like. Of course, I'm planning on some extra knitting and spinning time, too!