Playing the Long Game

With one exception, it seems that all of my current projects are ones that are long-term projects and will take a while to finish. I can put in serious chunks of time on them and only see a little bit of progress. But I know that regularly doing so will result in them getting done eventually.

I spent about 40 minutes at my wheel last night, working on my FatCatKnits Rambouillet singles. All I managed to get done is the lighter singles you can see here on the bobbin. It really doesn't look like much, and frankly it doesn't look like it used up that much fiber, but I'm sure if I pulled those singles off and measured them, I'd be surprised at their length. That's just how it goes with singles this fine.

I've reached the border on my shawl and am now at the point where the rows take between 10 and 15 minutes each, so even on a good night, I'm not managing more than about six or eight rows max. I've got 28 rows left to knit before I bind off, and I'm hopeful that if I continue the pace I've set thus far and squeeze in more time over the weekend, it just might be done by early next week. That timing would work out great because I could get the pattern off to my tech editor before I leave for SSK. If she's especially speedy, I might even be able to publish it before I leave.

The one project that has been moving along quickly is my Kerameia Cowl. I've been working on it every day this week (except for Tuesday) during my lunch break, and I expect I'll be able to finish it this evening.

I knit the original samples using a much longer needle, so it's a bit weird doing this one on a 16 inch circular and having the knitting all bunched up. I've been careful to spread out my work on the right needle to avoid puckering, but with the limited space to spread out, it's hard to tell that the fabric is smooth. It will be such a satisfying moment to bind off and stretch out the fabric to its full size.

I have had one stash enhancement this week, and it's a skein of Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce (superwash merino/nylon) in a Pittsburgh Penguins-inspired colorway called Elvis Has Left the Building. This skein will be used to make some socks for the start of next hockey season this fall.

For those of you who are not Pens fans and might be wondering about the unusual colorway name, allow me to enlighten you. It's a line from the Pens' longtime radio broadcaster, Mike Lange, who is well known for his colorful expressions in response to pivotal moments like great goals or big wins. When there's a big victory, it's very common to hear him exclaim, "And Elvis has just left the building!" (It may not make much sense in the new arena, but in the old Civic Arena, where the Pens used to play and which has since been knocked down, there was a plaque commemorating the date when Elvis did in fact perform there -- and then left the building.)

The weekend ahead should be a good one for crafting. The Mister and Rainbow are headed to a picnic at Kennywood, our local amusement park, on Saturday, provided the weather holds, so I'll have the house to myself for several hours. I may try to knock out another bobbin of Charollais singles or do some binge watching of something or other and work on the long shawl rows. Whatever you have planned, I hope you enjoy it!