Life and knitting

For no particular reason, my life recently feels a bit muddled. I've been rather disorganised - losing things (thank you to all those who expressed sympathy for the loss of the frilled cardi), forgetting things, and generally feeling indecisive and a bit at a loss.

As with life, so with knitting. Bits and pieces. Minor chaos.

I started work on Evelyn Clark's pattern 'Wildflower'. Essentially, this is the generic stretched garter stitch triangle that characterises the 'Baktus' design, but with an edge of daisy-shaped lace.



I like the surprise and unexpectedness of the geometry of the garter-stitch combined with the floral lace edge. It also seemed especially suited to the spring-green of the Socks That Rock yarn that was a birthday gift from jpofoz. I love knitting this (being such an admirer of garter-stitch), but I've let myself become distracted.

With the loss of the frilled cardi, I decided the dotee just had to have a summer cardigan. I've just sent off to her the cute pink version of 'Fiona's Top', but that's not a cardi. So I bought some of my very favourite cotton yarn - Lana Gatto's Jaipur in bright lipstick pink, and set about the search for a suitable pattern.



I think I've found the pattern - Cecily Glowik MacDonald's 'Provence Baby Cardigan'(ravlink). I'll have to adjust it a bit for a two-and-a-half year old, but I think that's within my capabilities. I notice Bells has queued this pattern in Ravelry - the knitting pattern zeitgeist at work again - but I can't imagine she'd mind if I also knit it.

Have I cast on for 'Provence'? No. That would be too organised. That's still to be done. In the search for a pattern for the Jaipur I was distracted by 'Chloe' by Alana Dakos. It's Lee's fault (ravlink). Lee favorited this pattern on Ravelry and I loved it. I had to cast on immediately and the only Aran weight cotton or summery yarn I had was some light navy and white Jo Sharp Aran Cotton (that's actually a cotton/microfibre mix).



Because of the frill on the bottom, 'Chloe' is really suited to light summery colours, but I seem to have embarked on a sporty Breton-influenced colour combination with an unexpected frill. We'll see how it goes. By the way, after knitting a succession of projects in finer yarn on smaller needles, the Aran weight yarn with 5mm needles seems clumsy and uncomfortable, though the rate of progress is some consolation.

And then there's the socks. I think they're the real reason I can't take a sensible approach to my knitting. I just can't seem to finish them, and I don't know why they are taking so long. I love the yarn, love the colour and love the pattern (ravlink)



They're part of my 2009 Personal Sock Club and were due to be finished on 27 July! I'm now more than a sock 'shipment' behind. I'm halfway along the foot of the second sock, so a good burst of knitting would see them finished. Then I know I'd feel better. Will I then cast on for the next Sock Club sock? (I'll have to watch these rhetorical questions - I'm beginning to sound a bit Kevin Rudd-ish). I don't know (see what I mean about being indecisive?) I can't even decide if it's these particular socks that are making me feel so grumpy, or knitting socks in general.

I know from past experience that this phase of disjointedness will pass. I'll either re-organise myself, or decide some things don't matter and just organise the remainder. And I'll finish some knitting projects, or put them aside for later. Or abandon them. Things will eventually fall back into place.