Frantic Knitting

Oh, no! It is happening again! I am busy -- crazy busy -- and it is showing in my knitting. It is a sickness. The symptoms? Startitis, and extreme frogging.
So what am I knitting? Still crawling through the re-knit of clue one on the Mystery Stole. I haven't touched this in over a week now since I have been either working on the studio or with the kids, and I CAN'T knit that with the monsters around. Travel knitting has been Clapotis (I got to the first dropped stitch! woohoo!)
and this little shrug for my Baby Girl in Knit Picks Suri Alpaca, that I cast on as a result of having to go through my stash to move it into the studio.

I bought enough of this yarn ages ago to make a sweater from the first Stitch and Bitch book, but my taste and knitting style has changed so much since then that I have decided to re-purpose the yarn. I'll probably over-dye whatever is left (which will be a lot) and knit the girl another cardi.
I have also been working on a very quick little stealth project that I will reveal at a later date, but it has actually caused me to pick up a crochet hook again. I forgot how fast crochet could be! Very nice when you need some instant gratification, but I still don't think my poor wrist could handle much of it.
I also HAD to start my Bar Harbor bag. I bought some Wisdom Poems in the hope of making the multi-colored Noro-type version, but there are not enough color shifts and the repeats are small, so my bag will likely look more like this one as I won't be seperating out the colors, but with the stitch definition of the Bar Harbor.

I'll probably cast on for another in the style of the Blue Bar Harbor bag in Knit Pics WOA as I have a TON of that in the stash, I just don't know which colors I want to do yet.
A little note on the Wisdom Poems (purchased here -- she has all the colors!) -- I LOVE working with this yarn. It is so soft and gentle on the hands when knitting, and makes a lovely fabric. A knitting friend commented, when she saw my Booga Bag in progress, that I was nuts to be felting with it -- it needed to be a sweater! And I wholeheartedly agree. It definitely will be. As for felting, man! does it felt fast! Nice sturdy fabric, but watch out! One pass through the washing machine gave me a clutch rather than a Booga bag! I never stopped to check it since the Noro bag took 4 passes through the machine. As it is, the bag was perfect for this...

As far as items frogged, I had a cabled sweater of my own simple design I began for the girl about 2 years ago -- back done, and front 1/2 done, and that is now in pretty little balls of Lion Kool Wool waiting for a new purpose.
I do like this yarn, although it is a bit splitty. I was knitting it on size eights, but it will make a better fabric with 9s or 10s I think. I may make a little cardi like this for me with it.
I also ripped a pair of Jaywalkers -- 2 on one circ needle -- that were only 1/2 done the leg. I was using a gorgeous color of Seacoast Handpaint, but the yarn is so thin, it made the knitting so tedious -- 11 stitched to the inch -- and I was certain I would wear through the heels in about 2 wearings. I'll re-use it for a nice lacy scarf.
And then of course there are the 20 balls of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in almost the same color that were partially destined to make this, the Seed Stitch from Hell cardi. I hate knitting it, and she has forgotten she ever asked for it so it is coming out! DONE.
I really want to get something started for the Boy too, but not sure which yet. I have some local wool -- Walpole Wool -- from a small farm in Walpole MA that I got to make a Portuguese Fisherman's sweater for my handsome little man (we are Portuguese, after all) so there is that or a multi color sweater in blue, green, and yellow Lion Wool. He loves yellow -- must have yellow. I'll probably also get a few mittens started for camp knitting for the next trip. I don't want to get caught without having done any this year, and the new Knit Simple has a fantastic chart on knitting mittens for all sizes from different weight yarns. Excellent. Of course, I bought the mag because of this...

YAY, AMY!