Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dissatisfaction

I have been pecking away at my slooow socks and My Fuzzy Coyote since finishing the two pairs of fingerless mitts. Neither one is inspiring me right now, a mental state I have read about on other knitters' blogs but am not sure I have experienced heretofore. What DO I want to knit? For one, another pair of ribbed fingerless mitts for Brian's violin teacher's Christmas gift next year. Quick gratification and a head start on next year's gifts; that's a hard combo to beat!

 If  they could be as quick to knit and as sure to fit (laughing hysterically), I'd also love to cast on for a pretty cardigan, like this

or this

or this:

Oh, and I really should tackle the two patterns I've purchased for Fair Isle tams:

On the other hand, I'd love to see brightly-colored fiber flow through my fingers – turning something like this

turn into something like this:
All the above photos shamelessly lifted from Ravelry.
Oh yeah!

But first I have to ply the white and grey Gotland. And finish at least one of those two WIPs. Sigh.

Amazing how much thought I put into hobbies I have so little time for! ;-)

Oh, here's a photo of the new hay feeder in use. (Having had a near-fatal case of grass tetani in one of my first Shetlands, I am very careful not to let them overdue their time on spring grass. So hay it is for breakfast.)

That's it for today from . . .

at

28 comments:

  1. Rose Fern2/26/13, 10:06 AM

    Oh all the patterns are amazing!I couldn't choose!Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/26/13, 10:20 AM

      That's why I get stalled, Rose Fern; too many wonderful patterns to choose from (and too little time)!

      Delete
  2. Made.by.Fay2/26/13, 10:15 AM

    Michelle,
    I love your pictures, as always. Such beautiful, colorful yarn. And the caps with the sheep design are wonderful. Thinking about our creative projects is part of the fun. Glad you are thinking creative thoughts.

    Blessings,
    Fay

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/26/13, 10:21 AM

      Not my photos (except the last one), Fay, so I can't take credit for them. But you're right; creative thoughts are good!

      Delete
  3. Mama Pea2/26/13, 12:07 PM

    Oh-oh-oh! Start the beige sweater with the lovely design down the back! Sometimes if you left a work in progress sit for a while, it's much easier to come back to it and have the enthusiasm to finish it. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

    Looks like the sheep approve whole-heartedly of the new, custom-made feeder!

    I also love those two hats with the sheep motif. Cute but still classy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/26/13, 1:05 PM

      I'd love to, Mama Pea, but that would require buying the pattern, which I can't justify when I have so many patterns I've already purchased waiting to be knit (like those two hats).

      Delete
  4. Deb W2/26/13, 12:30 PM

    Sounds like your "pendulum" might be swinging toward COLOR. It's a phenomenon all spinners (here anyway) experience. We go through phases where we want to be all 'pure and natural,' using undyed fleece in the colors God gave them. Then we get so bored with gray and brown, we need some color, so we spin and knit in color, glorious color for a while, until our senses are somewhat shell-shocked, then we swing back to au naturelle! With Spring coming on, maybe you need some color in your life?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/26/13, 1:06 PM

      Both pairs of mitts I did recently were fairly colorful, Deb, so I don't know if that's it or not.

      Delete
  5. Kelly2/26/13, 12:42 PM

    I am waiting for the right yarn to come off my wheel before I attempt those hats from Theresa's patterns.
    I adore the hay feeder, what a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/26/13, 1:06 PM

      I think I already have some, so it's just a matter of pulling on my big-girl panties and tackling Fair Isle for the first time!

      Delete
  6. Susan2/26/13, 12:59 PM

    So much beautiful yarn, so very many wonderful patterns, so little time! Frustrating!!! That is some gorgeous fleece filling out those coats!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/26/13, 1:07 PM

      That's exactly it, Susan; frustrating!

      Delete
  7. Noelle the dreamer2/26/13, 2:27 PM

    As much as I love earth colours Michelle, I agree with you those striking bright ones would surely help my fingers to fly!
    Have a lovely week,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/27/13, 7:50 AM

      Like Deb says above, we go back and forth, don't we?

      Delete
  8. Suzan2/26/13, 7:33 PM

    They are all lovely pieces!! Do you knit using the natural color of the wool or always dye it? Those colors are wonderful - but natural colors are pretty too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/27/13, 7:53 AM

      No, I don't always dye it; in fact, I have a hard time dyeing those beautiful natural colors. But they give the most amazing depth of color when dyed!

      Delete
  9. Angora Amora2/26/13, 7:59 PM

    Planning and searching patterns, I think is just as fun as the process of actually making them. Enjoy that fully! Somedays, are meant to be spent thinking...that's were all great work starts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/27/13, 7:53 AM

      I think I get frozen by too many choices of both pattern and color....

      Delete
  10. Karen2/27/13, 5:49 AM

    Decisions, decisions... there could be worse ones, right? What is the name of the first fairisle tam please?? I am very interested and now distracted by this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/27/13, 7:57 AM

      That's the FFSSA Sheep and Spindle tam by Theresa Gygi. She designed it to say "I love spinning fine Shetland wool;" very clever! It's available on Rav here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ffssa-sheep-and-spindle-fair-isle-hat

      Delete
  11. Unknown2/27/13, 8:31 AM

    The tams are adorable! Just knitting the sheep in them would make me smile. I think I know just how you are feeling about deciding on the 'next' knit. I love the choosing, but sometimes my fingers are itchy for knitting before the choosing is done. It's okay though. I'm a practitioner of multiple knitting/fiber projects. Not always, but often enough. I think life contains plenty of 'should do' so my choice of hobbis gets to take care of 'want to' and 'crave'.

    Love the sweater choices, especially the first one and the third one. Good luck!

    Oh, and the fellows did a great job with the hay feeder!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/27/13, 7:59 PM

      That's IT, Shelly! Itchy to knit, but overwhelmed with choices, and the mundane that must come before knitting, like winding and swatching and maths.

      Delete
  12. C-ingspots2/27/13, 9:36 AM

    Bellying up to the hay bar!! I love, love, love that first sweater, oh my that beautiful detail on the back is so pretty!! Make that one Michelle...for me! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Debbie2/27/13, 5:42 PM

    I'm so envious of your beautiful yarn! The sweater pictures are great! So many choices, so little time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle2/27/13, 7:57 PM

      Regrettably, that's not my yarn, Debbie . . . just some I was drooling over on Ravelry . . . .

      Delete
  14. SweetMissDaisy (Anna Wight)2/28/13, 8:46 AM

    Oooh, I love the colors of the hats. ESP the second one, w/ those ADORABLE fatties looking out at ya! And while I'm soooo drawn to the earthy tones of those beautiful browns, those brights scream "Oregon" to me. ...a reminder of all those years I lived in Eugene... ♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. thecrazysheeplady3/2/13, 3:53 AM

    Ooh, nice choices, each. I'd love to do the Sheep Heid hat sometime!

    ReplyDelete

I'm a blogger - I love comments! Oh, and you DON'T have to check that box proving you're not a robot; you'll still be able to leave your comment without it!