Short for two reasons (kind of)

Number one: I am reading a really good book that I don't want to put down. I'm sure you know the feeling.

Number Two: I over slept, and I'm starting to finally get over that two hours I wasted on sleep. (I really only got up like one hour later than usual. I just happen to oversleep everyday and I've adjusted to it.) Suffice to say that catching up involves no yoga, and moving like I'm on coke for large portions of the day. (Where I usually bust a move to clean the house and get stuff done and then use yoga to slow down a little)

And the T on my key board is all funky today so I have to just keep tapping it until it works, I've lost a lost of time to that, and thinking up words that don't use a T.  If there are a few words that don't have a T in them when they should, that is why. I use the T a lot.

And I got a really cool and really weird letter today, and I want to write back as soon as I can. So, let's move on to the blog, and leave the excuses behind. (As far as excuses go though, I must say that they are pretty good ones)

Promised Pics! Splashy Colorful Blankets!

The ones that are already done

The one in progress

The Blanket

I've found the project to resurrect (actually, I found it five days ago). I am utterly taken with it, inasmuch as I can be taken with acres of garter stitch. I love this project, and there is only one thing wrong with it . . . it will be unbelievably boring to watch me knit it. I'll show you a pick of it in a day or two, but, right now hauling out the camera and the squares seems like all to much work. (Probably because I'm just poking my head in here so I can say that I'll post at least twice a week. )

Two years ago, when I really wasn't blogging -- I had a blog, this one, I just didn't care about it, and was really almost ashamed of it. I knit a huge blanket. (Odd, knitting something and NOT talking about it!) It was many colors, loud, and was very creative. I knit it in about a month (It was before I took writing as seriously as I do now, and also before two different volunteer positions) before it was done. It took me longer to weave in the ends than it did to knit the blanket. (You'll see what I mean when I show it to you.)

Anyway, I knit the exact same blanket two years ago, and then I gave it away. I planned to give it away, and I knew that the recipients would be very happy with it, so that was all right. But, as I handed over the blanket, I swore that I would knit myself one just as much like that as I could. Most of the colors were chosen at random, so having the yarn wouldn't be a problem, I would just follow the same pattern.

The thing is, after a couple squares (there are nine) you start to get a little tired of the pattern already. You've still got tons left to knit, and by the end you feel like you're knitting wall-to-wall carpeting. The first time I knit it I'm not really sure what kept me from going nuts about it.

Then last summer I cast on for my replica. I knit about two squares and stuffed it away for months. Now it's back, and I'm going to ride this obsession till it drops dead. I hope that I'll have a blanket at that end of it, but who knows.

Now that I'm re-knitting, it, I can remember what kept me so . . . enthralled on the last one. I remember now. I challenged myself to see how fast I could knit them. How long each strip would take me. I agonized about the color choice and needles I used. (Agony is only good when it's over books and knitting.) I knit on the first blanket everywhere. In the car, outdoors, staying up late to see if I could knit three blocks in a week. This blanket was so much fun, even if I wanted to strangle by myself by the end of it. (I swear, if past Garret could hear me say that knitting that thing was fun he'd hit me so hard I couldn't remember how to knit.)

I'm thinking about moving off of blogger, and onto a more user friendly web host. Do you think that is a good idea? Of course, you probably can't tell me that unless you have a blogger account or a PhD in how computers work. I should go and do a little shopping around.

If you give a man a scarf, a camera, a babbling brook, and a little piece of woodland?

He will take many pictures.

It's a Saturday

And I've got nothing to knit.

Let me explain a little. I've really got a lot to knit. I've got plenty of knitting, it's all over the place, I've got about three projects within arms reach. (The knitting basket is right next to my desk, how convenient.)

But the problem is that, aside from the entrelac, I don't have anything I WANT to knit. The entrelac will probably be finished this weekend, and I haven't got a clue about what to do to replace it. For the first time in forever, I don't know what I want to knit next.

I wonder into the place where I keep most of my yarn and I look at say, the sock yarn. I look at it, and I just see yarn. I don't see potential, I don't see miles of fun and infinite possibilities, I just see yarn. That's spooky.

I think about starting another sweater, even though I've got two close by, but they're not fun. I think maybe a cabled sweater. I start to imagine what it has, what it looks like, even what yarn I should use. Then I think cables? Is that really what I'm about right now, do I really want to knit cables? Colorwork? Can I really take a PLAIN sweater now? Don't I already have a bunch of those started?

In response to this . . . despondent feeling (really, I can take HUGE amounts of indirection in my personal life, but not in my knitting) I've decided something. I'm going to go around the house and do a few rows on every unfinished thing that I've got laying around, (not really that many, not more than ten) and see if anything takes. Good plan?

Yes? No? Is this thing on? I'm seriously considering moving to Typepad, or some other place where people who don't have a google account can comment. Is that a good idea too? What does that reader from India think?