I thought this day would never come.

[kniteracy]

But when I look through all the knitting supplies I brought with us on this extended trip, I'm actually counting more FOs (Finished Objects, for those not up with the knitlingo) than UFOs (UnFinished Objects). I have now finished everthing I brought here in progress, plus completed two other small projects and started two more.


Here's the checklist:

kitanzi's jumper: Finished, but not posted to her yet.

folkmew's socks: Started here, and finished, but not posted to her yet.

oreouk's socks: Started here, and finished, but not posted to her yet.

(I think I need to go to the post office on Tuesday, hm?)

My albatross aran: Finished! (For those of you who read my personal journal, I'll tease you with the fact that I actually got to wear this jumper today! In Singapore! Let's just say that a certain wonderful person remembered I put "Three Inches Of Snow!" on my birthday wish-list. :>)

Crenellated Socks: Finished, and I wore those today, too! Inside fuzzy boots. :)

Nifty grey woven scarf: Started here, and finished, packed up and waiting for the trip home, where it'll be stored 'til autumn.

Short row Opal Rainbow socks: Started on Saturday.

filceolaire's Fair Isle: Started last week sometime.

Mermaid Socks: Started awhile ago; I haven't made the second one yet because the tiny garter stitch cuff is a pain to knit and I'm unhappy with the heel.


Saturday's meeting of the Singapore knitstitch group was fun, even though I got there a bit late (we'd been to a book sale; you know how it goes). I finished up the first of oreouk's socks and turned the heel on the second, then swatched and cast on for my new Opal socks, short-row socks made with bright rainbow colours.

Today, we were out and about quite a bit. I finished oreouk's socks before we left, so I got work done on the small sock project on the MRT and in line at the museum and all that.


Tantalising Photos Below!


These are oreouk's Very Purple Socks. I have no idea what they should be called, but I hope she gets to be good friends iwth them this autumn and winter. You can see them, way back when they were just a ball of yarn, in my knitting icon.


And here's my current project basket, showing the first bit of the new Opal socks, plus J's Fair Isle. That multicoloured ball of wool peeking out below is from Diana, who gave it to me along with a beautiful wooden lucet when she was visiting. I don't think you can see te lucet in the photo, but it's in the basket.


I've never felt so good about finishing things I start as I do right now. This whole 'focusing on a single craft' thing is really working for me! ;-)

Comments

[fuzcat.livejournal.com]

Beautiful and very inspiring.

I already have too many crafts, but I think I am going to dig out my yarn, knitting and crochet things and give them to some one who will turn them into something beautiful. Focusing on a few crafts instead of 'everything' is a really good idea and one I should take to heart.

[relentlesstoil.livejournal.com]

I've been doing this (paring down) over the past 2 years too. It was nice to be able to paint / stain glass / make wreaths / bead jewelry / sculpt, but I was "able" and not "doing." I gave most of the materials to friends and the Girl Scouts.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I think that is a very charitable and decluttering-type thing to do. And remember, Singapore is in the middle of a huge wool shortage right now. Knitters sit on street corners, begging for just one skein of plain old fisherman's wool so they can make toasty booties for their grandbabies. I mean it. It's really that bad. You can trust me. Honest. =)

Ain't it great?

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

I think it's really cool that you've got so much finished. I love reading about your knitting.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Wow, most accomplished indeed :) What's a lucet please?

Love the purple of the purple socks (and I keep wanting that to be spelled pruple, clearly they are so vibrant they are not simple purple but have moved into true prupleness... ;> )

[telynor.livejournal.com]

A lucet is this thingy that's shaped like a fork (it's also called a chain fork) kind of but with only two tines, that you use to make I-cord, or knitted cord, the kind you get by casting on four stitches and just knitting away without turning. Lucets have been in use as far back as Viking times, so it's a great small thing to take to re-enactments because it's perfectly historical to sit around making cords.

There was a link to a lucet site in the post, so I'm wondering if maybe the link colour in this new style isn't vibrant enough? More than one person has asked me about things I've linked to in posts recently, so I'm beginning to think that might be the case. Here is the URL to the lucet site I posted:

http://www.woodedhamlet.com/needlework_tools/lucets.html

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Ooh interesting... ::puts hands behind back and does not get tempted by the pretty lucets:: Is that the same sort of cord you get from the kids toy with 4 prongs on top, sometimes called a "knitting nancy"?

And oops, no, had missed the link - funny, cos the lj names stand out nicely, mind you, they're bolded.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

It's similar, yes, but lots of people are doing very interesting things with lucets; if you do a google search on them you'll find people who have made all kinds of cool-looking cords.

The spool knitter/knitting nobby/knitting nancy makes just that one kind of cord, iirc, and is sometimes used in lieu of 'finger knitting' to teach kids the looping concept.

I think I will go and make a style customisation so that links are bolded, and then we'll see if they're easier to read. :)

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

What's finger knitting please? I remember spending hours with my knitting nancy as a kid, though even then it was more the *doing* I enjoyed, like I do now with knitting, never actually used my cord for anything, seemed a bit pointless to be honest.

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

The four prong thing is french knitting, and makes a round braid, the lucet has 2 prongs and makes a square braid. Similar concept though. If you can french knit, you can lucet. Actually, if you can hold a pencil, you can lucet.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Ah, right, got it now, I think... one day, I'll definitely try it!

[oreouk.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! Cool looking purple socks! Or should that be warm looking??? Thank you!!

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I hope you like them, too. They'll be in the post as soon as I can muster up the energy to get down there on a day when the post office is open (today, Monday, is a holiday).

[oreouk.livejournal.com]

I have every faith :-)

Today's a holiday here too and we've had a lovely lazy day because Alex is at Mum's so we got a lie in, then went out and hooked up with Mum and Alex for a walk in a bluebell wood (totally gorgeous) and a pub lunch and then got to come home for a lazy afternoon and evening - he doesn't come back until tomorrow so I get a quiet morning tomorrow too (before heading off to the hospital to have blood samples taken (standard pregnancy check), do a bit of work from home and then drive up to Cambridge to visit our office there and give them a talk about how I support them even though they live out in the wilds. I'm looking forward to it and Phil says I'm insane *g* Guess which one in this family doesn't like standing up in front of a crowd of strangers and which one gives not a fig).

Hugs to all!

[telynor.livejournal.com]

What's that oft-quoted studay say? That most people would be more comfortable appearing naked in public than speaking in front of people? Me, I don't mind speaking, but naked, no way. J is exactly the opposite. He's fine naked, but don't make him talk. ;)

[oreouk.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure Phil would be happy to do either. I've gone skinny dipping once but that's about the extent of my public nakedness thing, though I guess if I had a friend that was going to a nudist place and wanted me to come too then I'd do it - public nakedness only when everyone else is naked. Guess we're statistically anomalous :-)