Tardy to the Party: in which I finally get my act together for the Stranded KAL.
For the past several days (or has it been weeks? It's hard to keep up), I've been Stranded in Grading-Undergrad-Papers-Land. Population: 1 + a bazillion papers of varying grammatical quality and degrees of meritous content. Someone throw me a lifeline, here!And now, I shamefully appear on the KAL Roll Call as being Stranded...Somewhere...Projectless. Which, I should add, is not far from the truth. I joined the Stranded KAL because I have not yet attempted two-color knitting, but it is on my agenda of knitterly skills to acquire. The problem? The KAL is just getting started and I have to leave in a week and will be gone, not to be heard from for a month and a half. Clearly, I will not be knitting along with anyone anytime soon. But! I will! As soon as I return from the UAE I have big, BIG plans that involve multiple colors galore (well, I am actually going to stick with two...that should be plenty for this here amateur with negligible spare time).
So, as I do not want to appear as a Join-&-Lurk kinda gal, I am establishing a plan of action for when I return in late-January. My Stranded project list is as follows:
Project #1:
Bea Ellis "Flenten" Norwegian Hat. Inspiration: this one here, hot off the needles. I've decided that this project is a good one to learn the basics of stranded knitting, and my decision was confirmed by Lolly and Anne, who both have also recently mentioned that they want to teach themselves stranded knitting with a Bea Ellis kit.
Project #2:
Eunny Jang's Endpaper Fingerless Mitts. Inspiration: this one and this finished pair. The Endpaper Mitts are the new Pomatomuses! Everyone will have to have some of these...and it's not difficult to see why: they're stunning, no matter what color combination you choose!
Project #3:
Meg Swanson's Arch-Shaped Stockings (republished recently in Vogue Knitting Fall 2006). Inspiration: these babies. Okay, so they're not the Arch-Shaped stockings, but they're close enough to have me drooling.
Project #4:
Eunny Jang's Anemoi Mittens. Inspiration: Eunny's own finished pair is all the inspiration I need for these mitts!
Project #5:
Adrian's We Call Them Pirates Hat. Inspiration: this sweet lil' number, just recently finished and super-cute.
That should keep my little fingers busy for a good while. Thus, it seems I will be spending lots of good, quality time Stranded in Eunny-Land, with sojurns to Adrian-Land, Meg-Land, and BeaEllis-Land.
I'm looking forward to participating in the KAL, but for the next several weeks, I'll be stranded in the Land O' Sand!
And a big, GIANT thank you to everyone who left such awesome comments about my Hederas! You guys are the best!
Labels: KALs
posted by knittingphilistine at 3:00 PM
10 Comments:
I concur 100% with the Bea Ellis idea: I reall wish I'd started with that instead of those damn mittens. Tip: knit it with the inside facing you. You knit it exactly the same way, but since the yarn has to go a tiny bit farther around the outside of the hat, it helps make your gauge not-too-tight.
And in "yes, we definitely do appear to be the same person" news, I just cast on for the Endpaper Mitts. Woo!
I'm still waiting to start the Bea Ellis hat... after the holidays, I guess. Eagerly awaiting your progress!
And grading papers is the worst. I actually set a timer and refuse to go over a certain number of minutes per paper, which helps.
I am a stranded KAL slacker too, but I believe I have chosen my project too. That'll be my next post.
I'll for sure be missing you and your blog posts while you're away. Happy digging!
I want a pair of those fingerless mits Meggie!
And don't tell me boys can't wear them, Gays get to do whatever we want.
And I wear ladies' scarves all the time.
What do I have to do to get a pair out of you?
The Endpaper Mitts come out supercute-- I finished mine last week, and haven't stopped wearing them since. I think you'll really like knitting them. This was my first "real" stranded knitting project, and it flew off of the needles too quickly-- now I want to knit the Anemoi mittens, too.
I love both of Eunny's patterns! Gosh they are fantastic!
I think the Bea Ellis hat is a great way to learn the basics. Colorwork really isn't so hard once you get the hang of it! I know you can do it!
Since part of your inspiration seems to come from seeing some of the great FOs around the blogosphere, I suggest that you have a look at Lee Ann's cool take on the We call them pirates hat: http://www.fuzzylogicknits.com/blog/viewMonthlyBlog.action?year=2006&month=02
Oops! I don't know if you can read the entire URL I gave in my comment above, but since the end of it doesn't show, here's what's missing (just in case you can't see it... and for your readers who might want to have a look too): viewMonthlyBlog.action?year=2006&month=02
The hat is a great place to start - I started with a basic 2 color hat and fell in love with Fair Isle!
Have a great time in the UAE - it is someplace I've always wanted to go....all us Stranders will be here when you get back!
wow! you will definately be busy when you get back! i had thought of joining the kal and learning stranded knitting, but too much going on at the moment. maybe i might join you knitting one of the great projects you have lined up- so many great ones to choose from! make sure you have fun on your trip ;0)
ps. thanks for all your nice comments, i hate not being able to reply to comments. sometimes i hate blogger.
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