Picking Up Stitches

I am still trying to pick up all the stitches on that mohair/silk shawl.  I just received an e-mail that said all donations for the auction have to be turned in by September 20th and the way it is going I might still be picking up stitches on the 20th.  

I usually knit on my lunch hour because it is relaxing and takes me out of the work mode for a short time, but picking up these stitches stresses me out!

I am a bad blogger. I haven't posted since I registered this blog. I look at other blogs in wonder and amazement thinking, "How in hell do they have time to write all that stuff, knit all those things and work enough to make the money to buy yarn and pay bills?" Apparently some are way more organized than others. Anyway, knitting, what am I working on now? So many things I am almost ashamed to say. I made a triangle shawl out of the most beautiful blood red mohair silk that I purchased in the French Quarter in New Orleans, but I didn't make it big enough.(I got tired of knitting across 260 stitches so I bound it off and called it finished.) Now I am back to picking up 260 stitches to make this bigger because at 260 it barely fits around my shoulders and looks slightly similiar to a bandana kercheif. I promised to donate it to a craft fair/auction/raffle at work for the benefit of the American Heart Association so I must finish it now.I am also trying slowly to finish a pair of cashmere/cotton yoga pants. However once finished they will never see the light of day because of a comment my friend Amy made when I told her I was making them. She said, "I have a new rule. No knits below the waist." At first I thought, "Screw that. I'm wearing my pants." Then common sense and the look I imagined on Amy's face kept looming in the back of my mind, so I have decided to finish them and wear them to bed. I cleaned out my yarn closet the other day and realized to my dismay that I have three or four other unfinished projects hanging around as well and since I some obsession with completion I have compelled myself to finish all of them before I begin anything new. So the order of completion is as follows:1. Red mohair/silk shawl2. Green cashmere/cotton pants3. Purple dragonflie sweater4. Cream lingerie set5. Red/White top (on second thought I think I will unravel this)I will post pictures later.

Yarn, Yarn Yarn

I cleaned my yarn closet this past weekend and boy have I overbought. I have enough yarn and knitting books to start my own store. However, after taking the time to organize every ball and skein I realized that I have some yarn that I would never ever use.

You know the yarn that people give you because they don't want it anymore or they found it when cleaning out their grandmothers attic? Then there is also the single balls of acrylic purchased at the random craft store. These were purchased when I was new to knitting and didn't know any better. It didn't take long for me to realize that the better the quality of the yarn the more beautiful the finished product.