ok, that’s enough break now . . .

Posted on Posted in designing, projects

when i work out i use exercise videos. i love that someone else has organized a weight-lifting or yoga routine so i don’t have to. sure, some of them are corny, but the good ones help me stay focused—my mind tends to wander on its own.
i have one weightlifting DVD that’s pretty tough, but still has a perky instructor. it just cracks me up if she tells me to take a break (a rare but necessary indulgence)—i know that in about 15 seconds she’s going to take it right back: ok, that’s enough break now, she pipes up, we don’t want to cool off too much. heavens, no, not us.

every time i start to think that more time off would be great, i think of her. after all, more time off just means that more stuff piles up on my to-do list.
so i tell myself, that’s enough break, now.
and if i say it just right, it makes me smile.

we had a lovely, lovely holiday—time off to do whatever we felt like doing is a huge treat to us.
i spent christmas day knitting and finished up the sweater i started earlier this week

it’s a reconstruction of a sweater i knit myself a few years back (in pumpkin) that i love and wear often. i’ve had this henry’s attic mohair to make another one for some time and decided a few weeks back that i should do it over christmas, since it’s a super-quick and simple knit.

(my dress form is a little better-endowed in the shoulders and bosom than i, so it looks curvier on it than on me)

i knit the sleeves to the underarm on christmas eve and then cast on and worked the body christmas day. i had to rip back a few inches near the top because my first pass at the shaping wasn’t exactly to my liking (i was working from memories of the first version), but the second try was the charm.

i finished off the neck while we watched TV christmas night—i really wanted this to be done as fast as possible; it’s no use treating oneself to personal knitting if it puts everything behind by dragging out into the work week. plus, it leaves me wanting to make yet another, maybe in a bigger size for a more casual fit.
and yay, having a new sweater in no time to add to my wardrobe?? priceless.

i love, love, love the voluptuous cable and its lazy, slinky, drunken path up the front of the sweater, where it piles up in drifts around the funnel neck. easy-peasy, and i don’t know if it would work in a heavier yarn, but it sure works well in featherweight mohair. plus, it provides a little extra wind protection for wearing with an open coat or jacket. the sweater weighs next to nothing, but it’s warm. yum.

(i’m aiming at making a pattern for it, but as you know, i’m a little, er, behind on my sweater patterns. i am serious about getting on top of that situation—i appreciate everyone being so patient about it.)

the other thing i did over christmas was to work on the messy state of my workroom. i spent a couple of hours in there christmas night and accomplished some clearing up

all the yarns that were piled up in the middle of the floor have been boxed up and organized sensibly so that i can get at them just as easily, but still use my workroom, too

clear plastic containers of a manageable size are a lifesaver.

now that i’ve reclaimed the main floorspace, i can bring a spinning wheel up there for cozy evenings of spinning (and wow, the light up here is just so much better, along with the heat). i think i’ll bring my merlin tree wheel up for spinning some of those small batches of precious fibers acquired at shows into laceweight yarn.

but not until i finish the job

i still have this desk mess to clear up; these are all the swatches i’ve knit for design projects over the last year and they need to be “archived” (which, at this point, is a matter of shoving them in a box—there’ll be time to catalog them when i’m old).

and then there is the table. this is harder because i have no bookshelf space at the moment for those books. it’s coming, but it’ll be awhile—it’s sort-of dependent on the renovation of the room next door (more on that another day).

but i can certainly sort and shelve the magazines—i have magazine files waiting just for them, and room in the bookcase devoted to that; it’s just a matter of me putting in a couple more hours on that stuff.
then a good dusting and vacuuming and i’m done.

then i can bring the wheel up and play. it’s a deal.

yesterday i worked on swatching for a secret project that i need to write a pattern for; i’m casting on today, as soon as i’m done here. then, it’s off to the test knitting goddesses to work on for a few weeks. meanwhile, i still have small projects to work on, too—it’s going to be a busy month.

so i’m trying like crazy to finish up these socks for my brother

to send out at the end of the week for his birthday. i think if i take them everywhere with me for the next few days, they’ll get done.
then i can go back to the poppy socks i got on the needles way before christmas and put aside to get ready for the holidays . . . i’m pretty excited about those and anxious to get back to them.

the second lacunae sock is nearing completion as well

and anne marie showed me hers today (beautiful in mountain colors bearfoot).

it sounds like a tornado of activity, but it has felt surprisingly calm here this week, which contributes to getting a lot done, i guess.
i was glad to wake up today and realize it was sunday . . .

because sunday, of course, is for spinning (linda, we missed you; sorry you don’t feel well). i started my second bobbin of briar rose BFL (and the second one-third of the total amount of fiber), having finally finished the first third

like i said, it’s going to take a while to gt through all of it but i am not pressuring myself to rush it—pressure is free and plentiful from elsewhere . . .

35 thoughts on “ok, that’s enough break now . . .

  1. I love the sweater, it is great and I am certain it looks even better on you than the dress form. You made me laugh with the work out video. I am with you though, someone else can work it out. Congratulations on cleaning up, that is always the last job on everyone’s list and of course, I love the spinning. As I always say, it is thanks to your assistance that I am still spinning so I am pleased to see you getting some spinning done.

  2. Wow…a sweater in no time at all! The sense of accomplishment from cleaning is wonderful…I managed to clean out my office at work the day after Xmas when it was nice and quiet.

    So does the leader of the weightlifting video happen to be Cathe Friedrich? Sounds like one of the videos I have.

  3. Anne, your woring room is clean and looks well, woudn´t you like to come to me to do this job in my working room too….

  4. What a luscious sweater! It will be the best pick-me-up during the cold, dreary days ahead. You’ll cheer up everyone. I envy you your workroom. It’s looking great. I, too, have been tidying and organizing and planning for the new year. I look forward to seeing more of what you’re up to. Happy Holidays and very best wishes for the new year.

  5. Love the sweater(and what a lovely color to knit with on the grey days of winter!) and will patiently await the pattern! Will David’s jacket be available as a pattern, too? It is VERY handsome.

  6. I’m glad that you had a nice holiday with your
    family. Your sweater is beautiful. You people
    who blog and knit must not sleep. I don’t know
    how you knit so fast. Even when I was 100%, I
    couldn’t knit that fast. Are you ever going
    to publish a pattern for the blue socks you are
    knitting or is it already published and I missed it?
    Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

  7. Not only is it Sunday, but we still have three days of 2008 in which to finish projects and to dream/plan for 2009! And then another long weekend! My mind always us cleared out over this two week period, too. It always amazes me when it happens!

  8. The sweater is beautiful. I hope you’ll post some photos of you wearing it~ it is always nice to see finished pieces in action. I love your idea of “manageable size containers” Now, why didn’t I think of that?! I am going to go out and stock up on some. I have the enormous ones now and it is such a royal pain to dig in and look for things.

  9. sweater = *drool*

    luscious!

    i’m moving into a new studio in the next couple of weeks and i have no idea how to even begin packing it up. i’m hoping i’ll get more organized as i pack!

  10. Wow, it’s amazing how much beautiful knitting you’ve gotten done during the holidays! And I really hope you publish both sweater patterns, yours and David’s. They are both absolutely gorgeous – hope we’ll see you modeling yours!

    I think a lot of us have some organizing planned now that the holidays are almost over – it’s good to see you’ve gotten a head start on yours.

  11. I love that you categorize any sweater as a quick and simple knit! It’s beautiful…can’t wait to see it on you!

  12. The sweater will look georgeous on you ! It’s such a joy to look at in these grey days 🙂
    What a great feeling it is to walk into a tidy room isn’t it? You sure spend your days off well !

  13. I love the sweater – such a beautifully cheerful color when it’s chronically gray outside. Sounds like a lovely way to spend the holiday.

  14. Ooooh, what a yummy sweater! I did a double-take because I have one in orange (purchased) with a cable just like that. I’ve often thought it would be fun to knit, if I had a pattern… hint hint

  15. Hey, you can see the floor! I haven’t seen the floor in my library/workspace in months. I really should get on that…

    I love your sweater, it looks so cozy!

  16. Anne- So, ah, when you’re done, I’ll fly you up here and you can help me sort this house out. Deal?

    Love the mohair- such a happy color.

  17. What a lovely sweater…such a dusty color.

    What pattern are you using for the Brother socks?…I looked back over the posts and missed that mention.

    And thanks for the organization inspiration…I must get that going.

  18. very pretty sweater! it looks so soft and fluffy.

    it looks like you’ve made good progress on your workroom, too. trying to make the rest of us feel bad? 😉

    have a good new year!

  19. Your sweater is truly lovely. David’s jacket is amazing and gorgeous! Your workspace is beautiful… I’d love to see more of it. The gloves you received are stunning and what a treat that she included the itinerary. Your many socks are looking good. And your skies are very grey.
    There I think I’ve caught up now!

  20. Your sweater is splendiferous! You must let us see you in it though. I’ll bet the color on you is drop-dead-gorgeous. By the way, David looked mighty, mighty handsome in his sweater. How could he not in such a glorious yarn and pattern, though I’m sure you’d agree he’s needs not much to look his greatest! Please _do_ model your sweater for us …

  21. That sweater is luscious! Do we get to see some modelling shots? 😉 Your workroom look so much more organized — I bet it feels good to see some of it more contained (I know that always makes me feel better!). Enjoy the peace and warmth 🙂

  22. I love the sweater-especially the high cabled neck-and the pink color is so yummy! Unfortunately, I react badly to mohair, so I have to admire it in pictures only. Your workroom project is inspiring me to tackle my office space. It’s such a mess that it’s hard to get anything done anymore. Neat, organized spaces are so inspiring–too bad they don’t stay that way on their own!

  23. So, Ann, how is the sweater pattern coming :)!!!! Having been knitting shawls only for the past 2 years, I have decided to dedicate this year (or at least some of it) to sweaters….I would love to knit this one!!!!

    I should probably try socks, too, but I am truly afraid of what that would do to my already-too-large stash!

  24. Your sweater is gorgeous! But great googgly moogly you knit a lot! You must knit pretty fast as well as spend time at it to get done that quickly. And knitting a sweater from memory?!?!? Wow.

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