this is NOT the (knitting) olympics, where, for some odd and magical reason, i seemed to have tons more time to work on my project, which simply flowed off the needles, and was finished so quickly that i felt i had cheated myself out of all the excitement.
even though i had the same blog, same job, and an even more rigorous class schedule, AND that project was larger, i somehow did much more, or faster, knitting. i didn’t read as many blogs then, but i’m behind on that too! the knitting is definitely going slower.
i think i might be working more hours at my job, and certainly things are more crazy in that area. oh yeah, and we are cycling now, so that’s a couple of hours a day whenever the sun shines it’s not pouring.

anyway, what it boils down to is that it WILL be a race to the finish for the knitting world cup! i have worked on the shawl almost every day since june 9th, but a lot of nights, i only did a few rows. the shawl has progressed and has gotten quite large

see? it’s not like i will fail for certain. if only. i mean. if i were back on the 7th inch, i wouldn’t even attempt to finish with the work schedule i have now! but this . . . this is taunting me! on the one hand, i do NOT need another stressor in my life! and on the other hand, victory is so close i can taste it. (and can i digress a moment to say how soft and luscious this shawl is? i am SO sure there is not another yarn that holds a candle to this stuff . . . no, not even that stuff

i have one more repeat of the twin-leaf motif (8 rows), then i think it’s around 20 rows of the corona pattern, and then the bind-off to end it. AND i need to wash it (yes, it does need it, you’ve seen where it’s been), and block it. so let’s make that an even 30 rows over the next 4 days (each row is now somewhere around 425 sts, and growing).
i also have a work project that is on a very pressing production schedule (meaning i will be working late and intensely all week!)
i have coffee, chocolate, and books on tape. i have le tour to bolster my sense of competition and inspire my determination to keep going. but do i have moral support? the confidence to say “i can!”, the will to survive? can i really pull it off?
i’m scaring myself!
the deadline is five days hence. i will keep you posted!

meanwhile, on saturday, i received from monica (Two Left Needles) an incredible package of goodies as a prize in her little birthday blog contest. just LOOK at all the beautiful stuff she sent

silk roving dyed by Interlacements! I have never spun silk by itself, so I am really anxious to try it. in fact, seeing the roving inspired a yarn design that I will talk about a little later this week.
there is also some buffalo fiber, which not only have I been curious about, but which david has been asking me about! (he keeps surprising me lately with impressive fiber-related queries; I think this time he was reading wildfibers and got bit by the buffalo bug) anyway, this will be a real treat to experiment with as well.
and then, as if that wasn’t enough, she added this glam little zippered purse. how did she know about my fetish for change purses? i love them! i use them all the time to keep small things organized inside bigger bags. thank you monica!

and BTW, if you haven’t visited two left needles, go now! monica has a wonderful site full of spinning, dyeing, and knitting goodness.

i’ve been on a sort of a roll with finishing socks, and today i put these away on the sock shelf

which means that i am was down to just one pair of socks on the needles. technically there are TWO, but i am waffling about whether to keep going with these

they just don’t feel right, but david likes them, and so does everyone else that feels them. why don’t i?
i dunno! so, instead of just ripping them out, i am going to put them in the drawer for a while and see if i change my mind later.

which means i gave myself the green light to cast on three more new pair. (i know what you’re thinking! you’re thinking “no wonder that shawl isn’t already done!” well . . . you’re right, i tend to distract myself. i admit it. the thing is, the sox are mindless knitting that i can DO when i am half-dead at night; the shawl is NOT. now, can i continue? please?)

well, technically, i cast on two pair (and i really did just cast on and get started, nothing more!), and wound the yarn for a third pair. this J. Knits sock yarn was a gift from debbie,

and i am going to make a lacy pair of socks for my mom with it, to put those away for christmas or for the fall. and of course, i had to get some lorna’s laces in my hands, now that we finally have some in town (it was bad, folks, when we were out of lorna’s . . . debbie was about to chew furniture, i’m telling you). so i cast on on for another pair for david

in this camoflauge colorway. now, since i called the last pair camoSox, i can’t use that name, so i will call these ammoSox. i also needed a new desk accessory, and since the trekking sox always are an inspiration for a workaday sock, i cast on some in this brown colorway

which i am inspired to imbue with something poetic, such as “brownTreXX”. what?—you don’t find that snazzy?
when our new friend leah saw that i had “computer socks” to work on whenever i have a few minutes, she emailed me to say that she has “red light” socks, which she keeps in the car, and picks up to works on at red lights. she says she can knit a cuff in a week of red lights. she adds that she “does not turn heels at read lights though . . .”

when i read that, i thought: what about you? (meaning , YOU)—tell us if you have socks for specific times or places to knit! i think this will make a really fun post! leave comments or email me your sock knitting habit. send pix or links along too; use the email button in the sidebar and replace the AT and DOT in my address. hmm, this might turn into a contest . . . come back to look for updates!