Pattern Publishing Angst

So, over the past couple of months, I've knitted myself a top out of Malabrigo Organic Cotton.

It fits me better than anything I've ever knit

It has several unique design elements in it that I really, really like.

However, the thought of putting the pattern together for publishing is causing me so much heartache, I can barely stand it. I really soured on the whole designing thing after the More Big Girl Knits experience. Furthermore, hardly anyone knits my patterns and it's really discouraging. I mean what's the point of it all, when you really get right down to it? ;) I'm not really a part of the knitting community (or any community) and I really feel like writing up this pattern would just be a huge waste of time and effort.

So, I guess it's on hiatus for now. I'll keep wearing it to work and I can always write up the pattern later. For now though, it's staying off my rav page and off the blog, in case I get hit with a sudden case of inspiration and decide to submit it to knitty or something.

So tired of summer

I really miss living somewhere that had a 4-season climate. Autumn was always my favorite season. As it is, I really just want it to cool off enough so that I can work on wool sweaters again.

I finished up a wrap cardigan design. I am still on the fence about writing it up and submitting it to be published somewhere. It's way too much work to write up and size a sweater pattern and not at least try to get some publicity for it. I'm not well enough known or liked to really make the self-publishing thing work.

I also did most of a sock before deciding the heel flap needed to be longer. So I ripped it all out and have redone the toe. I wore it a little while it was nearly complete and I'm not sure I'll be able to wear it except in bed. It's in socks that rock lightweight, but it's still painfully rough on parts of my feet. I guess I'm kind of hoping that I'll get used to it.

I'm definitely going to make some socks for Steve. I lengthened a pair I had originally made for myself in a heavy worsted yarn last fall and gave them to him. I had to turn them so the smooth side was out for him, but I couldn't even walk in them that way. It's a real pain having sensitive feet.

I also started an Ernie Sweater for Steve, but had to rip it out because I made some poor assumptions about the shape of his body. It's restarted, but I got grumpy about it all.

Proof of My Tendancy to Knit

In the recent weeks I've been putting in long hours at work. I've stayed until 1am and worked on the weekends. It's not a big deal, it kind of goes with the job. However, I do get bored at times when I'm just waiting for a computer to do something. I have a tendency to knit, even when I forget my knitting needles and yarn I can usually find something. This time I took photos.











I've also started spinning. And finished a sweater that I hadn't even started last time I'd blogged.

Mystic Light

I started the mystic light shawl. I don't like the yarn nearly as much.

Malabrigo March is over. I now have too many hats. It's too hot to knit with worsted wool anymore, so I'm on to other things.

I have a sweater in More Big Girl Knits. It's out now. I don't have a copy yet because I can't quite bring myself to buy one when a free copy was part of the payment. You'd think the designers would have their copies by now, but I suppose lateness is just part of the publishing industry. I'm a little pissed off at that.

Malabrigo March and Finished Shawl

So, the malabrigo junkies had this great idea to have a malabrigo march. There are a bunch of KALs and contests going on. I love malabrigo, so I'm doing a few KALs plus a few things on my own.

I'm done with 2 hats already

Amanda Hat, which is available on ravelry as a free download. I love the colorway I used. It's called snowbird and looks like the bright colorful birds that pop out of the landscape when there's snow. My camera is on its last elbows, so the colors aren't quite right. It seems that the reds are over-saturated and the greens under-saturated these days. I think the CCD is going.


I usually kind of cross over the boundary of the round on patterns like that. I wasn't quite sure about this one to start with so I tried to follow the pattern exactly, even though it went against my instincts. You can see the result as follows:



It looks much nicer once I start doing what I tell myself is right.

Koolhaas, which you can buy from knitting daily's pattern store. Mine is done now, but I have not yet photographed the completeness. The colorway is burgundy.



Also, Aibhlinn, which I've always wanted to do.


I'm also trying to finish my Mr. Greenjeans in Mariposa and I'm working on Tam C from Three Tams in Natural and some color of silk garden. I don't have good pictures of these yet.

Here are a couple of pictures of my finished Mystic Waters Shawl.






Also, Spring is here!

Sick

I had a bad cold which is now bronchitis.

Not much is getting done.