Process versus product

I been thinking lately about whether process knitting verus product knitting. I think it's fair to claim that I am largely a product knitter - 11 pairs of socks and 11 sweaters as a yearly goal seems to indicate someone who is concerned with the endpoint more then the process. And some of the evidence holds up that conclusion; for example:

 

Aquaphobia socks and my current book in progress. Luv. Him. To. Death. The socks are pretty good too.

It's barely halfway through the month, and I've got 1.65 socks there. Not too shabby.

But on the other hand, it's T = -4 days to my theoretical River Run deadline, and I've got this:

The ribbing and almost 2 full pattern repeats of the body chart. That's it. There is no way this sweater is going to be done by the end of the month, much less by the deadline. And I'm ok with that. After deciding that I would enjoy this project rather then rushing through it, I'm finding that I actually am really enjoying it. The way the colors are coming together is working much better then I anticipated, and I really like the semi-arrowhead pattern. I find it very difficult sometimes to translate Fair Isle charts into actual knitting in my mind's eye, and it's always a relief to see what the chart looks like knitted up.

So I guess I'm enjoying my foray into process knitting. It's funny - I'm definitely a process spinner, as evidenced by the whopping pile of handspun sitting up in my guest room, but not so much with the knitting. It's nice to be able to sit down and knit a few rows each night (or each night that I don't fall asleep at 8:30, like last night) and see how the pattern is developing, how the colors blend in to each other, and not feel like I have to keep going when I get tired. Which is good, because with the new addition to the family, I've been getting waaaay less then my usual allotment of sleep. Good things he's so cute...

I guess the only two questions now are: when will it get done, and will my Dad like it? I might need to ask him that now before I get too much farther on, I think. If he doesn't like it, he can have something else and this can be IM's 40th birthday present - he's already made approving noises!

11 in 2011 update

I've checked a few things off my list of goals for the year, so I thought I'd give you the progress.

1. Eleven pairs of socks - two months, two pairs of socks from my stash. On track. Yippee!
2. Eleven sweaters, including:
* 3. Pas de Valse
* 4. Handspun Vine Yoke Cardigan
* 5. Rollneck sweater for Devil - done!
* 6. The River Run Pullover, for which I will also spin the yarn - yarn spun, dyed and sweater started.
7. Spin more during the 2011 Tour de Fleece then I did in 2010 (39.4 oz)
8. Get my first full fleece (figuring out what to do with it is 2012's project)
9. Design a shawl
10. Submit a design to Knitty - well, I submitted a design for a kid's top to Knitty for their spring/summer issue, and was very kindly directed elsewhere. So I've done that one, but I probably should have left the target publication a bit more open. In any event, I've also submitted a design to Knitcircus for their fall issue. And I've got another one in the works for a winter coat thing.
11. Design a spinning/knitting project for Ennea Collective.

Strangely enough, there is very little spinning ongoing at the moment - small puppy plus things that spin/dangle string equals frustration all around. So goals 7, 8 and 11 are on hold for a bit. I'm hoping that he figures out that he can't actually chase everything that catches his eye before July though!

March socks

Yesterday, I managed to remove myself from the scrum that is currently my life for 20 minutes so I could pick out March's SISC.

Last night after getting home from Spin Night, I wound the yarn.

Today, I plan to actually cast on while Boo is at her swimming lesson. Watch me go folks!*

* Please note sarcasm/wry self-deprecation at my less-then-rapid progress. I am not convinced that these socks are actually going to make it to the finish line this month, but so be it.

FO: February's socks

Pattern: Paul Attwell by Emily Johnson
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare, dyed by me
Needles: started with US 1.5/2.5 mm, but sock was waaaaay big, so the final version was knit with US 1/2.25 mm double points. I knit the 72 stitch version, to fit a men's US size 9 foot.
Start/finish: 1 February - 24 February 2011
Gauge: 9.5 stitches/inch in stockinette, 13 stitches/1.5 inches in pattern stitch.
Comments/mods: A total and shameless mimic of the Yarn Harlot, this pattern is fantastic. The stitch pattern is a 4 row repeat, with every other row being plain (i.e. straight stockinette or seed stitch). The pattern is really well done - great pictures, clear instructions (although no charts, but they aren't necessary). Since splitting the sock up by repeats worked so well for me last week, I did the same with this - with a four row repeat, it didn't lend itself quite as well to that technique, but I settled on five repeats a day. They languished a bit with the dyeing/starting of next month's sweater, but I got a lot done on the bus to and from Geneva over the half term.

I'm really pleased with how the dyeing came out. These are a birthday present for Ironman, and he liked the color of the yarn in the original pattern, so I tried to replicate that. I added a tiny bit of burnt orange to golden yellow, with a small bit of black to tone it down. Some of the orange ended up on the yarn in small flecks, which add a nice varigation (IMHO). I did my best to tie the skein loosely enough that there weren't any white areas, but there are still some spots that are quite light. But no matter - I like how it ended up in the knitted fabric. And look, they sort of match the Small Ridiculous Dog.

So now I have a breather of a few days to get in some work on Dad's sweater before March hits in full force, with Sock #3. Two months of 2011 down, two pairs of socks produced (plus one not in the club). Still on track, but next month brings the start of Sock Madness, in which I am once again participating (in a fashion). I'm hoping to be able to stay on track through that (I've got another pattern in the competition), but it may get a bit nutty in short order. We'll see, I guess.

The knitting I did on my Spring Vacation

I did this:

First sock is not finished because I lost the directions somewhere and wasn't sure what to do with the toe. So I put it on an extra needle and started #2

And worked on this, for the few moments I could keep my eyes open in the evening:

It's coming along, but oh so slowly! I'm pleased with the way the colors are working out though. So it's all good. Of course, knitting time is about to come to a dramatic halt (with the arrival of the wee dog) or take a large upswing (arrival of the wee dog = "working" from home for a while). We'll see...