Started a very simple cowl. Using some lovely colors of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport.

Was it on my list or in my queue? No.

but I've got 20 apps due between now and the end of November, so simple stockinette in the round is what called to me.

Unfortunately it's almost done. :D those colors aren't coming through perfectly--the middle blue is much teal-ier

maybe if I blog about knitting it will be like I actually have the time to knit

There's a knit along for this Vacillate shawl that ends by the end of the month.

I'm almost out of yarn, so I hope "running out of yarn" counts as finishing the sucker. It's *almost* as long as the pattern calls for. I'm halfway through the 6th repeat and the pattern calls for 8. I suspect I will be lucky to make it through 7.

I still find the colors an interesting combination. Glad to use them and get them moving in my stash but wondering all the time if I should have chosen something just slightly different.

Autumn has come at last to the area. The cats are going nuts chasing the leaves as they flutter past the window. And the job applications keep piling up and coming in and going out.

I can do this. Just gotta keep breathing.

late night thoughts

I want my goal for next year to be to start one project a month with 12 of my oldest yarns:

1. dyeabolical lace: laceweight shawl gift
2. bright purple handspun: ??
3. blue Koigu: fingerless mitts (Rye, maybe?)
4. opal starry night: cowl, flat/in the round
5. cashwool: estonian lace (in progress)
6: katia linen: ??
7: morgana casbah: shawl that justifies the colors?
8: DiC starry black and blue: astro-y colorwork of some sort
9: thistle claudia: colorwork socks?
10: grape claudia: textured shawl
11: dark purple handspun: ??
12: cedar casbah: shawl that justifies the colors?

not finish, just get on the needles/start considering. This use-oldest-stash yarn was a good idea a few years back so will be nice to try again.

I also want to knit 12 pairs of socks (but none of the above are socks. meep!): 6 for me, 6 for twin

and finish all my WIPs
and defend my dissertation
and learn to fly

edit: maybe it's better to think about starting 12 projects with yarns purchased before 2014 (some 38 yarns in this Old Stash). Then I don't have to knit all my casbah up in one year and I get to some of the sock yarns too.

4 of those 38 are Deep Stash/Core Stash--my "generic" entries for leftovers and my stockpile of epic-shawl laceweight
3 of those 38 are wollmeise, not feeling the urge to use that up any time soon
with some luck, 4 of those 38 will be gone/used up by the end of this year, so not for consideration.
That leaves 27 yarns to pick through. Plenty of options.

aside from the 12 above there's also:
13: supersoft handspun/bulky weight: ??
14: mal purple sock: recreate Wine in Summer shawl (in progress)
15: 3 irish girls sock: shawl?
16: Cushendale gift yarn from Ireland: ?? pillow? monster?
17: 2 skeins of twilight: shawl? pamuya:
18: corsair handspun: ??
19: purple and gray sock yarn: socks for twin
20: 3 ply blue dk yarn handspun: ??
21, 22, 23: 3 skeins of Rowan Felted Tweed for witchy mitts (in progress)
24, 25, 26: KP felici: socks for me
27: lakeshore handspun: ?? hat?

I could do this for my whole stash, but I won't.
FYI: 46 yarn entries in 2014; 44 in 2015 so far (19 of them swaps and 7 of them handspun, so more like 18 things in)

not counting things that came in and also went out (thru being finished, or thru re-swapping)

I really should get some sleep

handspun: 20 before 2014; 7 in 2014 (only 3 finished; 4 still on the spindle!); and 9 in 2015 so far. Bigger/better spins, though, this year, with the addition of the wheel.

pardon me

pardon me while I run around screaming and flailing.

job application stuff has taken over my life.