Public Shaming - WIP Edition

I've been a little lacking in the blogging department as of late (well, as of the past 2-3 years, I think).  I've also been a little lacking in the finishing of projects department as well, and yesterday decided to take pictures of all of my current knitting WIPs to put out there for public shaming.  Notice I said "knitting WIPs" and did not include sewing or spinning.  There's good reason for that.  There's public shaming and then there is public flogging.

I guess I'll try to put these up in the order of which I first cast them on, to the extent I can remember.  Yes, sadly, I don't remember how long some have been on my needles.

First up -- Vilai!



Date cast on:  January 12, 2013 (third time started; the original cast on date was January 1, 2013).



Shame Level:  Low to Medium.  It was part of a "No-Pressure Knit-a-Long" done within the Ravelry Rubberneckers group.  The object was to cast on something for oneself with no deadline.

Also, it's a Cookie A pattern and therefore has a chart that I need to pay close attention to (which is why I ended up casting on three times).

I have no idea when I last worked on this project.

Second up -- Color Affliction!

Yeah, I said Affliction instead of Affection.  Why?  Because I already made one in sock yarn weight and decided I wanted one in lace weight.  I almost went with the Filatura Di Crosa Superior (at $30 a pop!) but went for the much cheaper ($8) Filatura Di Crosa Nirvana.



Date cast on:  Sometime in March, I think.  I purchased the yarn at the LSG Anniversary Meetup at WEBS sometime in February.



Shame Level:  Low.  It's for me, so I have no deadline.  It's not just in lace weight, it's in cobweb lace weight, so it's not exactly fast going (although it's not so bad since it's a very simple pattern).  People thought I was nuts for even attempting this, so I think they'd be afraid to shame me on this.  Really.  Back slowly away.

Third - FLOP Blanket Fail.

So, several of us in my knitting group (which I need to be shamed into going to again) got together and made the POP Blanket for our friend Jess' baby and it came out freakin' AMAZING.  We used the called-for yarns, Noro Kureyon and Cascade Ecological Wool, and got together to seam it one afternoon.

One of the attorneys I work with was having a baby this year, and I decided to make one, using Cascade 220 Superwash and some off-white acrylic-wool blend.



Date Cast On:  I think sometime in May, or late April.  I know that I was knitting some of the squares on our way to Pennsylvania in mid-May.



Shame Level:  Through the Roof.  The baby was born June 16.  Technically, I think the blanket was finished right around then, if "finished" is what you can call it.

It's...puckered.  I think that I seamed the squares together too tightly.  I don't know if aggressive blocking will work, but I plan on trying that first.  The off-white may have too much acrylic content to block, and what happens when the recipient washes it?  Will it go right back to this puckered shape?  I don't know.  I couldn't give it to her like that, so it has been sitting in a drawer, mocking me.  It may end up covering a pillow, or as a cat blanket.

I purchased a cute outfit and made Saartje's Booties for her instead:



Those booties took under a week to knit, on the train, and then about 2 weeks to get around to sewing the buttons on and then another 2 weeks to actually mail out.  *Hangs head in shame.*

Fourth - Danilo's Hooded Pullover



Date cast on:  Sometime in August.



Shame Level:  Non-existent now, because yesterday afternoon I undid the bind-off along the hood and did a proper three-needle bind-off, wove in the ends, and now I only have to block it again and it's DONE.

This is a Christmas present for my grand-nephew, who was born in January.

Fifth - Baby Hugs and Kisses Bolero.



Date Cast On:  September, I think.  It's been cast on and frogged again a few times, and will be again.

Shame Level: Medium.  It's an adorable sweater, and I really want to make it for my granddaughter Lilah, but I'm having trouble following the pattern as written.  It has many instances where you have to do something at the same time as doing something else, and lots of back and forth between body instructions and chart instructions.   I'm in the process of re-arranging the instructions so everything is in the order it's supposed to happen, since my brain seems to be unable to follow them otherwise.

I could, of course, simply Knit Something Else.

Sixth - Spiral Eyelet Socks.



Date Cast On:  October 2013.



Shame Level:  Low.  I cast on because I needed something simple to knit on the train (everything else I have is too fidgety).  They also are a bit too big for me, so I may end up giving them to someone else with a size 8-8.5 foot and thicker ankles than I have.  They are a really fast, easy knit.

The last time I needed a simple pattern to knit, I ended up with these:



They were my Vacation Knitting.  I like to have something with me -- usually socks -- to knit during my vacation week, on my downtime.  Those socks and I, we had some good times.  We got caught in a downpour in a state park in Connecticut (that yarn cake took over a week to dry out, and the pattern is all crinkled from getting wet).  We survived the intense heat of the July 4th week.  I even ate ice cream that matched the colors to the socks (I think it's supposed to be Cotton Candy flavored ice cream -- ridiculously sweet).

Apparently, the only other project I have finished in 2013 were my Spidey Mitts:





Wow.  I kinda feel like I suck as a knitter right now.  I've been spending so much time out in the woods with the reptiles and amphibians, I guess.  Well, those bastards will be hibernating soon, and then I'll have more knitting time.

Go on, shame me.  Flame me.