Fresh foot forward

On the weekend I did some Clearing Up, not just of the house generally but also of my knitting-in-progress.  Yep, it was that out of control.  Never mind that I have two big sweater projects sitting in (admittedly decorative) bags by the sofa just waiting for me to pick them up again - let's not even talk about the one that's hibernating in the cupboard - I have a bunch of other things in play too, and a bunch of new things becoming urgent as Christmas gets closer.

Some of this job just involved putting needles back where they go, and yarn ends into a bag for some future inspiration.  But I also ripped out the Escapist shawl I had started in the cashmere blend yarn I cabled over the summer.  I wasn't very far along (see shawl link above and scrooooooll down) which made it easier, and besides: I have three triangle shawls on the Warm (for) Winter shelf already.  A rectangle or crescent might be nice, right?

Other things potential on the ripping-out list include the fingerless gloves I was making from the gorgeous silk hankies I bought from Helena.  I love the premise of this project - heck, I love the project, having knit a pair of handwarmers from the pattern already and boy I hope I find those soon because they were supposed to be a Christmas present - but I know for a fact I have been letting the fiber get too narrow for the gauge I need and I'm thinking

errrrrr

what about just spinning the hankies???

That at least is something I know how to do.  and then I can make handwarmers with the spun stuff if I want.  probably at the right gauge even.

Giving up the handwarmers (for now) would free up set of needles I vitally need for another project, too.  It's a bitter pill, which is why the cuffs are still on the needles, but I am nose to nose with reality and thinking I might just acknowledge it.  Not today, but soon.

Getting to a tidy project pile isn't all about ripping things off their needles.  Look!  I also made myself finish something:

Recognize the green socks I was agonizing about the cuff length of?

They are short, to be sure, and the gusset area is a bit more of a squeeze than I like, but I'm glad I didn't rip them back and reknit because they'll do.  In fact I ended up wearing them the rest of the day I took these pictures even though I hadn't blocked them yet and they were still a bit itchy, because they do so well.

Plus, the cuff does show over the top of my boots.  Not a lot, but enough.

Incidentally - you may recall that I knit these socks on some newfangled square needles.

Q: Now that I'm free of these socks and therefore free of the needles, would I knit more socks on them?

A: Probably not.  They are fabulously comfortable to use which is very much in their favour, but in spite of getting gauge when I first tested, over time the needles really did produce smaller stitches (not enough to fix the problem by going up a size either).  Also: just too sharp for portability.  Though ironically I just started a pair of socks for which these needles would have been perfect since they call for a ton of stitches and I can only knit them with a chart in front of me... but that's a story for another day.