50 socks in 50 weeks

I've been in a knitting rut for a while.  I've been making lots of shawls and while they have turned out well and are very pretty, I'm just feeling kind of "meh" about them.  I don't hate them.  I don't love them.  They just are.

My attention span is also less than that of a gnat these days.  I need to feel some sense of accomplishment.  Quickly.  I have literally hundreds of sock patterns I want to knit and over 100 skeins of sock yarn (I know, just... I know).  So why not do something crazy like casting on a new sock every week?  Originally I was going to try to do 50 pairs in 50 weeks - but I don't think that is very realistic.  I  am capable of knitting a pair of socks in a week, I just don't know if I could keep up that pace for an entire year.  Plus, I know I will be wanting to knit other things as well in this time frame - so one sock a week, that I think I can do.

Second sock syndrome?  So what?  Start another pair and eventually get back to the second sock after mixing things up a bit.  Also, life is too short to knit stuff you don't like - so if it's not working, move on to something different.  We shall see how this goes.  Wish me luck.

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday!  I have a feeling it's going to be a good year.  My horoscope says so, so I believe it! :-)

I had a great weekend.  I took the train to Ann Arbor to visit a friend and go to a Michigan football game.  Seven hours on the train - lots of great knitting time.  I finished a sock and got a lot of work done on my Earth and Sky Shawl.  (need to take pictures, what else is new?)  I've been knitting a lot of shawls and scarf-like objects lately, but I'm getting ready to swatch Sabbatical by Connie Chang Chinio.  I started the swatch this weekend, but lace worked on both sides and a bumpy train ride are not a good combination.  Had to rip after a few rows and save it for quiet time - that means Knit Night tonight is probably not good swatching opportunity!  Knit Night on my birthday - how awesome is that?

I will leave you with an adorable video of "Cast On, Baby" by a group at a LYS in New Jersey.   The diversity of the shop's clientele is amazing - people of all ages and races enjoying the fiber arts.  They look like a great group - I'd love to hang out with them!   I wish we had a LYS like that here...

In search of my mojo

It's been a while,  nine months or so.  I have great respect for those bloggers who post regularly and keep it up for YEARS.  My blogging has been just the same as my journal writing - I get inspired and write regularly for a time and then it falls off.

I also haven't written because I haven't been all that inspired by my knitting.  Don't get me wrong, I've knit plenty and have enjoyed it - I just feel like I've lost my mojo.  I think there are a few things that have contributed to it.  First, the debacle last summer with the ill fitting sweater.  Since then, I've been gun-shy and have mainly knit socks and accessories - things that if my gauge is off, it doesn't really matter.

Second, I've been broke.  The changes to our pension and insurance plans went into effect in January and I am really missing that $500 each month.  That means MUCH less discretionary money with which to buy yarn - and that means knitting from the stash.  Now don't get me wrong, knitting from the stash isn't bad - I've got a pretty good stash, especially with everything I picked up at Sock Summit last year.  However, most of my stash isn't sweater quantities - ergo, lots of hats, socks, and mittens.  Also, finding sweater patterns post hoc is hard.  Trying to find a pattern that a) I like, b) comes in my size, and c) I have enough yardage for is close to impossible.

Third, it's summer.  Knitting a size 3x wool sweater in 90 degree heat is not my idea of fun, even in air conditioning.  I realized that I have a lot of summer knits.  I have more time for knitting in the summer, so I tend to take on summer projects which also knit up pretty quickly.  The problem with waiting for cooler weather to start a fall/winter project is it's hard for me to finish a project in the season it is meant to be worn.  Usually finishing a lovely sweater means that we will have an unexpected heat wave.

Fourth, the past 7 months have been pretty stressful.  Lots of things - some personal, some work related.  What that adds up to is I tend to knit like an idiot.  I can't count.  I lose track of where I am in a pattern.  I make stupid mistakes.  I've had to rip and re-knit about half of what I've done.  It's not confidence building.

As a result of all of that, I've been in search of my mojo.  I haven't quite found it, but I think I'm coming close and I think blogging might just help me find it.  What do you do when you lose your mojo?