Repurposed

A couple of weekends ago it rained, which this sun averse girl loved, but it meant we didn't spend the days walking around the city, as is our weekend habit. I had been thinking about a couple of sweaters that I had intended to adjust or reknit and decided to pull them out. I ended up discovering five sweaters and a bunch of yarn that I had never entered into my Ravelry database. So I spent the better part of a Sunday taking photos and entering specs into Ravelry. The best part of that project, however, was unraveling three of those sweaters. One sweater is still slated for alterations, since it's just tightening the (short) sleeves. The other sweater was knit in Rowan Felted Tweed, and I had terrible allergic reactions when winding it up. I think it had been sitting in a bin for too long and was full of dust and dander. I'm also allergic to wool, so having all that flying about in the air wasn't so good for my lungs and eyes.

Ready for reclamation (except the brown sweater--that was banished)

In the end, I unraveled three full sweaters, three partial sweaters, a sock, a pair of fingerless gloves, and a toy. I gained more than 5,000 yards from ripping out all those unfinished projects. I also added 1,500 yards or so from balls of yarn I found in the same box. Most of that yarn was leftover from projects I'd made before Ravelry, but not all of it. I found some lovely Blue Sky Alpacas Melange that will probably be used very soon. I also discovered a giant (approximately 2,496 yards) cone of weaving cotton that I bought way before I knew anything about yarn. We won't talk about that. All in all, it was quite the cathartic way to spend a couple of rainy days. You didn't think I could unravel all that in one sitting did you? There was so much picking! Undoing seams is a pain. The actual unraveling though? Pleasant and even a little exciting. It was like getting new yarn!

A portion of the reclaimed yarn. All that gray is from one sweater.

Here's some unraveling to mesmerize you. Just don't notice the stain on the carpet!

Fun House Mirror of Life

I am typically a one-project-at-a-time kind of knitter (and reader--I have a theory about knitting and reading, for another time), but I currently have three WIPs. How did this happen? I blame it on blocking.

I made a five-pointed star stuffed toy out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton. I would have sewn up the two halves immediately, but the bumpy texture of the cotton made it hard to see the bars between stitches. So I blocked it.

In the meanwhile I started a Zig with some Berroco Boboli Lace that Brian's mom gave me for Christmas. The instructions said to block the brim. So I blocked it.

So I started a Cuppa Tea Cowl with some leftover Wool Dispensary yarn (I miss your yarn, Sam!). Of course now I just want to work on that. Forget seaming or picking up stitches: I've got cables and lace to knit.

In reference to my last post, this multiple-project phenomenon seems to be mirroring my working life. I've been doing contract work through TaskRabbit and had a short task last night; I've been doing some contract admin for a friend's cousin's company; and I have a 4-hour temp job on Friday. Just like the knitting, I'm enjoying all these projects and can't wait for more. Maybe once I get a full-time job I'll feel like knitting a sweater.