What is up with my brain

It is with great triumph that I announce that the entrelac socks...ARE FINISHED.

Here they are on the feet of the delighted recipient, who wore them at the first possible opportunity (always an excellent sign):

These were incredibly fiddly socks. They took a really long time, the interminable squares were tedious to knit, and, new discovery: entrelac is a serious yarn hog, because with the exception of a few yards, these socks took up all of both 50g balls of yarn. By contrast, plain stockinette socks for DD1 generally take up less than 60g of superwash sock weight all told. (I guess DD3 ain't getting wee socks from the leftovers this time!)

So, what did I immediately turn right around and start?

An entrelac design project.

Yes, seriously.

(Le sigh.)

Changing course mid-stream

So my cousin has a new baby on the way, for which I want to design a blanket; I still haven't finished the dragon woobie for my co-worker's imminent arrival; I've got a lacy sweater in progress for DD1 that she'll grow out of if I don't finish it soon; and DD2 asked for slippers a while ago.

Naturally, this means that inspiration hits me for new designs and completely different projects, so that I end up working on absolutely nothing I'm supposed to.

The worst of these was the design inspiration for socks that I mentioned in my last post. There's a new web series which will be starting in the next month or two that I'm very excited for, and I was inspired by some of the promo shots that have been coming out for it. Unfortunately, the execution ended up being more tricky than I originally thought, and I probably knitted about ten socks' worth of stitches before ending up with an actual pair of sample socks to photograph for the pattern write-up. But I got there in the end, and the pattern is all ready to go! I'll release it once the first real episode of the web series drops.

In another procrastination move, I got all the knitting (but not any finishing) done on my mom's Christmas present.

The pattern is "Song of the Sea", by Louise Zass-Bangham, and I used almost the entire skein of amethyst Diadem that I picked up in December for a song at a ridiculous Knit Picks sale. It's 50% alpaca and 50% silk and I luuurved knitting with it. I've got a turquoise skein, too, and will be doing the same cowl (although appropriately smaller) for DD1. The third and final skein which I picked up at the sale is a glorious mix of reds, and in March I cast it on for gloves for myself - the "Kingdom" pattern from Knitty by Becky Herrick, which has been in my queue for a very long time.

More knitting from the queue happened when I cast on for the "Shalom" cardigan by Meghan McFarlane. I'm using some bulky grey yarn from the stash and unfortunately, although I love how it's turning out, there is no way I'm going to have enough yardage to finish. I've put it aside for the moment while I debate whether I want just a bolero sort of garment, or whether I should just frog the darn thing and try to find a different destiny for the yarn.

The thing about knitting procrastination, I've found, is that you can pretty much always find a good excuse to cast on for something else. For instance, who can say that getting a headstart on Christmas knitting is a bad choice? Flush with success at having almost finished my mom's gift, I turned around and cast on "Seanair" from Knitty by Judith Brodnicki for my brother:

That may not look like a whole lot of procrastination, but trust me - it's waaay bigger now. Like, almost-at-the-armholes way bigger.

Then Michaels had a good sale on some Patons Kroy sock yarn in a rainbow colourway, and suddenly I was knitting entrelac "Basketcase" socks by Kate H for DD1:

I started the second sock this morning.

So what can I say in my own defence? Well...at least I started knitting the purple slippers that DD2 wanted. Haven't gotten around to taking a picture, though...