When it comes to knitting, some of us occasionally get stuck on a particular track that we can’t seem to get off of. This is evidenced by the Yarn Harlot not knitting one, not two, but three Dream in Color baby sweaters. It’s also evidenced by the fact that yours truly cannot stop knitting Aurelia socks. Nevermind that I’ve got tons of other sock patterns queued up to try, and several more ideas for new patterns floating around in the back of my head. No, I had to cast on for another pair. At least I changed it up a skosh this time, though. Instead of the time-consuming i-cord cast on, I used the even more time-consuming provisional cast-on (which is not necessarily more time-consuming, unless you keep screwing it up like I did this time) for a picot edge.

A third pair of Aurelia Socks, done in my own Ellie’s Ewe Hues MemenToes in colorway Turkish Delight

Speaking of Ellie’s Ewe Hues, I’ve actually got some more dyeing planned… But it’s been so hot lately, it’s hard to motivate myself to dye during the afternoon, and there’s not enough time to finish it if I wait til it’s cooler in the evening. I broke down and turned on the AC last night because it was around 85° in the apartment, even with the windows open, and I just couldn’t sleep with it so hot in there. However, this afternoon, when I saw that it was 90° with the AC running, I realized that my AC must not be working. Ugh. So now I have to call maintenance to get them to come fix that. Fun.

I did sit out on the porch this afternoon, when it was far too hot to be inside, and spun a bit. Remember the stuff I was spinning up before I left for Columbus? Well, I finished plying it together today.

Tan and brown 2-ply handspun wool top

I’ve got 1.1 oz., approximately 106 yds., of this stuff. It’s fingering weight, and comes to about 14-15 wpi on average. I’m not 100% happy with it, though. It’s not quite as consistently spun as I’d like, but I can deal with that. What I dislike about it is my plying - the plying doesn’t seem at all consistent. Some parts of it are fairly tightly spun and are fine, but other parts are so loosely spun that it’s like 2 singles that are just sitting next to one another. I need to work on that.

I ordered some space-dyed wool from Louet while we were at TNNA, though, and I’d like to have a more consistent hand before I get started on that. So, that’s my motivation - to keep spinning and practicing so that when that new stuff comes in, I can jump right to it and have beautiful results (because as soon as it gets here, I know I’m going to want to start playing with it).

I also spent a little bit of time jumping around YouTube this afternoon, and I stumbled on this interesting video: The Manly Art of Knitting. Have you seen it? There were quite a few video responses mocking it, but I thought it was interesting to watch. I laughed so hard when this particular scene came up, though: There was a man who said he realized he needed a new hammock, so he decided to knit one with heavy rope and poles that he’d whittled down to have pointy tips. Brilliant, if not a bit eccentric. I certainly wouldn’t do it, but props to him for taking on such a large project!

A man knitting a hammock, from the video The Manly Art of Knitting.

I think I’m going to spend tonight swatching some Manos for this sweater design I’ve been mulling over. I’ve been hesitant to start, because I know once I do, I’ll want to keep going, and I can’t afford to buy enough Manos or the other yarns needed to actually knit the sweater right now. Perhaps some kind soul out there wants to act as my benefactor and finance this project in exchange for an acknowledgment in the pattern once I make it available. Heehee… No? Well, a girl can dream, right?

Okay, well… off to swatch anyway.