Drowning in projects

I'm all over the place right now. Finishing up a dog quilt, which I totally want to steal for myself, and which was the biggest pain in the ear to make, and which just won't be finished already. This:



is the most pampered dog in the universe, and he eagerly awaits his quilt. It's taken about 17 hours more than I budgeted for.

Starting a huuuge quilt project, which is new and exciting and fun and I can't wait to go work on it more.



Have two shawls on the needles, one barely started and one almost finished, and I haven't touched either in months, and I want them both done (plus, oh, six more?) before Dec. 31 for 10 Shawls in 2010.

Project Slipper Storm is nearly done, just need to find the time to clean up the fuzzies and put puffy paint on the soles, then they can go on their merry way.

Then occasionally I think, "Christmas gifts?" And then I don't get very far until I encounter a system error and have to reboot.

Then there's the pair of socks where I just finished the first one, and I'm pretty sure I did the heel over two too few stitches the first time, which, whatever, it worked out in the end, but now I'm at the second heel and can't find anything I wrote down for heel turn instructions for the first one. So yeah, I'll just wing it, that's fine, I mean it will be fine, hopefully, maybe I should look around some more for some notes on that... And that's why I've stalled at that point.

This last one is a direct result of simply casting on more socks than I really have needles for. If I'd had a free set of needles, I'd have done the second heel turn right after the first and wouldn't be all confused with what should be a very simple sock.

Oh yeah, and then the other morning I went outside and my hands froze and fell off and I realized that fingerless gloves are simply not going to cut it this winter, no sir. And then I conveniently forgot all the muttering and cursing that goes into felting stuff and decided that now is the best possible time to design from scratch some felted mittens. So in the last week I've had many philosophical discussions with myself regarding thumb gussets, and, to my disappointment, after taking measurements, doing calculations of percentages, and drawing schematics, I am going to just do what my gut tells me to do in terms of increasing for the thumb. This will probably end in disaster, or at least weirdly-shaped mittens.

And at this rate they probably won't be done until next June. Aargh.

Work smarter, not dumber

Once I can mustah up some more gustah, I will write a post that includes pictures and paragraphs. It will be about the terrible things that happen when one decides to use high-loft polyester batting as well as grandiose and daunting plans for a bed quilt. And a brillion felted slippers.

I am not a hunter.

But I think I now understand the urge to stuff something you've conquered and mount it on your wall. Behold, Juno Regina:



And hey, here I am wandering around the yard:



For a brief bit there, I wished for some kind of ball or gala to attend, because without one this will quickly be scrunched up and worn as a scarf. It will be a great scarf, though.

And then, before I even realized what had come over me, I cast on for a hat. A nice simple hat in worsted weight yarn.



And then, just as I had noticed what was happening, I finished it:



Et voila, a lovely and warm beret. From Knitty, the Brambles Beret in River Twist from Mountain Colors in the Whitewater River colorway. Used .77 skeins, with enough left over for some coordinating scarf or mittens. Maybe they'll appear when I come to after finishing Icarus...