Neglecting the blog

I have really been negligent both in posting and in reading blogs. I have come to dread the idea of opening Google Reader because the many number of unread blog posts of those I enjoy will throw me into a tail spin. Instead, I remain blissfully ignorant, power up my new iPad, and play Words with Friends.

The holidays were nice. My parents flew in on Christmas Eve and it was the best holiday I can remember. The weather was a little cool for a couple of days, but snow did not appear and it warmed back up as the news made reports of snowy weather across much of our nation.

I've stayed warm by finishing a sweater knit from Punta Merino Solid which I am totally in love with and by reading. Ideas of blog abandonment have crossed my mind. The thought right now is to maybe just let it lie and see what happens. Tennis is beginning again and that takes loads of time. We shall see.

When things are finished

I like it when things get finished all at once. Typically, there are not more than 3 projects on the needles at one time around here and they are usually balanced so at least one is a 'quick knit'.

Summer tops are a favorite to make for Bugg, partly because she is so small and they knit up so fast. She picked out the Athos pattern from Norah Gaughans Volumn 2. It is knit in Berroco Touche on size 5 and 7 needles. The only change made was to knit it in the round. Increases and decreases were made at the side markers. The side seam sewing was happily omitted.

The side photo was taken prior to putting the sleeves in. Bugg and I both liked this top a lot better with the sleeve.

After scouring Ravelry for finished projects in the same colorways of Silkience, trades were made to secure enough yarn to finish that darned Viva cardigan. If you make this pattern in the stripe sequence, pick up an extra skein of each color. The yarn was inexpensive, but with shipping, it was a better deal to swap on Ravelry.

I've been yearning to spin, but the blanket has been my primary focus this week. the edging should be finished tomorrow. A couple of different things were attempted and I will blog more about i-cord finishing when the final photos are up later this week.

The colors are so vibrant that I couldn't bring myself to discard any of the ends. I've a couple of ideas on what can be made with them.

Finished photos this week - I promise!