Silence and Snow

I can't believe that I've been so quiet on this blog. My mind is always working away, thinking of posts, worrying, planning, dreaming, worrying...Okay, so it makes sense then that I haven't posted, because once again I'm stuck in my internal world.

Work and worrying about finances has taken up most of my mental space. Finances at work, at home, and world-wide are unstable. I can't read the paper or blogs about finance anymore because I get scared. I know a lot of people who are struggling in this economy. Heck, they were struggling before things got "bad". This is the first time I've worried about my company going under. It's not really comforting to know that we're okay for now, but who knows what the fall looks like? Should I be running around throwing my revamped resume' at anyone who will take it? Maybe I should start with updating my resume'.

I keep putting these posts in here as drafts. I have 4 different posts waiting to be finished and let out of the queue, but somehow I don't get back to blogger to release them.

Okay, here's what I came on here to say, and then I'll spend some time tomorrow night pulling the other posts into the daylight.

I am writing on here because I'm going to do my first bar increases in knitting. That's when you knit in the front and in the back of the same stitch to add a stitch. I've done yarn over, make one, wrap and turn, but not bar increase. I'm working on the left sleeve for a baby sweater and I'm nervous. Why would this make me nervous when I'm planning a major lace project? Who knows. Everything makes me nervous lately.

I haven't posted any pictures of the sweater yet - here or on ravelry. I have the back panel and left side finished. Last night I ripped out the right side because I was going to have to start a new ball in the middle. The sweater pieces are small enough that I don't have to do that. I just wasn't thinking when I started knitting the right side last week.

And my cowl? 1.5 rows left. Winter is almost over. I should be working on this and nothing else. But in order to do that last row I have to start another ball of yarn. ARGH! I keep going back and forth between leaving that last row off and finishing, and knowing that if I don't do the pattern right it's going to bother me forever because the edges won't match.

I'm In Love With A Beautiful Cowl

Thank you Ravelry! Once again you've come to my rescue, providing me with the perfect object to dream about curling up with, stroking, wearing all around the house and work until someone finally asks me if I have hickies all over my neck. That's right, it's a cowl. Not just any cowl, but a noble cowl with lovely lacy stitches but in a thick enough yarn that I can attempt this and expect to finish this project before winter ends. If I start right now. And keep working on it. And don't get distracted.

I think I will take the designer's advice and cast on 105 stitches for a snugger fit. I want this thing to keep me warm.

I'm posting a picture of someone else's finished project until I get my own underway. Yay! Check out Toonces project on Ravelry to see more cool images of it. I'll be using much darker yarn than most that made this pattern, but I'm trying to use what I have and not march out and buy yarn for this. I have some great Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in eggplant and cashmerino dk in deep turquoise. The eggplant was purchased to make the Irish Hiking Scarf but now I'm casting on for this cowl instead.

Okay - back now after blogger difficulties and I'm on the 3rd row of the cowl. Hooray! Cast on 105 instead of 120, but I'm using size 10 needles to make up for my tight stitching, so we'll see what size this turns out. Oh, and I've managed to watch the entire first season of Coupling while doing it. Gotta love those brits.