Too much of a good thing

I apologize to anyone checking back over the last few weeks to see if I've posted anything new. I haven't posted due to a combination of procrastination, the elation at being maybe pregnant for a day (a very faint line on the test) and then the sadness when it turned out not to be, having a terrible cold for a week (achoo!), and well, just procrastinating again.

I have been knitting...a lot...and now I think I have carpal tunnel in my left wrist. I think I will have to force myself to switch to some sewing projects for a while.

Here's what I've been working on. I really wanted to take pictures, but you know there's that procrastination thing I have a problem with.

• Hat in black, Plymouth Sinsation yarn. I "finished" it and then decided I wanted a longer brim. My attempts to frog it back to the brim failed because due to the black yarn it was impossible to see the stitches I needed to pick up. I tried just pulling the yarn out and reinserting the needles but somehow I wound up with one extra stitch and after knitting a few rows discovered a hole. Rats. I tried again to pick up stitches and it just didn't work, so I frogged the whole thing. It was really easy to knit so I'm not too upset.
  


• Scarf in burgandy Plymouth Eros. Done.
  


• Scarf in brown Plymouth Eros. About 1/3 done. Decided to put it on hold while I work on other things.


• Kitty bed in brown and cream Patons Up Country wool. It's done and waiting to be felted. And waiting and waiting and waiting.
  


• Scarf in blue Patons Devine. I'm 1/2 way through. This is a gift and the project that's probably responsible for my wrist hurting.


• Socks in brown and blue Lion Brand Magic Stripes. I'm about 1/2 way through the first sock. These are my first socks. I'm using the sock pattern from the label and I'm not all that happy with it. When I got to the heel I had some trouble understanding the instructions but the internet came to the rescue. I honestly did not understand when the instructions said "turn" but I hadn't finished the row. Thankfully someone, somewhere wrote in plain English that you just do as they say. Turn the work around and continue knitting. Those unknit stitches are eventually picked up. Now that I see how it makes the heel, it makes sense! I also had trouble with the heel flap. The instructions said to knit for 2 1/4" (28 rows) so I knit until the heel flap was 2 1/4". Then it expected me to have the right number of stitches to pick up on the side. Hmmm. I frogged it and started over, this time counting the rows. But then I seemed to come up a few stitches short when I went to pick up the stitches on the edge. Picking up stitches is also a new thing for me. At any rate, the socks are going to sit awhile until Christmas gifts are done and my wrist feels better.
  

Lots of projects!

My kitchen curtains are still in pieces on the cutting table. The serger is all set up and ready to join the panels. I only have one basted together but procrastination and perfectionism is holding me up. I want to join the panels so the pattern matches and I'm not sure I can be so accurate on the serger.

And in the midst of it all, we need to tear out the carpet in the sewing/computer room, which means moving some furniture and lots and lots of stuff. We've been slowly removing the carpet in hallway and bedrooms to reveal the hardwood floors. Partly because we like the look of hardwood and partly because we have a cat who thinks the world is her litterbox - or at least the carpet is. Eventually we'll refinish the floors. We did refinish the dining room and hallway floors and they turned out very nice. The sewing/computer room is the last room with carpet. Well, the family room is carpeted but alas, no hardwood underneath, just yucky linoleum tile. We'd like to put hardwood in there as well. But the issue with the sewing/computer room is STUFF! There are two IKEA desks, a large IKEA bookshelf, my sewing machine cabinet, and a large woodworking bench that I use for all my crafting stuff (it was quite a find at Costco - solid wood, lots of full-slide drawers and even a built-in vise!). Then there's also my dress form, a Rowenta steamer, and lots of sewing stuff on the floor like pattern boxes and bins of fabric. The room is just a bedroom, so you can imagine how full it is! Fortunately we have another bedroom, where my cutting table is semi-permanentely setup, where we'll be able to stash stuff as we tear up the carpet. And since we're not refinishing the floors at this time, we won't have to move everything out, just move it aside to get to the carpet.

But this is not a job for this weekend. We're planning on taking a mini-vacation. Hotel, restaurants, shopping, siteseeing. It'll be fun. And I don't think I'll bring my knitting. Well, maybe. We're thinking of taking the train instead of driving.