impasse

The socks: Totally unexciting short socks of my own design, knit out of a yarn called "Hot Socks", which is a lot like Patons Stretch Socks, I expect they were produced by the same factory. These are great for wearing with my sneakers, in spring, summer and fall. I've produced something in the range of 5 pairs of them now, and...pssst....they use just one ball of yarn if your foot's no bigger than a woman's 7.5. A great thing.

This is the first project I've knit for myself in a year. For the past year, I've been churning out projects for this book. My second book, Knit Green: Twenty Projects and Ideas for Sustainability, will be filled with only my designs. It's now up on Amazon, so I can mention it! I'm already starting to teach workshops on this topic, starting in May. I'm excited about talking about sustainability...but...but? without this huge deadline?

My knitting has hit an impasse. That would be:
---noun
1.a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.
2. a road or way that has no outlet; cul-de-sac.
Synonyms:1. stalemate, standstill, standoff, dead end.

In other words: a blind alley. I started on those mittens I mentioned a few posts ago. Hmm. Those few skeins of different weight yarns looked fabulous lined up near one another. In the small swatch, they looked ok. The swatch didn't lie. Really. It just didn't tell the whole story. Knitted up together, those yarns looked like a fuzzy, oddly variegated, pinky rose olive green version of, well, cat barf.

I couldn't go on. Yet, a new pair of mittens is a good idea. My true impasse is that I start on my pleasure knitting at 7:30 at night, after dinner and a glass of wine. I knit for maybe an hour and a half and am ready for bed by about 9pm. If it weren't for harming sleeping dogs, I would just crumple into a heap wherever I happened to be at the time. Last night, in fact, I caused the professor sheer panic by laying down on top of FOUR double pointed needles! (No worries...I have no new holes in any body parts.)

Worse, we are scheduled to go away for a few days with a long drive on either end. I must have a good knitting project. Any project. Started and ready to go...

Today I had an afternoon appointment that was cancelled. I think I'll try the stash diving approach again. I'll start knitting right away to make sure the project works. Me, without any knitting to do? Truly a dangerous impasse. Imagine, if I can collapse on four double pointed needles safely, it must be my natural habitat. The danger would be in attempting it without the knitting. Like tight rope walking without a net. (hmm, a net. Should I knit one of those?)

PS: Thank you for all your wonderful celebratory notes about Fiber Gathering. I've tried to write to each of you individually to say thanks. I'm still stunned over it all. Sadly, it appears that even people who write real books must run errands, do chores, and work. I thought, in my daydream, that was all behind me now? (apparently not!)