Knit Hermit Weekend

I'm enjoying my first "Knit Hermit Weekend" of 2011 - three days of uninterrupted knitting bliss after my family went back to Texas last week.  Except for some brief annoyances like laundry, vacuuming and an unavoidable grocery store trip tomorrow, I have sat like a slug by the fire knitting fiendishly on multiple projects.  I watched lots of History channel tv, The Hangover movie and listened to music (right now some Bing Crosby).  The weather has even cooperated - damp, cloudy and cold - perfect knitting weather.  Life doesn't get much better for this knitter!

I will admit I'm not a particularly fast knitter (being a thrower slows me down for sure), but I try to make up for my speed with quantity.  Being borderline adult ADD, I have to rotate between projects to keep myself entertained, so tend to start a bunch at once, feel like I'm never going to finish any of them at some point and finally wrap them all up almost simultaneously.   I wouldn't recommend this knitting style to anyone else, but it is how I've always churned out my projects.

So, what have I accomplished so far this weekend?  I'm happy to say I did complete the "Treasured Heirloom Baby Blanket" (a Lion Brand freebie pattern) that I started a week ago on the car ride to check out the University of Oregon in Eugene (one of my youngest's three potential college picks).  I had 6 balls of white wool/cashmere yarn in my stash that were just enough to do it (see photo on the left).  It was brainless knitting, but turned out well and will make a good baby gift for either my friend Ben's first baby or my newest grandchild, Weaselhead (what Hudson wants to call him/her).

I got all motivated after Harold, my boss and friend, seemed disappointed at Christmas when I didn't knit him a sweater.  I decided to knit him a simple v-neck men's vest in rice stitch out off grey wool/acrylic DK from Two-Stitch Knits by Jane Crowfoot.  It will take me forever to finish this one, but I'm really liking the look and texture of the rice stitch and keep picturing how nice the vest will look under his business suits.

After selling yet another "Oatmeal Hat" in my Etsy shop right after listing, I suppose I should start another to replace it.  I have made (and immediately sold) three of them now and am considering raising the price to slow down having to churn out more.  I make them out of oatmeal Fishermen's Wool and don't like making them anymore.  Speaking of Fishermen's Wool, which I am way too fond of right now, I am starting a little girl's Anthropologie-like cardigan out of it with oversized rustic knitted flowers sprinkled here and there for my Etsy shop.  I'm still trying to decide whether I want the flowers to be bright, or done in the various natural shades of the FW yarn.  I will cast on for the cardigan tonight and see what happens...

And finally, I wanted to make a simple infinity scarf with fringe around one edge like the one I made Sayde, so used some Knitpicks Felici sport in grey and red stripes to start it (see photo).  I will probably put it in the Etsy shop when finished.  I also cast on the "Mona's Jacket" from Spring 2010 Interweave Knits out of Tweedle Dee for me.  It is done top-down and way fun to knit.