What's next on the Needles?

I've been having some conversations lately with friends and such about what's next on the needles. One friend suggested that maybe I should finish some of what I've started and abandoned. That really stuck in my head. Let's see, if I go back and count the items I've begun and nothated, but just abandoned for various reasons I have a pretty interesting list.

1. Brother's socks for last Christmas -- the plies on the yarn were too loose and they laid next to eachother on the needles. It was so bad I couldn't read my stitch count. Then my class instructor said the yarn was too fine for socks (e.g. fine like delicate, not fine like small).
2. Dad's scarf & hat combo for Christmas -- Hat was GI-normous. Had to rip out and restart. Never got any further. Not so sure that they Plymouth baby alpaca will make very good cables (the intended pattern for the scarf).
3. My beautiful Manos self-designed jacket with seed-stitch border -- to create the fabric that I want, I had to use size 7 needles. Extremely tight knitting and while it's mindless, because of the single-ply nature of Manos and the tightness on the needles, it's just not comfortable to knit. Contemplating the "two-rows-per-night-method"
4. I also have "the Other Mitten" on the needles. It's a severe case of 2nd sock syndrome. I know how to do it now, so I want to move on to other funnfer things. But then I also bought a whole mess of yarn to make a pair of those fabulous mittens for my Aunt, so I guess I'm stuck... I'm going to have to finish the partner for the pair I've already made.
5. Finally, I have the Mom Jacket. It's going to be beautiful. I probably started it last June. Yeah, I was an ambitious new knitter. Ooh! I just checked through the Archives and sure enough, it's a PBO (pre-blog object, as opposed to Peanut butter and Olvie sandwich, ack!)

I semi-designed it from a pattern I'd seen for a Colinette Point-5 jacket and using my Handy Book of Patterns (not sweater, just regular) I custom wrote a pattern for Mumsie. I had to increase the sizing a little and there wasn't a collar that I liked or a cardigan pattern either, so I hodge-podged a design and wrote it all out and everything. I even made a gauge swatch and washed it. I liked the material and it was turning out beautifully. Then I finished the first front side and held it up and it started to GrrrooooowwwwwwwWWW. You see, the Mom jacket is made from Colinette Giotto ribbon and a strand of Classic Elite Imagine held together on size 13 needles.

I thought the Classic Elite would prevent growing a little, but um, yeah it's cotton. What do we know about cotton kiddies? It grows! Right.

So, knowing I would have to rip out, redesign, re-estimate my yardage and re-knit, into the stash pile it went all in a bag and sat ther until just- last- night.

Last night I ripped and re-started a new swatch on size 7's. I think 7's are too tight. I'll probably go with 8's but right now my 8's are in Clapotis (oh yeah, there's another UFO) and my Manos jacket. I'll probably get more 8's tomorrow night at my LYS. I'm also hoping to get some designing tips from Catherine Lowe that i can take back and apply to The Mom Jacket to give it some extra flair [Mom's an Extra Flair kinda gal...]

Anyway, here's the new beginning of The Mom Jacket. While the pic is dark, the colors are pretty true. It's the Giotto colorway called Morocco and Classic Elite Imagine in Spice Bazzar.

Here it is just waiting to be The New & Improved Mom Jacket!!

Now don't misunderstand, I want to finish all these things but the Siren Song of casting on a new project is so full of Possibility that everything else (finishing projects included) seems to pale in comparison. Course, now with my new Handy Book of Sweater patterns and my soon to be new understanding of Couture Knitting, making the Mom Jacket seems like a while new enterprise and a fabbo way to unload my stash a little!