I'm Blaming Leprechauns

Yes, I have cast on another green sweater before finishing the first green sweater. And yes that is a green sock beside them. I like green. There will now be a brief interlude of mad, hysterical laughter.

Nesting

The one thing I have sworn up and down I would never try to knit, due to a deep and accepting understanding of my many faults, is an afghan. But here we are, in a new apartment with a new and comfortable sofa and old and charming and above all drafty windows. We've painted the living room and the bathroom cabinets. Shelves have been put up. I re-upholstered the Spooky Chair (not now so much spooky as paisley). And now this has happened:



Yes, my friends, it is an afghan square. Do not be fooled by its meager and rather soggy appearance. It is the first of twenty, each 12" x 12". I have no delusions that it will be done this year (although, technically all I'd have to do is knit two every month and they only take a couple of evenings - you can see where this is going). I have no real illusions that it will ever be done at all, except that I'm using Encore and I can't imagine what else I'd do with 2000 yards of it. Here it is in its basket, lurking:


The Encore is another serious deviation from character, but this thing is obstensibly for the Man, and he will spill things on it. Salsa-y things. Marinara things. Also, it is fairly certain that at some point, the cat will throw up on it. This is a fundamental law of the Universe. Thus, Encore. I chose I lovely mottled tan, called "Fawn Mix", in the hopes that it would more closely resemble real yarn. It is soft and light and OK to knit with, even if it smells like a new car instead of a clean sheep.
One down. Nineteen to go.

The Great Schlep & the FrankenCardi

Three days of three stories down and three stories up. In the rain. Did I mention I fell in a big hole? We actually got everything moved in on Saturday, but went back to the old Veal Box to clean and paint on Sunday. Then we went to Ikea, where I had a little nervous breakdown from the exhaustion and we bought... A SOFA!
I can not begin to tell you how much I love my sofa. As a knitter who has been without one for three years, it's like I've returned from the jungle and encountered civilization again. But because to take pictures of one's new sofa, let alone post them, would put me in the running for Queen Dork of Dorkonia, here is a picture of the Mutant Cardigan:


This is basically Norah Gaughn's "Nantucket Jacket" from IWK Winter '06, but I added length and changed the cables. To be more cable-y. In retrospect, I probably should have given some thought to what would happen with those cable-y cables where the sleeve meets the sweater. As it is:

Hmmm.
I've also lost the 3rd page of the pattern. I realized this the other morning when I got to the top of the sleeve decreases: twice every RS row 6 times, then once every 4th row once, then... no next page. After digging through boxes for a couple of hours and becoming convinced that someone had snuck in here and stolen it, I gave up and just shaped the damn thing. I even wrote down what I did (smug satisfaction) so that when I get to the top of the next sleeve, I'll be able to do the same thing (I am a model of efficiency).
It may be some time before I get there, though. The Cardi Wall is looming up in front of me. Even though I only have the left front and sleeve to do, and it's half seamed (I recommend this with sweaters if you know that you have enough wool - you can try it on and this will either save you a lot of work or give you some inspiration to finish the damned thing).
And I really do want to finish it. I love it, even if the sleeve seams look like a science experiment gone wrong (throw the next switch, Igor). It's just that there are other projects calling to me, luring me with their siren call, "Just cast me on..."