Just Raveling Away

Every year at this point in the season I go through a sort of . . . knitting "mood". . . where I can't quite settle on what I want to knit next.  I can't blame the pandemic this time, really.  (Although, actually, I can.)  (Because I like to blame everything on the pandemic.)  But I think it's mostly that between-seasons thing I go through every year.  

I'm not really in the mood for woolly knits - like sweaters - by the time May rolls around.

But I'm also not in the mood for more summery knits - like with linen - either.  

So I just kind of . . . play things by ear and dabble in some fickle-knitting.

What's that look like?  Well.  Right now it looks like this . . . 

As soon as I saw Margaret Holzmann's Safe at Home blanket on Ravelry, I was smitten.  I mean . . . this design has pretty much every element that lights up the happy places in my brain: a grid design, color free-play, whimsy and charm, little houses, and (squeee) striped roofs!

Of course, it also includes futzy intarsia in garter stitch, a whole-lotta seaming, and millions and millions of ends to weave in.  (And my intarsia skills are Not Good; a real weak spot in my knitting repertoire.)

But whimsy and charm!
Color play!
Grids!

And also there's the symbolic nature of the whole thing.  Knitting little houses . . . while we're all staying in our own little houses.

So I'm digging in.  I don't know how many squares I'll actually end up with.  Probably not the 90 called for in the pattern . . . but maybe enough that I can make a pillow.  Or something on the small-ish side.  (I do know for sure that the only way to get better at intarsia is to practice.  So there is always that, too.)  One thing I do know?  This will not be a monogamous kind of knit for me.

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(I've also gone a bit ga-ga for Susan B. Anderson's sweet Little House design.  I bought the pattern, and kind of sense that this may become one of those potato-chip projects for me in the days ahead.) 

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But it can't be all futzy little houses all the time now, can it?  So I've got this on my needles as well . . . 

It's another hat for Brian like the one I made him for Christmas.  He loves that one -- and recently told me that the Christmas hat is getting him through his current pandemic-hair growth stage.  (It's this pattern.)

So.

What's a knitting-mom to do?

(Of course.)

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How about you?  What are you knitting these days?

(And be sure to join my fellow Unravelers over at Kat's today!)

Comments

[Carolyn Seymour Thomas]

You had me at House... Can't wait to see whatever-size village comes of these!

[Vera]

Well now I have John Mellencamp's "Little Pink Houses" running through my head (not necessarily a bad thing). I do love your little house Kym. I had seen Vicki's too. I don't think I will do them/can do them - those ends would make me bonkers (need Bonny's weaving-in Fairy!!). If I remember, you were making gnomes last year, so maybe some of Susan B. Anderson's houses can be for the gnomes? Such a fun picture of Brian (whose woodworking skills are AMAZING!!!)

[Patty]

I saw that blanket too...love! I don't think I'd have the patience for the ends though. I can't wait to see what you do! I was thinking of knitting Dan a dog. :-)

[Bonny]

Little houses seem so sweet and appropriate in so many ways! I love your first Safe at Home house, and think this will be a fun project whether it turns into coasters, hot pads, a pillow, or a blanket. (Let me know when the weaving-in fairy should stop by.) Brian's new hat is a beautiful color. I sent Ryan some clippers for a do-it-yourself haircut, so I may also be knitting him another hat soon. :-)

[Kim Sheehan]

I've saved that pattern, I find it so charming. I'm not a big blanket person though.

[Vicki]

I've had Julia Marsh's "The Red Roof Croft House" in my Ravelry library FOREVER. I really need to knit that soon, too. (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-red-roof-croft-house)

I watched a bunch of videos this morning on different ways to weave in ends as you go... some of them I've sort of done in the past, but there were a lot of good tips. It's a fiddly project, for sure, that Safe At Home blanket, but it sure is a stunner!

[Carole]

I admire that Stay At Home blanket but there's no way I'd knit it! A quilt would be much faster. On the other than, those little stuffed houses? OH MY! So adorable!

[Kat]

Susan's houses are just adorable! (I picked up the pattern too!) and was thinking of making one for each of my kids with a Pandemic Tag on it! :)

[kathy b]

Aw your house!!! I love it.
Aren't all guys hair doing that about now? Al's boyfriends is almost identical!!!! I like it

[Marilyn]

Just a cheating suggestion...you could knit garter squares in plain colors to make the house squares go further? I haven't looked at the pattern so don't know if that is the recipe or not. :)

[Sarah]

I also bought the blanket pattern when I saw it. I don't know that I have the stamina to do all those houses for the full blanket, but like you I thought it would be great for a smaller item, like a pillow or a baby blanket (wouldn't it be sweet with some log cabin-style borders around a handful of houses?). I hear you on the not knowing what to knit at this time of year. I've been solving that issue by spinning more!

[Mary]

:-) I just knew you'd be falling for those little houses. and I'm betting you'll be a whiz at the intarsia and the ends ...even if you stop at a pillow's worth of houses! Thankfully, we move pretty quickly from winter to spring to summer here and my only issue is when to make the switch from wool!

[Jane]

The little houses are very sweet. I put my wool/alpaca sweater away until Fall. It just wasn't calling to me and is warm on my lap. I've been flitting around between projects but blame it all on the pandemic.

Of course a knitting Mom is going to knit a hat when requested! That is what we do. It's a pretty color.