Eep! More project distractions!

Okay, so it is no secret that I am unable to practise project monogamy. I get distracted by every interesting knitting pattern or yarn that I see, especially when there's some sort of sale on, which, in my mind, justifies a purchase. My biggest problem is that I cannot just look and admire - no, that would not do; I must have it for myself! In this past week, I have bought 5 e-books from the Interweave online store: knit.wear Spring 2012 issue, Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin, Folk hats: 32 Knitting Patterns and Tales from Around the World by Vicki Square, Interweave's Compendium of Finishing Techniques: crochet, embroider, knitting, knotting and weaving, and the set of series 1-4 from Volume 1 of Weldon's Practical Knitter, as compiled by Interweave. I have also bought more Knit Pro cables and interchangeable needle tips, some balls of Sirdar Snuggly DK to add to my premmie beanie-making stash, and 13 balls of Rowan Sienna 4 ply (a 100% mercerised cotton yarn in the green 'Pasture' colour) to make that romantic 19th century-looking fitted jacket by Jennie Atkinson (supplement from issue 42 of The Knitter)....amongst other non-knitting-related things...but let's not focus on that :P 

How gorgeous is that fitted jacket, by the way? Has anyone knitted/started to knit/planning to knit it too? The only off-putting factor for me, however, is that fact that it's knitted on - what was it? - 2.75mm needles?? Oh, and also that all the pieces are knitted flat and have to be seamed together. Ever since learning how to knit in the round, the very thought of knitting something flat seems like a waste of time. Of course I do understand how some garments needs seams for stability yada yada yada.. I am attracted to the interesting shaping of the piece and the bustle (!), but I think knitting the whole thing in one colour, in one type of stitch pattern (stocking stitch, if my memory serves me right) with a fingering weight yarn on tiny needles might become a boring, tedious task. Yep, not for the faint-hearted, but I do like a challenge, albeit maybe only once in a while!  

In the past, I've never really liked the idea of e-books, because I prefer to have the actual hard copy in hand - I like the tactile qualities! Yes, I'm a bit old-school like that.. I only used to get the e-magazines, as not all are imported into my country, and getting an overseas subscription is not very economical, due to P+H costs. However, due to my inability to control my all-things-knitted-related purchases, it's gotten to the stage where there is absolutely no storage space left for neither book nor yarn. Thus, I am turning to e-books now. I guess there are benefits of e-books, besides being able to save physical storage space: one can simply print out the pattern that is being worked on, instead of having to lug around the whole book, if working on the project on the go; the download file for the e-book will always appear under your account (Interweave store), so you don't have to worry about having to search for it in book boxes or about damaging it (providing that online technology doesn't change such that current file formats will become obsolete - in which case, printing out ALL your e-books at the one time will cost a fortune!); and, perhaps the biggest benefit in my opinion, is that no matter where you are - if you go on a holiday, relocate, etc etc and it's not practical or possible to take your huge book collection with you - the books will be available at the click of a button, providing you have access to a laptop, tablet, or even smart phone (and you won't even need internet if you've pre-downloaded the files to your electronic device). In fact, for one of my projects now, I downloaded the pattern onto my phone and am reading the pattern that way - saves me taking out the laptop, especially when I just want to do a spot of pre-bedtime knitting, and would be useful if I want to take my knitting project out and about with me. 

Prior to these distractions, I was merrily working on this Winter's batch of premmie beanies to donate to the local hospital that I have been knitting for for the past 2 years. I'm now up to my 10th one! This time round, they're a bit plain, but I've decided that it's probably more practical to spend the time decorating them to make more hats instead. Also, by leaving them plain, the hospital foundation will hopefully be less likely to sell them this time! I think for this batch, I will stop at 20, for if I don't have a target with a set finish date, the little babies probably won't get these for a while! 

Some of the premmie beanies from the current batch! 

The other project I've started to work on recently is the Side Slip Cloche (the one with the pretty ruffle feature on the headband) from Boutique Knits, which I am making for my sister's birthday present. She wanted a unique beanie that she can wear this Winter, which seems colder than usual (I've never found it cold enough to wear beanies where I am). As you can see from the picture, I haven't gotten very far along.. but the present is belated anyway, so what's an extra week or two, right? 

Knitting the hat band with the ruffles

Meanwhile, I have also been "Should I or should I not?"-ing about buying a yarn I haven't tried before to knit another Great Gatsby Dress, because I love it so much, and a few online stores seem to all be having some sort of sale on some yarns at the moment. As mentioned in a previous post, I want to knit the dress in a more appropriate yarn that will not drag the dress downwards, and which would be suitable for Spring/Summer wear. I was looking at cotton yarns, but don't like working with stringy yarns... and then I was looking at Sublime Merino Cashmere and Silk DK, but I read on Ravelry all the bad reviews about the yarn being splitty and pilly. At the end, I checked the Rowan by Amy Butler Belle Organic DK that I had bought ages ago for that frilled neck edging 3/4 sleeve top in Amy Butler's first book for that yarn, but which I had recently decided was too much of a bother (due to flat knitting and having to bead and seam etc etc) and was going to use them for an 1869 pattern for a knitted corset instead, and serendipitously, it has the same recommended gauge as for the original yarn that's called for, AND it's a 50% organic wool/50% organic cotton blend, which means it should be less stringy and knotty than standard cotton yarn! Not the biggest fan of the look of the yarn or the colour (I bought it because it was the colour used in the pattern picture, in which it actually looked a bit better), but it will do fine. And no excuse to buy more yarn - perfect! :)