It's too early...

We are starting to get to the point in the year where a bunch of my knitting becomes things that I can't blog about.

I'm involved in the Rowan Tree (rav group link) Christmas exchange, which involves knitting something for my partner, so obviously I can't blog about that (except to say it is on the needles and going well).

Himself gets Christmas socks each year (or at least he did last year, he may or may not be getting some this year). So if hypothetically he were getting Christmas socks then it could be thought that I would either have started knitting them or be preparing to start knitting them soon. If he were getting some, of course. Which I'm not saying he is. But if I were, I certainly couldn't put pictures of any hypothetical progress on the blog, just in case he read it.

I also signed up for a second year for the UK Sock Knitters Secre Santa Swap. I did this last year and enjoyed it very much indeed.

So while I rail against talking about Christmas too early, I am also feeling like I have to plan ahead, what with the knitting I may or may not be doing.

I was massively optimistic thinking that I would finish orbit on Sunday.

I would say the BO is about half done. Part of the problem I think is that I got all excited when I finished the body of the shawl that it was nearly done. I didn't realise that the bind off would take so long, and be such a slog.

The colour in this picture is much brighter and more neon than the real colour. I am however trying to get these pictures on my phone, so please bear with me.

Speaking of bad phone pictures, I promised a picture of my finished aletia, so while I hope you excuse the quality of the picture (mobile phone, I was in a hurry, I hate photos of the sweaters I knit etc), here it is.

I feel like it looks better in person. This might not be the case, but I like it, and it's warm. My friend Arianwen gifted me the yarn which is ankara by veritas. I'd never heard of it. It is a 40% wool, 15% mohair, 25% nylon, 20% acrylic blend (which probably means the sweater will last forever). I have tendencies towards yarn snobbery, but this yarn surprised me. It knit up nicely, and it looks good. It didn't do that awful acrylic squeek when I knit it. I think I need to evaluate in future just how snobby I get about yarn.

The yarn for my Southern Skies shawl has arrived. I'm waiting for the beads to arrive. I am so so excited to cast this on. I've loved the pattern since I first saw it. I also have a small obsession with Scott of the Antarctic and Roald Amundsen and their race to the South Pole (this is not something you want to get me talking about in person unless you want to know LOTS on this topic), and so the whole concept of the shawl utterly charmed me.

However I have promised myself that I will not cast it on until orbit is done. That has to be motivation alone for finishing it.

Yes, I am bribing myself through the bind off. Shhh.