Bring on the Unfinished Objects...

Can you believe Lent starts next week? It seems early this year, though I know we see Lent migrate around all of February and starting on the 22nd means it will be April when Easter rolls around. Also, how are we approximately 50 days from Easter?

I've been thinking through Lenten observations, giving up things, taking up things, committing to things.  A couple of years ago I did a Lenten yarn diet.  But I know that was when I was buying yarn every two-three days. This year I've bought one skein of wool total and that was because we were in Dallas. I know, I'm shocked at my restraint too, but I did buy that one project bag and I purchased a mitten pattern that I have no idea when I'll get to knitting it....

Between now and the end of March, there is a thesis due date for the Philosopher, I've got a national presentation to finish planning and give, and we're traveling for that conference and a wedding.  Oh, and M is coming to stay with me so I want to make sure that Chez Hedgehog is all tidied up. Recently it's been a cluttered disaster.

One of those major clutter points though is unfinished knitting projects.  That would include the two afghans that need to be knit up, scarves, mittens, shawls, etc.  They're taking up a fair chunk of space in the livingroom and not doing anyone any good.

So that's the plan for Lent.  No new projects. No sock wool from the stash to wind up.  It's going to be Unfinished Objects knitting all the time. And if I pull out something and really am no longer enamoured of it, it's going to be Frog Pond time. It's a waste of good needle space to have something sitting around that I'm not using and don't really care about knitting.

I do still have 2 pair of socks on the needles, those will probably become work only projects, as it's a little harder to follow charted things or haul around huge afghans at work. There's not much knitting time at work these days, so hopefully that will suffice to get me through. If not, there are mittens that I can work on.

I decided today to go ahead and start on this commitment and dug out the Instant Gratification Afghan that I started in La Crosse in 2009 (according to Ravelry). While I watched an episode of the KnitGirllls (thank you Leslie and Laura for the company), I plowed through one skein of yarn.  That is the one major advantage to this project--about 90 minutes of dedicated knitting and I'm done with a skein.  Granted, I have 13 more skeins to put on this afghan and that's quite a lot of knitting time to squeeze in but it's not unheard of.  If I sit down to watch a TV show that's 45 minutes, that's half a skein. And with this I can convince myself that I really should just finish that skein up.... (the tan skeins are about 87 yards; the green 115)

This is about how it looks now.  If you look hard I was originally adding in some cable twists every now and again. I'm not really interested in doing that anymore, so I'm just plowing through it--stockinette with ten stitch garter borders on each side. It's a few inches longer than in this picture (which is from La Crosse--as evidenced by the carpeting).

That's the plan for knitting at least. If I come up with any other Lenten plans between now and next week, I'll let you know.