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Cold still, but above freezing.

If I could knit as well as I can buy, I’d be a superb knitter. I made my way over to Brooklyn General Store for the first time today. I just found out about it on Ravelry last week. I decided to count the five long block, eight short block walk as exercise—not to mention the heavy lifting required as I schlepped my overstuffed yarn tote back home.

In here you can see hints of some ridiculous projects I have in my head.

• In the foreground is Morehouse Farm Lace, which I strangely think could be a nice double-knit hat some year. Fingering, about the same weight, maybe as the Jameson & Smith I used on Feather & Fan, but one ply. The two browns are different: one is ‘natural silver’ and the other is ‘natural brown’. The two on the right are ‘natural oatmeal’
• The Manos on the left is Manos Silk Blend, which should be a scarf for myself. Sort of a putty color with greenish hues.
• The rich orange is Malabrigo Lace, which just looked too good to pass and there were only two.
• The big blob of off-white in the rear is Misti Alpaca Super Chunky, my fourth attempt at finding a wool suitable for he neck-warmer my niece wants. [I'm developing quite a stash of chunky yarns in the off-white range. I could make bath mats, but the above-pictured feline would just pee on them.]
• To its right, Trekking (xxl) in a manly color. Could be socks IF I COULD EVER KNIT TWO DECENT SOCKS THE SAME SIZE.

Which brings us to the current situation. My knitting lately sucks. Two socks with the same number of stitches on the same needles are two different sizes, probably because the first sock was knit two years before the second. I’m tempted to knit a third and hope it matches one of the others.

The Tunisian rib socks just look weird, even if they are the same size. If they fit I’ll be shocked.

The neck-warmer is a struggle on 10mm circs (US 15). I tried dpn’s, but the yarn-overs are hell. I swatched three different chunky and bulky yarns. One was too limp, two were too stiff and all were scratchy. The fourth selection, Tahki Baby, is stiff if relatively soft. It looks more like a cake than something to go around the neck.

Misti Alpaca Chunky, which I tried next, while soft, is too limp. I’m hoping the Super Chunky works out.

But mainly I hate fat yarn and fat needles. This brioche should be a no-brainer: on the needles, then off. I’m spending way too much time, money and mental effort on this.

And the cat doesn’t help. Her idea of playing with yarn involves chewing on it, or at a minimum sitting on it. If she’d only learn to wind it and find new places to store it.

More later. It’s late and I’m falling asleep.