Bitten by Smitten

It’s funny how the next project is always the best project. What I mean is while I’m working on the current project most of the time I’m dreaming about the next project down the line. What’s it going to look like, what yarn I’ll use, whether I need to go buy more yarn or if I have it in the stash, do I have the needles I need…. and the list goes on.

So it should be no surprise to me that when I was working on my first Smitten Scarf I was planning the next one.

And the next.

I have blacks, greys and whites picked out for my next scarf. I was just waiting for the weather to get less grey and stormy before I started something that colorless. But that’s when I got bitten. Apparently, working on this scarf for 2 weeks straight without any other knitting gave me a slight repetitive stress injury in my hand. I was told that ice and ibuprofen were fine, but that it should be accompanied by no knitting. Yikes!! (I guess it goes to show that my normal knitting of several projects at once isn’t such a bad idea after all)

I took a two day break…. it was a hard two days! Once I got over the shakes I was much better. After the two days, I found a hat to knit that was done with worsted weight yarn to see if that would help. I even crocheted a bit thinking that would help as you move the muscles differently. It all helped a little.

I was able to power through the blue scarf. I’m donating it to a silent auction for a friend who is paddling in Dragon Boat World competition. It’s a bit brighter than something I would normally knit – I really struggled with the color combinations. I finally decided that what I didn’t like about the scarf was that it didn’t go with black or grey (the color of pants that I seem to wear a lot of). When I held the scarf up against a blue or green background it looked great. It really pops against denim.

Last night I tossed the stash a bit and decided that I really have some lovely handspun from Sharon that I should use before the Second Coming. I was searching for something simple and mostly brainless that would make the most of 2 skeins of 210 yds each. Then it hit me, I have a lovely kit for a Bias Shawl from HPKY that a bought a while back. It’s soft, it’s fluffy, it feels too light and airy to be real. And, it’s warm. Which normally is not something I would want at the end of June. But since this is not a normal year, I need warmth!