Taking a cotton break

I started a new lace project a few weeks ago (another one out of the Victorian Lace Today book) but so far have done only one pattern repeat, since my lace-making mojo appears to be faltering. This is not exactly a good thing, since I’ve got several major lace pieces that need to be completed by the end of the year, but I know myself well enough that forcing the issue just won’t work.

So instead I’ve been playing with cotton. The driving force behind this has mainly been a desire to try to make a dent in the overflowing drawer of kitchen cotton in the yarn closet, but it’s resulting in some practical applications. For example, using the pattern from Maxon Dixon Knitting’s latest book, I whipped up a reusable cover for our Swiffer Wetjet, and am quite pleased with how it’s working out so far (It did a good job on the kitchen floor, at least). The hope is to get at least one or two more completed before I completely run out of cotton knitting steam, but we’ll see. In addition, I’m using up all the leftover yarn from the little bath mat I made months ago, to make a set of matching towels. I completed the first one this weekend (it’s nothing exciting; just a windowpane pattern in white cotton with little blobs of pastel colors running throughout) and cast on for a second one yesterday afternoon. And because the first little bathmat turned out so well, I’m working on a second one. Because this one is for the master bathroom shower, it’s going to be significantly larger. Again, nothing exciting – I just cast on 75 stitches using the cotton doubled, on size 10 1/2 US needles, and am slowly working my way through a million miles of mind-numbing garter stitch. It makes for good TV knitting, since I don’t have to pay it any attention at all, but I can only work on it for so long before the weight of it starts to make my hands sore.

I’ll get back to the lace eventually, I know. But for now, it’s nice to have smaller, simpler projects to focus on, until my lace knitting drive returns.