Declaring War

Recently I've noticed a small issue whenever I start planning a project, I don't have the needles to do it.

Now as a knitter that has been given an interchangeable circular needle set, bought sock needle sets, inherited needles from family members, and received more then a couple sets from friends, I seem to have no needles to work with.

I'm not completely out of needles, but there are things I'm out of, like needle connectors for my interchangeable circulars, the few pairs of fixed circulars I have are in use, and my favorite sock needle size (1.5 US btw) are all claimed by socks. But as I browsed new projects I realized I have a problem and this lead to something crazy that the yarn harlot has also done.

I gathered all my WIP and was not happy with what I found.

This lovely Bird's Nest Smoke Ring cowl still has the cable in it but I took the needles off. It is also the same pattern that Caren used with my yarn but then I remembered why I stopped working on it...

Do you see how many yarn overs there are? I kept dropping them and forgetting them, then my plan to use all my stitch markers to remind me to look for a yarn over failed. But I cannot bring myself to frog it because its 1/3rd done and I had planned on it being a Christmas gift last year but ended up getting my grandma Jane something else. This year I think I'm in a good place because I can make it for her and I'm already ahead.

I also have my grandma Sue's blanket still on the needles and I just need to finish one chart and cast off: Its a little scary. I currently have 640 live stitches on the edge and there is a border that I work as I cast off. Guess how many stitches I have to knit to cast this sucker off.

Really guess. Now triple that guess, hell double it now, and take a look at the picture of it ready to cast off and take a breath before readying the caption:

The cast off is 8,107 stitches.

8,107!!! That is going to take forever and its done on 2 DPNs, but I need those freaking needles!

Then there are these plain socks that just need a toe and after thought heels:

These are also socks for myself

Here is Ben's birthday socks that I started in January that I loved:

All of these hold something special for me and they're holding my needles hostage!

So I've declared war against them! I'm only allowed to cast on a new project if I finish 2 projects. I just finished this shawl and after I finish the above blanket I'm casting on a plain knit shawl for myself. Kinda rinsing your mouth out with water while wine tasting.

Bluewings Shawlette with 1 skein of my hand dye

Gauge lied as my swatch matched but it turned out much larger then
planned and I stopped before the last 2 repeats of the second chart.

Think of everything you could get done if you joined the war!