Motivation-less?

During the summer our motivations change. It is hard to be productive when our knitting time, and perhaps inclination, is stretch to encompass more activities. There are gardens to tend, time with children who are out of school, vacations and many of us take advantage of the longer days by being out of doors as much as we can.  Whether it's the beach, the mountains, whatever your favorite landscape may be, it is nice to be able to spend time in a natural environment.

The heat of summer can take the motivation to knit right out of us.  For that reason,  my summer was the summer of socks (many of them lace socks). During the summer months -ok well, most of the time- I have a sock on the needles, ready to go anywhere, anytime. Socks were my summer knitting salvation. After a very productive May, June's FO's totaled ONE sock.  July was slightly more productive, with 3 pair of socks and a shawl. In August the sock motivation continued and it has been a socky month with three more pair finished. That's about it for my summer knitting.  Socks, socks, socks everywhere you look.

This beautiful pair of socks has been my constant companion the last few weeks.  They are knit with fabulous hand dyed yarn from Plain and Fancy Wool, which I purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market.  The yarn was fun to knit and the finished socks are delightfully soft and yummy to wear.  Sock Bug's River Rapids pattern was a quick and fun to knit, too.

After I finished the River Rapid socks I headed to my bin of sock yarn. How could there not be another sock on the needles?  So, I opened up the lid and played around in the yarn.  Oh, this is pretty....oh, I love this color...oh, what sock does this want to be?....  But truly what happened was nothing! Not one yarn said 'Knit Me!'  Not.one.yarn!!  I was floored and sat back, staring into the pile of sock yarn.  So, is the end of summer the end of my sock motivation? 

So tell me what you think is on the needles now.  Leave a comment and if you guess correctly I'll send you a prize (members of SLC SNB are exempt). Hint: it's made with Koigu KPPPM, on double points and it isn't a sock.  Also, commenter #7000 will get a prize but there is a ways to go before that happens.

Have a great weekend! I need to get my mountain fix.

Comments

[Michelle]

Your socks are beautiful! Love the color you chose too! I'm just learning how to knit socks myself and come to your blog for motivation and reading. My guess is your going to knit gloves or mittens.
Lovely blog,
Michelle

[Laurie]

Love the picture of River Rapid socks near river rapids. I'm voting for another shawl.
Have a wonderful weekend.

[yvette]

Those are gorgeous socks...I guess gloves.

[Kathleen]

Great color. That Sock Bug has some lovely patterns.

[Kathleen]

Oh...a vote...gloves.

[Grayce]

Margene The socks look wonderful. What are your favorite sock colors. We can't have you not knitting socks. I may have a gift for you. Grayce

[Karen]

The socks are lovely, both color and pattern.
My guess is mittens.

[Rachel]

The River Rapids socks came out beautifully. I have the yarn in my stash to knit those, and once some of my WIPs are finished, I'll have to give them a go. Have you moved on from sock knitting to mittens?

[PumpkinMama]

I'm also guessing gloves - maybe fingerless? Enjoy!

[carla Hibbard]

I am going with fingerless gloves, as that is what I want to do with some koigu. I just can't find the perfect patten. I don't like that chopped off open look. I want a plain glove with half fingers! Hope that is what you are knitting at if so you will share the pattern!

[Judy]

soak up a little for me1

[Carole]

Others have beat me to it, but I think you're knitting mittens with the Koigu. I can't imagine not having a sock in progress, though!

[Norma]

I'm thinking a lace neckwarmer, like the SmokeRing.

[Jaimi]

I'm going to join the party and guess gloves as well. Simple stockinette, with a 2x2 rib cuff. I can't think of anything better to show off Koigu.

[eyeleen]

gorgeous socks! Fingerless gloves sound good, I can't wait to see what you'll be making with the Koigu.

[Teri]

I've yet to knit with Koigu. Guess I'll have to do it after the weather turns cool and I try socks. :)

[Sandy]

I'm guessing mittens. I'm almost done with my first Friday Harbor sock - you were a lifesaver with the cuff pointers!

[Nathania]

I guess a baby hat.

Love those socks, Margene. What soothing colors!

[Jayme]

I'll say wrist warmer/fingerless mits or whatever you want to call them.

Jayme

[Beth S.]

Gloves for sure--fingerless, probably, because the state of mind you've described does not sound conducive to awkward, fiddly things like fingers. ;-)

[Lolly]

oh, what pretty socks! you always provide sock-spiration for me ;)

Hmm... I guess a hat is on the needles now...

[regina]

I feel distinctly like a lemming, but I'm also going to guess fingerless mitts. Your socks are beautiful!

[Marguerite]

What a perfect picture. Those socks are gorgeous.

If I wasn't in the middle of an experiment to see what it's like to only have two projects on the needles at once, I'd be tempted to cast on a pair.

Actually, that last paragraph was written in the wrong tense. I AM tempted to cast on a pair, but I'm NOT GOING TO DO IT.

[Rebekah]

The colors ont he River Rapids are wonderful, they truly look like a River!

[Chelle]

The socks are absolutely lovely Margene!!! Again, you are tempting me, but I'm gonna be a good girl, like Marguerite and stick with my current project - a baby blanket. I'm trying M's experiment of being "faithful."

[Lisa in Oregon]

Mmm wrist warmers? love those socks, yum.

One of these days, I'll finish a pair of socks. Really, I will.

[Cara]

I was going to say the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, but no dpn needed there (or maybe at the end, but not at the beginning.)

Maybe a hat?

[La]

What's on the needles now? My guess is that it's some kind of lace. If I guess right do I get chocolate rocks? ;-)

[Lizzy B]

Ah, I love the colorway of those river rapids socks!

[Lori]

Charlotte's Web is my guess.

[The Knitting Kit]

I would say that seeing how I just saw the first bit of autumn foliage at the top of Y mountain, right behind the hospital and that it's starting to get a wee bit nippy in the air...

Fingerless gloves. I plan on making a pair m'self.

[Karola]

Hi Zen
i love reading your blog as much as i love reading Steph's.. so here is my true lemming guess.. a bikini? hee..hee.. well i had to be different.. i now it might be a bit itchy.. but it certainly would be a horse of a different color:-) have a great weekend and good luck getting back on the sock bandwagon! karola

[Kristy]

Love the socks! I have made River Rapids with the beads and they turned out quite nice (if I may say so myself). Yummmmm, I mountain fix -- can I come, too!

Oh, I will guess a baby sweater (just to be different).

[Heather]

Wow, you've knitted a lot more than me this summer. Maybe I should start taking my knitting camping. LOL

[Lauren]

Gloves. KPPPM gloves would be fabulous.

[Anne]

wristwarmers? they're my favorite small-project, and koigu is a great yarn for them.

[sara]

I can so relate to varrying levels of motivation to knit! Some months I just rock and others, my projects don't even get taken out. Your socks are lovely - I've got a pair of koigu socks on needles that hasve remained toe'less for 3 months now! Guess I'll finish them when I actually get back to wearing shoes that require socks.

[isela]

The colorway of the new socks are gorgeous. Are you going to knit a shawl with the Koigu--maybe an Adamas shawl? or maybe the Flower Basket Shawl...hmmm, can't wait to see it.

[Snow]

I'm guessing it's a shawl that begins at the middle, but only because that's probably what I'd do with it.

I suspect I'm the only knitter on earth who has never succummed to making socks of Koigu KPPM, and I have no idea why.

[Nannette]

I'm gonna guess you have gloves on the needles. =)

Thanks for having such a great blog. I love reading here. =)

[Julia]

The socks are very pretty. Is it time to start gloves? Of course, that is probably too close to knitting socks, so hmmm, what could it be? Is it Latifa from the new Knitty? Oh, I give up. But I wanna see.

[Julia]

Okay, so it wasn't in the new knitty - it was from the fall of 03. And it wasn't on DPN's. Gloves, I think.

[erika!]

Those socks are great! My guess is wrist warmers.

[Karen]

Beauteful socks! I especially love the water back ground. My guess is a tea set? :)

[Kristi]

I'm guessing gloves as well and I'm trying to recall the name of the pattern, but I'm thinking of the modular ones like Wendy knit last year. I think she knit them from KPPPM...

[Uli]

My guess would be some lovely Koigu gloves...... anticipating colder temps.

I can't speak of many FOs for the summer and I can relate to your post about limited or less knitting time/motivation.

[Nanette]

I'm going to be specific and say your new project is either Merike's or Landra's gloves from Folk Knitting in Estonia. I'm with you - it's time to move on from socks to gloves.

[Rachel]

Gauntlets from Sally Melville's book
(or maybe this is just a wish because I think they are lovely & haven't knit with koigu for myself yet)

[laurie]

hmm...pretty much everything i had in mind has already been guessed so i won't bother repeating them...but this has reminded me i have a pair of koigu "fiesta" mittens that is only half done...rats ;o)

[Sara]

Ohhh, pretty socks. Let's see... I think you're knitting fingerless gloves or armwarmers. Yes, that's it.