Barbarian crossing…

A longish while ago, in a galaxy far, far away, in a land where I had disposable income…I bought a Viking Hat kit. (Along with perhaps a Dale of Norway pattern book or two.)

As is often the case with these things, the kit went into the “pending” file…and then a few other things piled on top of it…and then volcanoes erupted and created new land forms…and then the super-continent broke apart and there was upheaval and stuff, and things that used to be on the bottom went to the top and there were some shawls knit and some sweaters cranked out and sock after sock after sock…and then there was some kind of earthquake or something and lo! The kit was pushed to the surface again!

So I knit it.



This was a really fun project. It went fast, and has produced a hat that is good and warm. Since the barbarian I intend to give it to lives in the Arctic Lands of the Sierras, good and warm is highly desirable.

Since the horns are created separately and sewn on, you can also just leave ‘em off…if, you know, your resident barbarian is trying to go incognito and such. Personally, if I did them again, I think I’d make the horns a little bit bigger. But then, I long ago gave up such things as dignity and pride.

I’m back to working on the Old Lady Jacket Rustic Jacket, but I confess I’m having motivational issues on it. SEE, the sleeves? They’re, like, enormously wide? I mean, really, they are…designed for lots and lots and lots of freedom of movement.

Which, taken all by itself is a good thing. Who likes a jacket that binds your arms to your sides? Nobody. So the fact that these sleeves are kind of extra wide at the top and going into armholes that practically go from shoulder to hip isn’t such a bad thing. It’s a jacket that would go over a sweater. Good thing.

The bad thing is, they’re done in double moss stitch, which I have decided is a kind of knitting purgatory. Yards and yards and yards of knit, purl, knit, purl, knit, purl…yarn forward, yarn back, yarn forward, yarn back…yawn…I’m about an inch from being done with the first sleeve, BUT THEN, I have to do the other sleeve.

And it’s taking for-ev-ah.

And I’m just sort of in an instant gratification kind of mood lately.

But I’m also in a finishing things up mood. First of all, I have no available #6 needles, because they are all attached to in-progress projects. Secondly, most of my canvas bags (which are supposed to be for shopping) are likewise unavailable because they have been pressed into project storage.

And thirdly, finishing up projects that are already well underway should be fairly close to instant gratification, shouldn’t they? I mean, when you’ve got the front, back and most of one sleeve done, you’re practically there, right?

…except for that conflabbed double moss stitch thing, with the k1-p1-k1-p1 on and on and on…

But! Nevertheless! I knit on bravely! Because I need my needles and my bags back, and also I would like to get this finished before it becomes shorts and tank top weather again.

…but I think I will make a point of avoiding things with moss or seed stitch bases for a while…