Finally

Oh new sweater of mine can I just say how much I love you. Especially since you have moved from here...

To the real world, even though I don't have photographic evidence of your completed state. And that I will not truly enjoy you till the weather turns colder again, which hopefully will be a while. I am so happy to have all my cords and needles back, that I may just cast on another sweater. You know since I left almost everything I could about you unfinished so I could try you on. How many sets of needles was it there at the end? Five!

Plus I had to pry you out from under Jack a few times. He may love you more than me.

Oh sweater I am glad to say you're finally done. You may have stumped me a few times but I can say you taught me to knit a set in sleeve, twice.

Don't worry I'll take a picture soon. Did I tell you, you look pretty today?

Working on a sweater

I think my CPH sweater may be trying to do me in. I've never knit a sweater in pieces before and honestly it feels all wrong. I feel like the pieces will never work out right. Don't worry I'm resisting the feelings but they are there.

We started seeming the sleeve in class the other night and it looks like it will work out. I can now mattress stitch. Yay me.

I've ripped back the back twice now and reknit. Somehow I am not keeping track of my rows very well. I had a couple of short cables. Sort of drove me a bit batty. I made the first attempt at waist shaping last night. We shall see how it works out. It should be a wee tuck.

I think I will take out what little seeming I did in class the other night and give the sleeve a good blocking. I seemed to have a harder time stitching because it was not properly blocked. I started the other sleeve but quickly realized I would need the larger needle and that was what I was using on the back still.

So now I have a sleeve, a sleeve cuff and a third of a back. Well at least I'm working on it.

The invasion has begun

Apparently I really needed a yarn fix so I shuffled myself to a local yarn store on Saturday. I've been getting twitchy as I said so I had lots to look for and at. I started off looking at sock yarn , because it will always be my first yarn love. They had a couple that I was really interested in. I drooled and petted for a time then asked for help with choosing a new sweater pattern.

The three sweaters I've knit have all been from the same pattern with some changes to each one. I believe in approaching knitting patterns the way I approach recipes. Follow the directions as listed in the pattern/recipe the first time. It gives you a basis for knowing what your working with and if you like it. Anything after that is free game, I can add or subtract pattern elements/spices or fruits as I wish because I know the general way it is made.

So I knit the first sweater the way the pattern was written only allowing for factors such as my particular measurements like arm length. The second time I knit it for D but changed all the edges to ribbing. The third time I kept the edges from D's sweater but added a cable panel down the front. I used the same brand and weight of yarn for all three but changed up the colors.

For my next sweater I wanted something a little more challenging but not off the scale. I'm not sure I got that but I did get something a little different. I did leap in to the realm of new yarn. I am trying out Cascade 220 yarn for the first time. I am also mixing up the color just a bit. I am so hoping I like it. Oh and for some reason I got the urge to start a wool sweater on the hottest day of the year so far. I think I just might be a tad wacky.

I bought something I hope to turn into a gift for a friend also. I don't generally knit for other people because I don't want to see that "Oh how long do I have to keep this before I can throw it out" look in their eyes. I know what I like, I like to knit, so therefore I knit for myself. You can tell how true that is based on my previous post of my knit socks versus D's knit socks ratio. I had what, 29 pairs to his 2 pair. Poor D.

I was disappointed that I could not find solid color sock yarns, or many of them for that matter. Considering that I've been knitting for 3-4 years now and I have 2 plain color sock pairs you would think that many people get wooed a way by all the multi colored yarns out there. Oddly enough my two plain socks are both dark grey. Apparently when I don't want multi color I don't want any color. So that means my cycling socks have been put on hold till I can decide what will work for me. I am fighting the urge to buy grey yarn. I'm mulling options right now, and I seem to be happy with that.

The second half of my yarn invasion will be coming in the mail. Sunday night I talked myself into ordering some yarn online I had been wanting to try. Resistance is futile. It is plain color not crazy hand painted stuff so I am calling it an experiment/test stage for the cycling socks. I think it is partly because I was so happy to decide on sweater yarn that I forgot to get the sock yarn I first looked at in the local store, so you see I had to get the yarn on Sunday night. Think D will buy that story? Ah he knows how conservative I am with our money, He won't worry about a few things of yarn that ultimately turn into clothing anyways. Love you D