A New Love

Lucy is Finished!  What a delightful knit. She has had a bath, lovingly squeezed and is drying on her yoga mat. The pattern directions were very clearly written. I am pleased with the colorwork and plan to use the alternation of variegated and solid yarns on future projects. Great design feature. Cudos to c2knits!

I tried on Lucy before her bath. She feels like a luxurious bathrobe. She fits well. Unfortunately, I am finding that while I like knitting raglan sleeve sweaters, I don’t like the way they look on me.  I think I need more structure in the shoulder and sleeve join.

I plan to wear Lucy and show her off. She will be a great sweater to grab when the air conditioning gets too cold to bear. She will be warm and cozy.  

Since my needles were lonely, I cast on and finished a 7 inch by 7 inch lace acrylic square for our guild blanket project. Each month someone teaches a new skill that we adapt to a square. One brave soul in the guild is sewing the squares together. Thank goodness, it is not me!

A few mistakes - Realized I needed stitch markers!

My small needles were also  lonely, so I cast on and finished one very tiny baby sock in watermelon pink Pediwick sock yarn using my Fingering Weight Baby Sock Pattern. The project made for an enjoyable evening. The needles are calling to me to finish the other one. Maybe, I can ignore them for a few days.

Another sweater has become my new love. I picked up the Locke Street Cardigan by Glenna C. and looked it over. I am about 5 inches into the sleeves working them two at a time. The reason for my straying from this sweater is not the cables, is not the small needles (US 5 (3.5 mm)), and is not the dark forest green alpaca yarn. The issue is two at a time. Constantly untangling the yarn. Just not fun. So slow!!!! I know many knitters like the technique, but I hate it.

So, I put one sleeve on hold and am only working with one sleeve. In 30 minutes, I have completed two pattern repeats. Yeah!  The knitting seems to be flying by. This sweater also has set in sleeves which should be a better fit for me.  So far, delightful. Like we are dancing smoothly together. 

Don’t tell Lucy!

Until next time . . . . 

What Lucy Doesn't Know Can't Hurt Her

Last blog - Lucy was everything. I could think of nothing else. Today, and for the last few days, she has sat waiting in the project bag. It’s not so much that I don’t like her anymore, but that the passion has waned. 

Well, not really.  I still love her and want to finish her before it gets 100 degrees F (37 degrees C) here. Unfortunately, a few things have come between me and my love.

Many may not know, but I have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). I have never been diagnosed. They didn’t do that when I was growing up. Over the years, I have worked hard to channel my thoughts long enough to complete a project, a meal, a book, or even a thought. It usually goes unnoticed. 

I try very hard to only have a few knitting projects on the needles. Right now I have three -Lucy, a beautiful alpaca cabled cardigan, and a cotton baby blanket.  But, I digress.... back to Lucy.

Everything was going swimmingly. She was growing at a marvelous rate. Good for a sweater, not so good for a girl. Only have three inches of sleeve left before it is time to knit the cuff. 

Then it began! The issues!  First, Lucy is a jealous lover and doesn’t like anyone around. As the sleeve progresses, there is a decrease every inch which needs to be measured or counted and a coilless safety pin used to mark it. With all the counting and measuring and pinning, there is little time for anyone else. Not a good knitting circle project. Lucy doesn’t like to share!

Second, as the sleeve got longer, and a coilless safety pin was placed every inch at the decreases to ensure that when the second sleeve is knitted that the decreases will match. (At least, that is the theory.) Imagine the horror as the sleeve progressed and it was noticed that there were no more pins. And, no stitch markers that open. And, the LYS is closed. Yeah, Yeah,Yeah. I could have gone old school and used yarn loops. But, really! On my new love? Never!

I put her lovingly down in a beautiful project bag and picked up my laptop to catch up on my favorite podcasts. After all, I didn’t want to be unfaithful to her with another knitting project.

As I was watching the podcasts, I received a call from Karen at my LYS. (What was she doing there after hours?!) The yarn to work the cuffs and borders of Lucy is on backorder! Another horror! What am I to do?

Should I finish her up to the point where she only needs cuffs and border? Or wait and finish her in a whirl wind of knitting after the yarn comes in?

I have to blame my favorite podcasters for what happened next.  As I was watching Suzee and Lisa and Vicki and Claire and Wendy and Sheila and Laura and Leslie and Carin and Steve and Callie and Heather and Katie and Dawn and Aimee and Darren and Nicole and Diane and Erin and ......., I  saw socks, socks, socks! All being finished and so beautiful!

But, I didn’t want to start a long project when a trip to the store for more pins was near. So, I followed Katie’s lead. Learn about the Fleegle heel and cast on baby socks. In an hour the first was finished. Another hour, and I had two! Oh, the joy of small needles, fingering self patterning yarn and a completed project. 

Maybe, Lucy didn’t see.

Until next time . . . . 

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do."

I was innocently minding my own business, when Lucy came along and messed up my nice, almost, ordered life. I am the one who knits a pair of socks and at least one baby item for the gift drawer each month. Now, I don’t even want to look at anything but Lucy. 

Lucy, the cardigan, that is.  A wonderful topdown, seamless, shawl-collar cardigan designed by c2knits, knitted out of Cascade Luna and Luna Paints. 

It was a normal day when I walked into my LYS, and sat down at the table. There were a few other knitters around the table flipping through the binders of individual patterns. I joined them. How was I to know that this would be the beginning of the end. After all,  it was just a little look. What could that hurt? Flip. . . “Oh, that’s a nice one.”; flip . . .  “oh, look at this one.”; flip  . . . . “oh, my! I have to have that one!”, NOW! 

Yep! I saw the pattern and knew I was sunk. Bought Lucy and the 12 skeins of yarn in lightening speed. Couldn't  wait to get her home and swatch her. Oooh! she slides so smoothly around the size US 7 (4.5 mm) Knitter's Pride Symfonie Wood Dreamz needles. I am in loooove! 

Goodbye Hermione’s Everyday Socks, Goodbye Striped Baby Blanket, Goodbye Stephen West's Bedrock, Don’t even think about it, Summer Flies Shawl. You are no longer the loves of my life. I’m sorry. I don’t have time for any of you. Lucy is my love now.

She has taken over my life. I haven’t been cooking, cleaning, running errands, visiting friends. Nothing. I only want to spend time with her. First it was the neck, then after only a what seemed like a few rows, dividing for the sleeves and then binding off the body. Now the right sleeve is on the needles. She is luscious. She is smooth. She is a joy to behold.

I guess I have it bad!  I will be spending all my time with Lucy.

Until next time . . . .