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Siri - A Sweater Story in Photos
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
orchard wool sweater
Remember the orchard wool sweater? It's done. In fact, it's been 99% done for about a month now, and today I finally sewed on the last three buttons and hid the ends so I could call it a finished object.
(I really need to learn how to take good self-portraits with a tripod and a timer because I hate asking Stuart to take pictures of me. He doesn't complain about it, but I just feel like a giant dork when I pose for someone else.)
Pattern: Garter Yoke Cardigan from the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Knit.1 magazine
Yarn: nearly black wool, the natural color of Black Welsh Mountain sheep, raised with care at Door Creek Orchard just outside Madison.
Overall, I'm pleased with how this turned out. I think the fit is flattering, and the pattern is fairly well-written, except for one detail: there are no extra stitches cast on at the underarms, which makes the sides of the sweater pull and pucker in a weird way when I raise my arms. I think that is a design flaw. And the yarn...well, to be honest it's a little scratchy and rough. It's not itchy, exactly, but scratchy, and I think there is a difference: rough wool is scratchy, alpaca and mohair are - for me - itchy. A long soak in wool wash didn't really help, either. I don't regret buying it, or knitting the sweater with it, considering its local origins, and in some ways I'm a rustic kind of gal myself. This is the sort of sweater that I will wear when it is really cold, because the scratch won't bother me then, and besides, this is very warm wool. I don't think I'll wear it much this spring because it is so warm, and the color is so drab and un-springlike. It's perfect for gloomy winter days, though.
(I really need to learn how to take good self-portraits with a tripod and a timer because I hate asking Stuart to take pictures of me. He doesn't complain about it, but I just feel like a giant dork when I pose for someone else.)
Pattern: Garter Yoke Cardigan from the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Knit.1 magazine
Yarn: nearly black wool, the natural color of Black Welsh Mountain sheep, raised with care at Door Creek Orchard just outside Madison.
Overall, I'm pleased with how this turned out. I think the fit is flattering, and the pattern is fairly well-written, except for one detail: there are no extra stitches cast on at the underarms, which makes the sides of the sweater pull and pucker in a weird way when I raise my arms. I think that is a design flaw. And the yarn...well, to be honest it's a little scratchy and rough. It's not itchy, exactly, but scratchy, and I think there is a difference: rough wool is scratchy, alpaca and mohair are - for me - itchy. A long soak in wool wash didn't really help, either. I don't regret buying it, or knitting the sweater with it, considering its local origins, and in some ways I'm a rustic kind of gal myself. This is the sort of sweater that I will wear when it is really cold, because the scratch won't bother me then, and besides, this is very warm wool. I don't think I'll wear it much this spring because it is so warm, and the color is so drab and un-springlike. It's perfect for gloomy winter days, though.
Friday, March 26, 2010
warning
Lately, Daniel has developed an interest in those warning signs you see on those poles that support electric wires. And by "developed an interest," I mean he points out every single one he sees when we're out on a walk or driving somewhere. I didn't know until he developed this interest in warning signs just how many there are, but dude, they are everywhere! This is the one in the back of our property:
We often have this conversation:
D - Mom! Mom! I see a warning sign!
Me - Yup, I see it, too.
D - It says 'Don't touch the wire or you might break your hand!' (This is how he interprets the picture of the hand receiving an electric shock, I suppose.)
Me - That would be unfortunate, huh?
D - Yeah, what would happen if you break your hand?
Me - There's a lot of stuff you couldn't do.
D - Like climb! And knit!
Yes, Daniel has decided that the worst consequences of an injured hand are that one could neither climb nor knit. He climbs everything all the time (with surprising agility; he rarely falls...I should consider enrolling him in a gymnastics class somewhere), and I knit as much as I can. Ergo, those are the things we would miss the most. I haven't bothered to explain to him what that symbol actually means. How do you explain electrocution to a 4yo without either scaring the pants off him?
And it would surely be a shame if I couldn't knit, because I wouldn't have gotten this far with the Equinox Raglan:
So far it fits beautifully. As long as there is no major change with blocking (I'm taking a gamble there, I know), this will be a very nice sweater when it's done. I just finished the waist shaping, so it's smooth sailing from here on out, just knitknitknitknitknit until it's long enough. Anya is taking a rare and long nap right now, so I think I'll go do just that.
We often have this conversation:
D - Mom! Mom! I see a warning sign!
Me - Yup, I see it, too.
D - It says 'Don't touch the wire or you might break your hand!' (This is how he interprets the picture of the hand receiving an electric shock, I suppose.)
Me - That would be unfortunate, huh?
D - Yeah, what would happen if you break your hand?
Me - There's a lot of stuff you couldn't do.
D - Like climb! And knit!
Yes, Daniel has decided that the worst consequences of an injured hand are that one could neither climb nor knit. He climbs everything all the time (with surprising agility; he rarely falls...I should consider enrolling him in a gymnastics class somewhere), and I knit as much as I can. Ergo, those are the things we would miss the most. I haven't bothered to explain to him what that symbol actually means. How do you explain electrocution to a 4yo without either scaring the pants off him?
And it would surely be a shame if I couldn't knit, because I wouldn't have gotten this far with the Equinox Raglan:
So far it fits beautifully. As long as there is no major change with blocking (I'm taking a gamble there, I know), this will be a very nice sweater when it's done. I just finished the waist shaping, so it's smooth sailing from here on out, just knitknitknitknitknit until it's long enough. Anya is taking a rare and long nap right now, so I think I'll go do just that.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
close enough
It doesn't quite feel like spring, not quite. There is still a chill in the air, a few tenacious piles of snow lurking in the shadows, morning frost on the grass. But today, not-quite spring was close enough. The kids and I went to the zoo...
...and the park next to the zoo...
We ate lunch outside...
...and when we came home I hung up the laundry outside for the first time this year.
We ran around and played in the sandbox and blew bubbles and threw a tennis ball back and forth. I think Daniel and Anya outside the entire day, except for about an hour after lunch while Anya napped and I made him sit on the couch and watch a little TV so he could have some quiet time before going to the park with a sitter. (That's my piano practice time; I have a couple recording sessions next week, so those hours of practice are pretty crucial right now.)
I managed to sneak in some knitting, too:
My second try at the equinox raglan is going much better. A few extra rounds between the last increases seems to have done the trick, and for now, all is going smoothly. I know that looks pretty much the same as before, only without sleeves, but you'll just have to trust me that it's better. I hope I finish it before the weather is too warm to wear it...but who am I kidding? This is Wisconsin! We could have snow yet this year.
...and the park next to the zoo...
We ate lunch outside...
...and when we came home I hung up the laundry outside for the first time this year.
We ran around and played in the sandbox and blew bubbles and threw a tennis ball back and forth. I think Daniel and Anya outside the entire day, except for about an hour after lunch while Anya napped and I made him sit on the couch and watch a little TV so he could have some quiet time before going to the park with a sitter. (That's my piano practice time; I have a couple recording sessions next week, so those hours of practice are pretty crucial right now.)
I managed to sneak in some knitting, too:
My second try at the equinox raglan is going much better. A few extra rounds between the last increases seems to have done the trick, and for now, all is going smoothly. I know that looks pretty much the same as before, only without sleeves, but you'll just have to trust me that it's better. I hope I finish it before the weather is too warm to wear it...but who am I kidding? This is Wisconsin! We could have snow yet this year.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
constant interruption
Y'all, snow on the first day of spring makes me grouchy.
You know what else makes me grouchy? Constant interruption. Yes, this is a fact of life with small children, and I know it's a really petty thing to complain about. And I've learned to be more patient about it.
I've been trying to cut out a skirt for two days now. It's got two layers and a lot of pieces, so that is Reason #1 the cutting out is taking so long. Reason #2: constant interruption. It's frustrating, most of all because I get really grouchy with myself for wanting to be left alone so I can do something selfish like make myself a skirt that I'll have little occasion to wear.
Anyway, despite the fact that I'm not even halfway done cutting out the pieces, I've discovered my new favorite sewing tool: the tracing wheel.
Tracing the pattern on the fabric before cutting it out is so much easier, faster and more accurate than using pins. The empty jam jars are functioning as pattern weights there. I haven't sewed anything for myself since I made a maternity dress when I was pregnant with Daniel. I hope I remember what I'm doing! If I can get more than 10 minutes at a time to work on it (see why I knit so much?) maybe I'll have a new skirt by the time the snow melts.
You know what else makes me grouchy? Constant interruption. Yes, this is a fact of life with small children, and I know it's a really petty thing to complain about. And I've learned to be more patient about it.
I've been trying to cut out a skirt for two days now. It's got two layers and a lot of pieces, so that is Reason #1 the cutting out is taking so long. Reason #2: constant interruption. It's frustrating, most of all because I get really grouchy with myself for wanting to be left alone so I can do something selfish like make myself a skirt that I'll have little occasion to wear.
Anyway, despite the fact that I'm not even halfway done cutting out the pieces, I've discovered my new favorite sewing tool: the tracing wheel.
Tracing the pattern on the fabric before cutting it out is so much easier, faster and more accurate than using pins. The empty jam jars are functioning as pattern weights there. I haven't sewed anything for myself since I made a maternity dress when I was pregnant with Daniel. I hope I remember what I'm doing! If I can get more than 10 minutes at a time to work on it (see why I knit so much?) maybe I'll have a new skirt by the time the snow melts.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
speaking of things not working...
I just knit a giant swatch. And by "giant swatch" I mean about a third of a sweater that I have to redo because it isn't going to fit.
Last Friday I started the Equinox Raglan from the latest Knitscene (a magazine I like more and more lately). I have never knit with Silk Garden before, but it's the yarn called for, so I just blithely cast on with my fingers crossed, hoping it would work out okay.
It didn't.
I take full responsibility for this. My gauge is spot-on, actually. The problem is that I cast on for the smallest size, intending to do extra increases for the second-smallest size because I thought the neck looked a little too wide in the pictures. (This sweater is a top-down raglan construction, a technique I have done many times for baby/kid sweaters, but never for myself.) As it happens, the numbers don't quite work out for that plan, and I ended up with the right number of stitches for the sleeves before there were enough in the main body. I kept going under the assumption that the sweater might grow a little with blocking because the yarn has so much silk in it...and I might be right about that, but last night I put the body stitches on waste yarn and pulled it on and I knew. I knew it wasn't going to fit comfortably because the raglans are too short by more than an inch. Now, I could have just frogged back 70% of it and tacked on some extra increases, but I have decided just to start over. (I'm really wishing I hadn't done the sleeves already.)
I have decided I like the wider neckline. The sweater is rather fitted - I'm making the size that is about the same as my very modest bust measurement - and I would wear a tank top or camisole underneath anyway for modesty, so I'm not worried about it slipping down over my shoulders. I think that wide neckline is one reason the armholes are shorter than usual, too, which explains why it was so tight on me even though my gauge was right.
Also, there is the petty detail of my increases. When I started the first time I got my right and left leaning increases mixed up. It was consistent, so I stuck with it, but making them lean the "wrong" way makes the raglan "seam" a little more obvious, and I think I'd like it better the other way, where the increased stitches lean the same way as the rest of the knitting. Here's a picture of how I don't want it:
I was a little bummed that everything didn't go just exactly right from the get-go, but really, I've only lost about 4 evenings' worth of knitting, and it's totally worth the trouble to have a sweater I like. And I'm really going to like this one. Isn't the yarn gorgeous? I'm not usually a fan of self-striping yarns, but there are notable exceptions, and Noro is one of them.
I didn't think about the fact that this sweater is named "Equinox" until now, but wouldn't it be cool if it could be finished for the Spring Equinox this Saturday? Alas, I don't think that's going to happen, since it's Thursday already and I just started over. Anyway, it's supposed to snow all weekend (boo! hiss!), so we'll be back to winter coats and sloppy boots.
Last Friday I started the Equinox Raglan from the latest Knitscene (a magazine I like more and more lately). I have never knit with Silk Garden before, but it's the yarn called for, so I just blithely cast on with my fingers crossed, hoping it would work out okay.
It didn't.
I take full responsibility for this. My gauge is spot-on, actually. The problem is that I cast on for the smallest size, intending to do extra increases for the second-smallest size because I thought the neck looked a little too wide in the pictures. (This sweater is a top-down raglan construction, a technique I have done many times for baby/kid sweaters, but never for myself.) As it happens, the numbers don't quite work out for that plan, and I ended up with the right number of stitches for the sleeves before there were enough in the main body. I kept going under the assumption that the sweater might grow a little with blocking because the yarn has so much silk in it...and I might be right about that, but last night I put the body stitches on waste yarn and pulled it on and I knew. I knew it wasn't going to fit comfortably because the raglans are too short by more than an inch. Now, I could have just frogged back 70% of it and tacked on some extra increases, but I have decided just to start over. (I'm really wishing I hadn't done the sleeves already.)
I have decided I like the wider neckline. The sweater is rather fitted - I'm making the size that is about the same as my very modest bust measurement - and I would wear a tank top or camisole underneath anyway for modesty, so I'm not worried about it slipping down over my shoulders. I think that wide neckline is one reason the armholes are shorter than usual, too, which explains why it was so tight on me even though my gauge was right.
Also, there is the petty detail of my increases. When I started the first time I got my right and left leaning increases mixed up. It was consistent, so I stuck with it, but making them lean the "wrong" way makes the raglan "seam" a little more obvious, and I think I'd like it better the other way, where the increased stitches lean the same way as the rest of the knitting. Here's a picture of how I don't want it:
I was a little bummed that everything didn't go just exactly right from the get-go, but really, I've only lost about 4 evenings' worth of knitting, and it's totally worth the trouble to have a sweater I like. And I'm really going to like this one. Isn't the yarn gorgeous? I'm not usually a fan of self-striping yarns, but there are notable exceptions, and Noro is one of them.
I didn't think about the fact that this sweater is named "Equinox" until now, but wouldn't it be cool if it could be finished for the Spring Equinox this Saturday? Alas, I don't think that's going to happen, since it's Thursday already and I just started over. Anyway, it's supposed to snow all weekend (boo! hiss!), so we'll be back to winter coats and sloppy boots.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
when a sweater just doesn't work
Here's something I am learning slowly (very slowly) but surely about knitting for myself: just because I like a sweater doesn't mean I should knit it, at least not for myself. Case in point: the purple cables raglan cardigan that I finished - well look at that - about exactly a year ago. It's a really cute design, I did a good job with the knitting and finishing, I loved the yarn (Adrienne Vitta-however-that-goes Lisa) and the color...but it just isn't working for me. The problem isn't the swingy A-line shape (which, strangely enough, worked better on me than I expected) or the 3/4 length sleeves. The problem is the neckline. It's just too wide and keeps slipping down my shoulders. The collar won't stay down, either, which is a bit of a design flaw, in my opinion, but I think that could be fixed by tacking it down in a few strategic places.
What does one do with a nice sweater she put a lot of work into but never wears? Frogging isn't a very appealing option, and I can't bear to give something like this to a thrift store. The solution: find a friend who would fit it and would like it. Fortunately, I had someone in mind. My friend Pat is a fellow knitter and relatively small like me, and bonus - she likes purple! We met at the botanical gardens today, and I brought her the sweater. She tried it on and it fits!See?
It's a win-win, as far as I'm concerned. She gets a nice new sweater, and I am relieved of the burden of guilt of not wearing something that I put a lot of work into.
What does one do with a nice sweater she put a lot of work into but never wears? Frogging isn't a very appealing option, and I can't bear to give something like this to a thrift store. The solution: find a friend who would fit it and would like it. Fortunately, I had someone in mind. My friend Pat is a fellow knitter and relatively small like me, and bonus - she likes purple! We met at the botanical gardens today, and I brought her the sweater. She tried it on and it fits!See?
It's a win-win, as far as I'm concerned. She gets a nice new sweater, and I am relieved of the burden of guilt of not wearing something that I put a lot of work into.
Friday, March 12, 2010
peek
I spotted daffodils poking through the snowy ground this morning, so I had to snap a picture, of course. Just for fun, I threw in the new knitting project I started last night:
It's a sweater for me. Hooray! Thanks for the comments on my last post encouraging me to do something for myself. I feel like I do plenty of knitting for myself, actually, but you guys are right. I spend most of my time taking care of other people (namely, my offspring). I often feel guilty whenever I take time for myself or make something for myself, but I know that guilt, while inevitable and part of motherhood, is unnecessary. I need to get over it.
It's a sweater for me. Hooray! Thanks for the comments on my last post encouraging me to do something for myself. I feel like I do plenty of knitting for myself, actually, but you guys are right. I spend most of my time taking care of other people (namely, my offspring). I often feel guilty whenever I take time for myself or make something for myself, but I know that guilt, while inevitable and part of motherhood, is unnecessary. I need to get over it.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
the problems
Anya is asleep, Daniel and Stuart are out for what is probably the last sledding excursion of the season, and what have I been doing with the last half hour? Squat, that's what. I've been puttering, wandering around the house trying to decide what I should do with these precious moments of quiet. This is time I should by all right be using to relax and do my own thing, but alas, I can't.
I think the problem is twofold. First of all, since I spend most of my time at home and am thus in charge of dealing with nearly all the housework, I find it impossible to relax when something isn't done. And there's always something not done: a floor to sweep, dishes to wash, food to prepare, laundry to wash or dry or fold or put away, clutter to pick up, junk mail to be sorted. I am incapable of sitting on the couch and knitting when I am surrounded by chores.
The second problem is one of over-stimulation.
(Rats. Anya just woke up. So much for the free time. At least I can buy a few more minutes if I let her nurse while I'm sitting here.)
Anyway, I was saying....over-stimulation. With spring just around the corner, I am feeling renewed creative energy, but I have so many potential projects I just don't know where to start. I know I mentioned this recently, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself here. Most of the time I'm happy to have a sizable yarn stash, plus a modest stash of other crafting supplies (like fabric), because I find it inspiring and fun to look through what's there and dream of all the possibilities and potential. But days like today, it is too much. Should I knit the neckwarmer I really wanted a month ago, even though it's going to be too warm for alpaca by the time I finish it? Start a wool sweater? Start a sweater for spring? Sew a skirt? Knit some socks for Daniel that he requested a few weeks back? Alas, the fun projects are impractical, and the practical projects would be boring (I guess that's a third problem, if you think about it.)
While I am more or less paralyzed by indecision, I can at least finish up a couple dangling WIPs and crank out a few easy baby gifts. Take these hats for instance:
They are for this little guy. I don't swatch for hats, so the first one (on the left) came out a little big, probably could fit a 1yo. There was plenty of yarn left, so I cast on 8 fewer stitches and made the second (on the right). I don't really remember how big newborn hats are, but I do know they grow out of them so quickly, it almost doesn't matter. I just hope it fits this spring before the weather warms up for real. (If this year is anything like last year, that will be around mid-June.)
Pattern: None, just a simple st st hat in the round with stripes and an i-cord topknot. Hat #1 I cast on 72 sttiches and hat #2 I cast on 64. I measured the gauge later and it was about 4.5 spi.
Yarn: Spud and Chlöe Sweater, a superwash wool/organic cotton blend that is fabulously soft and thankfully available at an LYS pretty close to me. I envision more of this yarn in my future (in fact, Daniel has just asked me for another green sweater...)
Made for: Gabe the new babe, who met his adoptive parents a few hours after he was born this past Sunday.
So what do I do? I know at least a dozen or so people read this blog pretty regularly, so I'm asking for your input: what should Susan make next? I'm always changing my mind, so I may or may not go with majority decision, but I will certainly consider your suggestions!!
I think the problem is twofold. First of all, since I spend most of my time at home and am thus in charge of dealing with nearly all the housework, I find it impossible to relax when something isn't done. And there's always something not done: a floor to sweep, dishes to wash, food to prepare, laundry to wash or dry or fold or put away, clutter to pick up, junk mail to be sorted. I am incapable of sitting on the couch and knitting when I am surrounded by chores.
The second problem is one of over-stimulation.
(Rats. Anya just woke up. So much for the free time. At least I can buy a few more minutes if I let her nurse while I'm sitting here.)
Anyway, I was saying....over-stimulation. With spring just around the corner, I am feeling renewed creative energy, but I have so many potential projects I just don't know where to start. I know I mentioned this recently, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself here. Most of the time I'm happy to have a sizable yarn stash, plus a modest stash of other crafting supplies (like fabric), because I find it inspiring and fun to look through what's there and dream of all the possibilities and potential. But days like today, it is too much. Should I knit the neckwarmer I really wanted a month ago, even though it's going to be too warm for alpaca by the time I finish it? Start a wool sweater? Start a sweater for spring? Sew a skirt? Knit some socks for Daniel that he requested a few weeks back? Alas, the fun projects are impractical, and the practical projects would be boring (I guess that's a third problem, if you think about it.)
While I am more or less paralyzed by indecision, I can at least finish up a couple dangling WIPs and crank out a few easy baby gifts. Take these hats for instance:
They are for this little guy. I don't swatch for hats, so the first one (on the left) came out a little big, probably could fit a 1yo. There was plenty of yarn left, so I cast on 8 fewer stitches and made the second (on the right). I don't really remember how big newborn hats are, but I do know they grow out of them so quickly, it almost doesn't matter. I just hope it fits this spring before the weather warms up for real. (If this year is anything like last year, that will be around mid-June.)
Pattern: None, just a simple st st hat in the round with stripes and an i-cord topknot. Hat #1 I cast on 72 sttiches and hat #2 I cast on 64. I measured the gauge later and it was about 4.5 spi.
Yarn: Spud and Chlöe Sweater, a superwash wool/organic cotton blend that is fabulously soft and thankfully available at an LYS pretty close to me. I envision more of this yarn in my future (in fact, Daniel has just asked me for another green sweater...)
Made for: Gabe the new babe, who met his adoptive parents a few hours after he was born this past Sunday.
So what do I do? I know at least a dozen or so people read this blog pretty regularly, so I'm asking for your input: what should Susan make next? I'm always changing my mind, so I may or may not go with majority decision, but I will certainly consider your suggestions!!
Monday, March 01, 2010
gold medal? for mocs and socks
I finished my knitting olympics project, with even a couple hours to spare. Here's the last part of it:
Pretty unremarkable, no? I think these are the most blah socks I've ever knit - vanilla top-down, no pattern to speak of socks in the least appealing beige color on the planet. But they are done and in the future they will keep some child's feet warm in Afghanistan (where, I hope, the color will compliment a little better the indigenous complexion than mine). Unfortunately, while these socks were done in time for the Olympics, they didn't make the deadline for the Afghans for Afghans March 1 campaign, so I'll just hang onto them until the next go-round. (I sent the sweater and hat a few days ago, so hopefully they made it in time.)
I'm really lousy with html, so I'm not posting a picture of the Knitting Gold Medal, but I'm not sure I deserve it anyway. The Knitting Olympics was supposed to be a real personal challenge, and I have to admit this wasn't. I mean, it was a challenge getting through the stress of these last couple weeks, as well as the month ahead of me, but that is for reasons unrelated to knitting. And it was certainly a challenge to finish these projects without getting all distracted by other projects that may have been more tempting, but when it comes down to it, a simple child's sweater, hat and socks in 17 days was totally doable. Kind of like getting the gold medal just because everyone else got disqualified for some reason.
Stuart had his own project, though: a pair of moccasins! You have to understand my husband is not inclined towards the needle arts. At. All. So I was kind of surprised when he ordered a leather moccasin kit with the intention of making the mocs himself. "Fun and easy to make!" the instructions promised. Stuart wasn't so sure he found it either fun or easy, but with a lot of help from my mom (my parents are here for a few days to visit), he figured it out and ended up with quite a nice pair of moccasins.
He uses them for cold-weather running. It's another chapter in the saga of eschewing conventional running shoes (read teh book Born To Run and you'll feel the same way) in favor of running barefoot and in Vibram 5-finger shoes, neither of which are a viable option when the temperature outside is below about 35 degrees.
Anyways, now I need a new project. What's it going to be? Lace? Cables? Fair isle? Perhaps even a steeking project? I don't know yet, but my fingers can't stay idle for long!
Pretty unremarkable, no? I think these are the most blah socks I've ever knit - vanilla top-down, no pattern to speak of socks in the least appealing beige color on the planet. But they are done and in the future they will keep some child's feet warm in Afghanistan (where, I hope, the color will compliment a little better the indigenous complexion than mine). Unfortunately, while these socks were done in time for the Olympics, they didn't make the deadline for the Afghans for Afghans March 1 campaign, so I'll just hang onto them until the next go-round. (I sent the sweater and hat a few days ago, so hopefully they made it in time.)
I'm really lousy with html, so I'm not posting a picture of the Knitting Gold Medal, but I'm not sure I deserve it anyway. The Knitting Olympics was supposed to be a real personal challenge, and I have to admit this wasn't. I mean, it was a challenge getting through the stress of these last couple weeks, as well as the month ahead of me, but that is for reasons unrelated to knitting. And it was certainly a challenge to finish these projects without getting all distracted by other projects that may have been more tempting, but when it comes down to it, a simple child's sweater, hat and socks in 17 days was totally doable. Kind of like getting the gold medal just because everyone else got disqualified for some reason.
Stuart had his own project, though: a pair of moccasins! You have to understand my husband is not inclined towards the needle arts. At. All. So I was kind of surprised when he ordered a leather moccasin kit with the intention of making the mocs himself. "Fun and easy to make!" the instructions promised. Stuart wasn't so sure he found it either fun or easy, but with a lot of help from my mom (my parents are here for a few days to visit), he figured it out and ended up with quite a nice pair of moccasins.
He uses them for cold-weather running. It's another chapter in the saga of eschewing conventional running shoes (read teh book Born To Run and you'll feel the same way) in favor of running barefoot and in Vibram 5-finger shoes, neither of which are a viable option when the temperature outside is below about 35 degrees.
Anyways, now I need a new project. What's it going to be? Lace? Cables? Fair isle? Perhaps even a steeking project? I don't know yet, but my fingers can't stay idle for long!
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