The things we do

It never ceases to amaze me at what I will agree to when one of my children is involved.  My middle child, ever the girly girl and on the go, wanted a blanket for her dolls.  I had been gifted some acrylic yarn, and thought this would be a perfect use for it.  I have a pink, yellow and eggshell color that is from the 1970's.  I plan on making the blanket pink (because what other color is there?) with white daisies.  A pillow has been requested as well, and another blanket for the guest dolls.  Yes, this doll has a guest bed in her house and her friends sleep over all the time.  Five year olds have great imaginations.  I hope to finish this and my sock while hubby has surgery and doctor appointments in the next couple of days.  He is going for the first cataract surgery tomorrow, and the second will be in a couple of weeks.  Positive thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Dog Days of Summer

August is called the "dog days" of Summer.  It is usually hot, and with nothing to celebrate, the heat makes the days drag.  I am trying to take full advantage of it, by trying to complete something.  I have a sock and a half, and hope to finish it within a day or so.  The sooner I am done with it, the sooner I can move on to another project. 

The front of my sweater is done, but I need to get started on the back.  Then I have the mittens for Christmas, at least 2 pairs of socks for Christmas, and the birthday sweaters to do.  Think I can get it all done?  Yeah, I don't think so either, at least not this year.

Reflections

I have been thinking about my projects, current and past, and the ones I want to attempt in the future.  I have 3 currently in progress, meaning that I'm actually knitting on them actively.  The first is the My Cup of Tea socks, which I tried on last night and they are a bit tight.  Which means that I will probably rip them out and just knit a pair of plain socks for myself.  I could possibly adjust the pattern with some math, but the pattern won't stick in my brain for whatever reason, meaning that I have to keep a piece of paper in front of me.  That sort of defeats the purpose have having traveling knitting.  I want something that I can memorize or I don't have to think about and can pull out at a moment's notice to work on.  I may just "create" my own pattern - use a simple stitch repeat like the Bee Stitch and just get going.  I like something that I can stick in my purse and pull out when I have a spare moment.

I have fewer and fewer of those these days, as I am becoming my husband's personal assistant.  It's not really all that bad - he is just having a lot of doctor's appointments and I am the one who has to coordinate them all within his work schedule.  He's having cataract surgery in August, which is rough because he has to have them one at a time and each eye requires a week off of work.  Most people don't think that's a big deal, but it is when you don't have sick time or vacation, and if you don't work, you don't get paid.  We have to carefully orchestrate everything, and I get to be the conductor.  It's not as exciting as it sounds, I promise.

My 12 Days of Christmas garland got sidetracked, because the color combination wasn't quite what I wanted.  I got about 2/3rds done, and didn't like it.  Fortunately, it's small, so it wasn't that much work.

My sweater is still in progress, but working on the other 2 things means the sweater goes for TV knitting.  And since I haven't been watching much TV these days, there's not much progress on it.  I have split it for the front and back, and am working now on the front.

Midway through

I am just over halfway done with the purple sweater again.

This picture of the first time around is close to where I currently am on it - although the bottom does not curl like it does here.  That should have been my first clue, and at least part of this could have been avoided.  

My Cup of Tea socks are coming along - I'm almost to the heel of the first sock.  These are going slowly, since I'm only working on them for a couple of hours on Tuesdays.  Surprisingly, with the help of a handy little sticky flag, I make few mistakes and remember where I am in the pattern.

I am planning a couple of new things to knit, if I can make my fingers work faster.  First up is this:

                                        

I'm trading out sport weight for the fingering it calls for, which will probably make them a little larger, but so much the better.  This is going to be a knit-a-long, not just online, but also through Bumbleberry.  Several of us who go on Tuesday afternoons are planning on knitting these mittens together.  I'm looking forward to it.  

I also think I have a couple of girly sweaters in my head as I have missed birthday sweaters this year.  I picked up some Eco+ in pink yesterday (on sale!) and I think the Littlest Princess will get that.  Princess will get a cardigan from pink and steel grey Sublime I already have.  I'm dying to use it up, as it's really pretty and I don't want it to go to waste.  I still have to work on Little Man's birthday sweater.  I haven't really started even looking at the translation of the pattern yet.  But all things in due time.

I'm already thinking ahead to Christmas as well.  I think I have 3 people down - socks for them.  There is a fourth who might get socks - I don't get any feedback from him on these things so I'm not sure how much he uses or appreciates them.  I think I'm going to do plain vanilla socks for everyone.  First of all, they are easy to knit.  Rather boring, true, but also easy while watching TV or talking.  Having a pattern distracts and if I keep it simple, they won't get messed up.  Also, they go fast because there is no pattern on the sock.  The simple pattern, or lack thereof, also lets me pick a really beautiful yarn to showcase.  I can probably knit a pair of plain vanilla socks in a couple of weeks.  This is great for time saving.

How about you?  Are you already planning ahead for the holidays?

A Cardigan?

I am not known for cardigans.  I don't think I've ever really had one.  I can't remember having any in high school or college, and now I've knit the body of one.

The picture is courtesy of Little Man (I think this next year we'll do more in photography with him in art, and you may see more of his photos).  It hangs low enough, and seems to be big enough around, before the collar.  Also, here's the purple sweater:

I am on the first new skein, having knit the first 2 of 4 from the body.  I will alternate the old and new skeins for length.  I may get by with only one, but I have an extra just in case.  I thought there were 3 skeins left, but I must have used 8 skeins instead of 7, so there were only 2 extra.  That's okay - I think I can still make it.  Here's the other project I've been working on:

It's My Cup of Tea socks.  I'm using my birthday yarn, Madelinetosh sock in Wilted Rose (hubby knows how to pick good yarn).  These are going slowly, mainly because I only knit them on Tuesday afternoons while at the local yarn shop.  The yarn came from there, and I feel weird about using yarn bought elsewhere when I'm in the shop.

Do you have those kinds of reservations?  I never had an issue where I used to live - I bought a good bit from The Whole Nine Yarns, since I had more money, and it was about 5 minutes from my house.  It was so easy to drive by there on a Saturday and stop in or head over there on Tuesday night and pick up something.  And I did, frequently.  So knitting with something I bought there wasn't a problem.  I usually wanted to knit on the yarn I had just bought anyway.

The yarn shop that's closest isn't that close.  It's a good 30 minutes away, in another town, and it's not as convenient.  And then there's the issue of money.  We have a LOT less.  Like one third of what we had before.  Granted, we no longer have a house payment, but still - it takes a lot of money to support 3 children and 2 adults.  If you had a reduction of your income by two thirds, you'd spend less too, mainly because it just isn't there to spend.  I'm a huge believer in using what you have too, so that's not a complaint, just an observation.  Hubby has bought me a lot of yarn over a couple of Christmases, so I have a large stash, and I like working from it.  Hence the purple sweater.  But I didn't get that yarn at that store, so I feel odd knitting on it there even though it would be the easiest to knit with a group.  And the group here is MUCH smaller than at TWNY.  And I mean MUCH.  This group averages about 5-6 a week, where TWNY averaged about 15-20 each week.  Hey, another third.  In any event, I haven't had the resources to purchase from Bumbleberry (the local shop) like I have The Whole Nine Yarns.  So I try to use what I buy from there, to knit there.  Those projects go slowly, but that's not all bad.  It's actually kind of nice.  How about you?

Back to the beginning

I'm back at the beginning of the sweater.  I had left about 3 rows intact, only to find it got twisted.  So, out it went and I started ALL OVER again.  Seriously.  However, the bottom now does not roll.

This picture from MARCH shows about where I am now.  If I work really hard, I might get this done in about 4-6 more weeks.  Ugh.  But I do enjoy the plain knitting.  It's wonderfully cathartic to me.  It seems that when I have something like this, life starts to get crazy, driving me to knit more.  It works.  When I pick a complicated project, life still gets crazy, and then the knitting drives me crazy, and it's a bad spiral.

I have been looking at shawls, which is odd, since most of the ones I have made are much shorter than I'd like them to be, and so I don't wear them as much as I would like.  I keep looking though.  I guess I think that it's the patterns that I choose, or the yarns.  Oh, and I still have to finish Iced.  I should seriously finish it, and I will, as soon as I finish this sweater.  I think.  Maybe.  Okay, once I feel like knitting on large needles, I will.  And I just might tonight.  What are you knitting?

Forward and backward

I took some pictures, but not quite like what I had hoped.  I honestly forgot to take pictures until I had already started taking out the sleeve.

It fits, but it's too short, the bottom rolls, the neckline is too wide and gaps, and the sleeves are a bit snug.  It sounds like there's so many problems, but the exciting thing is that it fits in the right places.  You have no idea how exciting that is.  I do know that I could just take out the sleeves, undo the neck, and fix that, and then pick out the bottom and add some length.  Instead, I took the longer route.  I undid basically the whole thing.  I left 2 rows on the bottom.  I know, it sounds insane.  And I know it's the harder road.  However, I enjoyed the knitting.  I enjoyed the endless miles of stockinette.  It was great mindless knitting.  It was terrific for watching TV and watching the kids outside.  So, I did it.

I finished the Multnomah shawl.

I haven't blocked it yet, because I'm having issues with it.  All the shawls I make turn out too short.  I keep hoping they will be longer, and I keep hoping in vain.  Maybe the next one I make I need to make out of bulky yarn and double it.  Or maybe it's the patterns I'm using.  Do you have a suggestion?

All excited

I live in a small rural town these days, and there's not much here, especially when it comes to food.  Those of you who know me, know I love good food.  We have exactly 2 Mexican restaurants and 4 Asian restaurants in our town.  Two of those Asian restaurants are "Chinese", one is "Japanese" and one just claims to be Asian.  I use quotes because they are American versions of ethnic food.  So, I have been on a search for ethnic recipes.  I found a knish recipe and made up my own filling.  It's not too bad.  I think the filling still needs some work though.

It's almost summer, and that means sweet tea.  We have some mint plants, and if you want them to be healthy, you have to pull some mint leaves off every now and again.  What to do with them?  Brew them with your tea!  I started cold brewing some iced tea with mint leaves, and then adding a simple syrup for a sweetener.  It's wonderful!  I'm going to attempt some other tea with spearmint and chocolate mint!

I am sure this keeps growing, as the ball of yarn does get smaller, but it feels like it takes forever.  I know a lot of that is the length of the rows currently.  The pattern (found here) says to do 10 repeats.  I still had a good chunk of yarn left, and I don't want that much leftover.  So I'm currently working on repeat #11.  I think I can get at least one or two, possibly 3, more repeats, and still have enough to bind off.  I am attempting to finish things that I have already started.  I still have to start a birthday sweater but I'm lazy this year.

I have found that if I get up earlier and get moving, not only can I get more accomplished in the day, but I have more energy.  I guess it's that whole principle of "an object in motion stays in motion" in play.

Summer is just around the corner!  As a matter of fact, today is the last day for the kiddos' school.  Then it's summer vacation time.  Oh summer - the plans I have for you.  How are your plans going?

Almost all better

I am almost over my cold.  That's good.  The shawl is not moving as quickly as I'd like, which is bad, and I'm also about to embark on a new project.

I received a lovely skein of MadelineTosh sock in Wilted Rose for my birthday, and since I am still recuperating, I think I need a little "me" knitting.

To be honest, I have knit more for myself this year than ever.  I have also broken more needles than ever this year.  I don't know that it's a coincidence or just a bit of bad luck.  It doesn't happen on every project, and it's not only on the projects that are for me.  I think it's more just about time I broke a couple of needles.  I think I'm up to 3 or 4 now in the past 10 months.  I have another birthday sweater to knit as well, and I have more than enough yarn for it, but no pattern.  I think I may wing it.
 

My apologies for the terrible pictures - I was lazy and didn't want to go outside (flaring of allergies with the remnants of a cold don't mix well). Indoor lighting isn't as good as outdoor.

In other news, I have at least one new project to start this summer.  Jolie posted something about Amish puzzle balls, and since I have a toddler who loves to be kept busy, I think it will work well.  I can add it into a busy box for the fall while the older two children do schoolwork.  It's going to be a busy summer.

Then it hit me

I finished the sweater, I washed it, and blocked it.  I even wore it.  I discovered something - it's shorter than I want, and the modification I did to the neckline stretches it out even more which is a problem since I don't want to wear a tank under it.  It does fit, which is lovely.  I just need it to be longer and I need the bottom to not curl.  Neither of these things will be corrected by hanging it, so it looks like I have to undo most of it and re-knit it.  And that is rather discouraging.  I would have taken pictures, but as I finished the sweater, I started getting sick.  Not horribly so, as a matter of fact, I thought it was just a sinus thing.  And then it hit me.  It's worse than a sinus thing.  I can handle those - I have them often.  This is a cold, and quite frankly, I don't get those often.  When I do, they manage to hit me a bit harder than expected (probably because I expect them to be a sinus issue and it's worse than that so I don't prep enough).  In any case, I'm about halfway done - I have gotten over the sneezy, nose drippy part, and am on to the "I can't breathe out of my nose" part.  So I should be about halfway done.  I think.  It has definitely slowed me down and I haven't taken pictures yet of the sweater that must be redone.  Once I am better, I will take pictures, frog back, and start again.  On the bright side, I still had 3 skeins left (note to self - trust your gut and when you have 3 skeins left know you didn't knit enough) so I can add length to the body easily.

I still wanted something to do with my hands, so I picked a shawl back up.  Shawls are terrific summer knitting (I would say spring, but that only lasts about a month here before the heat hits and it turns into summer).  The other item on my knit list is socks, which are another great summer knitting item.

I had to rip back on the shawl, as I had a stitch that wasn't caught properly, and I tried to drop down, but it just wasn't working for me.  Hopefully, I can knit on this while I recuperate and then when I get ready, I can charge forward with the sweater again.  

It's no fun being sick on Mother's Day, but if you are, here's to being able to stay in bed, watch great movies, and knit.  That's what my day has been.

Digging in the Garden

I promised pictures of the sweater, so here is where it stands:

I'm not sure if it's because I'm watching Game of Thrones while knitting, or if I just can't count, but I'm having the worst time with the second sleeve.  I had a hard time with the first one, and I thought it was because it was the first sleeve.  Maybe it's because I'm a little cocky where knitting this is concerned, and I'm not paying attention like I should.  In any case, I keep having to re-knit rows.

I finished this embroidery piece as well:

It's for a friend from half a lifetime ago, and I can't remember if she wanted it in a throw pillow or just framed.  What would you do?  I plan on sending it to her as soon as it's finished, as a surprise, so I'd rather not ask her.  I think it turned out well though.

We started a garden last month, and I had to wait on the seeds to sprout before planting them.  But here's a look:

Some of the seeds sprouted before the others (top and middle pictures) and so I moved them to slightly larger pots.  The bottom is a store-bought chocolate mint plant on the right (who knew such a thing existed?!) and some moonflowers that were started from seeds.  I hope to transplant all the larger plants to the garden patch this week.  Speaking of the garden patch:

Our garden currently consists of 3 strawberry plants and purple basil.  We get visitors in the morning - sweet little bunnies that like to nibble on the fruits.  That's okay though - we still get most of what is produced.  What are you spending your time doing these days?  Any ideas about the Tigger?

What a difference

This morning has been rather productive, all things considered.  My crafting life has been less so over the past couple of weeks.  I focused on reading, rather than crafting, in an effort to make progress toward my GoodReads goal of 20 books this year.  I failed.  I started 2 more books, but didn't finish any.  I tried, I really did.

This sweater is closer to being completed than in this picture:

I have finished the front and back, and one sleeve.  It would have two sleeves, but the first one was a bit small.  I followed the directions exactly as written, and there was zero ease.  As in "it pulled the neckline of the sweater" no ease.  So, when I started the second sleeve, I added two stitches, and it is amazing what a difference 2 little stitches can make.  It went from "suction cup" tight to "comfortably close."  This is a lesson for not just knitting, but life as well.  It may not seem like much, but a small step or two can make a big difference.  Just one choice can start you down a path of big changes.  

This still sits in a holding pattern.  As I started outlining the letters, the curved portions of the letters were looking a bit thin,  So, I started filling them in.  This takes more time.  I hope to show you a more complete Tigger by the end of the week.  I am learning to stop quitting things.  I have to be mindful about working on something, and I think that's everyone.  Some people just have it down as more of a routine.  I'm still working on that.  What's new for you?

Sidetracked

Recently, I went looking for some items in our storage unit.  I was convinced that they were there.  I must have been wrong, because I didn't find them there, or at least I didn't see the boxes that I thought would have contained these items.  I was looking for a couple of personal items, one of which was a box of contacts that I know I have.  I thought when we moved that I had put them in one of my bags, and they would be with me when we arrived.  I also thought I had put my alarm clock in there, but I haven't found that either.  As I searched through the boxes, I found this:

And this:

And some of these:

And now I am completely sidetracked.  I'm still working on my sweater, but I realized how close I was to finishing this one, that I couldn't help myself.

So, I started working on it.  A dear friend of mine had asked me to make this for her now husband ages ago, and I agreed, and then life happened.  They got married, I finished my degree, I got married, they had two children...you get the idea.  So now, I'm working on it.  It has gone a lot faster than I remembered embroidery going.  Maybe it is because I see that light at the end of the tunnel.  Maybe it is because it is something different.  Maybe it's not going any faster, but I think it is.  I do enjoy it, but it is not as portable as knitting or crocheting.  I do remember that much about it.

In the meantime, everyone has been under the weather with some allergy issues, so we took a relaxing week, instead of a regular one.  I did manage to get the sweater split at the armholes:

so I still have made some good progress.  I think the only modification I need to make on this is to make them a little bigger.  The pattern calls for 9 inches in the size I'm making, which would give me a circumference of 18 inches.  I was going to increase this, but I slipped it on, and I think the 9 inches will grow enough to make the armhole comfortable.  That's the great thing about a cotton/linen blend - it stretches.  I still have 4 skeins left, which I am sure will be plenty to do the back and two sleeves, especially since the sleeves are meant to be 3/4 length.  Here's something else that's interesting:

This is knitting and purling in the cotton/linen blend.  Then, I learned to knit backward.  I had heard of it, and was told about it, but never really got the concept.  Until now.

This is right above the top picture.  See how much more even it is?  I have no idea if I'm doing it correctly or not, but it's working.  And as far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters.  It's faster, gives more even gauge, and although it does take a little more attention, it's completely worth it.  I can get through about 4 rows while watching a 45 minute show on Netflix, something like Rosemary & Thyme, Blue Bloods, or while watching an episode of Game of Thrones.

Yeah, I keep up with some things.  Not a lot of trends, but I will say I have read the first book, am reading the second, and have watched the first season, and I'm hooked.  If you haven't watched Rosemary & Thyme, it's a great British murder mystery show.  It's about 2 women who are gardeners and wind up solving murders.  I personally love it.  Then again, my idea of "chick lit" are murder mysteries.  I'm not much one for romance novels.  Too much fluff and not enough plot for my taste - at least the couple I've picked up in the past.  How about you?  Reading or watching anything of interest while knitting?

Pressing forward

This

has become this:

I still have a couple of inches to go, but it's coming along nicely.  I am hoping to get to the split part of the body by the weekend, which is rather optimistic.  I still think I'm making great progress, and will have this sweater done for the middle of next month.  I have been alternating between this and this:

I read the first one last year, and watched the first season (it was a Christmas gift) and I have been looking for this book ever since.  I was able to find it at the local library, and I hope to finish it in the next 2 weeks.  I haven't read as much as I hoped so far, but I will be able to finish it soon.  I have a goal of reading 20 books this year, and I am not including children's books in that.  I have finished one, The Great Gatsby, so far.  I am surprised that I had never read it.  I have two other books that I have started.  One is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the other is Written in My Own Heart's Blood.  I received the first for a Christmas gift, and the second we got because it's written by one of our favorite authors.  I say "we" because my husband loves to read, and enjoys Diana Gabaldon as much as I do.

Unfortunately, he's been struggling with his eye sight the past few months.  Before we moved, he was told during a routine eye exam that he had small cataracts.  He thinks they have gotten worse rather quickly, but until he can get an appointment, we won't know for sure.  The problem with getting an appointment is insurance.  Our new vision insurance will start in May, and we have to pay for it all on our own.  This doesn't sound like a terrible thing, and it might not be, if he weren't working a $10/hour job while I stayed at home.  Insurance is only one of the many obstacles we are overcoming with this flip in lifestyle.  Fortunately, good friends and family help facing these obstacles a little less daunting, just by being there and supporting us.  God is still good, all the time and all the time, God is good.  He has blessed us in many ways, and even though we struggle and have problems and get frustrated, we know that "all things work together for the glory of God."  When you change your perspective, it doesn't change your circumstances, but it does change your reaction to them.  Sometimes that's all you need - a change in perspective.  Have you had one lately?  Please share.

Joining

I have been diligently working on my new sweater since Sunday...well, as much as I can.  I've been trying to speed up the knitting by attempting one inch per day, which according to the directions, would take me 15 days to reach the split for the arms.  It's worked from the bottom up, and this plain stockinette stitch allows me to do other things while I knit - talk, watch TV, supervise children, etc.  These plain knitting projects are a beautiful thing.  However, in all large projects (anything that takes more than one skein) requires joining a new ball of yarn.  Before when I've done this, it was not a big deal, because I was using a wool yarn.  Even a wool superwash gives a little leeway when joining.  The natural fibers of wool like to cling to each other, so even if your join isn't perfect from behind, the front can look flawless.  I usually use one of two different methods when joining wool: the Russian join or duplicate stitching.

The second method, duplicate stitching is probably the easiest to explain.  Basically you overlap the two yarns, old and new, about 3-6 inches (depending mostly on the weight of the yarn) and knit with both yarns until the old one runs out.  You may have to weave in or tighten a loose end when you're done, but it stays extremely secure and surprisingly is not bulky (most of the time).  Here's a quick picture for you:

Just hold the two strands together for a length and knit with both strands as one

The first method mentioned, the Russian join, is also one that works really well with wool I have found.  You take a tail of about 6 inches of the old yarn and thread a yarn needle, fold it back on itself and weave it back into the strand to create a loop at the end.  You then do the same with the new yarn, making sure that the loop interlocks with the old loop.  Here's a quick picture for you of this one:

These aren't woven into the strands, merely wrapped, but you can see the loops that link

There are several websites that explain these two methods in detail, and I may later on provide a video for you, but that's the quick and dirty explanation.  The only problem I have is that I'm not working with a wool yarn.  I have a linen/cotton blend.  This complicates things.  Linen and cotton fibers do not cling the way wool fibers do.  They are much smoother since they are a plant fiber and not a protein fiber.  So, I have been looking into other ways to attach the new skein.  Some suggest a knot (heaven forbid!  So many will tell you NEVER knot your knitting!), others suggest the Russian join or duplicate knitting methods I described above.  There is also a braided join, which splits a length of each yarn (about 3-6 inches again, depending on the weight of the yarn) and braids the plies together.  This I think works best for an acrylic yarn, or one that is plied and tightly spun.  The braid should wind up about the same diameter as the plied yarn, and virtually undetectable when knit up.

The other issue I ran into is that most tell you to join at the end or edge of your knitting.  Problem one with that: it's in the round.  Problem solution: use the underarm/marked side seam of your knitting to join.  Problem two: I hate wasting that yarn.  Problem solution: well, unless I get over not wanting to waste the yarn, there really isn't one.  I am one of these crazy insane people that wants to use every inch of yarn I have bought to really get my money's worth.  Even cheap, squeaky, tacky acrylic yarn will be subject to my unnatural need to use every inch.  I don't want even a single millimeter to go to waste.  I keep all my ends, never throwing them away, to use as filler when doing a stuffed project.  That's how far I will go.  I guess it's a tribute to my grandparents, who were products of the Depression era, and never wasted a thing.  My grandmother would reuse aluminum foil until it had holes in it.

Here is what I finally decided to do: I just knit with the two strands held together.  I can tug at them and get it to look normal, so as I now knit it up, I won't waste any yarn and it's less time consuming than another possible option.

About 4 inches of the sweater knit and ready to join the new skein!

Spring Cleaning

It's almost spring time!  I have yet to finish my sweater.  I don't know other than the socks that I just finished that I've finished anything this year.  However, I think I am suffering from spring cleaning fever or something.  I really want to hurry up and finish things, getting them off my needles.  I also want to organize everything.  I keep planning to get a clear plastic container, so I can then bag up my yarn with potential patterns, and put it all together.  I would love to organize the whole stash, but I don't currently have the entire stash here.  Part of it is still in storage.  My hope is to organize what is here, and then it will take up less space, so I can bring more of it here and organize that as well.

I did manage to start another sweater, for myself.  And the great thing is, there are NO modifications!  All I had to do was adjust for my gauge.  I am using a worsted weight yarn (light worsted, in my opinion) instead of a sport weight.  The pattern I'm using is this one that was just published:

Inhabit

This is how far I've gotten on it:

I just started it Saturday night, rather late.  I worked on it a bit yesterday, and a little today.  Size 5 needles make things go very slowly.  But it is knitting up beautifully.  I'm using Nashua Creative Focus Linen, which is no longer made.  The color looks like it is just a purple, but the color is called Phlox, and it has a bit more pink to it.  This shows the color better.

I am hoping to finish it by mid-April.  The other sweater I was working on for me found here will be finished after this one.  The sad thing is that I'm almost done with the body, and would only have to do the sleeves and collar on it.  I haven't ordered the yarn yet for Little Man's sweater.  The weather has turned, and it's getting too hot for a sweater.  So, even this will be put on the back burner until later.  I can work his up during the summer, after the Littlest Princess' birthday sweater is done.  Once I finish this one, provided my timing is right, I can start hers, for which I already have the yarn.  Then I can order Little Man's yarn, crank his out, finish my Iced, and then start the Princess' sweater.  I think the Littlest Princess' sweater will be either crocheted or knitted, and I will be making up the pattern as I go.  I may look at Ravelry and see what I can find, but more than likely, I'll just make it up as I go along.  How about you?  Has spring hit you yet?