Spot Check

Yay! Spot is finally an FO. The cute little sweater is blocking as I type. A picture will be posted tomorrow. I kept putting off the finishing and on Sunday I decided it had to be done. Unfortunately, it was rather rainy for the Knit Out, so I opted to stay in and read all day long. I finished my book, A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton, and am on to the next read, The Nanny Diaries. There's nothing like cozying up with a good book on a rainy Sunday. Well, almost nothing...if I had a new fun knitting project, I would have been working on that! I've decided I need to focus on finishing the pillow and socks before starting something new. We'll see if I can hold true to that.

Get Knitty

The first issue of Knitty is fabulous! Check it out!

The End is Near

I finally finished the sleeves on Spot last night! I can't tell you how good that feels. I also started the neck. I'm just a few rows from completing that as well. Then I'll sew up the sides and throw it in the wash before blocking it. Who knew that such a little garment could take such a long time?

For the Love of Pete

Finally, a picture of a sweater being worn by someone! I guess I just need to knit more things for other people. Since I finished Pete, I was able to continue on with the Spot sweater sleeves. It's not nearly as fun to knit, but I hope I can get it done soon, by the end of the week.

Long Sleeves

I'm about halfway through both sleeves. They seem to be taking forever. I never realized how long men's sweater sleeves were. I'm almost ready to start decreases for the sleeve cap. I hope I can start assembling pieces this weekend and then finish up the neckline. Then I focus on the Spot sleeves. No new yarn purchsing until Spot is completed!

Weekend Update

Well, the rains forecast for this past weekend never came. I did still manage to get knitting in on Pete, but not Spot. Finished the front, which is now blocking, and started both sleeves. I probably won't get to Spot until after Pete is finished, sometime later this week.

P.S. Bonne Marie, I got front row tickets for The Strokes!

Front and Center

I finished the back of the Pete sweater last night. It's being blocked now. I just barely started the ribbing of the front. I need to finish that Spot sweater this weekend before it becomes a PITA project. The forecast calls for some rain this weekend, so that means knitting!

For Pete's Sake

The Pete sweater is knitting up much more quickly than I thought it would. I am at the armholes on the back. The Cork yarn is a dream. Ninety percent merino wool and 10 percent nylon. It's got a great feel and should be nice and warm. I'm so glad it's not scratchy. I have temporarily abandoned the Spot sweater at this point. After that sleeve fiasco, I just don't want to pick it up again for a while. Maybe this weekend...

Vintage Pattern Books

My mom had gone to a garage sale and bought this huge grocery bag full of mostly vintage crochet pattern books. I selected about five that I really liked, including afghans and clothing. I can't believe how tiny a woman's waist was back then. Ack!

A Finished Object!

Here's the Rebecca turtleneck. I love how this project turned out. The sleeves are a little long, but I think that's okay. I knew the sleeves were going to be long, but I didn't think to adjust them because I kept referencing the picture and I'm sure the model in the photograph is taller than me and has longer arms too. Oh well, it'll just be super warm and cozy.

I finished the Spot sweater sleeves too, but as I was looking at the pieces, putting them together, I noticed the sleeves were way too small for the armholes. I browsed through the pattern book and realized that I had been using the sleeve chart for the smaller size sweater. Arghh!! This sweater is taking forever. I may just send it off to a friend who's having a baby to get it off my hands.

I started the Pete sweater using the Rowan Cork. This yarn is fabulous! It's strands are woven together, like the Takhi cotton. It's incredibly soft and knits up fast. I would recommend trying it out.

New Knitting Stuff

I got my new Rebecca in the mail today. Yay! I see several things to add to my fall knitting list. I got more Via Mala to finish up the turtleneck. After I purchased that, I browsed a little and found Rowan's Cork Collection pattern book. I ended up buying that with 10 skeins of Cork in a sea blue to make the Pete sweater for B. I hate it when that happens, ha ha!

Outta Yarn

The Spot sweater has been put aside while I have been working on the yoke of the turtleneck. It's coming along very nicely. I was just one row into working the neck when I ran out of yarn. I hate it when that happens! I got the recommended amount of 750 grams, but then again I did alter the color scheme. I plan on going to the yarn store at lunchtime, buying two more balls of Via Mala, and finishing up the neck there. Then I only have to sew together the sleeves. I loved this sweater pattern. It was quick and really easy. Pictures to follow next week.

Whew!

It took me two days last week to get through the entire knitbloggers webring. Glad to see I wasn't the only one with the summer knitting blahs.

I had a lovely, but busy, four-day holiday weekend. I was planning on going to the same Naked Lady Party that Shetha went to on Saturday, but spaced it because I was house/dogsitting. Went to grandma's house on Sunday for a family Labor Day BBQ. Saw lots of movies, and managed to get some knitting done at night and the sweater sleeves are blocking now. About halfway through the Spot sweater sleeves too. Hopefully, one of these projects will be done by week's end.