Beginning, Middle and End

I worked on several projects this week, finishing one, reaching the halfway point on another, and just getting started on yet a third.

My section of the men’s knitting group contribution to the Blanton tree-covering project turned out better than I would have thought. I made sure that the pink and orange didn’t touch, which helped. I knit three colors in four rows, and then then the fourth color in either 7 or 8 rows. It made a nice flow. I decreased by binding off. In my last post I wrote about getting the yarn. By 9pm that day, I was done. Which is a good thing, because my eyes were hurting.

On Tuesday I managed to finish the first of the January Woodland Winter Mittens. The thumb is nice and long, if a bit narrow. While I can get the rest of the mitten on snuggly, it’s difficult to wedge my meaty man-thumbs into that little tube. I reversed the yarn dominance on the thumb because I wanted the black lice pattern to pop. I like how the colors carry across and match between the thumb and the body of the mitten. I have to do a little bit of weaving in around the crotch of the thumb and for the cast-on, but then this one is basically done. Now normally, I’m a fairly monogamous knitter, but Multiple Mitten Malaise is a possibility here, because Tuesday night I cast on for a…

…new sweater for me! The pattern is called Kerouac by Jenn Jarvis and it’s in the spring 2009 issue of Twist Collective. Don’t snort when you look at the picture of the model. Mine will be a larger size, should have more ease, and I’m planning on making it a bit longer. Also, I’m not messing with the stripes. I’m making mine in a nice gray (Cobblestone Heather, actually) using the new sport weight of Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks. It’s a small-gauge sweater, which was my goal with this. But be careful what you wish for; this thing is made on size 3 needles. It could take a while,  but I ain’t scared.

I’m knitting the sweaters, but definitely not sitting still these days.