At long last, the yarn for the sweater I plan to make for my brother arrived. I've been neglecting the blog and not doing any knitting while waiting for it to show up. I picked it up Monday after work, riding my bike through heat in the mid 90s to get a bag full of wool yarn. How's that for filial devotion?
Then, I spent much of the week wandering around one of the levels of swatching hell. You know, the one where you can't remember whether to go up or down in needle size to get gauge, even though you should know better? And then you end up going back to the suggested needle size because it's as close as you're going to get? And then you start the cuff over because it's looking way too big, but then check the pattern schematics and realize you were doing it right before unraveling after all? Yeah. It was like that.
But I'm on track now. I executed (is thatnthe right term?) my first-ever tubular cast-on. It's pretty simple, and I like the effect. I haven't unwrapped it yet -- you can see the red waste yarn still on the edge of the cuff. The pattern suggests leaving it on there to keep the edge neat and tidy until it's time for blocking. I'll leave it for now.
My brother and his family are moving to Germany for several years. I've never knitted anything for my brother, and I'm really hoping he likes it. It should keep a Texas boy nice and cozy during chilly German winters -- with a bit of Icelandic flair. I'm also really hoping that Jeff and I can go visit this winter. Maybe I'll get to see it in action...
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I have to knit the thing first.
I think planning a trip to see an FO in situ is an entirely brilliant way to celebrate freedom from the circle of hell you reference! I don't know how I could continue to knit without similar vicarious escapes!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to your knitting 'starts'. It seems like the norm for me. Always enjoy your posts. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteYes, I pretty much have to re-start every project at least once. It's especially annoying when you discover you did it right the first time, although I've decided that sometimes, you need to do that just to kind of get your head in the right place for the project. At least, I feel better thinking of it that way!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog - my compliments! Make sure you deliver the sweater in person - justification for the trip. Despite the Germans' reputation for efficiency and precision, Deutsche Post isn't all it's cracked up to be.
ReplyDelete