The Perfect Summer Cardigan

To tell you the truth... when I put this away last summer after knitting only one sleeve, I never expected to actually pull it out again. The fact that I not only pulled it out again, but finished it is nothing short of a minor miracle! Even more miraculous... it fits and I love it!

"Martha" from Rowan Magazine No. 37









And yes, I can button it! But I probably won't wear it this way.



So there you have it... some 1100 yds of Rowan 4ply Cotton knit at 7 stitches to the inch on size 1 needles. Whew!

Now...


for the Perfect Fall Cardigan...

Looking ahead

As I near the end of the first sleeve of my if-it-doesn't-fit-I'll-never-knit-another cardigan, it's the little things that keep me going.



I've been wanting to knit this Fruit of the Vine scarf since Anne first started it and grabbed the pattern as soon as she was done. The merino lace is the "Rubicon" colorway from Fearless Fibers... and it's perfect.



BTW - I would understand if all the 4-ply cotton were making my hands ache, but I have no idea what's up with my achy legs. I couldn't even get to sleep last night because my legs hurt... and believe me... it is most certainly not due to exercise. Then once I did get to sleep, I overslept my son's 10:50 swim lesson. Ugh. I'm still trying to catch up with the day.

Knitting Blues

With the help of The Lace Reader on my Ipod, I'm making great progress on my Rowan Martha sweater, aka the Perfect Summer Cardigan (hopefully).



But I do have a splash of color going too.



Ishbel is providing a nice alternative.



The yarn is not completely smooth providing some nice texture and color variations. Unfortunately, I can't remember what the yarn is so I'll have to do some digging to figure it out.

I also played around with the turquoise ("Beachglass") Hazelknits sock yarn in an attempt to find a suitable scarf pattern. I tried Knitspot's Punch and Judy because I liked the strong geometric pattern as a match for the color...



but I'm not completely sure. The pattern actually calls for a DK weight so I think I would need to make this a repeat wider to really work... however, I really want a long skinny scarf so... shrug. I'll worry about that another day.

While sorting out my stash last week, I also came across this Tuscany Shawl from No Sheep for You that I started... geesh... a long time ago out of some Malabrigo Silky DK.



The color is not quite so blue as pictured here. It's called "greenish-grey", but I would describe it as a teal. Whatever you want to call it though, it feels wonderful and will definitely be back in action in a few months when the weather cools enough to knit with Malabrigo again. But for the next month at least, I'll be plopped in front of the a/c with cotton or something light.

Caricia

Oops... I showed you the blocking of Caricia, but forgot to post pictures of the finished knit in action. I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but very few things make me feel as goofy as modeling a finished knit. Add a 10 year old photographer to the mix and well, you get what you get... but here it is.



(I just hate the back of my arms... cropping above the elbow is becoming essential for my own mental preservation. And Honey, suggesting that I just need to go to the gym is not going to make me feel better.)




Don't be deceived by the goofy photos though... I love this shawl. Love it! I love the lace pattern, the colors, the yarn... all of it. I wore it to church on Sunday as pictured.

Caricia by Anne Hanson (who is quite successfully keeping my love of lace alive)
Malabrigo Sock yarn in "Indiecita" (1 hank)
Size 4 KnitPicks Options.

Shameless

So I was contemplating the various household chore opportunities facing me today and I thought, “I know! I want to sort through all my yarn bins and make a spreadsheet of available quantities in different weights and colors!” I had already been to a VBS wrap-up meeting and a swim lesson, so diving into bins of wool in an un-air-conditioned hallway seemed like the natural next step.

I like to think of it as economical as well, because there are several patterns on my mind so this was like shopping… without spending any money! (This is where my husband nods his head and decides to overlook the piles of laundry.)

Truthfully, it didn’t take too long (since my yarn is about the only thing in my house that is well organized) and I was having so much fun that I didn’t notice the sweat dripping down my back until I was done. However, at some point… well at some point… I may have lost focus. I think it was the few skeins of sock yarn that had been stuck in the wool bin… or maybe the matching green skeins caught my eye when I opened the sock drawer to make some room… or possibly my current interest in using some of my sock yarn for scarves (I have a hankering for a turquoise one in particular… which I‘m sure was prompted by the brown shorts and turquoise shirt I wore yesterday with matching bracelets which left me thinking about how, while I‘m not a fan or turquoise in general, I really do like turquoise and brown together). I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but at some point I thought… “Wouldn’t it be fun to pull out ALL of my sock yarn and see just what colors I do have?!”

So, I proceeded to dump it all and began sorting it by color, pushing piles of laundry out of the way as I went. I must admit that by the time I was done I felt a bit like a 6 year old who has dumped out all the legos only to realize that he now has to pick them all up… but I did learn something in the process.

Actually, I learned a few things…



1) I suck up green sock yarn like a magnet.

2) I should stop buying nearly identical skeins of beige with blue and green undertones.



3) I have a fondness of red and pink that is unmatched by my wardrobe.



4) I don’t need any more blue sock yarn. Ever.


5) Filling a hallway with sock yarn makes no sense to children.

5) And I have one perfect turquoise hank for a scarf.



Now I just need a pattern…

WooT!

I'm afraid to say it... but I think it's gonna fit!



(Just try to ignore the toilet paper and dirty laundry in the background. I was very in the moment.)



Okay, so I've done a little pinning to get a feel for the fit. But so far so good.

I have the left front almost complete from last summer, so that leaves me with the right front and 2 sleeves. I think I can... I think I can...

I also got a great deal on a car wash today and am listening to a wonderful book, The Lace Reader, on my Ipod.



Not bad for a Friday.

The Lazy Blogger

Lazy blogger... lazy knitter... lazy in general... soaking up the summer for a bit. My allergies have been terrible so it seems that when I sit down to knit in the afternoon, I end up napping instead.

With so many WIPs, I've resisted starting a new project but I did download yet another shawl/scarf pattern today. Meanwhile, I decided to work on the one project that I'm least likely to ever finish... the Rowan "Martha" Cardigan. I'm almost to the armholes on the back so it's going fairly quickly (especially considering the extra time I've been devoting to sleep)... but I am constantly worrying about the odds of it actually fitting when it's done. I keep re-measuring and comparing it to current items from my closet... but I still worry. There's something about the thought of knitting a sweater out of 4-ply cotton (string basically) on size 1 needles that makes me tremble at the thought of it not fitting.

In addition to buying patterns in fits of fantasy, I've also purchased some of the greatest stitch markers ever!



They are beautiful, affordable, very lightweight, and notice the unique design of the row counter. It really helps me remember to move the number when I come to the marker. I got these from Jed's Joy on Etsy.

I also received the July installment of The Loopy Ewe sock club. These are so much fun to open!



Lovely reds! The little Namaste box was made in this color especially for this kit. And inside...



a cute little Loopy stitch marker. :)

I can't wait to knit these socks... but I must finish the back of the eternal cardigan first. I must! (Bets are open on whether or not I make it.)