Cardigan: The Second Verse

Today's blue sky with clouds blowing along is gorgeous. I wish I had a photo of the sky I watched while driving home from a haircut. Dare I say, the sky and temperatures feel like March. Right now I'm having what my working colleagues used to call a latte lunch, a decaf latte and a chocolate croissant. Every now and then I throw good nutrition to the wind. I'll eat stir-fry broccoli and carrots with roasted chickpeas for dinner. 

This midweek I link to Kat and the band of Unravelers. Soon I hope to have the privilege of separating the sleeves from the body of the Anker's cardigan a second time. The moral of this post is that the quiet voice is my head asking, "Are you sure this sweater will fit?" is worth heeding. Why does this happen over and over? As you may recall, I tried on the cardigan after knitting a few rows after the sleeve separation. I got my arms through the armholes and the sweater around my chest but at the time there wasn't much sweater body. Several evenings I thought, I should put this on waste yarn and see if it fits. One night I did so but tried it on over pajamas. The armhole stretched a little out of shape but I dismissed the fit based on the pajamas. Any rational knitter would have left the stitches on the waste yarn until the next morning and tried it on with a shirt and bra that would be worn under the sweater. Apparently my knitting rationale is gone by 9:30 p.m. 

Finally last weekend, I decided it was ridiculous to keep knitting and hope the sweater fit without knowing for sure. When I tried it on over street clothing, I knew I'd be happier with about 3/4 or 1 inch more ease. So I ripped out four inches of body and put the sweater back on the needle. The yarn held up well to frogging and reknitting. In my defense, I have a tendency to knit a raglan line a little too long. The last sweater I made has too much ease under the arm. Anyway, I like the yarn so I'll be knitting this into spring and wearing it next fall and winter. I am just getting my money's worth out of the yarn. 

I knit a little on the prairie shawl without unraveling any stitches. I also pieced a quilt block that will become a pillow top. A long time ago I made a pillow to use behind my back while I sit in my knitting corner of the loveseat. I used an old quilt block I bought at a second hand/antique shop for the removable pillow cover. The fabric has disintegrated but the form inside is just right for my back and has plenty of wear left. So I'll quilt this block and then stitch a new cover. 

I listened to The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. The four septuagenerians are up against several ruthless criminals. This is the second in this series and not quite as snappy as the the first book but still a humorous read if mystery is your thing. My local book group will discuss The Water Dancer over Zoom this week. I listened to an interview of Ta-Nehisi Coates last night. What a talented, thoughtful, wise writer and human being. I am also reading Valentines by Ted Kooser. His metaphors are extraordinary, a red potato or a paper boat as a Valentine. Back in the day before he was named the National Poet Laureate, Kooser gave readings from his recently published books at independent bookstores. He sometimes distributed index cards to listeners for their names and addresses. For a few years, he sent everyone on the list a Valentine's Day poem. I was late to the list but received a few. The poems came on a white 3 x 5 card with one small red foil sticker. The series came to an end in 2007 and the poems were collected in a book published in 2008. 

I hope your knitting and reading are treating you well. 

Ravelry Links

Anker's Cardigan - My Size

    P. S. The irony of the cardigan's name, Anker's Cardigan My Size, is not lost on me. 

Prairie Shawl