Hello Gentle Readers. As I write on Tuesday to post on Wednesday, the wind blows a gale. The strong northwest wind brings cloud cover and colder temperatures. Other parts of the state may see snow but there is no moisture in our forecast. The finches and juncos hang on to the feeder as it bobs in the wind. Those tiny feet and claws must be strong. After a string of sixty and seventy degree days, the chives and daffodils are up out of the ground. I hope a few colder days keep plants from budding. If not, lilacs and fruit trees will get nipped.
Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. I worked on this sweater, separating the sleeves from the body, and then knitting a little over an inch. When I try it on, the sweater sits nicely on my shoulders but there is extra fabric in the yoke above the underarm. It may be fine with this amount of ease or it may need some adjustments. I'm wondering about ripping back and casting on fewer stitches at the underarm? Before I do anything, I plan to knit another inch or so and try it on again. Maybe blocking it would be a good idea too.
The heel of the first scrappy sock felt better in the light of day. So while I pondered my sweater options, I knit on the socks and made good progress. Scrappy socks are cousins to those from self-striping yarns. The knitting seems to go more quickly. Not that knitting is ever a race but you know what I mean.
I cast on a Sophie Shawl/Scarf using yarn I bought last September with a birthday gift card. The yarn is a bit of a splurge and the blush color makes me think of Spring. It's a good end-of-winter knit.
This week I unraveled a cowl. I wasn't enjoying the project. Honestly I have a couple of cowls I wear but am more likely to reach for a scarf or shawl. I love the colors in the Fibernymph Dyeworks mini skein set and so I frogged the project and wound up the yarn for another day.
As for reading, I was listening to What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts. The narrator for the male voices was driving me crazy. Since this is the selection of my local group and I'm enjoying the story, I plan to pick up a hard copy from the library. The characters' stories are formulaic and maybe a little too sweet but the tie-in to library books is fun. I also love the librarian who is the common thread through the stories. I'm going to finish it. Otherwise, Mary Oliver and Virginia Woolf continue to be my reading companions.
I kid you not, I just saw a squirrel go by with what looked like a whole round cookie in it's mouth. I sure don't share my cookies with the squirrels. The wind must have blown over a trash can. And so on this windy, crazy day that feels more like March than February, I wish you all a good week.
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Sounds as though your March may come in more like a lion than a lamb. Hope your winds are not too awful. That blush pink is the perfect color for knitting at the tale end of winter. and your scrappy socks are fun - beautiful blues in those. But your colorwork on your sweater is simply divine. So pretty. I'm getting tempted by so many projects...and I have so many already on the needles (some I've even forgotten about!). I was thinking of going to the library, but it is a rainy day - good for staying inside. I think I will rummage through the bookcases in the house to come up with my next book.
ReplyDeleteWell! Didn't THAT squirrel get lucky! Your Sophie is GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteWe've got rain predicted for the next week and your strong winds are due to arrive in the east tonight through Thursday. That sweater is lovely so I think your patient and measured approach to the possible extra fabric is a good one. Your scrappy socks look like fun and your Sophie is quite pretty. I wear my Sophie shawls often and now wonder if I might need a soft pink one, too!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I don't share my cookies with squirrels or throw them in the trash!
I am laughing at the mental image of the squirrel with the cookie -- it reminds me of the very aggressive squirrels on campus when I was in college!
ReplyDeleteI think blocking what you have done of your sweater is a good idea. I often pick up more stitches in the underarm of a top-down sweater than called for (to avoid holes), but then I work a small gusset area to decrease them away. Something like that might work for your sweater, maybe?
I love your knitting projects, Jane. :-) I recommend blocking that yoke to double check the fit before proceeding (or ripping). Once I started doing that on yoked sweaters, I had much better luck with the fit. And it really doesn't take that much time, either . . . And Sarah's idea about an underarm gusset is one I've tried before with great success. (I probably got the idea from her in the first place!) I, too, am laughing at your squirrel-with-cookie! XO
ReplyDeleteI love everything about this post, Jane. It makes me feel like I'm hunkered down next to you -- probably because I just poured my afternoon coffee (that I'm having with a delicious Honduran cookie, a Chilena de Leche). And we are getting your Tuesday weather today -- as we speak!
ReplyDeleteYour blush for your Sophie is one of my favorite colors. I'll enjoy watching that grow! Good luck determining your next steps with the lovely sweater; you have helpful reader suggestions here! One of the many gifts in this space.
Jane, the yoke of your sweater is gorgeous and I truly love your scrappy socks ! The Sophie Scarf seems to be very popular, I love the color of the yarn you are using …. it’s beautiful. Lovely post, have a blessed week.
ReplyDeleteThat sweater is just gorgeous, Jane! (and I am in the Sarah Camp on picking up more stitches underarm to avoid holes and then decreasing them away... it works magic for no holes and no bulk in the body)
ReplyDeleteI have declared war on my squirrels... they are making mincemeat out of my tulips. I am sure they are laughing at my antics but boy... I am irritated with them!
Give a squirrel a cookie ... :-) I can't un-read those words, Jane! Follow your gut about the sweater (blocking before making a decision is always a good idea!)
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