Proof That Sleeves Exist

The sleeves are finished!

And finished in time for the cardigan to be a surprise at The Knitting Tree, LA fashion show.

Note to self:  alpaca is hot wearing in Los Angeles in May.

And that's all I have to say about that. 

Except - there were even buttons.  Don't ask about the yarn ends.  That's why it was buttoned up for the initial wearing.

Please Have Some Respect

This is a repeat post from 2011.  My position has not changed.

It is almost time.  Every year, there are many who just can not wait it out and they rush to celebrate.  I was raised at a time when jumping ahead simply was not done.  Not at all.

Please, to make this old southern lady happy, wait just a few more days.

Memorial Day is on Monday.  That is when we in America pause to remember the lost, offer respect to those still with us, and thank all family members who have silently waited for loved ones to return from their job protecting our American way of life.  Let me be perfectly clear.  My father served in WWII.  Pacific theater.  He had memories, some of which he shared with his family.  Some memories remained private.   

Rush your fences on this holiday all that you want.  Spend the whole weekend saying Thank You to a soldier, veteran or military family.  Keep saying it all year.  I'll be right there with you honoring those who serve.

I do have one request.   

Memorial Day is on Monday.  Please, please, please don't put on the white shoes until Monday.  For the love of all that is tradition - have some respect!

Back & Forth

By now ya'll know that I always have several project bags going at once. 

Another crochet accent piece is in the works.  Free pattern and stash yarn (which has been hanging around so long that the yarn is now discontinued and the LYS closed) that counts as free.

And the unending round and round of little bitty knitting is still going on.

And, a friend gifted me with a small branch that will put another work out of my misery.  More on that cryptic comment later.

I Have Pattern Envy

Short Rows!  Colors!  Yippie!

I do not need another shawl.  Nope.

However, the moment that this pattern passed in front of my eyes, I had to cast on.  Yep.  I have pattern envy.

She already has a name:  Eunice.  I've named her for my home town of Eunice, Louisiana.  The colors are almost pure Mardi Gras.  Enough to pass and still not offend the non-Louisiana eye with jarring contrast of the purple, green and gold. 

This is Short Rows Fantasy by Irina Eberhardt.  The pattern is not popular on Ravelry and I simply can not understand why.  It is fabulous!  The whole thing is worked in garter (no wraps required on the short rows).  Those with a bit of experience will make the first wedge and then never look at the pattern again.  Critical numbers are 3, 51, and 4. 

The yarn is a favorite:  Baah La Jolla.  If you are looking to celebrate Mardi Gras in glorious color you'll want to check out the following offerings.
Poison Ivy - the not quite glaring green
Iris - a lovely purple that  pops next to the
Byzantine Gold - because you gotta have all three colors!

Summer Chill Is On The Way

You know that summer day when the sun is shinning brightly in the beautiful sky and there are only  two puffy white clouds slowly moving overhead and you rush out to get your daily requirement of Vitamin D and within three steps you come to a screeching stop because what looks like a wisp of a breeze on the clouds is actually a chilling blow down at beach level.  We get that here where I live.

 Thus, my new summer cardigan.  The pattern is Casco Bay Cardi.  Look it up on Ravelry. 

This is a top down garter stitch little thing just made for summer wearing.  The button holes are easy (don't even think about saying you don't do button holes) and the length of the body or sleeves is easy to adapt.

Juniper Moon Neve was my yarn of choice.  It is 100% pima cotton.  And you know what?  It drapes quite well! 

I could not leave the garter as just garter.  That's not quite me.  The bottom now sports a sporty fringe that is crochet chains looped back up.  It is easy to do.

Starting at one front point, attach yarn with a slip stitch and chain enough length to loop back up and make you happy.  Slip stitch that chain to the body - always working on the right side.  More slip stitches (what ever number floats your boat) and repeat the chain loops.  It is almost too easy!

Hey breeze - - - come and get me.  I'll be sittin' on the dock of the marina watchin' the boats sail in.

Two Sleeves Short Of A Jacket

This here is a lot of knitting.  Using bulky yarn is supposed to make a project go faster - fewer stitches, fewer rows, blah, blah, blah.

Well, gentle reader, I am here to tell you that bulky yarn is not a quick knit when there is a lot of seed stitching to be accomplished.

As you can see, I am still two sleeves short of a jacket.

But summer is coming quickly here in soCal.  And it has arrived down in the desert where I spend a lot of time.  Guess how hot it is when your lap is filled with bulky alpaca?  Go ahead.  Guess? 

The flip side of this rant is how lovely that bulky seed stitch looks as a wide collar.  Loving it!

This is Misty Alpaca.  It knits like a dream.  It is warm enough for anything that southern California throws at me.

However.  Alpaca sheds.   A lot.  On black.   And it shows.  It shows up a lot on black.

But I don't care.  Not in the least little bit.  I have other colors to wear and I'll deal with it if I ever get those two sleeves knit.

To The Point

There is nothing like finishing a major knit.  Or more to the point, there is nothing quite like hunkering down and doing that thing which one has been avoiding.  Like a seam.  But the deed is done.  The joy is  - well, joyous.  

Before I get too giddy with the gloating and patting myself on the back, the specifics should be shared.

Pattern:  Lace Cotton Ponchette by windloop.  Check it out on Ravelry here. There you will find a link to a webarchive.

Yarn:  Malibrigo Finito.  A gift to myself.  You should gift yourself some too.

I've named this one To The Point.  It is going on vacation later this summer. 

The pattern is repeating wedges composed of garter followed by lace work.  One seam turns the swath into an asymmetrical ponchette. There has been much discussion about that word.  What exactly is a ponchette?  When does a ponchette get big enough or long enough to become a poncho?  Must there be arm slits to convert a ponchette into a poncho?  Does a poncho automatically have arm slits?

Oh, by the way.  If you don't want a ponchette, just forget the seam and knit enough wedges to make a lovely shawl.  The pattern works for that as well.

What Was I Thinking?

When boredom with the poncho set in, another little project hit the needles.  The poncho knitting is all complete.  Now I'm avoiding the seaming. And in avoiding the seam that must exist, this little project goes on and on and on.

 

Yours truly is going bonkers knitting round and round on little bitty (actually US#3) needles.  Progress is difficult to see.   Progress can't even be measured in inches.  

I'm going wacko.  Did you understand that part? 

I know what will help.

That's right, folks.  Time to cast on for something new.