For Emily

I want to post a picture of the sweater I have been working on, but it is a Christmas present, and even though my sister picked the pattern out of a book, she still hasn't seen HER SWEATER all knit up. So that, at least, can be a surprise.

So, I am just going to post a picture of this:

The ends.  About halfway through the sweater I remembered that Rowan Big Wool will felt, so I started spit-splicing. I still had ends to deal with, but not nearly as many as I could have.

This sweater (Tough, by Kim Hargreaves in her Shadow pattern book) has been a lovely companion in the evenings while watching really old episodes of Nova, or the Star Wars (IV-VI) marathon I had last weekend.  The cable was entertaining, the size 15 needles were impressive, and the shaping and finishing provided just enough brain-power to keep me focused.

I am seriously thinking about boxing it up and wrapping it now so that it stays clean and (relatively) cat-hair-free, but it is going to a cat-owned house, so a few stray cat hairs will not be unusual. Just the wrong color. I am just waiting to hear from my sister about her button preference.

So, an official picture of Tough will appear sometime at the end of December. I would love to get a picture of my sister actually wearing it.  But if you seriously can't wait you can see it on Ravelry, here. (NOT YOU, EMILY.)

The rise of the knitting

Fall is arriving, and I want to knit everything. I am knitting for Christmas presents, knitting for Single Skein September, knitting for the shop, knitting for classes, and when I have time, knitting for me.

Maybe I can sense the days are getting shorter. The weather is certainly getting cooler, and the squirrels are getting squirrelly-er. I have started looking at my soup-pot with eager expectation, and actually caught myself contemplating the attributes of different types of lentils at my local health food store. (What is it about bulk items that makes me so happy?)

Meanwhile, my pile of in-progress knitting is getting bigger, and my queue for future projects is getting longer.  I will soon be buried in my knitting, and I can't say I am dreading the day.

Do you see what I see?

A detail of 16th century decorative carving on a farm house at the Folkmuseum in Oslo.

If you are a knitter you will definitely recognize the design!