because it's so chilly out, you know.

Right. I gave in, and am now knitting what will probably be the warmest sweater-like object EVER. I'm also expecting to hate it when it's done, but what the hell, I'm in the mood for some stockinette, and I'm using this SWS that I got for $1.50 a ball, so even if I just throw the damn thing out when I'm done, I'll only be out like twelve bucks. Sweet!

What am I making, you ask? See, that's the best part. I am so fully expecting this thing--we'll call it a jumper, and not in the British sense where jumper = sweater. It's like a long, sleeveless tunic sort of thing that I bet would be really nice in cotton. However, for some ridiculous reason I have chosen to make it in Patons SWS. Honestly, I'm so embarrassed by this thing that I can't believe I'm even telling y'all about it. (It's a Drops pattern, in case you're wondering, but like I can remember the number. Oh, wait, I have the pattern open in another tab. Hang on. 107-17, that's it. It's really cute. But I would suggest not making it in SWS.) Also, I never know what size to make for myself, so it probably won't fit.

Seriously, why am I even doing this?

It may be because I wanted to start SOMETHING new, and this is making me actually think about the stuff I want to make with the good yarn. I think I've chosen something, by the way. Also Drops, pattern--hang on--117-43. I have this light green alpaca that I've been wanting to make into a short cardigan for ages. So I'll probably do that once I figure out what size to make.

When I finish this 'jumper,' shall I take pictures of the trainwreck so we can all laugh together?

something's wrong here . . .

It's about a zillion degrees out, and I'm sitting here on the interwebz going through patterns and contemplating making a heavy wool sweater. Stuff with cables and general bulkiness.

I must be out of my mind.

Maybe I just need a bit of a change from lace? That would be better than being out of my mind, right? Right?

now with pictures

Here's what I've got so far on the ol' Print O' The Wave stole. It's moving along quite slowly, because I clearly need either a deadline or an obsession with a tv program to get me working steadily.

Extreme close-up:



Full view:



In person, the yarn doesn't have that weird brownish tinge. It's a very pleasant grey. It was quite a nice sweater back in the day.

I kind of wish I'd added another repetition of the pattern, so I could have five of the solid bit across instead of four, but oh well. I shall live.

Plans.

I know, I know, I've been all quiet and stuff lately. No more deadline projects to keep things exciting.

I am planning, though. I've never knit my youngest brother anything really neat, so I was thinking that perhaps for Christmas I would knit him a scarf with either his favorite saying or a chunk of his favorite poem on it. We were sort of joking about that sort of thing one day, but he's the sort of guy who would really dig such a thing, if it were done in tasteful colors, etc.

Now, luckily I know that his favorite color is a dark sort of teal, so that's one problem out of the way. The question is, how to discover his favorite words without being obvious? He's not on Facebook, so I can't ask his friends, or look for quotations he might have. I've thought about 'borrowing' some of his poetry books and checking to see which pages they fall open to . . . I don't know, I'd just like to have some idea of how many words I'm dealing with before I buy yarn. :) I guess I could just ask him, but that's no fun.

The Print O' The Wave stole chugs on, but it's still in that foot-and-a-half of wadded up grey netting stage, so it's not all that interesting.

Oh, did I mention that my mama ADORED her stole? Well done, me! The whole family was very impressed.

Queen Silvia Photos!

I had a bit of an outdoor photo shoot this afternoon, though I really think I need to try for some morning sun. Anyway, here's Finished Queen Silvia:









I think it turned out rather well. It probably could have been a repeat or two wider, but it still looks quite good.

In other news, I haven't knit anything for over a week. There was one point during my extremely long plane flight to Spokane where I found a crochet hook in my carry-on bag, and was inches away from unraveling a scarf I'd brought with me just so I could crochet the yarn and have something to do. If I didn't like that scarf so much, I totally would have.

Man, I need a project. I wonder where my Print O' The Wave stole has got to?

Extreme Blocking Event!

"Extreme" in the sense of I have cramps all down my left leg, and if I had been a man, my chances of ever having children would have been in peril. Let me explain.

Like any ordinary person, I blocked good ol' Queen Silvia on my bed. That bed is a twin bed, so there was barely enough room for the shawl. Which would have been fine, if the bed was not also a loft bed, and six feet off the ground. There were contortions. It was epic. There was one part where I was trying to decide if it would be worse to fall off, or to sort of slip downwards (this is when I was straddling the thing on my knees) and impale myself. Ooog. Good think I'm flexible. Anyway, some photos.

First, an extreme close-up:



I would have liked to block it a little more aggressively, but I like the look of this stitch pattern much better when it's pulled vertically than horizontally, and I literally had no room to go longer.



Ooof. I can't believe it's finished! I hope I like the way its blocked self looks. No--I hope my mom likes the way it looks.

Oh, the finished dimensions, for anyone who cares, are about 20 1/2 by 70-ish. It might be longer, but I'd have to go find a longer tape measure, and I'm beat. I could really use a nap, but there's a shawl on my bed.