Knitting Update (Reluctantly)

I am torn between watching Bones and writing this post.  You see, there’s this decomposed body in a refrigerator…yeah, and the doc is reunited with her old professor and recycled lover and they’re talking science.  I love intellectual men.  I have fond memories of discussing distributed load as it applies to certain human interactions…and that’s the reason I need to be writing this post. 

I haven’t shown any proof of knitting in the past week.  I made an embarrassing list of the things on needles which actually have a chance of being finished.  Here they are, in no particular order:

• Cotton sweater (sample) -the only one with a deadline
• Niece’s cotton blanket (1/3 finished)
• Bamboo scarf from Phoenix Royal Bamboo – not difficult, just needs a few hours
• Baby sweater in lovely extra-fine hand-dyed merino
• Noro Kureyon throw in muted browns, grays, cream
• Red Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light mistake rib cardigan (for me!)
• Two cashmere caps
• Mystery socks

I stepped out on the deck, threw a towel down on the dampness, and took a few photos.  The red should be a deep cherry red.  This yarn was from my sister, for Christmas.  There’s lots of it but now that I’ve decided it’s going to be a cardigan for me, I’ll order more.  If I can’t get the same dye lot, I’ll use one in the front and one for the back and sleeves.  It is soft and lightweight.  I cast on very loosely on size 8 needles.  I began knitting it with 79 stitches (multiple of 4 minus 1), thinking I would make a lovely, drapey scarf.  I’m working it in mistake rib, which is easier than it looks:  knit 2, purl 2 across the row, ending with purl 1.  Repeat ad infinitum.  It’s going to be a boxy-shaped simple cardigan with a simple tie fastening and three-quarter sleeves.  That’s what’s in my mind right now, but it may change as I go along.  You’ll be happy to know that I finally figured out that I can insert the little dinky pictures and you can click on them to enlarge them.  Now I don’t have to put the monster photos in the text.  Be sure you enlarge the Noro for full effect. 

    

                                                      

The other piece that I photographed is the Noro Kureyon throw.  The yarn is so beautiful, with its disordered stripes and color variations, that I just cast on and started a garter stitch.  It’s on size 13 needles, 100 stitches, loosely knit.  At the end I’ll figure out what kind of border I want to make.  I’ve had the yarn for this for many months.  I stockpiled some Noro during sales, because I never tire of his beautiful hand-dyes. 

                                             

These two pieces are easy, loose knitting.  They provide rest for my hands after I work the tight sample sweater for a while.  That kind of variety also keeps me interested in all of the things I’m working. 

Peace.