See this? This is my latest rockin' sock club yarn. It's Silkie, 19% silk and 81% wool. It's gorgeous, it feels incredible, and the pattern is so cool-looking, and I can't wait to do it ... but I can't. I'm not even allowed to wind it up (because we know where that will lead, don't we?). I did let myself open the bag and touch it, but that's it. No winding, no swatching. Why the need for such discipline, you ask? Let me show you.
Exhibit A: The February Rockin' Sock. Notice I did not say Rockin' Sock
s. I haven't even turned the heel on the second sock yet. And it's a really fun heel to do, so you would think I'd want to do it.
Exhibits B and C: Lazy no-good socks lying about with nothing to do as they await the completion of their partners. The sock on the left is
Socks That Rock lightweight in the
Farmhouse colorway. The light blue sock on the right is
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton from The
The Loopy Ewe in the
Baby Blues colorway, anklet height with a lace rib top. I absolutely love this yarn, by the way. It is so incredibly soft and squishy. I am highly motivated to finish this pair so I can wear them. They will be just perfect for this warm spring weather.
And the final exhibit: The state of the
slog. I am almost done with the front. I do have the back done, too, but did not feel like dragging it out for a photo shoot. I have decided that, before starting the sleeves, I am going to do some of the finishing work on the body. Specifically, I'm going to sew the shoulders, knit up the pocket tops and sew in the pockets, and I'll start working on the daunting button-band and collar. There's a lot of garter stitch involved in the collar, so I think it would be good to get as much of that out of the way as I can before I go absolutely crazy from it. When I hit the garter stitch wall, I'll start up the sleeves. My theory is that the patterning will be a welcome change at that point.
Here how this should look when it is done and washed and the denim yarn has done its shrinking-thing. It's the Lizzie cardigan from the old
Rowan Denim pattern book by Kim Hargreaves. I've been working on this so long, the book is now discontinued!
I put the Lopi sweater away until it cools off again in the Fall. It's too warm here lately to work with Lopi.
I had a picture of the office to post, too, because I have also been doing some slogging for pay and for my career, but Blogger rebelled so you'll just have to use your imaginations. I have articles on climate change all over the place, along with the New Jersey ICLE books and homework. Between all this and the kids' activities, I feel like a hamster on one of those wheels. ...Which reminds me--has anyone fed the guinea pig lately?
So the Silkie yarn will be staying in the bag for a while.
Almost finished! Blue Moon Socks that Rock in Farmhouse colorway.
Slogging away on the endless denim cardi and actually seeing progress. I finished the left side, then did the pockets and got pretty far up on one of the button bands.
Here's a close up, since my full-on shots always seem to look pretty much the same: big white sweater on a blue bedspread. For those of you not familiar with the denim yarn, this yarn shrinks up 10-20% when you wash it. So although the stitches may look somewhat loose right now, it all tightens up really nicely when it is washed.
