Cottage46 Knitter

OK, one more wheel... and a dilemma

Eleanor came home on Monday.  She's totally dreamy!

Even Zoey approves and she doesn't like anything new. 

Geraldine is, of course, disappointed, but I've assured her that she will go to a loving home. 

Finally got a model shot taken of the Eyelet Cardigan.  I love this pattern. 

Pattern: Eyelet Cardigan from Chic Knits

Yarn: Tatamy Tweed DK

I added some pink gros grain ribbon along the inside edge to keep it from curling.  Works amazingly well.  It's the perfect sweater for this in-between weather.

Speaking of which, autumn in Indiana has been spectacular.  We've just had a bunch of rain so a lot of leaves have fallen.  DH took this picture at the farm where he hunts.  (No deer in the freezer yet.)

I took this one at the lake tonight while waiting for the dogs to do their business.  Would have been a good night to kayak but somebody wanted to spin instead.  

Finally to my dilemma.  I sewed up the Must Have Deux and knitted the button band/collar.  Somehow on the left side of the v-neck there's a line of knit stitches.  Unfortunately, there is no corresponding line of knit stitches on the right side. 

Although I'd like to think I'm not the type of knitter who would do her neck decreases one stitch in from the edge on one side and on the edge on the other side, I think we all know this isn't true.  This does not feel like something I can live with.  I was about to rip off the button band and pick up stitches differently on that side, but CarrieK suggested that I might be able to use a crochet chain on the other side to make it match.  I think I'll try that over the weekend.  Other than this little anomaly, the sweater turned out pretty well.  The length is perfect which was the problem with the original Must Have.  Feels like progress!

Poking my head up from indexing

Fall seems to be the busy season for indexing and I've been busy.  So my current knitting projects are really boring stockinette: basic socks for my dad and a vest for a Christmas gift.  Anything more complicated is on hold. 

I finished the bulk of the knitting for Must Have Deux long enough ago that I don't remember when it was.  Judging by my last post on it, knitting has been finished since March or April.  Finally today we are blocking.

I did finish my tweedy purple Eyelet Cardigan and have been loving wearing it.  I'll get a modeled shot one of these days. I also reknit button bands for the Cable and O's sweater and the pink Spring Forward.  The Spring Forward band was way too big and the new one makes the sweater much better.  On the Cable and O's, really just the neck band was too big, but I had to take off the button bands to reknit it.  Now that it's finished I realize that the new button band yarn is just a teeny bit different mint green.  *sigh* 

DH and I headed up to Marshall, MI, a couple weeks ago for a little fiber fest.  We saw lots of very cute critters.

There was shearing.

And more cute critters.  There was another angora bunny sitting on a platform without a cage for people to pet.  It was a cold day, but there was heat radiating off the bunnies.  I wanted to bury my face in the fluffiness, but I didn't want to scare bunny or bunny owner.  At one point I thought DH might tuck one under his arm and make a run for the truck. 

There was a very nice group of spinners who let me watch them spin and answered my questions.  I treadled a Schacht Matchless at the Fuzzy Wuzzy Fiber booth.  Showing great restraint, I walked away without putting one on layaway.  But within a few days I was calculating what I could raise from destashing, etc.  Then it hit me that I have an update of a freelance project that has been languishing that would almost pay for the wheel if I just finished it.  Bwaaa haaa haaaa!  So I sent a deposit and will pick up the wheel at the end of the month.  Heh.  Fiber-addictive personality?  Why do you ask? 

Serious knitting ADD

Since the big Oregon finale my knitting has been all over the place.  Seriously.  I've had a cold so that hasn't helped.  It's a good thing my current project basket is large because I can't focus on anything for very long. 

There have been numerous sock projects cast on and tossed aside. 
Salida:

Bayerische (which I think might work better for me on US1s instead of 0s):

And this poor yarn is on its 3rd or 4th incarnation. I don't even remember what it is anymore.

When I am able to concentrate, I've made pretty good progress on Must Have Deux.  Although checking the Ravelry page I see I started it last April, so not exactly lightning speed here.
       

And even when I can't hold myself upright, I can work on this stockinette alpaca vest. 

I did a few rows of Abalone's swatch.  Spindrift is scratchier than VY's 2-ply, isn't it?  I'll get back to that when I don't have to stop to blow my nose every 20 seconds.

I survived celebrated by 41st birthday yesterday.  Whoopee!  No big yarny gifties to show, but VK always pays for my summer knitting retreat.  I hear that I have some lovely flowers from my parents at the library.  (My gift to my co-workers was to keep my germy self home today.) 

VK was home sick today too.  When we're both sick we call ourselves Pneumonia and Congesto Sniffiletti.  Funniest if said with a fakey Italian accent.  Anyway, VK was in the kitchen fixing lunch when I hear, "Ouch!  Oh, I need some paper towels."  He had dropped a knife and the blade landed on his big toe.  By the time I managed to get to him, his flip-flop was full of blood.  Honestly, I've never seen so much blood from something that wasn't a head injury.   It bled for a long time, but finally it stopped and we got it neatly bandaged up.  So the day was not totally without excitement!

Must Have revisited

Remember Must Have No. 1?  (I ended up using the square buttons, BTW.)  I love it, but the sleeves are way too long and the body is just a little too short.  I ripped one sleeve back with the intention of reknitting a cuff a couple of inches shorter.  This, I can assure you, is a monumental pain in the ***.  This is why it has gone no further and I didn't get to wear it at all this winter.

And it was a fun sweater to knit so I'm doing it again.  This one is in Paton's Classic Wool.  She's perking right along. 

I went to knitting today at the LYS and picked up some summer sock yarn:

And some great stitch markers made by Haley, daughter of Lea-Ann, owner of Knitting Today.  Industrious young lady, that one.

            

Although it's supposed to get cold and stormy, the last few days have been springtime-in-the-Midwest gorgeous.  The hyacinth are blooming!  (And I love, love, love my new Canon PowerShot A570.)