More stuff

During the looooong process of revising, I did, of course, knit.

In fact, I kept starting things.  Thus, three more things on needles.

First, the cabled... something... from the colored Australian wool.  I'm quite pleased!

I cast on in the round and did two repetitions of the cabled pattern, and then continued with straight mock cables, basically, up the main body.  I decided that the all-over pattern might be too much.  Of course, now the interest is around the waist, which is also not perhaps brilliant, but we'll see.

At various point I've been asked if it's a child-sized sweater, because especially when it was still all in the round, it seemed rather small.  But, honestly, it's not.  I did want it close-fitting, and it is, a bit, but not overwhelmingly so.

I've finished the back, and have stalled on the front.  This is largely because it know requires thought, which I wasn't much able to give it.  I'm going to to a v-neck, and I just had to think about where I wanted it to start.  I'll probably get back to it within the next couple of days.  I'm also not sure if it's going to stay a vest or if it's going to turn into a sleeved sweater.  I didn't think I'd have enough yarn, but now I do think I will.  But I'm not sure if I'll like it as a full sweater.  Decisions.

When I decided that the cabled vest (I'm going to stick with that for the moment) was requiring too much thought, I cast on another project.  Last year sometime I ordered this yarn; it's Araucania Nature Wool, and it's way too pink for me.  I don't really know what I was thinking.  But despite the too pinkiness, it's really lovely wool.  I decided that, really, it's too pink for most adults, and so I'd play around with kids things and either give them to kids I know, or donate them to the Dulaan project or something.

So this is the start of an Elizabeth Zimmermann baby/child sweater, the modular tomten (elf) jacket from Knitting Without Tears.  It's knit all around (of course), in garter stitch (of course), with funky giant armholes that are a design feature (of course), and though you can't tell from this, not a collar but a hood.  It's a nice, easy knit, and very cute, I think.  Since taking this picture I've finished the hood and have started one of the sleeves (which have their decreases at the top, which is unusual and interesting).  (OK, maybe not that interesting.  Interesting to me.)

I think I'll try another of her baby sweaters next, because she's got some interesting construction, most definitely.  And I've got a fair bit of this pink.  Which, again, pretty, but not for me or for any adult I know.

Finally, there's another beginning of a lace project.  Again, the lace-weight alpaca from Laura.  This time, I started the Shetland Tea Shawl from A Gathering of Lace.  But I'm not sure I like it, really.  Sigh.  I should give it a bit more time to grow on me, I suppose, but at this point, I'm thinking I should try yet something different.  Perhaps the Shetland sampler from the same book.  That might be better.

Anyway, I'll figure out something to do with this yarn sometime.  Eventually.  Or maybe I should just try doubling it and doing the Frost Flowers and Lace that I originally wanted to do.  Argh, again.  Decisions, again.  This is why I've been stalled.

I've also got another sock started (toe-up, adding an eyelet ribbing), and I've finished the blue scarf (it's now waiting to be washed, which I think will happen on this somewhat gloomy Sunday), and also the red boucle sweater, which I think I'll wear tomorrow or Tuesday, and then will take a picture of on with my office computer.  Anyway.

In other news, last night I could not put down Mark Haddon's new book, A Spot of Bother.  I didn't love it in the way I loved his first novel, as it was, frankly, kind of disturbing/upsetting/I'm not sure how to describe it.  But he's extraordinarily good at capturing a sort of everyday dread.  You know, now that I think about it, I had exactly the same reaction to the Barbara Pym book I read last month (or sometime).  I found it compulsively readable, a real page-turner, despite being about, in essence, nothing more than assorted vaguely damaged English people bumping into each other.  Meanwhile, I started Richard Price's Clockers more than a month ago, got only so far, and have since had to renew it twice in hopes that I'd eventually actually read it.  Well, maybe now.

Comments

[Danielle]

I find Barbara Pym books compulsively readable, too. They always make me head to the kitchen for a cup of tea. In her case the dry look on like-- the fact that there is rarely a real happy ending, and often people's lives don't change-- adds to the appeal. I'm not sure how she gets away with that. You'd think I'd quit reading because there's so little emotional payoff. But in fact I find myself rooting for no happy ending and no real change.

[desiknitter]

Hey, you've been busy! I like the idea of a vest for the grey Aussie thingie. With the interest at the waist (which is fine, trust me!) and the cables, which I really like, you might even go for a slightly slow round neck; wear it with a white shirt and black pants to class! Or you could also (as I've been planning to do for ages but never got round to it) knit it with an open collar with i-cord and then knit a cabled hood. Again, wear to class!

The Shetland sampler is gorgeous; there are also some lovely samples on the web in different colours; go for it!

[spudsayshi]

As you'll shortly see, that's pretty much what I did. Pictures to come.

And Danielle, I don't know that I exactly root for it, but I am nonetheless drawn to her endings. Everything comes crashing--well, genteely crashing--in, and it's fabulous.