My New Sweater

When we last left...ages ago... there had been knitting...not alot, but some.

Well there has been more. I started an EZ Baby Surpise Jacket for one of the teachers at S's old school.

So far...I'm confused. I am very intriged by how this thing is going to come together...I just don't see it yet, but from what I am told...EZ is the "Knitting Godess"...so on I go.

Of course the yarn...Blue Sky Alpacas Multi Cotton, http://www.blueskyalpacas.com/yarn_detail.php?yarns_ID=19  in "Slushie", how appropriate, is a beautiful yarn. Unfortunately, it's cotton and it hurts my hands...I can't work on this for extended periods or I end up not being able to feel my hands.

I have also been working on my new sweater, the "Nora Sweater" from Interweave Knits, Winter 2009.  I...love...this...sweater!!!!! http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/37384.aspx 

I got this yarn at Loops, http://www.loopsknitting.com/ in Tulsa, OK a year ago. Wonderful, wonderful Cascade 220 in Forest Green. I have 12 or 13 skeins of this stuff. I tried two or three different sweaters with it and wasn't satisfied...until now.

It has been knitting up into some of the most beautiful fabric! Soft, good drape and even better my guage is right!!!!

I have the back, minus the pleets and the back inset done.

I have to say that the inset was a welcome relief after 21 inches of stocking net. I am happy to report that it currently measures out exactly as the pattern calls for it. 

The back inset was quick, probably 2 days maximum, and when you consider that the cable patterns are not too complicated, it made it really enjoyable.

I have both of the fronts done. I thought that I was being smart and knitted them both at the same time...You know, if you don't have 3 kids and  a partner involved...I'm sure that this would be a really good idea.

I figured that it would be easier and that all of the decreases would be in the same places and when I bound off that they would be the perfect mirror image of each other...Yeah. Then as with most things...reality slapped me and laughed!!

Looking a the finished pieces, I realized that something didn't quite look "right". You know that odd feeling you get when you look at something and go "Hmmmmm...something is off.?" Well they were beautiful and identical. Off to a wade in the frog pond. I first frogged the left front back to the beginning of the short rows and re-knit. No big deal, I was ok...Then I laid out the newly finished left next to the right and then, "Hmmmmmm...something is off.?!"
The right side was about 2 inches longer than the left...I cried...I cussed and about the time I decided that I would have to frog both pieces that little voice in my head said "Hey!? If frogging to the short rows worked once...could it work...again?!" I am happy to report that yes, only about 13 rows had to be frogged and now both the right and left are behaving nicely. Nice, properly measureing, mirror images. Life is good.

Yes, I know the light is awful, but it's a picture from my iPhone. I do believe that I have mentioned just how much I love my iPhone before. I just had really crappy lighting at the time.

This is the left yoke. I have finished shaping the armholes and I am about to start the decreases. I had considered knitting both the left and right at the same time, but decided not to stress myself that much. 

So far, so good. I still really don't know what I want to name this sweater yet. For right now, I am working on it as much as possible...I REALLY need a new sweater!!

I hope to have you a finished object before long.  Life lately has been too stressful to talk about right now...but soon.

Lets just say we made some monumental changes in our childrens schooling...

TTFN