stash, knit, repeat

Of course I ripped it out. I just wouldn’t be me, if I hadn’t. I would have finished the sweater, and hated it every time Jacob wore it. And that’s no way to feel about a hand-knit. So all’s well that ends well, I’m happy with my decision, etc. I’m not as happy with my progress since then…

Neither am I particularly happy with my progress on the Cleopatra Wrap.

(I wound the silk lace with my ball winder and swift, very carefully and slowly, and while I will never get back that rather painful hour of my life, neither will I lose untold more hours weeping untangling the stuff because it flew off of my equipment. It’s probably a good trade.)

Instead of, oh, I don’t know, knitting, I spent the week losing myself in wonderful cheesy escapist fantasy books and David McCullough’s “Truman”. I didn’t knit at all on Tuesday, and got through mere rows the rest of the week. It felt good, though. I just hope I can keep myself from rummaging through the bookshelf long enough to finish something, this time.

I feel like the biggest dork in the world.

So this is the back of Torgeir, from Elsbeth Lavold’s Viking Knits 1. Cute sweater, and I’m knitting it in the 2 year old size. At least, I will be when I can stop swearing at myself long enough to rip it out. See the cables along the side, there? They’re supposed to be 8-row cables. And the very first one, down at the very bottom there, is. But for the rest, I somehow managed to convince myself they were a 10-row repeat. This despite thinking they looked too long for the entirety of the back. Gotta love it.

I realized this when I looked at the chart again as I started the front. So now, the front will be the back, the back will be ripped out, and I’ll get right on all of that once I’ve cast on a little palate cleanser. I was thinking that I should wind up my Sundara silk lace and either do Icarus or the Cleopatra Wrap with it as a palate cleanser. Any votes?

…you all have such fantastic ideas! I ripped out the sock (and two baby sweaters and a baby hat), stuffed the yarn in the closet, and took a total knitting break for a couple of days. Read a few books I’d been meaning to get to, cleaned the house, and generally tried not to think about my knitting.

Then the February shipment of the Seasons Yarn Club showed up at my door.

She named the colorway “Bronzed Sienna”, and it is absolutely the essence of autumn in New England, to me. My favorite time of the year in my favorite place in the world. I put it on my desk and smiled every time I walked by.

I cast on for the second Pomatomus. Even if I’ve only knit a few rows, it’s started, damnit, and that makes things seem much more cheery.

The end is in sight, even if it’ll be slow going to get there. And then I let the whole question of what excites me (knitting-wise) roll around in my head during my little break. And eventually came up with the same answer as some of you: I need sweaters. I love socks, I love lace, I love all knitting–but I need sweaters. I’d written them off for the immediate future, because knitting one for myself is currently impractical. But eventually my brain kicked in and I realized I could knit a sweater for someone else, too. Enter Torgeir, from Elsebeth Lavold’s Viking Knits I booklet.

I should have juuuuuuust enough of the dark blue I used for Gram’s Fir Cone Cardigan to make the two-year size for Jacob. And just like that, I’m back. Nice to see you again!