I’m lying on the couch, the sun behind me, two dogs curled against me, and an angry Digit glaring at me from the dining room table. He’d really like to be on my stomach right now, but he can’t quite get over the dogs. He’s getting much closer, though, and doesn’t run every time they walk past him anymore. Kind of a small cat-miracle, that. Digit, the cat who never, ever came off the tops of the kitchen cabinets when the dogs were visiting at my condo (even if they stayed for days, he stayed up there, only venturing to the kitty litter box in the dead of night), is now wandering the house almost at his leisure. He still hates to see the dogs coming. But he is tolerant now. He also has a LOT more room here. We all do.
Digit watches Harriet walk away.
Hey, I finished the wedding stole! I’ll block it later today and take a picture for you. Promise.
Suddenly, I just realized what that meant. For the first time in a long time, I don’t have a project. That. Is. So. Cool. That means I can go into my room and play with yarn and patterns and come up with something. What I really want to make is another handspun cardigan, a knock-arounder, but that requires spinning, and I’m so busy the next couple of weeks, that won’t happen. (A wedding will do that to you, I hear. It’s like having PMS, all the time. Sometimes good, something bad.)
Wait. Did I ever show you the handspun sweater that I DID finish? No? Sigh. I didn’t think so. I finished it about three weeks ago, maybe a little more, during the throes of moving hell, so I wasn’t in any mood to hurry and blog it. Plus, I didn’t really like it when I finished it. I just kind of knitted it, no pattern, throwing math-like numbers on a piece of scratch paper when I felt like it, which sounds so very blase and don’t-I-know-what-I’m-talking-about, and I was prepared to feel all proud of myself when it was done, but I wasn’t because it kind of sucked. Okay, it didn’t SUCK, but it just wasn’t quite right. The back was the problem — there was a lot of room back there. It was as if I had made the sweater for a person with boobs in the front AND back. Just kind of hung weird. When my shoulders moved, the back draped and swung, lifting the hem, showing the back bottom of whatever shirt I was wearing (or the top of my low-rise jeans, which while I understand that’s the style for the kids today, I personally feel a little nekkid showing that particular area of skin). It was weird. Bell-like. (What’s this I hear about reverse-ease and making a sweater with the circumference taken from under your armpits and not the chest? Anyone?)
But then I washed it (yes, washed!) in the machine (yes, machine!) and blocked it somewhat on the table, and it’s okay now. Lala said now it looks like a normal sweater, and it’s nice and warm, but I’m going to have to get over the initial disappointment I felt upon putting it on. I’ve only worn it once since I finished it.
Hey, that’s TWICE lately I’ve been disappointed in something I’ve designed and knitted. Erg. I don’t like that. But I do heartily love the stole, so that’s something.
Anyway, your patience will get you everywhere. Here you go:
Blurry, but you get the gist of the fit.
More true to color — it was a merino two-ply I made of a green/blue and a brown/orange, obtained at Deep Color in Kensington.
Hello!
I realized when I finally sat down with my wheel here at the new house that this was left on it, ready to be plied, so I did, and now I can make a baby sweater, perhaps.
This post just keeps going, doesn’t it? See, I’m doing like nine other things at the same time, wandering the house, doing laundry, thinking of things I MUST do today, and then I pop over here and write a little more. You used to get a lot of short posts, and lately you’ve been getting big ole long ones, not as reg’larly. Hope you don’t mind.
But what that’s good for is this: I just took a picture of the stole in its bath!
Next, I’m going to use the WASHER (which is still like a happy miracle every time I look at it or think of it) to spin it out.
This is a nice day. It’s only 9:30, and I’ve been very busy since I got up. I suppose at some point I’ll make breakfast, since my Cadbury Creme Egg and coffee isn’t really the breakfast (heh, typo: breakfat) of champions. (Lala brought me TEN boxes the other day when I was in the absolute worst mood. She didn’t even tell me, just let me grump my way into sleep, and then I found them in the morning, in front of the coffee machine. O, joy divine.)
Also, this is a reclaimed day, since it was an on-call day for me. Today I’m getting paid to be on-call, and you usually know whether or not you’ll have to go in to work by 4am, which is when people are supposed to call in sick by. So you sleep rather badly until 4am, wondering if your phone is going to ring, and you don’t make any plans, and you count on going to work, and you lay out your uniform, and then when they don’t call, you get a whole nice unexpected day off. Loving it.
I’m really done rambling now. Have a good day, all.
(Oh! To you, and you know who you are, who have sent us gifts, bless you. We’ve had the MOST fun in the kitchen at night, opening boxes and squealing in bride-like joy. Okay, that’s me. Lala’s a little more suave about it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. xo)
Cadbury eggs for breakfast? It IS love! 😉
And I am so digging that pink lamp. Your house looks great (and clean!)and I can’t wait to see pics of you wrapped in the wedding stole for you know, that day…coming soon…
Oooh…I -like- the sweater! You look damn sexy.
Can’t wait to see the wedding stole!
Can’t wait to see the stole, how exciting!
And can I just say, your house is GORGEOUS. Truly, truly lovely.
Glad to hear about the kitty adjusting well to the presence o’ doggies. That can be pretty intense when households and household pets merge!
The sweater is great! I can’t wait to see the stole.
I love how happy you are. 🙂
That picture makes it look like you live in a yarn store, what with all the cubbies of yarn along the wall. Lucky ducky.
Wedding planning = PMS? I SO didn’t need to hear that.
All of your projects are beautiful…It’s fun to see all the cool stuff you’ve done.
And congratulations on your upcoming wedding…
Cadbury stash and a pretty stole…life is good.
Look at all the space in the top picture, and the glorious sunshine on the yellow walls! You’ll have to show us a picture of your kitchen with all the new stuff.
Your new sweater looks like it might be a top-down raglan. I love those, just knit until it looks big enough and straight down until it is long enough. Nice yarn, too.
I have big boobs (don’t delete me yet, LOL). I know of what you speak–the back of a sweater being too big compared to the front.
Early in the summer I got a knitting machine. I was pregnant and wanted some tank tops. Now, I haven’t done much handknitting for myself in a long time as I don’t like how long it takes to get a piece I’m not happy with.
So the machine was great. Zip zip…two days…a tank top. But when I put it on–the back was floating around in mid-air and the front was too snug. I checked gauge. I checked measurements. Etc. Then, it dawned on me. It’s too big in the back, because I’m not shaped like an 0 I’m shaped like a D . So I remeasured myself and found I needed 20″ for the back width, and 24″ for the front (and an even greater difference for sweaters). It was easy to make a tank top using those measurements. In fact, I made 3.
Sweaters are a little trickier, because you have a bit of figuring with the armholes and sleeves, but it’s doable.
And say….didn’t you say you bought a knitting machine awhile ago?
Yup, I had PMS for pretty much the whole year before my wedding. Pre-Marriage Syndrome. At the beginning I made my fiance promise to not let me elope, and I’m glad I did, because I whole-heartedly wanted to cancel the wedding and elope at least four times. So yeah… congratulations!! You got through the dress part way easier than I did, so you’ll do fine!
I love the sweater you finished, it looks great. And the color and fit is spot on! Congrats on finishing the stole too, with time to spare. Awesome! When’s the big date?
I really like the detail of the single cable going up (or down) the front. That plus the perfect fit makes the sweater resemble a fine suit jacket, only more comfortable and beautiful. The stash is impressive, too, and so well organized!
Love the sweater, love your house, love all the animals (go, Digit!), and *especially* love that big ol’ dining table.
the stole already looks gorgeous, as do you, and your sweater, and your house! Yay, it’s just all come together so beautifully for you both. Makes me happy to see it!
I think today’s “Bunny” is just for you then Rachael… I love that comic almost as much as I love reading about your happiness with the new house. It truly is a beautiful house! And congrats again and I wish I could send you a blender… (Isn’t that what you send?) Love Lisa (the Swedish one)
You house looks as bright and happy as you do Rachel! I love your handspun sweater and the bridey stole. Ah, and isn’t there a great sense of relief to see a cat adjust to a situation. It probably was the best thing to move…then the dogs and kitties are on equal footing as far as ownership of territory. No more “this is my house” attitute.
I like that sweater! I still don’t get how you knit up so many complicated-looking projects so darn fast. Oh, somebody already beat me to it in commenting that it looks like you’re in a yarn shop. lol. By the way, I had my very first Cadbury egg a few weeks ago. Thanks a whole lot for letting me in on a new addiction. Good grief.
I think that stole looks elegant, even in it’s bath.
Your living area looks so airy and inviting! Glad the animals are integrating.
I was kind of disappointed I didn’t run into you and Lala at Stitches (and kind of jealous that Sonja of Sugar Life did – we drove down together). Ah well…
The sweater looks great! (And I’m sure the stole will, too, once we can see a blocked pic. But no rush.)
Your stole is beautiful and I love the bright happy colors in your home.