While I read, I knitted. I like having a simple, shaping-free, low-concentration project to knit on while I read or invigilate exams.
This pattern is called the Sloane shawl. It's a modification of seed stitch. Eventually the shawl will be triangular; it's hard to see that here (the side on the needle will be the triangular side; it grows from four points - one 3 stitches in from each edge and one on either side of the central stitch).
After that was done, I took some time to relax. First, I knitted on Starbuck a little more, far enough to attach the second color.
This is with flash and so the blue looks a lot more electric than it actually is; it's sort of an ice blue.
Now, I admit, I want to knit ALL THE FINGERING WEIGHT SWEATERS. The good things about these is because they're finer-gauge, if you're a bigger person, they don't make you look so huge, and also there are more opportunities to fine-tune shaping (more rows: more points where you can increase or decrease or insert short-row darts, that kind of thing). Also, in a hot climate they give warmth on cool days without being too sweaty in a warm room or if the day warms up.
The main drawback is they take longer to knit. (Then again: you get more enjoyment per dollar for things that take a long time to knit. And if you use sockyarn - sockyarn is actually pretty reasonable, you can get nice sockyarn fairly cheaply. I confess, I bought another sweater's worth of sockyarn - the sweater is called La Grasse Matinee. The original is made with a Rowan yarn, which I am sure is very nice, but for a sweater for me, would run well over $100. Instead, I bought a sockyarn (same yarn weight) from Trekking XXL for less than $70. I got a dark chocolate brown tweed, which I think will make a very pretty sweater.
Also, I got to watch New Pony! (and also, I confess, the Gen 3.5 movie they showed before it - the one where "Rarity" (a pink little-girl unicorn in Gen 3.5 world) has to make a rainbow). During this time I started a new stuffie:
Yup, Treehugger. That's her head up there, with the pattern I'm using and a printout of a drawing of her for inspiration. (I'm going to do her eyes more like in that picture - the slightly more "alert" eyes, than the, ahem, "altered perceptions" style some fan artists give her).
Today, I made the bindings and did the machine-sewing part (I still have to do the hand-sewing, and that will take quite a while) on the two quilts I picked up last weekend. I also made two more blocks for the ongoing quilt top:
I am especially happy how the one with the roses turned out.
I've felt a lot better and happier these past few days. PART of it may have been that having the bloodwork hanging over my head (I had been supposed to do it in July, before my checkup) was bothering more than I thought (partly worrying about the results but also worrying about just having to get it done). Part of it might be something I'm allergic to finally quit flowering because it feels like a gray fuzz has been scraped off the world - I often feel, when my allergies are bad, like there's an ugly gray fuzz over everything that makes it less happy and less appealing.
Also, it may be having a feeling of things being more settled - knowing the bloodwork results, but also there are some positive things happening on campus that may lead to our finances improving in another year or two. And we have a new permanent minister at my church and, while it's his first post as head minister (and the interim reminded us of this, I think to let the people who like to complain know that they should be a little gentler, at least at first), to me it seems that he's going to grow into the position well. (His sermon this week was very good, and it was about "putting down your baggage" - including the tendency to worry about stuff you have no control over, which I need to be reminded of on a regular basis.... )
1 comment:
Oh my! I'm loving those quilt blocks.
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