So Much Has Happened

I finished knitting the Juju pants. They go with the seed and cable cardigan really well - I put a seed stitch border on the leg bottoms in the same colour as the cardigan. When I've done finishing, weaving in the ends and grafting the pants seat and blocking, I'll see if I just can't post a photo.

I did start the Swallowtail shawl. That yarn is soooo thin that I had trouble getting used to it, but I persisted and got quite a few repeats of the bud pattern done. I was surprised at how small in size it kept looking as I added repeat after repeat, but I was pretty confident that it would block out much larger. Then, disaster struck. Somehow I dropped a stitch and didn't notice until I had finished the row and purled back and then come to it again. The count wasn't right and when I figured out what had happened, the dropped stitch had run back many rows through yo's and k2tg's. I tried to figure it out and reknit those stitches from the bottom up but it was a no-go. I acted too quickly. After considering frogging back to the stitch- NOOOO! or tinking about six rows of complicated lace - eurgh!, I ripped the whole thing. What I should have done was to visit my friendly knitting people at Three Bags Full and let them help me. I put myself on timeout from Swallowtail.

I met Mandy Moore the other day, the designer of the Susie Hoodie. I told her the problem I was having with the Cascade 220 gauge not working for the sleeves where I'm knitting in the round. She said, quite casually, that the yarn the pattern actually calls for is quite reasonably priced. Three Bags Full doesn't carry it. The one they recommend for this pattern is quite expensive (for me). If I were to use the Cascade 220 for another project I could order the called-for yarn and have virtually no problems with gauge. Well, that comment sat with me and grew on me and took over any thoughts of starting Susie with the Cascade. I actually started the Bountiful Bohus from More Big Girl Knits (and downloaded it for free from http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_plus_size_bohus_style_cardigan.php) I'm liking it much better.

Now for the big news: it was my birthday last Monday; a big one, one with a zero at the end. My friends held a surprise party and I got lots of yarny gifts - how did they know, LOL? I got a knitting bag, a straight needle case, a dpn case, some lovely merino/silk laceweight yarn and, quite a bit of cash for yarn purchases. Add that to what my mom gave me tonight and I have what I need to buy the yarn for the Susie Hoodie.

I met Sivia Harding the other day. She works Thursdays at Three Bags Full. She's wonderful. Very knowledgeable about knitting and willing to share, just a lovely person to talk to. I've done two of her projects so far.

What more yarny goodness can I get up to? We'll see...