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January 22, 2009
Knittin' It Old School!
The other night I found myself on the couch, next to my (big) baby, watching TV. There was no (little) baby to be found - she was tucked asleep for the night - and the show on TV hadn't been on for two years at least.
I turned to G and said, do you mind if I knit. He got all excited and said, "You HAVE to knit! You always knit when we watch 24!"
People, it was surreal. Me. On the couch. Knitting. Watching 24 with G. I haven't had a night that good in a long time.
I wish I could tell you how many projects I've started and stopped and started since the baby was born. There were a couple of stuffed toys. At least three cardigans for Meli. I still haven't sewn the sleeves on this one. (OMG! Look how little she was!) How pathetic am I? I've got half finished blankets. A million socks. I actually started a gorgeous Aran cardigan this summer - and made it pretty much through the back and cast on for the fronts before I got crazy busy with work. It's kind of pathetic to tell you the truth and when I think about all these cast-aside projects I get really sad.
So what's a knitty girl to do? I cast on for something new. Natch.
When the lastest issue of the Twist Collective came out, I fell in love IMMEDIATELY with a featured yarn. The yarn is used in the pattern Garbo, which isn't really for me, but that gorgeous purple tweed jumped off the screen and BEGGED me to buy it. Of course, I obliged. It's Fiddlesticks Knitting Luscious Tweed in the Amethyst and it's 90% wool and 10% silk. I swatched immediately upon receiving the yarn from The Needle Arts Book Shop, which has great customer service. They send you my absolute FAVORITE rubber stitch markers when you make a purchase over $30, which, let's be honest, you blink your eyes and thirty bucks flies out of your pocket.
I saw the sweater I wanted to knit in my head right away - a nice comfy shawl collar sweater. The yarn reminds me a lot of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, which I used for this vest, and the tweed and the yarn lend themselves to stockinette. It's kind of slubby, if you know what I mean. I started scouring the internets for patterns, and finally realized that the sweater I really love is my Central Park Hoodie. It fits great and I wear it more than any other hand knit sweater I have. And it was an easy knit. So I decided that a new CPH it will be - only without cables and without hood. I'm doing the body all in one piece, the way I did my CPH and I'm going to leave off the hood and add a shawl collar.
The best parts of this project are that I hit gauge after I washed my swatch and that it's a stockinette sweater that I should be able to knit fairly quickly. The picture I've posted is a bit deceiving - I've already cast on three times (third times the charm!) and knit the 4" of ribbing and a bunch of rows of the body. My goal is to knit at least two rows a day - one knit row, one purl row. Should be doable right? Stayed tuned for more on this project! (And others, I hope!)
There! I blogged about knitting. With a picture and everything and I even got it in before the day was out. Now I have to go try and knit those two rows. Wish me luck!
Posted by Cara at January 22, 2009 11:51 PM
Topics: PSCC
Comments
Yay for you! You sure you're not sick again? All this talk about knitting and stuff, I mean. Kidding.
I do know what you mean about finding the exact right fit in a top though. Kudo's for recognizing and doing it again, but different.
And for the UFO baby things, I think of my stuff this way...obviously even though I meant to knit it for my baby, it wasn't meant for my baby, otherwise I would have finished it in time for one of them to be able to wear it for longer than 17 seconds before outgrowing it. It must have been (unknown to you of course) meant for another baby that you don't know yet. There will come a time when someone has a baby, and you didn't realize it or something, and you'll be scrambling around trying to figure out what you can possibly knit up that fast, and your baby UFO's will nudge you. One or more of them may scream out, "Pick me!" Then you'll know: "Crap, I guess I'm finishing that one and giving it to so and so."
Unless of course, you can figure out a way to enlarge it for your little dear. Which I've done as well. A couple of times. All's fair, I say.
Posted by: Kathy in KS at January 23, 2009 01:06 AM
My baby is 6 months, and I thought he was going to be a girl so he can't wear any of the things I made (I didn't just guess btw, its what they told me at the scan!). So then I bought a sweet Tiboodoo kit but never ended up making it. I did make father and son Turn a Square hats though and they look adorable together!
Posted by: atia at January 23, 2009 05:32 AM
Love that yarn. You and G back to normal...tv watching and knitting (and a little kissing thrown in). Yay!
Posted by: margene at January 23, 2009 07:58 AM
Yay! Good luck. I loved my version of CPH too. It is also my favorite sweater.
Posted by: Jamisyn at January 23, 2009 08:15 AM
Delurking here--
Yay for TV knitting and sleeping babies! I have 3 kids 3 and under and I know the feeling. It DOES get easier and you'll "get a life" back (sort of, ha!)
Your hoodie is so pretty and cozy.
Posted by: Amy at January 23, 2009 08:51 AM
The color and texture of the yarn are fab!
Posted by: grumperina at January 23, 2009 09:00 AM
A CPH with a collar is on my list, too! I just have to finish Salina first or I know I'll never go back to it. :)
Posted by: sarah b. at January 23, 2009 09:34 AM
Don't feel too guilty about your unfinished objects -- you just made the rest of us feel a lot better! My "babies" are 15 and 19, and I still have plenty of unfinished projects on the needles (not to mention in the office, in the kitchen, etc.). Have fun!
Posted by: KimW at January 23, 2009 11:49 AM
Hooray for bedtime knitting! My kids are 5 and 7, and are in bed- come hell or high water- by 7pm every night. That's knitting time!
They'll be 15 and I'll still be yelling at them to get into bed so I can knit undistracted!!! (tv doesn't count, of course)
Posted by: marissa at January 23, 2009 12:39 PM
Don't get me wrong, I love the Meli videos ("Where's your tongue?!" - the cuteness!), but it is great to see you get some knitting time. For yourself, for sanity, for your creative spirit. I know you've missed it.
It's pretty funny that I am also working on a purple, tweed, shawl collar cardigan right now! Rest assured, you will finish it before me, and I don't even have kids! Tee hee!
Posted by: Amanda at January 23, 2009 01:11 PM
Glad to hear you are finding your knitting time again, that purple tweed is gorgeous.
Posted by: Rebecca at January 23, 2009 03:39 PM
woot! on all the knitting/tv fronts! That tweed is goregous and I AM LOVING this season of 24!! TONY!!!
Posted by: margaux at January 23, 2009 06:46 PM
Welcome back to knitting. It missed you, too.
Posted by: Angie at January 23, 2009 07:59 PM
Knitting, 24, pretty yarn, and good company - I don't think it gets better than that.
Posted by: Kate at January 23, 2009 08:05 PM
That is exciting! Luck!
Posted by: the Lady at January 24, 2009 03:54 AM
I am so happy for you to get a knitting night! They do come back although it does seem like it takes a while. My kids are older and I still struggle to find time for knitting. Maybe a knitting group with other moms who have young ones could work for you to get in some time with the needles. We did it for a few years and the older kids kept the younger ones occupied. As long as you can handle popcorn all over the floor you can get alot of rows finished!!
Posted by: Heather Shelton at January 24, 2009 03:24 PM
i know! it's weird how it happens. one day things return slightly back to normal :) glad you're knitting something you enjoy!
Posted by: gleek at January 25, 2009 11:19 AM
Don't worry about your unfinished knits - they'll be waiting for you when you're ready.
It's taken me until my youngest turned 5 to get back to any serious knitting and sewing, that's just the way it is as a mother. And all those projects she's grown out of before you finished them - that's what nieces and nephews are for!
My husband loves it when we watch TV together. He'll be doing something on his computer and I'll be knitting but it somehow counts as time together anyway.
Posted by: Lisa at January 26, 2009 10:47 AM