how many times can I bore you with pictures of the same sweater....

It's really because I'm test knitting this that I feel I should do a weekly check-in on my progress, so I apologize for dwelling on the same thing every week (feel free to change the channel). Which is convenient because there are other knitting things going on I can't talk about anyway (isn't it always like that this time of year?), so here's week #3 of this. I was really hoping to have finished the body by now, but alas. I was also hoping to have finished the house painting by now, but there are still drop sheets in my photos, so no need to say anything more. Sigh.

You can see the various steek setups here - the neck in the middle and the two sleeves at the sides. Shaping is occurring at various rates on either side of them, so some paying attention is needed.

We've had almost a winter's worth of snow already, so getting around this week was cumbersome. But this time of year and the snow make me think of sweaters with reindeer and toques with birds like in this book. As I don't have time to make such items myself right now I would have to pay someone to knit them for me which would just be silly, so I won't. I actually had the thought 'I hope winter lasts really long this year so I have enough time to knit everything I want to'. Obviously, the cold is addling my brain.

Happy snowy weekend to you.

november's too busy. maybe december will be quiet....

Week #2 progress shot of Sant'Angelo. Still loving it. Wishing I didn't have hockey games, swimming lessons, meetings, etc. every single night of the week so I could work on it more, but still progressing (I went to a hockey game with my son and 4000 other school patrols last night and had the thrill of standing in line for an hour to meet Nathan Kress of the tv show iCarly. Even though I'm not 12 I still thought he was super cute). I haven't resorted to taking the sweater and its cones with me to these functions (to my son's relief, I'm sure) but I may still. I need a good pair of socks or something as I'm completely lacking in travel knitting at the moment but I'm afraid to start something else.

There's also those plastic drop sheets on the floor in the photo. Painting is still going. Taking awhile due to the vast geography to be covered, but looking good.

Hope you're good, too. Happy weekend.

winter's coming. need a warm sweater.

Week #1 progress shot of Sant'Angelo. I love everything about this project. I also love working with the yarn cones. Just set them on the floor and go. They stay where you put them and don't bounce around like skeins, reducing tangling. No changing balls, either.

I'm thinking of stranded knitting a lot lately, as I'm also reading this book, wherein she describes knitting Alice Starmore's Mary Tudor sweater over the course of a year. I'm having dreams of windswept landscapes dotted with sheep. I love the rhythmic binary process of two colour work. Kate has expressed this experience wonderfully here.

I am also in the midst of painting vast areas of ceiling and walls. My livingroom, diningroom, stairway and upstairs hall were painted a uniform soul-deadening browny-grey by the previous owner of my house. I have learned it was his attempt to eliminate the visual noise of the 1970's era colours of the owner previous to him. But I am ashamed at myself for having lived with it for 6 years with the feeble excuse it was done right before we got here. Now it's becoming a fresh canvas of warm white. I need new artwork now. And some new furniture. Out with the old, I say.

Happy weekend.

Sant'Angelo start

I just started test knitting this absolutely gorgeous sweater (sorry - Rav link only) by the brilliant Kirsten Jensen and I am thrilled to be doing it. I'm working with giant cones of yarn, as skeins were unavailable. I like the cones. It feels like a knitting portage when I move about the house with it (I may get more than my usual number of odd looks at childrens' swimming lessons and hockey games. So be it). And I love this yarn - Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport.

We are enjoying a wonderful bout of warm November weather here which is great because we have many construction projects to finish. This time of year is always such a race.

Our extended family had a party yesterday for my parents-in-law who celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this month. 60th! Hope you're having a good weekend, too.

still here

Sorry for the radio silence. I've had a crazy week what with going to Minneapolis and then Halloween happening, all of it fabulous. I'm doing bits of knitting and I'm also spinning the pink blend you see above, intermittently. It's another 3-ply worsted weight. I like how the 3 plies balance each other physically and visually. I'm thinking about doing something with a side-to-side construction for vertical striping. Only 24 more ounces to go.

Hope you're having a wonderful fall!

eta: The fibre is Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino in 'Touch Me' colourway. Gorgeous fibre!