I Think I Have Short Arms . . . .

I go from schizophrenic knitter to obsessed knitter. I finished the body of the Bressay Jacket Thursday night. Collar, button bands, and buttonhole bands, sides sown together, and started on the sleeves. The pattern called for picking up the stitches, and knitting back and forth – flat – that seemed silly to me, so I sewed up the sides, and picked up around the armhole, and knit down. Works beautifully, and is going fast. Just finished all the decreases – tried it on again – and it’s WAAAAAY too long – and I still have a cuff to go.

Sigh, so frog city. Back to the last of the every six row decreases, and just continue with every six row, and that should give me a short enough sleeve. One hopes. If that doesn’t work, I may have to rip way back and do an every fifth row decrease. I do hope this works. I’m suppose to go to the theatre on Tuesday, and I’d love to wear the sweater (suppose to, as DC is forecast the most snow we’ve had in a couple of years Monday and Tuesday – well, as long as the Metro runs we should make the theatre!)

Here’s a photo of how it stands before I start back on the sleeve. I really LOVE this sweater, it’s turning out wonderfully!


And the front, with our smallest cat Snowball in my arms

I went back to the new yarn store near me, A Tangled Skein (now on the web atangledskein.com) and got some lovely purple yarn to make a vest for a choir friend who is turning 50 in March – and has jokingly said she’d love a vest for her, with matching for her greyhound. I found a pattern in the book, Men Who Knit, and the Dogs They Love, that is perfect, and her favorite color is purple, so I got this nice purple from Araucaria Nature Wool 100% from Chili. The only problem with all this – one of her birthday presents is a SECOND greyhound! So, I need to make TWO greyhound sweaters! And besides going to A Tangled Skein, I had lunch at the restaurant across the street from it – Franklin’s. Good food – and for those into beer, it’s a brew bar! And a fun general store. A nice knitting outing for the day!

I’ve been bad knitting wise, got some new to me sock yarn this week – Apple Pie from Canada in a color called Blue Bayou, which I thought was bluer than it is in fact. BUT it goes gloriously with the Bressay Jacket, so . . . . it’s wool/mohair/silk and nylon.

I notice that the colors look bluer in photos then in the "yarn." Bit closer to true colors in the close-up.


Meanwhile my FI project is on hold as I try to find a 40” 0 circular needle. A Tangled Skein didn’t have one – more needles coming next week (and sock yarn, and other delicious sounding things). But one of my friends who went with me may have one, -- hopefully. If not, I’ll work the phones Monday and Tuesday. (Most of the LYS around here are closed on Mondays) And if that fails, get one on the internet. And I’m looking for buttons for the Bressay Jacket -- A Tangled Skein doesn’t have buttons. And I know from working in a yarn store, it’s hard to have a large enough selection of buttons for a broad range.

Back to the Bressay Jacket – I had hoped to have one sleeve done tonight, and I’m still hopin’.