Medicare For All

Knitting Friday

What an eventful week! My newsletter is done, drafted and proofed. All that remains is preventing a computer melt down and I am good to go.

In fact, I just sent a copy to myself so baring Noah’s flood or nuclear winter, I can breathe that proverbial sign of relief.

Also during this week, my husband’s office chair broke, proving once again that Einstein’s 15th Law holds: One adult and two children cannot occupy the same space. Kudos to Einstein but it meant yesterday we shopped almost a full working day (OK, we did stop for lunch) searching for a new chair. Staples had the answer and right now, I’m typing on his new office char which is a pretty neat chair in that it’s comfortable. Imagine that, office chars are comfortable. And don’t have to cost half the national deficit to be so.

But since this is Knitting Friday, enough about me and more about me and knitting. This week I made a top down raglan cardigan and finished it to the point were I had only the sleeves to do. You know, the place where you try the beauty on? And so I did. In front of the mirror; and I noticed that the front edges were heading to the floor while the back remained hoisted to the ceiling. And, all the pulling in the world wasn’t changing that configuration. Did you happen to hear the sound? Yes, it was “Rip it, Rip it.” back to the frog pond for this beauty. I really do like that Red Heart Plush. It is so soft and also no worse the wear after frogging. So right now, it’s making its way into a raglan pullover. This knitting is really auto-pilot knitting once I cast on and joined. I think the markers went after 8 - 19- 8-19 for the two sleeves and the front and back. I worked the first row flat to make the joining easier and am using a Kfb (knit front and back) instead of YO (yarn over increases.) I have great hopes for this try and I hope to have finished pictures next week. I’m also hoping that this success (yes, I am optimistic) will lead to a break from shawl knitting for a while.

Talking about shawl knitting, I did have that garment in mind when I was in Michael’s yesterday (OK, we chair shopped, had lunch, and stopped at Michael’s and Wegmann’s - full disclosure) with that “burn a hole in your pocket” 40% off coupon. The siren call doesn’t grab me often in Michael’s because after their disappointing yarn department make-over there is little I want to purchase yarnwise in this store. The only positive addition for me is the Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool (which is definitely not their “old-fashioned” version of this wool; this new stuff would make a fisherman blush,) It’s 465 yards which makes a nice size shawl so I don’t mind buying individual skeins. (The only other yarn I buy at Michael’s is Patons Classic Wool but that’s seldom on sale and one skein (220+ yards) is not enough.

But then, as I’m standing there with the Lion Brand wool in my grubby hands, I think: what about a sleeveless vest? Would 465 yards be enough? A quick look at the pattern books there told me it would. So now I’m thinking that this will be my next, or my next to next project, since the weather yesterday necessitated a light sweater or jacket and I’m thinking: Fall, she is a-coming!

OK, don’t stop reading, there was more knitting done this week. I finished my foulard. I bound off my foulard. I tried on my foulard. I ripped out my foulard. What was I thinking? Yes, it did look crinkly and cute and stretchy and fun. But...... Perhaps it was because this was really a triangular shawl masquerading as a foulard. A foulard should be a square shawl folded into a triangle. There is a big difference in those two looks especially when you are working with crochet thread as I was. Although, I had to visit the frog pond again with this garment, I’m not discouraged. I have the same thread in beige but this time I have a lot of balls. So I’m thinking about another attempt with smaller needles but sticking to the pattern as written.

On the right is what the pink thread finally became - the ubiquitous ch3-3dc cluster shawl. What would I do without that stitch? It’s a modest 50" x 23" (center tip) but it’ll do. I have some pink linen blouses and a pink tee which need a light wrap. Take a look at the amount of yarn I had left. It's less than a yard and that was after I changed my final row to ch-3hdc clusters. And, I do apologize for the ratty towel - time to linen shop.

Before I drift back to my knitting, here’s a pattern link you may like:

http://madelinetosh.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mara-v3.pdf

It’s called the Mara shawl and be sure you are looking at Version 3 since the others had a error. This is a top down garter shawl so it will stay on your shoulders and be reversible. It has a really neat ruffled edge. With US 7 needles, it takes about 675 yards but I’m thinking about US 10 and cutting that amount down to 500 yards. And, once again, I don’t think I’m going to use the YO for the increases.

I’ll let you know how I make out. Now, it’s back to knitting.