let’s review . . .

wow, october is really zooming by, isn’t it? last thing i knew we were all clucking over the fact that it was the first of the month and all of a sudden we are one-third of the way to november. and i’ve barely spoken about knitting here in i don’t know how long—how do you put up with me?

admittedly, i have a lot of secret knitting and i’ve been traveling a fair bit (honestly, i feel like a guest in my home at the moment, haha), so opportunities to chat have been scarce.

and because i’ve been a bit behind on sharing the things i’m working on, i have a good deal of actual knitting content today.

hazeline is growing quietly but efficiently in its own sweet time. i’ve taken this project along to each destination and knit on it whenever i think i might end up in the company of someone who should not see my secret knitting.

i’m partway through the hem at this point; probably something like two-thirds done. it’s a nice relaxing knit that travels well; it’s easy to pick up and put down, with WS rows entirely in purl—it practically knits itself.

really.

i’m working this one up in hazel knits entice, using our september club colorway, sparrow song. i think this might go into the christmas gifting box when it’s done.

oh, and look what’s off the needles, finally

you would have wanted to slap me if you knew that i went away three weeks ago and left it  halfway through the bind off. do you know how frustrating it was to not be able to stay awake to complete the last row??

geesh.

anyway, i finally had a chance to sit with it monday night and finish it off. but it still needs to be grafted at the neck and a few ends woven in, not to mention blocking—oy. but i plan to put it on to soak immediately after finishing this blog post.

that doesn’t mean i can’t take pictures now

although, it doesn’t exactly do itself justice in this state. just wait til it’s all blocked and unpinned; the transformation will be stunning, i promise, even for me.

i’ve been fondling the swatches for almost two years and showing them in classes; the finished piece will be so satisfying to hold and drape.

haha, it really looks like it had a rough night, doesn’t it?

i knit the tall size, so mine is going to be large—probably in the neighborhood of 34-36 inches at center back (there is a petite size, too).

i like the way that ribbed pattern hugs the neck and shoulders; i hope it still has a bit of that tension after blocking (it should).

the hem will be much more open and flared than it appears now; the fabric will be light and gossamer, with a hint of a halo from the bison content. i can’t wait!

and then there is this bad boy—my bloch ness sweater in DK polwarth silk from indigodragonfly, in colorway curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.

i have taken this project along to every port in my recent travel adventures, but have not even taken it out of my suitcase—how lame is that? and i have no idea why; i love working on it. for one thing, it’s public—i can knit on it in front of anyone it’s great company for visiting and so mindless, i can do it in my sleep, i think.

here’s the kicker—apparently, three weeks is long enough to completely forget that i’ve gotten so far on it. i thought i had a lot more to go and had built the whole thing up in my mind as being a bigger amount of work than i actually have left.

it’s well past the tipping point—i have the back and two sleeves finished already. the fronts are very narrow (they will be filled in by a generous width of button band). i’m going to get those on the needles in the next couple of days and then take them along to work on in rhinebeck/NYC.

the fronts will be very totable, after all . . . not like the back piece, which was larger. i figure, if they are on the needles i’ll be much more likely to grab and go. and when i get home, i can sew the whole thing up and do the front bands (which, to be honest, make up a hefty portion of the sweater front, so i’m not coasting yet).

i am actually itching to bang them out right now, but i need to get some secret knitting done before i leave so as not to tempt kim into wrestling me to the floor to get a peek at the november project.

being at briar rose in michigan last weekend gave me a yen to get my hands on some squishy dark nate’s sock yarn. i don’t know what i think i’m doing even contemplating another project, but i pulled a skein out of the stash to play with; i know what i want to make with it, but let’s keep that for a surprise next week.

even before i left for maryland, the weather in ohio had turned cold, but now we are really getting down to business—we’ve had frost and the heat is on in the house. my hands and feet live in a continual state of chill from now until about memorial day, so this morning, i pulled out scarves, fingerless mitts, and caps to place in my bags and desk drawer.

oh, how i love my plain jhaynes—i am so glad i knit these. they are light as air, thin as a second skin, and WARM; perfect for wearing at my desk. i might need to knit another pair for running, maybe something dark; i would make the hand part cover all but the tips of my fingers (they would be the perfect gift for a runner, BTW, man or woman).

i bet i’ve got a small amount of lace yarn upstairs that would be perfect . . . something with cashmere or bison or yak or mink, why not?

okay, that pile of finished sweater pieces is making feel overly accomplished at the moment—i better stop now before i get carried away and actually start another project.