Monday, December 03, 2007

WOW!

Wow, what a welcome! I had no idea my presence in blog-land had been missed. I also really appreciate everyone's good wishes on my new job. I have another week to go (leisure!) before I start. I'm looking forward to it, but trying not to think about it so much, so as to enhance the relaxation. :)

I think I mentioned that I was participating in NaKniSweMo this year. It was going great until the middle of the month, when I just got really busy with work and preparing for Thanksgiving travel. But, I'm happy to say I got back into it and finished -- on the last day! Here's a couple pics:

IMG_3089.JPG

IMG_3098.JPG


This is the Radiance Cabled Jacket from Webs (there's a little picture here.) I thought the pattern was well-written, and the only think I changed was the cable pattern. I changed it partly because I was trying to finish in one month, and the braided cable seemed harder, and also because in other versions I saw, there was a weird hole at the bottom of the cable pattern. I also had to make the sleeves longer.

One note about the yarn. I used Blue Sky Alpacas' new yarn Suri Merino in Crimson. The yarn is amazingly soft and has a beautiful sheen to it. It definitely has a fuzzy halo when knit, so I will be interested to see how well the cable pattern stays visible as it gets worn. It's a single, which I guess sometimes means a weaker yarn - but I tugged and tugged and couldn't break it. The only difficulty is that the yarn is very, very splitty. This can cause problems with seaming (I struggled at first but it got easier). But all in all, this is a luxurious yarn that is worth the price tag. I ended up with a skein left over! I think there's a scarf calling my name...

I'm also working on some holiday knitting, but believe it or not, I'm mostly finished! I'll be giving a few things I made earlier in the year, as well as some hats I've just finished. I also need to make a few baby items, which are always fun! I'm hoping to wrap up a few more projects that have been languishing - I have a bag that needs one more strap and then a trip through the washing machine, and a cardigan that needs half a back to make it ready for sewing up. Hopefully I can jump-start myself to tackle these items!

Well, enough babbling. Hope you are all well!