Sunday, December 7, 2008

Of being knitterly

The weather has turned cold (with a bit of a vengeance, actually) and with the cold weather comes the return of the delight I feel at being a knitter. Each morning when I get up and decide which knits I’m going to wear that day, whether it be sweater, shawl, stole, scarf, socks or gloves. I’m awash with knits. I knit those knits. And it feels wonderful to venture out into the world wearing the knits I knit.

There’s really nothing that can compare to the knitterly satisfaction (and condescension, I have to admit) I feel wearing these beautiful hand crafted garments and pitying the people who wear only store-bought, factory-produced knits or, worse still, no knits at all. Pity the poor knitless ones.

I’m getting very close to finishing my Portuguese Fisherman’s Sweater. The sleeves have been a little bit of a challenge. I probably could have knit a whole new sweater for the time I took starting, ripping out, starting over, etc.

I decided to do the sleeves top down and it was a bit like the 3 bears – first I picked up way too few stitches, then I picked up way too many stitches but finally I think I got it just right. But then you have the problem of how far you decrease the stitches and then how to sort out the edging. Since the body had a split edging, I thought I might do the same for the cuff. But I shall have to do one last ripping out and do the cuff solid, I think.

Once I finish the second sleeve – which lacks about 3 inches – I will need to do the collar and then I’m done.

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