Lurkers

I have a new category (or at least a new name for the category) of projects that I like to call lurkers. 

If you're in a corporate environment, it's likely that you participate in a certain number of conference calls. Lurkers are what we call those who join calls but don't announce themselves, usually trying to catch someone off guard. 

The same can be said of internet discussion groups of someone who follows the discussions but rarely or never participates. 

My lurker project has been an argyle vest that has been laying around a while waiting on duplicate stitches and the decision about whether it will be a sweater or a vest. 

I finally made it come out into the open the other day and finished the dup stitches. 

The next decisions were to be a vest or to be a sweater. I'm not really a vest-y sort of person but I think it's finally convinced me. 

Vest it is. 

I need to work in the final ends and I haven't actually stitched the sides because I wanted to make those decisions but I also want to do some side shaping because it did end up a little too wide. I'm also, I think, going to felt it ever so slightly. 

I used the size needles recommended on the yarn band but the stitches are a little too open for my liking. I think I can fix that with some minor felting. (It's Galway yarn - which I love - so I'll have to be careful. It's a good felting yarn.)

And the lurker is no more a lurker but a full participant in the wardrobe. 

Winter. Need sweaters.

It's definitely winter in Central IL and with the winter is the realization that I need a new batch of sweaters. 

Here's one I started earlier...

On the left is the front that I need to duplicate stitch and on the right is the back that I just finished stitching. 

I'm anxious to see how this is going to come together since I need to make some decisions about whether it's going to be a long sleeve sweater or a vest-type garment but I love the cheery colors and I love the argyle thing so I think it's going to be a very happy whatever it turns out to be. 

The Scottish in me

I've been doing some family research and it's been fascinating to discover where family lore holds up to proof and where not so much. 

I was always told that we were from "Scotch/Irish" stock, especially on my mother's side. I always attributed my lifelong curiosity about Scotland to those inner callings. When I first stepped off a plane in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1983 and immediately felt that I was where I belonged, that, too, I assumed was from that tie. 

It has also been interesting to find that my first ancestors (on both sides of my family) first came to the new world in the early 1700s and came to Texas in the early 1800s. It appears I come by that restless spirit honestly. 

It seems fitting that my first sweater project of the season be an Argyle pattern. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time and it's finally coming together. 

The back is going to be green with a single yellow diamond in the middle and there will be a mini-diamond gusset on both sides. 

I'll have to wait until I get there to decide on the pattern for the sleeves, depending on how much yarn I have of each color. I'm kind if thinking of incorporating a diamond lace pattern somewhere on the sleeves. Is that too much?

Babies Galore

Why does it seem like babies come in bunches? I’ve got a couple of babies coming up (not personally, you understand!) so I’ve been stocking up on the baby items. Here are the first 2 things I’m working on.

The first is a baby jacket based on one I found in a 1937 baby knits magazine. I bought this Berroco Comfort yarn originally for a baby blanket but I love how it worked on this jacket. This came out a little small but fortunately I have enough to make one a little larger!

The second is a baby argyle sweater using Sandnesgarn Lanett. I’ve had argyle in the back of my mind for a long time wanting to do something with it. I can’t believe I’ve never done an argyle pattern before this but this is the first effort. I think the color combination is just what is called for but the overstitching of the yellow is taking longer than it took to make the whole sweater, something to keep in mind for a full size sweater.

I’m going to do the sleeves in yellow and then I’ll do a little ribbing around the neckline. I’ve redone the shoulders several times and still don’t like them so I’m leaving them until last. Maybe something will occur to me before then!!

I’m planning to do a tam to go with this and, if there’s enough yarn, socks, too. Knitting for babies is very addictive because they tend to go so quickly that you get that quick payoff.