Ta-da!

And now, for my next trick, I will demonstrate how you can turn sticks and string into a sweater! Here's T-Twist, and a couple of detail shots (the center decreases and the raglan seam). I really enjoyed this pattern, but I'm going back and forth on how it works on me. The center decreases do indeed form a poof that is not terribly flattering to my body type. I think I'll wash and block it, then try it again in a week. Sometimes new clothes need to grow on me.





The info: The pattern is T-Twist from knitty.com. The yarn is Brooks Farm Yarn Four Play in Poppies 2. The colors were not what I was expected at all. I looked back at the Brooks Farm website, and the colors look very rich and deep, like a field of poppies. The actual yarn is more like Neapolitan ice cream. The pinks are very pink. I like the colors I got; just keep this in mind if you order from them. Online swatches are usually pretty true on my monitor, and this was way off. The pooling was also not what I was expecting, but again, I like it. The yarn is very nice to work with, soft with a touch of give. I loved the pattern--it was a fun knit (and very quick on Size 8 needles). I would recommend seriously considering the modification to the center decrease line that Reluctant Mango came up with; it will reduce the center poofing. I knit the medium, and used two hanks of the Brooks Farm, at 270 yards each (8 oz.). I had 1.4 ounces left, so there would have been plenty of yarn to lengthen sleeves or the garment.

Other knitting: I did it. I frogged Jaywalker. I am now back to having an inch of ribbing. Yesterday, I had almost a whole sock; today I have almost no sock. I'm re-knitting in the larger size. I think the pattern is very nice-looking, but I'm not sure I'd consider an inflexible sock pattern like this again. What if I were trying to knit them for someone else? There's just no give to account for the funny variance in people's feet, even in the same size. Knobby ankles, high arch, narrow heel but fat ankle--there are just so many differences. I think that after these I will stick to socks with some stretch. I also cast on for a Kitty Pi in assorted feltable yarn.

Overall, my knitting has been sort of directionless lately. I finish one project and then cast about for my next one. Nothing on my to-knit list sounds exactly right. And my to-knit list is looooong. After I finished T-Twist yesterday, I was sort of lost. I looked through my list, and thought about Something Red, but I'd have to wind the yarn into balls since it's Rowanspun. I'm still undecided about continuing Orangina or not. I'm not done designing my Indian Summer Shawl. It's too warm to knit the vest I have planned in Jaeger Luxury Tweed. I wasn't in the mood for a lace scarf. I even dug through the stash and flipped through my patterns to see if anything jumped out at me. Anyone else have this problem sometimes?

Reading: Still on the Beaton. It's fun.

Writing: I did a bit of reworking yesterday. Today, I'm feeling better. Thanks, you guys :) The mystery virus seems on its way out. I hope I get more done today.

Cooking: String Bean, roux is awesome! I have a nice summer corn chowder that starts with a roux. Today, I'm making egg rolls. They're baked, which disappointed my husband. "Ooh, egg rolls? Really? Are you gonna fry them?" "No, honey, they're baked." "Oh."

Note: Geronimo is doing nothing more threatening than yawning in yesterday's photo! I've never caught him in a non-blurry yarn before.