Holy cable batman

No, I don't have a stomach ache - I'm just holding the sweater closed until a nice shawl pin finds its way into my life.

I went a little crazy after I finished my last sweater. I was so happy to have finally made up my mind about a pattern, and found a way to finish the steeked edges. So right away I plunged into another project...a ridiculously challenging one: Opposite Pole, created by Joji Locatelli. There were nine million things that made this a tough one for me: provisional cast ons, two complicated cable and braid charts with different numbers of rows, short rows galore, and learning how to graft stitches. 

I have never seen a sweater constructed in such a way. I won't bore you with all the details, except to say that is was by far the most complicated thing I have ever knit. Basically the rectangular panel in the centre of the photo is knit first, then the rest is knit in a big circle all the way around the outside, leaving holes for the arms which are then picked up and knit. Thinking methodically and not freaking out were what got me through.

It was the very last thing I had to do that I'm a little disappointed in: grafting a run of stitches, in this case a complicated run containing garter, stockinette and rib stitches. I watched about a dozen youtube videos on grafting, and learned that the procedure is different depending on not only what kind of stitch you have currently (knit or purl) but also which stitch comes next. On top of that, there was no way to get the cable and braid patterns to meet up exactly once I'd made my way around the circle - the pattern warned me not even to try. The end result is that there is an awkward looking line down the centre of the back collar that I'm not happy with. I tried! I picked it out and started again a few times, and this was the best I could make it look. Which is too bad, set off against the beautiful back panel.

I already have my next project picked out: a very simple cardigan for Kim, in a colour called Cilantro Heather. The whole thing is knit in stockinette stitch. What a relief.

This one's for Ann

If you haven't met Ann at Shim Farm yet, take yourself over for a visit. She lives on a  beautiful rural property in Quebec, has a wicked sense of humour, and is the most expert knitter I (virtually) know. Just have a look at her Saga sweater, for a start.

Ann's beautiful sweaters were what prompted me to pick up my knitting needles after a long hiatus. I was never an expert knitter, but a long time ago I did manage a couple of Lopi sweaters knit in the round, and I seem to remember spending one long winter in my university days knitting mittens as a fund raiser for a disarmament group.

But mostly my needles have been buried away in a cardboard box in the storage room. Until I met Ann, that is.

So last summer I dug out my needles and learned to cable knit, and at Ann's recommendation I ordered a bunch of Lopi wool direct from the manufacturer in Iceland. (Man, what a deal!) But I couldn't get started on a sweater: I couldn't find the perfect pattern, and I worried about it turning out the wrong size. But again, at Ann's urging, I got off my butt and got started. (Are you getting the idea this sweater wouldn't have seen the light of day without Ann? You're correct!)

The pattern is the Iounn cardigan by Ragga Eiricksdottir with a major tweak: I liked the pattern, but my heart belonged to this little sweater and so I adapted the pattern to incorporate this design. That was one of the things I learned with this project. Another was how to use short rows for shaping: the cardigan has short rows through the upper back which makes the neck come up higher in the back, which I like, and it also has short rows at the elbows to give a little more fullness there so they don't get worn out.

But the biggest thing I learned was how to use a steek to knit in the round (which is easier than back and forth). Once it's done you do the scariest thing imaginable: you cut it open to make a cardigan. (That's why they call it a stEEEEK!) It was nerve racking but it worked. And then the hard part was figuring out how to finish the front edges. The pattern was a little vague in that regard, and to complicate things further I knew I wanted buttons but I had never done a button band before. But thanks to the all the kind people who post how-to videos on You Tube, I managed to sort out something I'm pretty happy with.

Of course I've finished it just in time for the weather to be too warm to wear it...

Thanks, Ann!

Knitting

Thanks to the inspiration of Ann at Shim Farm, who reminded me of the pleasures of Lopi, and my friend Elisabeth, who knits socks that are works of art, I recently rooted through my long-forgotten box of knitting supplies, dug out my needles and knit this shawl.

It seems the familiar Leave Things 90% Unfinished Syndrome that governs our home renovations applies to knitting projects, too. The shawl got almost finished quite quickly, but then it stalled, with strand ends waiting to be woven in and the fringe undone. Finally I got my act together and finished it off one day (and took the photo you see), only to come home from tutoring the next day to the news that Frankie had decided it looked awfully soft and cozy and had dragged it off the back of a chair with his paws and snuggled with it on the floor, in the process creating a number of pulls and bobbles. Oh well. Nothing that can't be fixed. After all, people (and that includes dogs) are more important than things.

I mostly knit the shawl in front of the TV, which made the process of watching the latest episode of Boardwalk Empire less of a frivolous use of my time. Does anyone just sit and knit, without something else going on? That's a bit too stultifying for me, and there's only so much TV I am willing to watch. So my new favourite thing to do while knitting is to listen to an audiobook on my ipod. Which I did on my recent trip to Calgary, which involved about 50 hours on a train. What a perfect combination: the rock of the train, spectacular scenery passing by the windows, being read a good book with a pair of needles in my hands, learning to cable knit.

And speaking of needles, I have learned of the pleasures of wooden needles, which somehow feel more fitting in my fingers than metal or (gasp!) plastic ones. They make it easier to channel the spirit of Laura, which is part of the fun.

The next project? Another scarf, with wool made of merino and silk, in a shade of green to bring out the sparkle in my honey's eyes.