Doesn't everyone do ten projects at a time?

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First, I want to say that I've got a fairly good track record of finishing projects. It's just that it often takes a long time, and they aren't always given to the original person intended. But I just can't help myself, I keep starting new projects because I get an idea. It's all about ideas.



So at the moment I'm working on a DK version of the Kim Hargreaves sweater that I have made twice before. The first version was in pink and was intended for Lisa Miller in Germany who was 3 years old when I started the sweater. I don't knew exactly where I bought the Rowan magazine that the pattern is in, but the price on the magazine is in Deusch marcs, and it was for Lisa in Germany. She is now eleven. I'm not sure when I finished the sweater, nor why I never got it sent off to Germany, but I was a perfect fit for my grand-daughter Emily. Earlier this year I made a slightly heavier version of the sweater for Emily. I had to add stripes because I didn't have quite enough yarn and couldn't get any more. And now I am working on my third version of this sweater. It's a light DK red with a singly-line white stripe every seventh row. Instead of breaking off the yarn I knit the different row and then put the stitches back on the needle so that I can pick up the left behind color. I've finished the back and am almost done with the front. I had though of making it a cardigan, but it is so much easier to just plunk the sweater onto the child. I hope I can get the stripes to match up when I sew it up.

This sweater has a finished back, an almost finished front.  Then I need to make the sleeves, sew it up, and knit on the neck ribbing.  And of course the last thing, that I can stall on for much too long, is to sew in the ends.



I'm also working on a cardigan for my Dad. The really tricky bit about this one is that I hope he lives to wear it. He'll be 89 on May 2nd, and it sure would be good if I had it done by then, but life seems to be flying by and I'm not what you would call loaded with energy. I wish the weather would get better. That like from the Chronicles of Narnia "Always winter, but never Christmas" would be something like "Always late fall, but never spring". And the cherry trees have already bloomed but it is still cold and rainy. I can't get out and walk in this kind of weather, and the dark days are even getting to me, a long time Oregonian.

But that's enough excuses. I just need to get on with this one. I've made the back and one sleeve, and I'm over half way done with the other sleeve. Then I will need to knit up the pocket linings, and then get the fronts done. It's a v-neck I think. Or maybe I haven't made up my mind yet. That's one of the problems I have with getting things done - I haven't finalized what I'm really making before I start knitting.


I'm making a Patricia Roberts sweater for Emily. It's a really cute fine knit crew neck sweater with a lacy packet front. The main color is red with the pocket back in pink. I'm hoping to be able to embroider a pink E on the sweater. I couldn't tell you right off the back where that project is. But I'm fairly sure It's way more than half way finished.

I've found it!  It was in the basket I put things in at Christmas.   I've finished all the pieces and one side of the shoulder is sewn up.  So now I just need to sew up the other shoulder, knit the neck ribbing, sew in the sleeves, sew up the side, sew up the pocket, and finally sew in the ends. You cannot see that the pocket lining is pink through the lacy front of the pocket. Sometimes I'm just a little too subtle.

Now I just need to finish sewing in all the ends and clip the threads. This is definitely a dress sweater, as it goes only to her waist.   -   I'M DONE!

I'm working on a v-neck pullover for my not yet arrived grandson Joshua Caleb Enoch. It's of a yarn that was bought in Hong Kong about 25 years ago to make a sweater for the soon-to-be-mother of Joshua. But there I was knitting away when Emily got into my knitting and pulled out the needles and now I can't remember what size needles I was using. Now I suppose that such a small sweater won't show the problem, but it is sure irking me. I've got to figure this out.

I've made the back, and I was just starting in on the v-neck part of the front when I got very confused on the needles.  I just need to knit it up.  Then I need to make the little sleeves, sew up the parts, knit the neck ribbing, sew up the side seams, and finally sew in the ends.


I am working on a lacy patterned sweater for Emily in a hot pink wool that I bought in London at Peter Jones (or some name like that). It's a Jaeger matchmaker 4-ply, which you simply can't get in America. But I only have vague recollections of this project, and I simply must find it before Emily is too big. One thing in the yarns favor is that it is pure wool, which means if I have to I can undo the project, give the yarn a good rinse, and dry it using my yarn spinning umbrella like machine to dry the yarn without wrinkles and I can start again.

I still can't locate this sweater!

I'm making a lovely Aran sweater for Emily that is from an old Pinguouin knitting book #45 that I bought in Hong Kong.  I've always wanted to make that particular sweater.  `The pattern calls for using Pingofrance, a yarn I do have in my stash, but I'm using Lion Brand Baby Soft, which has the same tension.  I wanted to make sure that I would have enough, and I wanted it to be in a natural wool color, like Aran sweaters.  I'm using a 3 3/4 mm needle on the main body.  I don't know what size needle I used on the ribbing, but I'm guessing it was a 3 1/4 mm needle.

At this point I'm not yet to the armhole on the back.  So I've a ways to go.  I really enjoy knitting on it, but it does need rather undivided attention.

I don't know how long ago I started in a a pair of socks for Riley in a really wild red variegated wool by Wildfoote. He was the one who picked out the wool, but I really liked it myself. Once I was working on the socks in my French class and my teacher - who is VERY French - looked very apprehensively at the socks. I told her that they were for my husband and that he had chosen the wool. At that she seemed to give a look that said "well I guess it's okay then."

The tension on these socks is 9 or 10 stitches to the inch. I had originally been putting in a cable down the sides every ten rows, but with the variegation and all it was hard to see, so I stopped putting in the cable.



This is a project that I've got in mind and that I have the book and the yarn for the project. Last year, when Riley and I were getting ready for our trip back east, I went into the knitting store and asked if they had a for pay project that I could do while on the trip. The clerk (Sandi) hesitated, but then she swung into action. It turns out that the store had a trunk show in the store and someone had stolen a pair of socks that were on display. The show was leaving soon and they needed to replace the socks. She showed me the socks as pictured in knitting book. They seemed very doable, looking like a guernsey pattern. So she gave me the two balls of wool needed and I was off. I later discovered that the pattern was actually formed by knitting twisted stitches, which is definitely more difficult than knit/purl patterning. But I did them and eventually earned enough store credit to buy the yarn for this coat for Emily.



I was sorting through what looked like a basket of projects and among the found projects was what looked like a sweater for a doll or teddy. I carefully disentangled the little pieces and discovered a back, two sleeves, a front, and an almost finished other front. So obviously what I had was a cardigan. The yarn used for this project is a 20 gram ball of Sirdar Wash 'n' Wear 4 ply that I bought in Hong Kong 25 years ago. I looked it up on the internet and they now make it in a 100 gram ball. What a difference. And upon closer inspection it looked like a cardigan for an American Girl doll. With all the pieces about ready for assembly I decided I would get right on it. The unfinished front was already starting the armhole decrease, but not yet to the neck decreases. The sweater was a raglan sleeve cardigan, so I estimated that I must be decreasing one stitch at the armhole every front row. I decided to just wing it on the neck edge, and trust that all would work out. Then I sewed the pieces together, using my French safety pins to hold the stitches of fronts and sleeves, and the back was on a needle. At this point I could slip the sleeve onto my Emily doll. It looked like a perfect fit. Next I needed the bands, button band first. I decided on a six stitch band, worked as follows: {k1,p1,k1,p1,k2] & [k1,p1,k1,p1,k1,p1]. When sewed on it seemed to be about 51 rows, and I decided on 5 buttonholes. The buttonhole band was as follows: [p1,k1,p1,k1,p1,k1} & [k2,p1,k1,p1,k1] On the 4th and every following 12th row I made a buttonhole as follows: [k2, yf, k2tog, p1,k1] and the following row I knit the loop. I'm noting this here because the buttonholes are perfect. I'm always forgetting exactly how I want to do them.

Now all that is left to do is to find the buttons and sew them on. That's why you can see the thread hanging down, it's the last remaining thread on the sweater and is meant to sew on the buttons with.  Somewhere I have a tin of very small buttons!