Greetings Unravelers and Happy Valentine’s Day Ash Wednesday! (Or the opening of Fried Fish Season… IYKYK)
It is a day for all.the.things… especially the things we make!
I have some good… and some not so good to share with you today. I will start with the good..
Yesterday I began my sixth page for the 100 day project I am working on. Fifteen minutes a day over five days per page is the sweet spot of making… really. Less or more would not be good. Page five was inspired from Ann Wood’s “monthly creative spark” … vessel. I thought and thought about how to approach this… and I think I came up with a great interpretation! I present A Maker’s Vessel!
A knitting “bowl” filled with inspiration!
A bit of appliqué and then I just let my creativity flow with bits of scrap yarn, a wee pocket to fill with wee balls of yarn. It was so fun to watch this idea come to life on my “page.” This time might be my favorite 15 minutes of each day. And it is really making me think about how small blocks of time can really spark your creativity!
Pages 1 and 2 on top, 3 and 4 on the bottom.
As you can see in the header photo… there was a good bit of “safe knitting” done this week as well. Thanks to Super Sunday, I had an almost finished sock on Sunday night when I went to bed. I just had the toe decreases and grafting to a finished sock, which I did on Monday… and I immediately cast on its mate and have made great headway on it as well! I think that another pair of socks this month is very doable! I have also made some progress on a hat… I just love the “sunny-ness” of the yarn!
Now on to the Very Bad and Extremely Disappointing News of the Month. The Great Cabled Sweater is Enormous. E-Nor-Mous. And it weighs a ton…which I think does not help the fit at all. I have not purchased buttons yet… and I am at the point of such great disappointment that I am not sure I will. But, in my deep disappointment I have been thinking of how this colossal disaster might be salvaged… perhaps I could rework all.the.shoulders. and the sleeve caps of each sleeve. That’s an extremely daunting task and I am not sure it is worth all the additional effort that would take. (Or maybe Steve will wear a pink sweater?) Sigh. Also… that yarn… well it seemed nice and sturdy pre-washing… post washing, it is a super-shedder… as in it sheds more than Sherman does… if that is even possible! And, sans sunshine and an outdoor breeze… it takes FOR.EVER to dry! I washed it again on Saturday and it has been laying out to dry in the house since then and it is still.not.dry. (at this writing on Tuesday afternoon!)
Maybe it can become the most expensive bathrobe ever crafted….
There is really no place this sweater fits…
Although, I do love this collar and the 3-needle bind-off detail…but note, where the collar edge is on my shoulder… that is my shoulder. The shoulder seam is some two inches down my arm, making the sleeves even longer than they already were!
Fortunately, the reading has been a balm this week! I finished The Color of Water by James McBride. If you have not read this… you should! It is balm reading at its finest!
I also started The Poisonwood Bible on Monday… and it sucked me right in and I can’t wait to talk about this book!
At night, thanks to Netgalley, I am working through James Comey’s second mystery… and it is MUCH better than his first mystery!
Now… I am going to attempt the Italian Tubular Cast On to start Steve’s vest and have one enormous fried fish sandwich for lunch!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
See you back here tomorrow with some much needed poetry!
Kat, I am so sorry about ‘the’ sweater, so much work and so much disappointment. It looks like the knitting,(stitch definition) is beautiful. Well, we wouldn’t be knitters if we didn’t have an occasional project go sideways.
James McBride is top on my list of writers.
Have a good week.
Oh dear. Sigh….that sweater is absolutly gorgeous. The cables, the collar…but I wouldn’t even know how to begin to fix the bigness of it! What hat pattern are you using for your sunny hat (so pretty). Your stitched pieces are wonderful Kat! What fun. Finally, I’m glad to read that you are enjoying The Poisonwood Bible. I think we will have a great discussion.
Let me just begin . . . with the magnificence of your stitch book!!!! It is marvelous! Every single page (but I especially love your “vessel” page). Your creativity is really shining, Kat, with your stitch book. XO As for that sweater. Ooof. One of the hardest things about knitting (and sewing, too, but to a greater extent knitting – because so much slower) is when the project-in-our-head doesn’t turn out/fit like we imagined/hoped/planned on. Your knitting is perfection. That shawl collar is a thing of beauty. But it does look cumbersome to wear. I’m sorry. (But how can you not smile when working on that sunshine-y hat or happy, pink sock!) (And I am so craving a fried fish sandwich now.)
What abundance here! Overflowing, just like your vessel. (ohmigosh the balls of yarn! Kat!) That stitchbook–such a thing of joy to behold…for you to stitch…and for Vivi to savor over the years. A gift, over and over.
Your attitude regarding the great cabled sweater is remarkable. (The bathrobe comment made me laugh-cry…) And while oversized isn’t *always* a bad thing, ‘heavy’ is hard.
Here’s to sunny yarn and a fried fish sandwich. And Steve’s vest! xo
I’m so sorry about the Great Sweater of Disappointment. I wish I had a magic re-sizing wand to wave so you could have the sweater of your dreams. But on the positive side, your stitching is amazing. I love your creativity; better yet, you seem quite happy with it. Enjoy the stitching, hat, and sock knitting, and the fish sandwich!
I love your sock yarn and the yellowy one too. Oh dear the cardigan. But I bet it would be lovely as a reading in bed jumper. I’d just wear it at home and not bother with any fixing. Your stitching is terrific. I love the knitting vessel- says it all.
Oh Kat, what a shame! I agree with everyone else that it is a sweater of great beauty. Great, enormous beauty. Maybe it will be a boon in very wintry weather when you need to wear ten layers?
Oh dear, I am so sorry about the sweater! I know what a big disappointment that must be after all that work, too. I don’t think it looks as bad as you probably think it does, but I have a feeling you weren’t going for an oversized, wear-around-the-house garment. I wish I had an easy solution for you.
On the plus side, your stitching is amazing and so inspirational! I love what you’ve done with your knitter’s “bowl.” I hope that and a big fish sandwich will bring you some joy today!
Kat, I’m so sorry the sweater does not fit like you wish. That is the worse feeling after all the knitting. You mentioned that maybe your husband might wear it if it wasn’t pink. What if you dyed it? A rich brown, a dark blue, a smokey grey.
I have successfully dyed a sweater that was a horrible colour for me to something I wear all the time.
Just a thought.
May your next sweater be wearable!
Oh Kat! That sweater is AMAZING! I was expecting worse from your lead-in. There’s so much to love about that design, but it is pretty big — and from my experience, likely to grow when it’s worn!
I love fish fry season, though Friday Fish Fries are still a tradition here and will never die.
your free styling stitching is like watercoloring with fabric, so beautiful. The sweater is beautiful and so much time went into knitting it. I’ve made sweaters that I didn’t like the way they fit (too big too small). I put it in time out then think about it. I have gifted them, and I have ripped them all out.
I await to see what you decide!!
Your stitching is fabulous and I’m glad it is bringing you joy. The sunny side-up hat and the socks look great too. I am sorry about the sweater disappointment. If the yarn seemed dearer, I can see how you might try and rework it. The cables and the collar are so well done. I wonder if you shortened the sleeves if you would wear it at home. On the other hand, sometimes it is just better to cut our losses. I’ve certainly been there myself.
Is it possible to shrink the sweater by machine washing and/or drying?
There is good here: your making project and your socks and your hat and your reading! I hope that outweighs your disappointment in your sweater, I would be heartbroken!
That’s so tricky! I would say keep it to snuggling because it’s warm and heavy for cold nights, but shedding…. urgh! Such a shame because it’s a lovely knit and you’ve obviously spent a lot of time and energy making it.