Greetings Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
Drumroll please…I have departed Sleeve Island!
Button Band Alley up next!
Actually, I started my trek down Button Band Alley Sunday night after my departure from Sleeve Island but then a couple of things happened… Philly scored (again) and I wondered if knitting on this button band would be infinitely easier if I washed and blocked my cardigan before attempting this trepidatious journey! So I ripped out the couple of rows I had begun and added “soak Bolin” to my Monday list! A brief delay on my trek whilst Bolin is drying but I did manage to get some housework done in the interim! Ha!
And while it is STILL not dry (as of this writing late Tuesday afternoon) I still feel a cardigan will be achievable before week’s end! I don’t have any suitable buttons but once it is done I will head off to see if I can find something appropriate at Joanns before looking elsewhere! And here is the best news of all… the cardigan fits!! Yes, I have broken the sweater curse that beset me last year!
As I idle on button band knitting my mind has turned to a new project (or two) since I am nearing the end of Bolin. Kay was looking so smart on the MDK Society Zoom last week in her Bolin with a matching Sophie Scarf!! I am not sure I will have enough Felted Tweed to knit myself one but no worries… I will be ordering the yarn. (I am not sure if you all noticed, but yarn is now practically cheaper than eggs… just saying!)
I did cast on a new project on Monday afternoon… a long-ass time ago I bought all the yarn to knit this blanket. I had pulled the yarn out, printed off the pattern, gathered the correct size needles and had it “waiting in the wings” to cast on… can I just say that US 11 knitting needles are HUGE!! I am going slowly because I want to make sure I am “catching” both strands of yarn as I knit along, but I am happy with the look of the fabric with a few inches knit!!
I have a finished page and a newly started page in my 100 Day Stitch Book!! And with 5 pages complete… I am a quarter of the way done! New page inspiration from the library book… I am not sure these “flowers” would be so precise if I was not incorporating EPP! I am “glueing” the fabrics versus stitch basting them… but my stitch time of 15 minutes is working well with this pattern! I can see how this could become very addictive (as well as the perfect way to use up scraps!!)
The reading this week has been just so delightful… I am almost finished with There are Rivers in the Sky (which I am loving and don’t really want it to end) and a Netgalley mystery, A Mother’s Love (a title that needs a bit of work, imo) which is very, very mysterious indeed! I also am reading a bit each day in the next RWU book, The Secret History (a reread for me and I am loving it as much as I did the first time!)
And there you have my making and reading this week… how about you? What’s on your radar this week?
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Hooray for breaking the sweater curse! I can’t wait to see the finished cardigan. It’s funny how we get so used to needles of a certain size and then any change feels very dramatic. I was using US 8’s for all those hats, and when I cast on a sock yesterday on US 0’s (which I’m very used to), they felt incredibly tiny!
I’m getting ready to start my own reread of The Secret History very soon — I want to make sure I have enough time to get through it before we discuss it!
I’m so glad your sweater fits! I’ll be anxious to see it in all its glory whenever you finish. And an epic blanket and lovely stitching in progress is also wonderful to see. Thanks for the EPP guide. I always wondered if you left the templates in and now I know you do not. I have a long wait for Rivers in the Sky but it sounds like it will be worthwhile. I hope your next week is as full as this week has been.
yay for leaving sleeves, you are practically finished! I love sleeves and don’t mind knitting them. They go so quickly for me!! I can’t wait to see your final reveal!
I love seeing those hexies in your opening picture – yay! Glue basting is brilliant. I was stubborn for a long time and thought it was cheating, but it’s not. It’s my favorite basting technique now!
And I’m so glad you’re loving Rivers — I also didn’t want it to end!! ❤️
So glad you’re pleased with the sweater!!! (And I think blocking-before-button-band is always the best choice. So much easier . . . ) Love playing with hexies . . . although haven’t done it in a long while. Enjoy ALL the stitchings. XO
Congrats on knitting a sweater that fits. I remember the first time I did and I love that sweater the best. If you don’t mind, here’s a bit of advice about washing and drying knitted items. After soaking your sweater, rinsing and squeezing it out, roll it in a big towel and squeeze vigorously for a few minutes. if the towel gets soaked through, re-roll the sweater in a dry towel and repeat the process. That should hasten the drying time. I also lay my damp knitted items on a bed under a spinning ceiling fan.
So glad the sweater curse is over and now you are almost finished!! I cannot wait to see it.Your stitching is just so much fun Kat – very pretty. And the Moss Throw is gorgeous! That should be fun to knit…hopefully not SO big that it drags on and on. LOL. I still seem to be doing more stitching than knitting, but that’s ok. No contest and no race…it’s all about what brings pleasure and joy!
Yay!! Looking forward to seeing your finished (modeled) BOLIN! I love your little hexis! And… that Moss Field Throw makes me catch my breath every time I see it. Are your colors same/similar?
Hooray for a sweater that fits. I think you are wise to block it before knitting the button band. Once Kym wrote that she often blocked sweaters in progress multiple times – just threw the project into the water needles, stitch markers and all. That advice has served me well. I love your stitching and thanks for the link to the EPP. I have been looking for a template for a small hexagon. When I try to create them, they are wonky! I loved Rivers in the Sky and am glad you are enjoying it.
Yay for breaking the sweater curse! I am hopeful my current project does that for me.
A few of my CT knitting friends are very into EPP – it looks so cool!