I send out greetings today from Yoke Mountain. I am still a long way from Summit of the Great Sleeve Divide and so I just keep knitting.
Friends… I knit a lot over the weekend… foregoing any spinning to just keep knitting on this never-ending yoke. And I still have 24 rounds to go before I finish the increases… and probably a couple more rounds to get to the depth needed to divide off the sleeves. This yoke is not for the faint of heart… it is a knitting work out! And don’t drop a stitch… really, DON’T DO IT… because that required me to tink back several rounds to get back on track.
However, look at how lovely it is!!! I don’t need to talk myself into continuing… the fabric is just yummy and I love these little aubergine blips that shows off the simple beauty of mosaic knitting. And Jane is so lovely to knit with. While it is not tightly plied, it is not at all what I’d call “splity” yarn… those two strands like being together! And, this yarn blooms like mad and has such a nice hand. I think this will be a sweater I want to knit again… so I better like Yoke Mountain! HA!
All that being said… I think that my chances of getting to the point of dividing off the sleeves by Friday is highly unlikely. Sigh. Instead I will be intently watching Lorilee’s class and taking very good notes! She is absolutely one of the best teachers around… her ability to break down challenging techniques is unmatched.
The slow reading continues for me… and this pace of reading is really perfect. I had two finishes this week… two finishes with very mixed results. I think anything that followed Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things would be a let down… and Alix E. Harrow’s The Everlasting was exactly that… a huge let down. I wanted to like it, but there was so much of it that just did not work for me. I gave it 2 stars… however, ymmv.
Fortunately, Morgan Talty’s Fire Exit was everything The Everlasting was not. It moved me, I wanted to know what happens next, I cared about the characters, and the telling of this story was just really devastatingly beautiful (the writing is very good!) and it made me stop and think about how the tragedy of ancestral history can impact a person in the present. It is a book I will be thinking about for a very, very long time. I highly recommend it (and thank you Carole for putting this book on my radar!)
And with that… I am back to the yoke knitting… what is challenging you this week?
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Your Waffle Sweater is looking gorgeous Kat! I think I’m glad that I did not jump on that bandwagon though – LOL. I’m trying to finish up The Family Socks so that I can move on to something new. And reading! So many books and not enough time. Now I want to add Fire Exit to my ever expanding TBR list!
It sounds like this sweater, though it’s taking time, is absolutely going to be worth the effort. I’m sorry The Everlasting was not for you, but I agree with you about Fire Exit — very powerful.
Ascending Yoke Mountain may be a real feat of endurance but the view is lovely! It really is a beautiful sweater. I’ve been thinking that I might attempt knitting it some day if it was cardiganized, but I’m pretty sure this is not the sweater for me! I’ll continue to admire yours for as long as it takes. Fire Exit is going on my list, so thank you!
Oh, I’m right there with you on Yoke Mountain. I’ve also got 24 more repeats before (allegedly) reaching the sleeve divide, but I know I’ll need to add more rows (because I always do with raglans). I think the yarn is great to work with, too. And I love how different your aubergine blips look than my aubergine blips look! XO (I always think this point of a top-down raglan sweater is pure tedium. I don’t think it’s just this pattern. Although my god you MUST keep your focus!)
I did wonder if this was really a “bang-out-able” sweater. But oh, it looks worth knitting. Your yoke is gorgeous. I love how (at least in your picture) the purl bumps almost create a third color with the gray yarn.
Your sweater is looking great and, as Dorie would say, just keep swimming! I’m so glad to hear that you liked Fire Exit, I’m always relieved when a book I recommend highly is well received.
I am sure that you will conquer that hill!! I’ve only ever knit baby-/kid-sized raglans & they go quick! It sure is looking good. I bought some Jane yarn when I was in Nashville but haven’t made anything with it… yet.
Here’s hoping you reach the summit of yoke mountain soon. The yarn/colors/texture are a fabulous combination. It is also nice to read your review of the Jane yarn. I’ve looked at it more than once. Now I am off to read more about Fire Exit.
My gosh, that yoke pattern looks hard, but very effective. I love your definition of slow reading with two books finished!!
Your comment about ‘dropping stitches’ had me remembering when the fluffy silky feathers yarn was all the rage. Trying to pick up stitches was a tense operation because trying to unravel a row or two was even more difficult. The fibres seemed to stick together like glue.
I do like the look of the ‘fabric’ all the slips and purls are creating….hopefully you reach the summit soon and, after a stiff drink, trundle off down the two sides
gorgeous yoke knitting and I am sure you will get to the sleeves when you get to the sleeves, lol. I was thrilled when I got to the body of my yoke sweater!!