First Son ... First FO of 2007

Pattern: The Seamless Hybrid by Elizabeth Zimmermann, from Knitting Without Tears
Yarn: Just a bit more than 2 skeins of Plymouth Encore Worsted, color #670
Needles: Knit Picks Options circulars, size US8
Finished chest size: 28 inches

I finished this sweater this weekend and S has worn it twice. He likes. Yay! I almost immediately cast on another one for his little brother, and I'm already on the second sleeve. It's really the perfect study project.

Many others have waxed poetic about the virtues of this pattern and EZ's sweaters in general, but allow me to add a little in the way of adulation. This pattern is GENIUS. In particular, the system of percentages is so brilliantly simple and elegant. And it works. I also love doing the body and the sleeves first ... no getting stuck on Sleeve Island. You get the dull parts over with first and then you get to finish up with a bang.

I did hems on the sleeves and at the bottom and a 1x1 rib at the neck. The hem facings (pictured here) are knit in a little bit of blue heather Wool-Ease I had lying about. For the bottom hem, I knit the cast on row together with the appropriate round farther up. The sleeve hems I whipstitched after finishing the whole sweater. I actually prefer sewing the hems; I think they look nicer. For J's sweater, I'm doing a shallow little 1x1 rib edging at sleeves and bottom. Lisa, you asked about the decreases ... I had a little trouble getting a good picture of them, but perhaps they are more visible here. Click for bigger.

I had some trouble with the bind-off at the neck. My first two attempts were too tight, to say the least. (I made J try it on and it would NOT go over his head. He was shouting, "I don't want it! I'm stuck! I'm stuck!") Then, my dear friend PCR showed me the crochet bind-off. It's changed my life. By the way, she's finally blogging, so go over there and show her some love. Check out her beautiful Shetland Triangle!

Also, I'm proud to say that I grafted the underarms. Naturally, PCR had to chant the instructions at me while I did it, but it worked. A goal for 2007: Fear Kitchener No More.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments and encouragement, again. I am trying to keep up with things, but it's tough. I have found out that I am 99% certain to be able to take the exam in February. My background check is done, and I just have to be interviewed by a member of the Bar Association. Presumably, this is to ensure that I am not certifiably insane, a junkie, etc. Since I tend to clean up pretty well and can be presentable, and assuming that the interview can be scheduled in time (I don't see why it wouldn't), I think it'll be a go. Gulp. Gotta study.

ETA: Received notice of interview today! It's on the 30th. Wish me luck!

Mmm-mmm...

midnight blue...

mistake stitch...

Malabrigo...

Small Blessings

Here are my Green-Socks-in-progress, posing atop my Contracts notes. The socks couldn't help but look beautiful in that company, but I'd be impressed with them in any setting. The yarn is Knit Picks Memories, in the Fly Fishing colorway. I was gifted this lovely yarn by Purl, my Yarn Aboard pal.

I admit, as taken as I was by this yarn in the skein, I was very nervous about knitting it up. Frequent visitors of this blog may recall that I have had very dramatic pooling issues with this yarn in the past. In fact, those issues led me to give up on that pair of socks altogether. So imagine my grateful surprise when, on my first attempt with these skeins, I got the perfect size and no pooling whatsoever. Huzzah!

The EZ sweater is going well, but has stalled for technical difficulties. I decided on the Seamless Hybrid and I am working on the saddles. The problem is, at this point, La Zimmermann's pithy instructions become less like guidelines and more like a pattern. I can't figure out how many rows to knit back and forth for each saddle for the size that I am making. Can anyone help?

I forgot to mention that I am knitting this sweater for the Manly Giftalong and here's the "man" I'm knitting for. Luckily, there's no Sweater Curse for sons.

Unless, of course, you consider the ever-present-with-kids possibility that the sweater will be lovingly knit and then summarily rejected.

She Blogs!

... and knits, too, believe it or not! The bar study is proceeding apace. Torts, Evidence, and Contracts have been the topics filling my head this week. (Did you know that you are absolutely immune from a slander suit if you make the slanderous comment only to your spouse? So feel free to let loose on the topic of that annoying neighbor, but only to your sweetie!) I am managing to keep up with the schedule, but that's about all I am keeping up with. I am woefully behind in answering emails and I haven't been able to read and comment on all your blogs, either. I apologize.

Fortunately, I have discovered that I can knit something simple (e.g., stockinette in the round) while reviewing my notes and reading the outline books. So the EZ sweater is also moving right along. As you can see, I am almost to the point where I can join the sleeves and the body, otherwise known as The Fun Part. I haven't quite decided yet whether this will be a simple saddle-shouldered style or the seamless hybrid. For those of you who might have been wondering about the yarn I am using and haven't heard back from me yet, it's the highly kid-friendly Plymouth Encore Worsted in color 670. It's a beautiful blue-green, much better than it looks on my monitor, anyway.

Of course, all this study and whatnot hasn't stopped me from joining another knitalong, the Green Socks Knitalong. I have been thinking that I need some green socks and that could be a very study-compatible project. Plus, look at all the green sock yarn I have!

(Clockwise from far L: Knit Picks Merino handdyed with kool-aid, Cherry Tree Hill in Blues/Greens, Knit Picks Essential in Grass, Knit Picks Memories in Fly Fishing, Trekking XXL color 100, Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks.)

New Year's Knitting

Well, I'm starting out the New Year with an ear infection. (Huh? I thought ear infections, like Trix, were for kids.) So we have comfort beverages, comfort reading, and comfort knitting. Specifically, that would be coffee, historical fiction, and an Elizabeth Zimmermann sweater for the boys. We'll see which one it fits when I am finished.

And here's my last FO of 2006, the mistake stitch scarf for the Red Scarf Project.

I knit this with two skeins of Knit Picks Decadence in Winter Berry, with size 10.5 needles. This yarn is such a pleasure to knit with. But be forewarned: when I washed it, the scarf grew over 8 inches in length. That was actually a good thing in this case, but if I had been knitting a sweater, I'd have wished that I washed and blocked a swatch.

The other day I received a BIG box in the mail. Here's what was in it. Sorry, not yarn. This is what I'll be up to for the next two months. I applied late to take the February bar exam, so if my background check isn't done, I'll have to wait until July. But I have to start studying now, just in case I can take it in February. So I apologize in advance if I get even more behind on blog reading, answering emails, commenting, etc. etc., as this is very likely to happen.