What I've Been Knitting While I Haven't Been Knitting

Okay, I have to be honest, even when I'm not in a knitting groove, some knitting still gets done. (Breakfast knitting never really stops... some days I might not knit during Quick Pitch on the MLB channel and eating my Lucky Charms, but then there are other days that I'm quite productive).

Breakfast knitting needs to be simple (pre-coffee... or rather... during coffee), and so I've been working on one of my favorite "go-to" patterns:


The good ol' Sarah James Sampler Pullover. I made this in an acrylic yarn years ago... and I wear it a lot (seen here). It's a sweatshirt style pullover: comfy, easy care and truely practical. Plus it's fun to knit.

I'm using 100% wool this time (not so easy care, but it'll be warmer) in a bright cheery color for those dreary winter days (the yarn is Kraemer's Naturally Nazareth in Fire). I knit the front and back, seam up the shoulders, do the neck band then pick up stitches to work the sleeves top down (so only the underarm and side seams to sew). The first sleeve is about 3/4 done. So I should have this baby done right at the peak of summer (just when I'll need a nice warm wool sweater).

Meanwhile... I keep trying to knit lace (and not with much success). It's what I want to wear, but I just don't knit lace well. Probably not the smartest thing to keep trying when I'm not in a knitting groove (hmmmm... can you say "discouraging"?). However, this one might be a "go":


Chic Knits Basic Chic Hoodie (lace version) in Aunt Lydia's Quick Denim.

I've had this yarn in my stash for a while, and I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like knitting with it (it's really marketed for crochet). The 75% cotton/25% acrylic makes for a much more "cottony" feel than say Cotton Ease, and I love the denim color. It's been easy to knit (better than 100% cotton on the hands).

I was surprised that the lace panels on the sleeves didn't start until the body was divided (seems a bit lazy to me), so I started my lace panels as soon as I had enough sleeve stitches. The lace pattern is actually memorizable for me (rare), but that doesn't mean I didn't screw it up at one point (laddered down, fixed it, immediately made a mistake and had to ladder the same panel again... knock on wood I'm in the groove and won't screw it up again). I'm at the hard point on top down sweaters... getting close to dividing for the body/sleeves. That's a lot of purling on the wrong side (and the rows keep getting longer and longer). However, it's great to work on while I watch cutscenes for Dragon Age (and yes, I'm still playing Dragon Age. I've lost count how many times I've played it, and I have no intention of stopping... even with other games sitting here ready to play. It's still fun to play, so I'll keep playing! Not that I'm defensive about the amount of time I've spent playing this game or anything).

So I might be back in a groove a bit with knitting. More is getting done now than has been for a while (baseball season always helps), so I might be updating le' blog a bit more.