How to transition with blog and life?

Thank you for the supportive comments yesterday. As another knitter pointed out to me yesterday, I'd prepared for this baby, too, so I felt connected to it. I wish there was something to do for the family, but I think it's best to let them know they're in my thoughts and let them take time.

Looking back, I guess I didn't blog about it, but a really great guy I'd known while I was in college through a service fraternity died in March. He was 30, had died of colon cancer, was engaged, and was an all-around great guy. It was shocking and inconceivable. I decided to knit my hope for life and happiness into the baby projects that I've just recently finished - this dress, and the purple cable sweater that I finally put the buttons on on Sunday. So in a way, this was a little bit of a double blow, bringing me back to John's death and the incomprehensibleness of it all. I mailed the purple sweater yesterday, anyway. That baby is two weeks old and healthy, and someday he'll grow into the monster sweater I made.

I have projects in mind for my best-friend-since-we-were-in-diapers, who is pregnant with her first child. I think that I will take some time to let this pass before I start on those. I want to knit with hope, not with worry.

Project Updates

I've been working on my knitting still, of course. The second sleeve for Mist is coming along. I hope the weather won't be too warm for me to wear this a little after I finally finish it, but the way it's been going this spring, I might have a chance. I can't tell whether it will actually be warm, though. My seed stitch, even though it's on 0's, seems a little bit airy, and I wonder if this will be a rather lightweight sweater. I'll get to find out, as soon as I finish my monkey sleeves. I think I realize where I may have gone a little wrong, but the test will come after blocking. According to the swatch, it should shorten up a bit on washing, so I hope that works. i expect that I'll put it all together, discover that I really did make monkey arms, and then I'll pick up a row of stitches near where my wrist really is, then cut! and bind off at the right length. I don't think that should be too painful, right?

I started Gyrid from Elsebeth Lavold's book, Designer's Choice, Book One. I got through most of the back in the first week. I love the yarn and the knitting, and the back just a column of purl stitches in the center, so it didn't take a lot of paying attention.

After I'd done quite a bit, I found out that there are corrections for the book. The initial length measurement (how far to knit before starting the side decreases) in inches is incorrect; the cm measurements are correct. I had, of course, blindly followed the inches. I realized when I got to the waist that there was a problem, but I decided to ignore it. Now, instead of having about 3" of straight knitting at the waist, I'd done 3" at the hemline. (3", 3cm.... kinda different!) I decided to carry on, just doing two rows even for the waist and then started the increases to the bust.

I've now gotten past the armholes and to the neck, and it looks like this. I don't know whether it will be ok (I'm kinda shortwaisted, but am I that shortwaisted?), or whether I should rip back to the beginning and do it "right." I can't hold it up well enough to see how it might fit, so I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions? I did cast on for the front and it's time to rip or ride it out.

New Acquisitions

My mom and I had a good time at Webs. A really good time. Maybe 20-sweatersworth of good time. All of mom's yarn didn't fit in her suitcase. That good a time. I'll start photographing it over the next few days. Some has plans, some just wanted to come home.

I now feel like I have a real stash -- not just yarn planned for projects, but just yarn! I could choose a pattern from a book and look around and say, "What do I have that I could use for this?" The possibilities are endless! Well, until I've knit these 20 sweaters.