Back on track!

I was able to pick up my knitting again last night! I have finally gotten to the point on Tree Jacket where I separate the sleeves from the body. I tried it on and found that the XS is going to fit just fine. I thought I'd have to make the S which is what I made for Rusted Root. This yarn has so much more stretch to it than the cotton I used for Rusted Root. I absolutely love this yarn and can't wait to see how it wears. It is Tahki Savoy which is 52% silk, 48% merino. I'm hoping that the merino will help the garment to keep its shape and not stretch out while being worn.

At the time the photo was taken I had knit 2 repeats of the lace pattern. My Addis are only 24" so the fabric is quite bunched up. Speaking of Addis, I decided to use them on this project instead of my KnitPicks options. I really prefer the Addis. I find that the knit fabric slides along the cable much better than on the KnitPicks cable which is sort of limp in comparison. I use the Options needles when I want to try the sweater on. I attach the 60" cable and knit a row with those needles. There is enough excess cable that I can stretch the sweater way out when trying it on without worrying that I will lose stitches. Once I've done that, I just knit the next row back onto the Addis. The KnitPicks are better for lacey designs though. I used them on the lace for Sahara which involved purling 3 stitches together through the back loops. I just couldn't work that maneuver on the Addis as the points are just too dull. The lace on Tree Jacket only involves knitting two together which is no problem!

My other FO is not of the knitting variety. I did the swags for my living room.


Basically, all I had to do was angle the ends of the fabric and do a narrow machine hem. The tough part was draping them so that they were even and fell the way I wanted them to. I have a coordinating fabric for sheers. I'm debating whether or not to make them at this time. I like the windows being open. We get a lot of light in that room and the sheers would diffuse it. I also miscalculated my measurements. I had originally planned for the curtain to hang a few inches below the window on one side and only halfway down on the other for an assymetrical look. As it turned out, both sides hang to the floor! I had no clue as to how much fabric to allow for the drape over each window. It's all good though because I rather like the way they turned out! Now I have to do the ones for the dining room. Again, they will involve minimal sewing but the draping will be very tricky. There are 3 colors of sheers which have to be sort of braided. It's hard to explain. I will post a photo whenever they get done!

I have to mentally prepare myself for school tomorrow! Actually I think the mental preparation is more for getting up before the sun than for school. I like school. I hate getting up when it's dark. There should be rules about that!

Bushism of the day:
"I'm hopeful. I know there is a lot of ambition in Washington, obviously. But I hope the ambitious realize that they are more likely to succeed with success as opposed to failure." —George W. Bush, Jan. 18, 2001

Kitty Cam:
The tiny tuxedo twins compete for space on DH's lap.