Pilgrimage Progress

Please check out my new excellent button, made by my Sweet Baboo. It signals what I hope to be many small and large improvements to the blog in the coming weeks. (Including shrinking up this font a point or two!)

I went to Atlantic City this weekend, and gave the super secret gift (a sparkly lace knit evening bag) to my college buddy. Also, lost my whole yarn budget in the slots (yeah right, I would never gamble my yarn budget). Once I get the film back, I will post pics.

On the train ride up I 1x1-ed my way through three more feet of A's black and yellow scarf. It was perfectly mindless, so I could take in some of the countryside—trains always seem to go through the worst parts of town... there were a couple of neighborhoods outside of Philadelphia that were beautiful in their decay—but shocking in that people appeared to be still living in even the half-burned buildings. It made we want to take many large format pictures of all the colors and textures.

Other WIP news: I have finished the back of the baby's sweater, and it turns out there is a problem. It is huge. I am the biggest DORK for not realizing that sizing for a "Child, Large" will fit a large child... not a large baby. < < sigh > > Well, he can grow into it.

Also, I have decided that by changing the gauge, color scheme, the pattern row count, and the last stitch in the yoke (from garter to seed) it really means that this sweater is only very loosely based on Debbie Bliss's guernsey. It is a cousin twice removed who one only sees at Fourth of July picnics.

Heretofore it shall be referred to as the stash buster. I started it hastily, to use up my acrylic stash without thinking that it would make a less than long-living (or truth be told, really lovely) garment. But the baby lives in Phoenix, so he will only wear it three days out of the year anyway. And most importantly, I want to practice my finishing techniques on a smaller scale before tackling A and my larger woolies.

But I have learned! I will be using the wool-ease and jiffy that I have on hand for my first two adult sweaters (I really do like the idea of machine washable-ness), and then I have some Berroco and some Peace Fleece on the way to start my wool stash.

Lastly I have started my first Critter Knit! Given myself a wrist cramp and everything--but it is the Lion brand baby diagonal garter blanket (now I know why stockinette stitch curses one with those purl sides--it is to prevent the wrist from cramping!) I hope to have it done in another day or two.