Plans For A Holiday

When I first started working for the state, I could never figure out why we had a holiday off so soon after the long Christmas Holiday. A few years later (18 isn), I am pretty happy to have the day off so soon after the long Christmas Holiday.  It is a good day to just kick back do some knitting and enjoy the last real holiday off until, oy, Memorial Day.

 The current temperature at this posting is 7 degrees and there is a bit of kick to the wind, so I think it is going to be a day of chai tea and some knitting.  I am okay with that.

I have had a few fails this weekend, which have resulted in total removal from the needles.  This first one was not swatched and I went on a recommendation with the needle size.  Imagine my surprise when at the sleeve of the first half and it wouldn't fit on a size 16 inch needle.  A sure sign that the total gauge was off.

One would think that a expert knitter would have seen something funny going on before then!  Perhaps she is not the expert knitter she think she is.

The other fail was my Eadon out of Briar Rose Fibers Abundance.  Yes, this one I did a swatch and even did one with the cables that are on the front.  I even blocked it, which just goes to show you that sometimes swatches do lie!

I had decided to cast on the fronts and backs all in one to eliminate sewing up on my sweater.  Long about Friday night I decided to take it off the needles and just throw it around my body to see how it was fairing.  Not so good.  It was a good 9 inches too wide and keeping in mind that rib does suck up a bit, this one just was not.

I ripped it all out, went down a size in the pattern and needle.  I am now knitting just the back and will do the same on the fronts.   The back is a good project for knitting in public.  I am hoping all goes well from here on out.

I was going to say it was an unproductive weekend for knitting, but I do have a couple of things blocking today which I'll post about tomorrow.  Today, I am going to work my way through a few more Gypsy teas and knit.  I'll pull up a couple of podcasts to listen/watch and imagine I am sitting with a group of knitters.  I'm gonna just enjoy a nice day.

Thank you MLK and the State of IL.