May, still glorious

I have been doing housekeeping lately.  Of course, the wall-washing project has ceased ever since I finished the downstairs.... I keep meaning to do it, but the grand NEW project of housekeeping has been in refurbishing my dresser.  Soon, I will probably report on that project, for as my mom said, "You can boast that knitting is not your only talent!"  I can't refute that statement, can I?

But knitting is certainly one of my favorite talents.  There is something....satisfactory in finishing a project.  A sweater is so tangible, and so lovable.  Yarn itself is lovable to me, like a flower or a tree would be!

I am sure that many of my readers do not share my ardent adoration of woolly things, but I hope that you will at least have an "Ahh" or an "Oooh" over my newest sweater.  It would be perfect on a maritime island in spring, watching the long grass wave in the breeze, hearing the gulls cry out over the harbor....

But I may be reading too much about Prince Edward Island.

In reference to the sweater (before I let loose the torrent of pictures relating to it), it is a modified version of the Midsummer Aran pattern by Ginevra Martin.  Overall, it was a fine pattern, especially in regard to the front lace and cable design.  However, the shaping of the yoke got too complicated for my impatient mind, and I made it up as I went along.

My thoughts were these:  Why would I ever want to decrease every three rows?  I prefer decreasing all on the right side, and never while purling.

So there.  I will never be the perfect pattern-follower.  I think I will forever beat my own drum when it comes to knitting, as much as I try to submit to the carefully written descriptions.  And, thank goodness, my modifications did not ruin the sweater at all.  My only worry in the end was that I should have made it longer, simply for the sake of being taller than the average woman.  But after blocking, I set my worries to rest, as it probably would look rather silly to have this short-sleeved sweater another three inches long!

Now you can look at the pictures!

There is, unfortunately, one last problem in reference to the sweater:  WHAT will happen to the dumb, darling cat that ate the yarn?

It may be a strange question to pose, but it is one that causes me to shudder (if not burst out laughing)!  Mittens, the D.D.C. that I mentioned, was lounging on the couch while I was weaving in the loose ends of the sweater.  I would snip a strand off, and then I would throw the bit of yarn at her.  While teasing her a bit with one of the strands, I realized in horror that it got caught in her mouth and that she was trying to get it out.  At least, I thought she wanted to get it out.  Instead, it appeared that her best solution (being a D.D.C.) was to SWALLOW the strand.

I comfort myself that it is 100% wool.

Last, though not least, the shawl will probably be close on the heels of this project, especially since it no longer has competition of time.  I am in a waiting period of my life at the moment, so aside from housekeeping projects, my knitting has plenty of attention.

Until we meet again!