Hibernation

It's cold.

It's dark.

I am in hibernation mode.

It seems like everything is a little bit harder and more demanding than normal, driving is terrible, taking out the garbage requires a full suit up - parka and boots, even walking is treacherous. Mostly that just means I'm even less motivated than normal to do anything but sit on the couch. Bad for my waistline, but good for my knitting projects.

My current project is the Puffin Sweater by Kate Davies. I'm not making any modifications and I'm staying pretty true to the original color scheme. I even knitted and blocked the swatches as directed. I think experience has made me more humble when it comes to making changes. Although sometimes they work out well I don't think I actually have all of the experience I need to make them turn out great every time. It's cliche but the older you get the more you understand how little you know. Sometimes I wonder what my arrogant 20 year old self would think of me.

At least the sweater is going faster than I expected, especially since it's knitted on size 3.0mm needles, and I am pleased with the result so far. Hopefully this time the finished product will fit and I won't lose my mind sewing in all of those ends! And maybe I'll be done with it before next winter...

Bad Gauge

I've never paid much attention to the gauge called for in patterns. I've always figured that if I used the right needles and the right size yarn it would be close enough.

I was wrong.

I have learned that yarn doesn't always play nice, like, it grows when you wash it. I believe the technical term for this is "bloom" and I don't like it.

I made a beautiful sweater that I swatched before I started so I knew the gauge was pretty close. However to get a really accurate picture of your own gauge on any given project you have to knit a gauge swatch, and take the time to block it. Blocking it, apparently, is critical. My lovely Silky Wool sweater fit perfectly straight off the needles, then I decided to wash and block it. Big mistake. It stretched out and now would be more appropriate for someone else. Sad.

I looked it up, only after I washed it of course, and found that this particular yarn tends to stretch and the recommended mode of blocking is the pin and spritz method. Boo. If I would have blocked the swatch I would have known that. Dang.

Ah well, live and learn. I will from here on out be blocking all of my swatches.

Hopefully the days of ill fitting items are gone. I will have to exercise my fortitude muscles to do this, but it seems it is not worth it to skip the swatch step.

2014

It's 2014 already! What happened?

I guess the earth kept spinning and flying around the sun. These things are to be expected but they seem to have caught me by surprise.

2014!
I'm 34! (Seriously? Is it possible? Not very glamorous.)
My child is turning 3!
I will be married for 10(!) years in June!

Time keeps chugging along.

I'm not really making resolutions this year but I have goals. My goal is to do more stuff - write more, read more, make stuff (Sweaters! Soap! Beer!), exercise. And to be more consistent about doing that stuff. Doing stuff is what makes life fun. And if there is one thing I like in life it's fun.