Summertime, and the living is easy

Somewhere! But not at my house lately.

I took a nice long vacation from blogdom but unfortunately not because I was catching the rays at the beach. More like suffering the heat on my riding mower. Summertime is not my favorite time of the year, being of good old northern Europe peasant blood, I like my spring and fall much better. And I let my snarky attitude about the heat and work get in the way of any blogging.

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

However I find myself in the mood to write an update. So here's the past two months in a nutshell. A pitifully small amount of it is fiber/knitting related.

The standard phrase these days on the internet, is 'life happened'. My work gets busier this time of the year, and I go home worn out from it. In mid July, I had my first time ever experience with testifying in court, and it was not easy. Add to these two major stressors, the minor day to day of broken water pipes, dead gas drier, flat tire and several serious spousal fights, well there it is, my summer of discontent.

So I sought refuge in distractions, both geeky and textile. In the technology area, I finally gave up the really lousy cable TV and got a dish, right in time for all the Olympic action. After that, I have been enjoying taping movies and series to watch. Like all the new Doctor Who episodes, old Lucille Ball movies, and several other of my favorite actors/actresses like Robin Williams, and Whoopi Goldberg. As well as catching some newly released flicks, like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Madegascar, and others.

one would think with all of this DVD watching, I would be getting lots of knitting done. I have. The problem is that is has all been on one thing! Now I am all in favor of sticking to a project and getting it done. It's a great attitude when it comes to hats, scarves, even shawls and socks. But a full blown man's sweater, with almost every stitch a cable or purl on size 3 needles is a true test of one's preserverance. I am in awe of those in the FLAK group that have finished theirs and even made more than one.

I put aside the mystery shawl, my lovely lace that will seem like speed knitting once I pick it up again. I did knit a wonderful pair of socks for myself during May. I even started another pair of socks, when I just had to have a break from reading charts.

It is a beautiful sweater. I am sure that is what keeps me going on it. I have knitted it in what is the strangest order I have ever knit a sweater. First were the little saddles across the top of the shoulder. On one side of these I picked up stitches, casting on the neck edge between the two, then proceeded to knit in pattern down the back to the shoulder blades. This was repeated on the front, making increase as I worked down the front to created the V neck. Both were stopped at about shoulder blade level. Then stitches were picked up along the armhole edge front to back and the sleeve knitted down from there. After those were done (or almost done, I have not done any ribbing on the edge of either sleeve yet) the body was picked up and knitted down to the waist. That's where I am right now, with probably 30 rows to go until the ribbing.

Actually I am well within my deadline of Sept/Oct which in when hubby could actually wear it. Right now it is so hot here, I can not even get him to try it on!

I am so ready for it to be done. That fact alone drives me to pick up the sweater and knit on it instead of anything else. And oh, there is so much I want to knit. There's a mystery stole2 yahoo group which will be a perfect pattern for some cashmere yarn I have been saving. There's a new sock pattern in the sixsoc group that has snake skin scales pattern that everyone loves.

So it is definately time for cooler weather and some serious knitting. I can not wait. It's just a toss up about what will arrive first, the cool fall days, or the sweater to wear for them.

CW