sophy's knits, notes, etc.

during the weekend i decided to start a sweater vest with the green Black Water Abbey tweed yarn i bought at Stitches. the seasons are changing, days are longer, and it's getting warmer; still, i wanted to have this vest now, rather than wait to knit it just before fall arrives.

looks good so far, however...

when i started it, i had this vision of a simple pattern. knit front and back separately, bottom up. scooped neck and 2×2 ribbing to under the bust (similar to hilary's swedish fad classic-ish)...

but, although i'm already halfway through the armholes for the back panel, i started thinking that maybe this isn't what i want to make at all. it's Irish tweed—to take full advantage of the yarn, it deserves to be knitted with some cables and texture. not quite to the extent of a clan aran sweater, but something more than just ribbing...

and maybe i'd rather make it with buttons instead of a pullover. i wasn't quite sure how this would look at first, but after seeing Bracken by Katya Frankel, i think i like it. in fact, i'm quite convinced that this is the shape i want... i mean it... want.

so... something like the simple and versatile Bracken... with cables and texture? i'm on it.

Apparently, this knitter does.

I was pretty crushed to wake up this morning and realize that the knee-length, frosty-grey, lace-weight malabrigo, lace-leaf patterned socks that I had knitted, was all part of some elaborate dream probably induced by the half-bottle of red wine I consumed while finishing (yet another) cat sweater and before going to bed last night.

Keep in mind, I've never completed a pair of knitted socks yet. Surprisingly, I can remember the details of my dream-socks very well... Perhaps enough to actually knit them—or at least, write them down?

A few months ago, I bought this cropped sweater. It was heavily discounted and therefore I thought worth it, even though I didn't think I looked particularly great in it and the first thing I wanted to do the moment I took it home was remove the pockets.

I might have worn it once or twice before I proceeded to unravel the seams that held the pockets to the cabled ribs. But, as you can see, my attempt was not altogether successful. The threads are so tiny, I had to cross my eyes to focus, and succeeded in slashing one wrong loop. It should come as no surprise that, owing to my frustration and disgust for actually allowing that to happen, I threw the garment into a basket in my closet.

I'd completely forgotten about this sweater until this morning, when I found it as I was gathering our laundry. The instant I pulled it out, I decided what I must make with the Silky Wool—A cropped cardigan. It wouldn't be exactly this. No. Definitely not.

Do you think five skeins will be sufficient for such a cropped sweater? I would want the sleeves to be longer, at least to my elbow. Double breasted? Shawl collar? So many details... Although I have many things I need to finish before I start, I'm just happy to have a plan for the yarn.

Of course, I took up where I left off the task of removing the pockets. You would not believe the ease with which I accomplished this. Upon closer inspection of the seams, I simply slashed one loop in the back, and from that, neatly unraveled the rest of the seam that held the swatch of fabric to the sweater. The second pocket went even quicker: one snip and I pulled the entire seam apart. (Really, that's how all seams should be!) As for the hole, I just quickly stitched it up and closed it. It's not really noticeable at all, almost invisible. The entire process took about five minutes... I'm wearing it now, as I type.

And, because I'm really quite excited about my progress on Adam's sweater, I have to show you a picture. (Darn! I should have taken it on something blue... haha.)

I've just finished the third buttonhole... which doesn't show up so well in this photo... You can see markers for the button and buttonhole bands. There are also markers to identify the underarm stitches. I should have stretched it out a little more... The body is knitted in 3×1 ribbing all around, and the bands are 1×1 with slipped stitch edges. Pretty nifty, don't you think?