Perhaps I’ll go on

The sock and its recalcitrant leaf still languish. Let me be clear here, I’m not quitting. I’m not giving up, but I am putting the leafy little arse in time out until I feel ready to take it up again. I should have backed away from it a little bit when the whole thing got obsessive and weird, since I should have learned a long time ago that the more interested you are in something, the more you attract the attention of the knitting fates, who cannot resist an opportunity for a little knitting joke at your expense. My goal is to have those socks finished by the 27th, which is 11 days away and totally possible, should things begin to go well, which they have to, since at some point the sock and I will run out of ways to shaft each other and we’ll be forced to dabble in success. In the meantime, I’ve resisted the urge to knit a plain garter stitch scarf (it’s the only thing I can think of that has no room for error) and I’ve returned my attention to the Must Have Cardigan. (By the way? Some people have mentioned having trouble finding this pattern, which is in the “Street Smart” booklet from Patons. If anybody knows where to get it, could you perhaps give a shout in the comments? I’m no help, since I got mine from the sadly departed Lewiscraft at the Woodbine mall.)

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That there is two fronts and a half a sleeve, and it was while I was working on it last night that the five balls of yarn I’ve got started looking to me like they might not be enough. It was at this point that I checked the yardage requirements for the pattern. (I know. I’ve totally got a problem with the knitting order of operations. Don’t tell me you’ve never done that.)

The sweater (in the medium size) calls for 7 balls of Patons Classic Merino.

7 balls at 204m = 1428

I substituted Valley yarns Northampton (in light grey), of which I bought 5.

5 balls at 225m = 1125

Er, yeah. I’m an idiot. It is a small comfort to me that at least I didn’t do the math wrong…I rather didn’t do the math at all, which can entirely be blamed on the fact that I bought the yarn at Webs, in person, and there’s just no way that the wool fumes in that place don’t get to a knitter. I’m surprised that they don’t have to vent in extra oxygen to just keep knitters on their feet.

I called there this morning and bought two more balls, which will be more than enough- and I even got the same dye lot. I’m trying to finish this sweater before I go to Madrona, which should be enough time for the package to negotiate the border and get knit up. I’m tremendously pleased with myself for getting a clue on this one before I ran out of yarn and time to fix it in, which is my usual schtick. I’m loving this sweater, which I think is going to be a good all-purpose hanging out sweater, and the interesting thing is that my cat seems to agree. Millie is the perfect knitters cat. Doesn’t play with wool, doesn’t eat wool (except for silk, and who can blame her. Sometimes I want to eat it too) She even likes to sit beside me on the chesterfield instead of on my lap, where she might impede knitting progress. Millie isn’t ever big on lying on works in progress and that’s why it’s totally bizarre that she feels the way she does about this sweater…..which is obsessed.

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Every time I turn around, she’s got herself planted on the thing. Just after I took this picture, she tried to bite me when I suggested she get off. (We have entered negotiations.) Totally bizarre.

In other news, thanks so much for the emails about the Canadian Blog Awards. I’m absolutely tickled pink to be nominated in the first round of choices for Best Blog and Best Activities Blog, especially since the competition is a pretty flattering assortment of clever Canadians. Feel free to vote (even if you aren’t Canadian…it’s the bloggers nationality that matters here, not the voters) and, well. Feel free to vote for me if you think I deserve it. Even if you don’t think I deserve a vote, it’s totally worth poking around among the choices. I’m a fan of A Veg*an For Dinner, (nominated for Best New Blog) and Knitnut is nominated for Best Blog Post ( twice) Mamatulip is up for Best Family Blog (I like her.) My own delightful buddy Stephannie is nominated for both Best Personal Blog AND Best Activities Blog (where you will have to delicately choose between us.) Go forth and vote at will!

Finally…. I leave you with this. A knitter in our Wednesday knit night took a trip to Barcelona, and while she was there she made it her mission to find a local yarn to bring home as a present for Megan and Denny.

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Can we simply say that the put up of yarn is a slightly unusual length?

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( I assure you, every possible joke was made about this last night, including the one you are thinking about right now that has to do with the more “erect” nature of Denny’s skein compared to Megan’s. Still. Feel free. I know it’s irresistible.)