Knit One, Purr Too

Insanity is Highly Underrated

Faced with a selection of unpalatable choices with Soleil, and a shortage of time, I did the only thing I could do (and I even did it without crying at all). I frogged the whole thing. Yep - finished and seamed and the only thing left was the lining on the sleeves and neck and I pulled the entire thing back to little balls of yarn.

So, remember that shortage of time? This thing has to be done by Mother's Day? Surely only a crazy person would then decide to cast on for this, right? Need I even mention that I am making the largest size?

Tuesday night I swatched and made most of one sleeve (which is going to have to be ripped back to the cuffs because I completely screwed up the decreases - sigh). I'd been summoned for jury duty and was supposed to go in Tuesday, but it was postponed til Wednesday; never have I more fervently wished to actually be called (an entire day sitting in a courtroom with nothing to do but knit!). Alas, they didn't need me after all. But I woke up yesterday morning with a sore throat. And while I might normally have just sucked it up and gone to work, I eyed the pile freshy-frogged yarn, and called in sick.

I knit until after midnight on Tuesday night, and then I knit all day - from when I got up at 5am until I finally gave up at about 11:30 pm because my hands were curling into painful little claws and I just couldn't knit any more, and here is what I have so far - a completed back piece and the start of the first front panel.

In case it wasn't obvious, this picture was taken exactly one millisecond before diving to rescue the front piece from Azzie and informing him that my knitting is not a cat toy. You can see how well they all listen to me about that - getting Rosie (who is eying the sweater on the left) to quit rolling around on the back as a challenge too.

I will note that the lace pattern in this pattern is just perfect for the yarn I am using, but it's a lot slower going than just plain old stockinette, or even some nice ribbing. Here's a closeup.

The back is about 23.5 inches long and about 25 inches wide (or rather, it will be that wide once I block it - ribbing is very elastic), for some perspective. I'm almost to the armhole decreases on the first front piece and am crossing my fingers that somehow - between work and choir practice tonight - I will manage to finish that part tonight. Tomorrow night is craft night and I might be able to get part of the second front piece done....but the recipient will be there at craft night too so I may be reduced to working on socks (wait, did I just say 'reduced'?). I sense a very late Friday night and all day Saturday spent on this (and I expect by the time I reach the sleeves I may well be blathering idiotically into my project bag and jittery with caffeine overload), but right now I think I might actually be able to pull this off. Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha....oh, sorry. Insane, remember?

Posted by Jenipurr at May 5, 2005 06:30 AM