New project #2

Because, you know, I can't stand to have less than 4 or 5 (or more...) things on the go at any one time, I have started another major project. I'm pretty excited about this one actually.

Since I've been knitting again, I kept asking Husby if he'd like me to knit him a jumper. He was never particularly enthusiastic (on reflection, potential grounds for divorce there!!). But late last year, completely out of the blue, he asked me to make him a jumper (hallelulah! praise be to the knitting goddess!). So after looking through all my patterns carefully (he's very fussy), we picked Beau by Kim Hargreaves, from Rowan's Vintage Knits. And I found the yarn on eBay (it had just been discontinued) for a good price and so snapped it up.

(heh - hopefully when Husby puts it on he'll magically turn into this guy!!) (check out Elliphantom's Beau for gratuituous Rowan style Beau shots!)

And it sat in the small yarn cupboard all through summer, because you know there's no way I'm knitting with tweedy aran yarn when it is 30+ degrees outside (what's that in F, about 90?). Until last weekend.

I swatched! I even swatched with two different sized sticks (not at the same time, clearly, that would just be wrong!) . And then I washed and blocked it. I am the gun knitter!!

Somewhat surprisingly, my stitch gauge didn't change that much with the different sticks although the row gauge did a bit, so I ended up going with the larger sticks (my usual one size up from recommended). So now I'm about a third of the way up the back (sorry no pics - since daylight savings has finished it's dark by the time I get home from work). Good thing about the aran yarn - knits up soooo quick! Husby just might be able to wear it this winter (although clearly I don't want to get ahead of myself, so touch wood/throw salt over my left shoulder/ pat my head with my left hand while rubbing my tummy with my right and so on).