The Lid is Off

It's been another blog lull around here. This time it is not because I had nothing to say, but instead it was that I was working too hard to stop and blog about what I was working on! I started this cardigan WAAAAY back in October and found that it was too difficult to knit on-the-go (as much of my life is lived nowadays). So it lingered around my knitting basket only getting attention every so often. Suddenly (so it felt) I was coming very close to a deadline on it and absolutely had to get it finished. I set little daily knitting goals for myself and gave up many hours of cumulative sleep to meet them. I'm happy to report that all my efforts were well worth it as the cardigan was finished and ready for the recipient at the right time. And I must say that I am thrilled beyond belief with the way this sweater turned out. There was SO much finishing to do on it, even given that I'd knit the body in one piece to avoid having to seam the fronts to the back. I sewed and sewed and sewed! I really feel that it was worth all my meticulous work as the finished sweater exudes a casual elegance and sleek style (at least in my humble opinion). The button and neck bands are knit with a slipped stitch facing that it folded toward in the wrong side and stitched down then the garment is complete, and I have to admit that I really like the look of it. I've never been too happy with the more traditionally used ribbed button bands that must be picked up and knit after the garment is put together. I really like the clean look of the faced button bands, though there were a bit of sweat and teeth gnashing that went on while I was easing in the neckband. Still, it went together with amazing ease and without any huge catastrophes. I'm very, very pleased with it.

For more details on this cardigan, please head over to my Ravelry project page.

After finishing the cardigan, I wanted to reward myself with a fresh new project, and I toyed around a bit with some hand-dyed laceweight I got in Minnesota and the Pinwheel blanket pattern. I think my nerves and patience were a bit too affected by the recently finished cardigan to get me smoothly through the cast-on and initial awkward rows, so I put it away for a bit. I've picked up the third Kicking Bag for Baby I started some months ago and have been knitting away on it. It's a nice no-brainer pattern that I think will allow me some time to contemplate my next big project. I have a lace stole in hibernation that I'd love to get finished, but I'm just not sure that I'm up for something so complex right now. I have some beautiful Cobalt Heather Cascade 220 in my stash that I'd like to knit up into a simple v-neck pullover, but I hesitate to start that now with the heat of summer raging now and for the next several months. I crocheted a few rows on my Candy Store Afghan and found quite a bit of enjoyment there, so perhaps I'll return to that for a while. It'd be wonderful to have it finished when the cool Fall weather returns (hopefully sooner rather than later!). After the rush to finish the cardigan, I think it might be good to have a more laissez-faire attitude toward my yarn crafting for a while. No rules, no expectations, no deadlines. It only all of life could be that way.

Well, tomorrow marks the first day of my returning to my regular routine after a week's vacation. It's been absolutely divine to have some time off, and I'm reluctant to return to what I'm sure is going to be a pile of work waiting for me. Hopefully I'll have some time to return to regular blogging again. I do miss it.

Off to catch up on laundry and prepare for the work week! Thanks for reading!