My second First

In my last post I showed you my first sweater, the one I made 17 years ago. Besides the 13 year hiatus from knitting in general, it has been all of those 17 years since I knit another sweater. Enough time, I think, to say that whatever I learned the first time has long since been driven from my brain by the tolls of motherhood!

So it was with an abundance of cheap acrylic yarn lying around that I thought, "why not make another sweater, I mean what else am I going to do with it?"! That wasn't actually my thought process, but we'll go with it because it doesn't contain any profanity.

I made the Nimbus sweater by Berroco. My only change was to knit longer sleeves instead of the short sleeves in the pattern. (Edit: I actually made another change, the garter bands are 3" instead of 4. I forgot about that one.)

On the bad side, it's acrylic. I can practically hear it pilling. And something is going on with the wider than expected collar. Not at all what it appears to be in the pattern. It's not too bad, but remember, tiny head syndrome :).

On the good side, it fits. I made it 5" longer than called for; I probably could have gone another inch but it works. It was inexpensive, downright cheap. To make this in wool would have cost me more than I can afford. Luckily Hubster got me one of those nifty clothes shavers!

Go Green!

Vintage is so cool!

Lookie what I found from Aunt Rita:

At first I thought it was weird and cumbersome. I mean why wouldn't you just write all over the pattern and mark up the margins and every free space you could find to keep track of where you were?

Um, yeah, I gave it a try and it is awesome!!! And apparently they are available all over the place (Amazon, Joann), even though I don't remember ever seeing anything like it. I am thinking about making an updated-magnetic-wallet-type version. You know, in my free time!

My first time

I wanted to share a little bit about my first time:

I did it in the middle of the summer in 1993.

It was the first time I ever did it, and I didn't do it again for 13 years.

Everything was supposed to be big.

I was in college, and I'm sure I had more important things to do.

It is the most amazing color of purple, blue and green.

Huh?

Yes we are talking about knitting! Get your mind out of the gutter, will ya!

It has been hibernating in my cedar chest for an eternity. I took it out so I could show you a modeled shot. Like I said, everything was supposed to be big back then. It is rather unflattering, isn't it? Although, sporting extra pounds makes me wish sweaters like this were back in style!

Life sorted out

I've been gone for a few weeks, I know. First it was school vacation week with everyone home all the time. There was no time to sneak away and get lost at the computer! Then both kidsters and Hubster had a turn playing with Norovirus. It even managed to work its way through the grandparents but for some reason I was spared. And I was very worried. There is only so much you can avoid when you are cleaning up every half hour and your three year old needs you to be his pillow for 10 hours straight. I think it was Mother Nature's way of making sure everyone else was going to be taken care of!

On the knitting front I do have a few things to report. My socks are done. They fit ok, but I've learned how to make them fit better for the next time. I finished my sweater also, but don't have a good modeled shot of it to show you, so that will have to be another post. I only managed to make one more heart. Valentines Day came and went, so the desire to make more has faded. But I love this pattern and I'll be making more for next year. I officially frogged the Auntie Mitts. That left me with an empty knitting bag. Instead of casting on something new (gasp) I needed to clear out the spare room. I have made it through most of the Aunt Rita yarn and have quite a bit to find a new home for. I have two more big bins to go through so I am sure this pile will only grow!

Are you a yarn snob?

I don't really like to use that term, Yarn Snob, because it just sounds bad. I'm not trying to alienate anyone either. But if you detest acrylic then you will want to click out of this post now. Right now. And I don't want that, I'd hate to see you go. Well, maybe just hang around for a minute to find out why?

My husband's aunt used to knit and crochet like the wind. She would make samples for the LYS. We still use a beautiful blanket she made for Hubster years ago. In fact, she made dozens of the cutest baby booties as the shower favor for my baby shower. For some reason (grin) she has always loved me. Hugs the daylights out of me and packs a lipsticked kiss on me every time I see her. I must be like she daughter she never had or something. Aunt Rita has been cleaning out her house lately. Her husband died this past summer, and now her son and daughter-in-law are going to be moving in with her. She has also had problems with her hands and isn't able to knit or crochet anymore. (Pausing for a moment of silence) She has been gifting me with all of her stash. Yup. Loads. And loads more on top of that! There is no way one human being could possible knit up this much yarn if all they did was knit constantly!

There have been some interesting finds; quite a bit of Swa Laine, which looks like a mini i-cord instead of plied yarn strands. And some Lite-Lopi. But the majority of it is Acrylic. Lots of Red Heart and Caron Simply Soft. I can hear the mouse clicks now. Come back soon, will you please?

So in honor of Aunt Rita and her stash I will be holding yarn giveaways on a regular basis in the hopes of reclaiming our guest room (my craft room) before anyone visits and needs to use it! Details yet to be determined, but stay tuned!

What are your resolutions?

Ok Friends we're a month into 2010, long enough to have given up on the resolutions that wouldn't work and make the ones you are really going to try to keep. Let's keep the lists short since having too many goals that don't get met can only lead to disappointment. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours?

1. Lose 10 pounds.
Last year I wanted to lose 10 pounds. At my physical last month I discovered I had actually gained 10 lbs since the previous visit the year earlier. Ugh. Well, the appointment was the Monday following Thanksgiving, so not all of those 10 lbs are permanent! Right? This year I am not saying that I will lose 20 lbs because let's face it, that will never happen. But I would like to lose those 10 lbs!

2. Do not let my kids' fighting drive me crazy.
They are boys. They interact like boys. They are rough and fight with each other. And I am ok with that. Repeat, I am ok with that. (OK, I'm going to need a lot of meditational breathing to get through this one).

3. No new yarn purchases unless specifically intended for a project that will begin imminently!
I think we all make these kind of resolutions at one point or another. But I have a lot of one and two skeins of wool that I will be working on using up. Purse designs are churning up above. One exception from this resolution will be recycling yarn from sweaters. I was warned that I would become addicted. While not (yet) addicted, recycling has benefits! It is lots of fun, I can do it with the kidsters in the room (they like to help!), and I seem to find very nice stuff at amazing prices lately! I wonder if I will make a new "business" out of it (smirk).