What a Life!

So yesterday I said that I was going to work on my Melting Pot Bag next. And I am. I have cast on and knit 20% of the base. But wait…

I ordered this yarn to make Steve a pullover for Christmas. But when I swatched with it (knit a test piece to see how the yarn looked and behaved when knit up), I fell in love with it and decided to use it for myself. Northampton by Valley Yarns from Webs. Color – Fawn.

But wait…I didn’t just steal the yarn for myself. When I saw it in person, I decided that perhaps it wasn’t the best color for Steve. I mean, if one is going to put all that work into a sweater, why waste all that time using a color of yarn that is less than ideal?

But wait…I loved the feel of the yarn so I decided to use it for myself in one of my experiments to get a sweater that fit right. In that setting, non-ideal color is almost a good thing – you’re not worried about wasting yarn that you’re in love with so you feel more free to experiment and be adventuresome. It’s just some ugly yarn after all.

I decided to make the Cabled Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Winter 2005/06. And instead of following the directions in the magazine and knitting from the bottom up, I would knit from the top down and fit as I go, a la Barbara Walker.

This is how it looked last night.

Isn’t it pretty? I’m just loving the yarn. I love the feel. And now that I’m seeing it knit up into something more than a swatch, I’m really loving the color. I’m thinking this might be a good color on Steve after all. But I’m stilling knitting this yarn for myself.

But wait…Aran knits with cables and such do not reveal their true size until after serious blocking…which cannot be done while on the needles. So even though my knitting is going very well, I decided that knitting from the top down and fitting as I go is not really feasible with this pattern. [What was I thinking?] So instead, I am doing exhaustive math and will be working it from the bottom up instead.

I mean, really, you can fit is as you go or you can take accurate measurements and know your gauge and do lots of math and make it fit just as well. I like doing math. I prefer knitting from the bottom up. I like doing seaming and having seams. Why not? With all due respect to Barbara Walker and the idea of knitting from the top, I think I’ll stick with knitting from the bottom, thank you very much. And I’ll still get a very good fit.

But really, this yarn is wonderful. Every time I knit with it, it feels warm and cozy, like something you’d want to make into a sweater that you could wear and curl up in front of a fireplace and read a good book and be oh so comfy. I am so loving this yarn. Cascade 220 seems to be a very popular favorite, but it’s always losing stitch definition for me when I wash it, and it does not feel nearly as nice as this Northampton does. I am so never knitting with Cascade 220 again – except to felt, of course. Northampton is my new default choice for nice yarn at a price I can afford.

But wait…we have an extra hour today – ah! knitting time – but apparently my children did not get the memo that said they were supposed to sleep for an extra hour. Children behaving badly…must go.

[Sorry, no free car at the end of this blog post. Every time I listen to one of those infomercials, they tell you about their great product and how you can get it for only three payments of $14.95 plus S&H and you think the commercial’s over but then they say “But wait!” and they start adding things…so I keep listening as they keep trying to make their offer better and better because I wouldn’t want to call and get the first deal they tell you about…or the second…or the third…because as soon as I call, they’ll come up with an even better offer and I’ll miss out. Then the infomercial ends and I don’t know what number I was supposed to call even though they said it a thousand times (and I probably didn’t need the item anyway). But I always listen just in case they would offer a free car at the end…because someday when they do, I really am going to call in just to take advantage of their great offer…whatever it is they’re selling…]