JessaLu Knits (and Spins!)

…and no, I’m not talking about Dobby. Let me start from the beginning. Last week, this is where I was on the CPH:

Please note in the back of the photo that the working yarn is tucked nicely into a plastic bag. At that time, Jazz still had her elizabethan collar on from getting spayed (no, I didn’t take a picture. I know, shameful lapse on my part - but she was just too pitiful and I just couldn’t exploit it. I know, I suck, I’m sorry. ;o) ). She couldn’t chew on anything because she couldn’t reach it to get purchase. (Smart doggie figured out that if she tucked her chew bone between the couch cushions she could chew away. My couch will never be the same) She had the collar taken off on Friday and has been bouncing off the walls since. I worked on the back portion all week and managed to reach the arm decreases Sunday night while watching Northanger Abbey. At this point, I was at a new ball of yarn. I didn’t tuck it into the plastic bag since I thought it would be safe in my knitting basket. Monday, RR and I had a few errands to run so we left the dogs (and my knitting) in Dobby’s capable hands. When we got home I was greeted with this sight:

The note says, “Jazz got into your yarn while I was in the shower - I left it here because I didn’t know what to do!” (smart kid, eh?) Thank God she only chewed the yarn ball (apparently they have good ‘mouth feel’ - this isn’t the first time she’s done this) and left the knitting alone. It probably saved her life:

I’ve been carefully pulling lengths from the mess to knit and it’s working so far. What have I done to correct this ‘mouth feel’ issue? Well, since I found a somewhat molested hank of BFL on the couch last night, I guess the baby gate will be a permanent fixture on the door to the fiber room. *sigh* In other fiberey news, I’ve finished the ‘Grinchy’ yarn that I showed you last week:

4oz of BFL from Spunky Eclectic = 275 yds of sport-ish weight 3ply

Yes, the green is as electric as it looks - kind of retina-burning in fact - but it works well with the pink.

…and in even MORE fibery news, I used one skein of the Shibui Sock in ‘Honey’ to create a pair of socks on the CSM for my Aunt:

Nice and simple. She says wool makes her itch but I refuse to believe it until she’s tried these. She’s never had hand-knit socks (or cranked socks) before and as far as I’m concerned, there is nothing like merino on your feet (unless it’s cashmere - or silk). ;o)

…an update.

I cast on for the Central Park Hoodie (aka CPH) in August with a grandiose plan of knitting it in the round and steeking it. I even had how many stitches I needed to cast on all figured out and had both sleeves mostly knit within two weeks (the first sleeve was a gauge swatch and the second was knit right away so there wasn’t much of a difference and I could remember what I did) Then came the time to cast on for the body.

…and I was frightened.

I managed to psych myself out. I’ve never steeked anything in my life - let alone a cardigan that was originally designed to be knit in pieces and sewn together. I’ve changed pullovers from sewn pieces to knit in the round with no problem but this? I was frozen in indecision and fear.

Yep, I was afraid of my knitting. Even worse, I let the knitting win. After letting the two sleeves hang around for four months with nothing happening on the body I decided to hell with it. I cast on for the back. I do feel good about this decision since a) at least I’m knitting SOMETHING and b) I’m thinking that having the seams will probably give the sweater some much needed structure. There’s nothing worse than a limp cardigan. ;o)

At this point, I decided that I needed to come clean to the blog with my neglected WIP so I tried to find the sleeves. I found one.

Just one.

This led to frantic searches of the fiber room (yeah…it’s a room now. Not just a closet. What of it?!), frantic searches of my office and frantic searches of pretty much every other room in the house except for Dobby’s - I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t lift an unfinished sleeve. Shampoo or conditioner possibly, makeup definitely but knitting? No way. So, since I couldn’t find both sleeves I thought I’d be showing you this:

All the while swearing that there were two in existence - I just couldn’t find one. (and I’m pretty sure that a couple of you wouldn’t have believed me, hehehe)

Then, I remembered one last basket in the office - and there it was:

Yay! It’s always in the last place you looked, right? ;o)

Where am I at now? The two sleeves you see above and about three inches of ribbing on the back.

There isn’t much done on the body since I’ve been a bit distracted to knit these past few days…sorry. Tax season is upon me. In case you’re new to this here blog, I’m a bookkeeper and this is my ‘busy’ season. Oh yeah and taxes. suck. The highlight of the 2007 season so far (I know, I’m all of one week into this nightmare and it’s beginning already…)? Being informed by one client who hasn’t given me a monthly expense report since JULY that he wishes to have all his information to the accountant by Wednesday. Yes, THIS Wednesday. Apparently he is under the impression that I can prepare this information via OSMOSIS. Grrrrr.

ANYway, I’ll probably be even more distracted since I’ll be participating in NaSpiMoMo - the brainchild of Margene (Carole made the button and is helping her with the running of the Ravelry group n stuff). This is such a simple ‘along - no prizes, no contests, just spin as much as you can in January. I think I can manage to stick to that. ;o)

Wondering what everybody’s been up to over the Summer? Need a quick Jim fix? Click here. You will not be disappointed ;o)

For all you knitters…I have begun a new project:

Behold a sleeve swatch for a Central Park Hoodie in Silky Wool - see? I DO knit something other than socks! ;op