After months of dilly-dallying around, making gifts and small accessories instead of concentrating properly on her, I almost cannot believe that February Lady is finally coming into the home stretch. She really will be finished before her namesake month is over!
While this isn't the best photo, at least you can see the stage I have reached... two sleeves partly done. Why, you ask am I working on the second sleeve with the first one sits on holders? Well, sleeve number one progressed so rapidly that I reached the end of the ball of yarn I had attached to start it while knitting away at my class Tuesday evening... I was surprised and didn't have any more yarn with me (bummer, huh?!). When I looked at the length, that sleeve was hitting my arm just below the bend in the elbow, meaning it was close to the finish line but in need of three or four inches, as I want it to hit my forearm at the three-quarters length. So, I prudently opted to put sleeve number one on holders and use one of the two full skeins I had to knit my way down sleeve number two (I am very happy to be able to fit this sleeve design on one 16-inch circular needle), and take stock at that point. The smartest thing will be to wind two small balls out of the remaining skein tomorrow while at work at the LYS, with the aid of our trusty scale, and be ready to complete each sleeve with what yarn I have left. (I will be teaching a lace class as well, using the Raha scarf from Nancy Bush's Estonian lace book.)
All of these details are almost, but not quite crowding out the glory of almost having this lovely sweater completed! Not only will I be able to wear and enjoy it through the spring and on cool summer evenings, but I can begin to ponder what sweater will be next! There is a cute cardigan, Stacked Rib, in the new issue of Knitscene, that might fit the bill, if I can find the right yarn, preferably something lofty that I can wear next to my skin, which disqualifies a lot of the wools. I also have a few good items in my Ravelry queue that I could finally get to....
I will be gone most of next week to a conference down in Berkeley, and also feel really lucky that I will have the chance to meet Carrie in person (I know, you're envious... hope you get a turn someday too!). I also have to figure out a good conference-knitting project, especially since if I am really lucky and really speedy, February Lady could be off the needles, and even if I am pokey or get distracted, she doesn't have enough knitting left to get me through three days of meetings plus two further days of visiting.
In the tossing and turning that worrying out our current economic crisis has added to my sometimes-sleepless nights, it came to me last night that this pattern (Ravelry links) might make a perfect carry-along project as well as a gift I need later this year. Of course, there's also this and this in my queue, with the respective yarns waiting in my stash. I'll keep you posted, especially since we will have a computer and high speed access while away... oh, and did I mention, one of the great joys is that DD is attending this training along with me, as a colleague and fellow infant-toddler center Site Supervisor... life does have some lovely gifts for us, even in the darkest of times. One of the blessings in my life is that I can share my passion for working with very young children with her.
