Sweater Gift

I'm making a gift for a good friend of mine--a sweater in Mellowspun (Mary Maxim), peach, sportweight yarn called the "Easy Lace Cardigan." I found the pattern in the March 2009 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine. It's like the ones I made a couple of years ago from my own pattern, only with knitted lace trim at the bottom of the sweater and the three-quarters length sleeves. Here's what I have done so far:




It looks straightforward enough, but of course, since I so wanted it to be perfectly done--I flubbed up a couple of things. I forgot to knit the last four border stitches (not seen in photo) on a purl side, and remembered four rows of 235 stitches each later. I didn't want to take the rows out, so, one by one, I let the last four stitches drop and rewove them with a crochet hook. Yuck! I hate doing that, as I'm forever knitting instead of purling, and vice versa. Got that done. Then, since the skeins of yarn are only 1.75 ounces or so a piece, there's the weaving the ends in--and I messed that up, even though I was painstakingly following the knitting as I wove them in. Honest I was. Made the border look terrible. So I unraveled the weaved in ends and did it again. I almost threw the whole thing out and said forget it when the last part happened, but now it's almost unnoticeable, so it will be worth it in the end.

Thankfully, I already have great patience because of raising a son with mental handicaps and autism, so I can stick with that sort of thing. Though it's a bit frustrating to hit the snafus on a gift, and also, when you only knit about one hour a day--for relaxation.

Otherwise, I've been working really hard on a new proposal for Steeple Hill LI Suspense while I wait for the copyedits on Mistletoe and Murder, due out in November. Deadly Reunion (w/a Florence Case) is still available.
Happy knitting!

The Best Thing in my Mailbox after Christmas

I just received my first knitting magazine ever, Creative Knitting, and I am so excited. Now I understand the thrill of turning the pages and seeing project after project that make my fingers itch to knit them. Let’s see, there’s the Chattahoochee Scarf, the Ever-Cross Sweater, the Knit It Down sweater (my daughter has requested this one already), the Zigzag Drama Throw, the Felted Fantasy Purse…well, you get the picture.

It’s also a bit like vicarious knitting: I can get some of the pleasure of actually making the projects just by looking at the photos, reading the instructions and contemplating what colorway I might want to use for my own version. It’s fun and cheap and I totally get why everyone loves getting a magazine in the mail on a regular basis.

I subscribed to this particular publication because it was the only knitting publication offered by the band’s subscription drive. (Yes, everything comes back to the band, even now when marching band season is over!) BTW, you can get an issue free if you’re interested. Just go to the CK website, sign up and as long as you don’t mind sending back the invoice marked “cancel”, you can check out Creative Knitting for yourself.

Now I’m curious about what other knitting magazines are out there. Does anyone here at RTY have one—or two or three—they’d recommend?