After my last assessment of Mike's meager collection of handknit socks, I convinced myself to cast-on another pair for him immediately. Man socks are just. so. big. They push at my limit between the normally meditative state of pleasure induced by sock knitting and frustration.  

Sometimes, while I'm working on them, I question whether I'm making any progress at all.  When I finally get to the heel construction everything is good again. I start to feel renewed satisfaction in my decision to be selfless and knit socks for someone who loves them.  The pleasure of casting off is short lived by the realization that I have to make a mate for that initial sock. 

I give myself a pep-talk. The cycle begins again; this time, it's the last lap. Fueled by thoughts of the finish line, I keep knitting. I stop to complain. I consider starting something new. I start again. Then, it's over. 

And, it's worth it.  And, he reaches for them first when he looks in he sock drawer. He puts them on and smiles. And, I smile. And it makes me want to knit for him again and again. 

Pattern: Variation on Plowshare
Yarn: Schaefer Yarn, Heathers Shades of Green

A week without posting seems like a long break after maintaining a 2 a week pace for the past months. Unfortunately, it might get a little irregular around here for another month or so due to a particularly busy burst at work. Longer days in the office make for a lot less daylight to photograph, write and participate on social media. But, work is what makes play possible, at least in my case. I'm still around, just not as available as usual.  

I do still have a couple projects to clear from the queue before springing ahead (HA!) into the new season. So, I wanted to quickly update this little space to say, "HELLO!" and share a little project I made for Mike. 

This cardigan was sewn using M6803 (sadly, discontinued) in a sweater knit fabric we bought at Joann and using leftover jersey scraps from the stash.  Like most patterns designed for knit fabrics, this comes together quickly. The pattern is nicely done and easy to follow. However, if I make this cardigan for mike again, I will make some adjustments to the sleeves and the front pieces, mostly by reducing the width of them for proportion. Surprisingly, we did not lengthen either the sleeves or the body of this cardigan! It was long enough for Mike as drafted. 

I hope to check back with you soon. If I'm particularly diligent, I'll find time to schedule some posts. In the meantime I hope you're enjoying the season change, wherever you live and having fun making projects in preparation for a change in the weather! 

It appears that Mother Nature has heard all the complaining I've been doing about cold weather.  And, her response is generous. We're having our first full-on week of spring temperatures here! (HOORAY!!) It's amazing. It does mean I need to get my act together and finish posting winter projects to clear the decks for spring clothing, which I'm happy to report I started working on over the weekend. 

The knitters among you might recognize this pattern as Riptide by Norah Gaughan from the Brooklyn Tweed Winter 16 collection. BT typically impresses with their fresh spin on classic knitwear designs, but the latest collection, really hit the mark. I want to knit it all! As instantly as I fell in love with this pattern, I wasn't sure I'd find time to knit this sweater before the end of the season until Liz knit it and reported on how quickly it came together AND, importantly, how much less yardage she used than what the pattern suggested.  

The pattern estimates 1300yards of Bulky yarn for the smallest size. I didn't have 1300 yards of bulky stashed. I did, however, have 1100 yards of Elsebeth Lavold Chunky AL. Based on Liz's assessment of this sweater, that amount would be plenty. She was right! In fact, I only used about 950 yards to knit this. And, as you can see, I could have squeaked in under 900 if I had knit those sleeves a little shorter. From start to finish, this sweater took  6 days of periodic knitting (about 15hours total to knit). That's pretty quick, as far as sweaters are concerned.  And, I love the result.    

I'm sure I'll knit this one again. Before I do, there are a couple other patterns that I NEED to knit... like Corvid and League... Oh, BT, you really know the way to my wallet... I mean heart.