Gathered Pullover and other fancies

Well, here she is - the Gathered Pullover in all her glory!

Don't mind the bemused look on my face. It reflects the fact that I was standing outside, relatively unprotected from the elements, in roughly -2million Celsius (-3million in Fahrenheit) temperatures. How I suffer for my craft!!

Here's a close-up view of the cable design:

Lovely, eh?

Specs:

Pattern: Gathered Pullover by Hana Jason (Interweave Knits Winter 2007 mag)
Size: 29" (small)
Start Date: 14 January 2008
Finish Date: 19 January 2008
Yarn: Rowan DK Handknit Cotton
Needles: 4mm Addi Turbo
Intended Wearer: moi (who else?!)

Notes:

• I am very, very happy with the way this pattern turned out. Super simple and a very quick knit. The body was knit in the round up to the armpits.
  

• The cables were knit without using a cable needle - a first for me but definetely not a last!

• I got the yarn in a swap on the Knittyboard - the swapper had frogged a sweater she had made with it.

• Only pattern modification: I knitted the sleeves straight instead of in the round as the pattern called for because I am too lazy to use double-pointed needles.
  

I was actually rather productive, knitting-wise anyway, this weekend. Here is a little something I whipped up yesterday: a Moebius wrap a la Cat Bordhi, to go with my leather car coat:

This was knitted using Fleece Artist Goldielocks. It bears an uncanny resemblance to my Fleece Artist log cabin afghan:

Separated at birth?

I also started the first hint in the Secret of the Stole II. This is the first 22 rows:

I very nearly abandoned this altogether last night after 5 frogging disasters. In fact, I very nearly threw it and the lovely Malabrigo yarn over the balcony. However, once I actually started to pay attention to the chart and read it properly, it was relatively smooth sailing.

I wish I could figure out how to stop the end from curling up, though! Any suggestions?

The colour, though, makes me very, very happy - as will be shown with the next project I cast on for:

This will be yet another Moebius shawl (I'm addicted to Magical Knitting!) using Noro Silk Garden. I plan to have it as my travel project.

I also cast on for still another Moebius project: a hat to go with the car coat, using Manos del Uruguay aran weight yarn:

So, this is what keeps me off the streeets and out of trouble in January (as if the deep freeze weren't enough!!!) And, one last sweater cheesecake photo starring Aphrodite (who handles the cold weather far better than I...):

Signing off for now - but, for your information, on this day in 1908 New York City passed the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public
You've come a long way, baby! Actually, that's not fair, because the mayor ended up vetoing the ordinance. And, if you actually do think we have come a long way, just visualise this photo with a cellphone in the hand instead of a mascara wand:

absolutely final yarn purchase of 2007

Anyone remember what I had to say on 1 December?

But of course, this is now it for the yarn spending for the calendar year 2007. I won't be buying any more yarn until 2008.

Weeeeellllll...that was almost true.

You see, when I set off for Lettuce Knit after work the other day, I was really only going there to get this book, which I had seen there some time back:

She is the designer of this fabulous Moebius capelet, and I thought it would be nice to have a pattern book of hers.

But, strangely enough, the minute I walked into the store, this leapt into my hot little hands:

Some Handmaiden Flaxen...in periwinkle!!!

I really should blame Amanda for this. She is the one who originally put Lettuce Knit into my head vis a vis possible Flaxen acquisitions. Maybe she should be reimbursing me for the cost of the yarn?

But I can't blame Amanda for this:



I actually managed to drop the Flaxen onto the floor when I saw this lovely stuff winking at me from the Sea Silk basket (conveniently located right next to the front entrance of the store. These people are wicked!!). It is in the Popsicle colourway, which I had never seen. So, of course, a must-have...

And here's another one:

I think this is Popsicle as well, minus the blue.

So - five more skeins of Handmaiden. Evil Kristina made a great score, that's for sure (Where was Good Kristina? Doubtless still at the office, trying to finish everything on the to-do list before leaving for vacation.)

However, all is not lost, and it was fated that I buy all of this yarn, really, as the following day Jenny sent me a link to some free vintage yarn patterns. Obviously I knew that I would need yarn to try out some of them.

(Oh, really? So, how about all of this in the stash?


Ah, I see that Good Kristina has finally looked up from the books - more than a day late and a couple of hundred dollars too short, as usual!)

Oh - I nearly managed to leave the store without looking for the above book. But luckily I did remember why I had actually gone to the store after all. And I also found this:

Shortly after I got home, I realised that I am not quite as subtle as I had believed with the stashing of new acquisitions. My usual cover is to grab the stuff out of my handbag and spirit it off to the spare room, then rustle around in there for a while pretending that I am cleaning.

J. "Eagle Eye" J., however, shouted from the living room approximately three minutes after I headed in there, "When yer finished takin' photos of all that new yarn you got today and squirreling it awa', could ye gi'us a drink, hen?"

Hmm. Foiled again. Then again, this might have been his first clue that I really don't do a hell of a lot of cleaning in the spare room:
Well, TGIF to all - today is my official final day at work for 2007 (although, having spent too much time surfing the net...um, helping other people at work this week, I will be bringing one last project to finish up at home on Saturday.) We're off on our Big Trip on Monday 17 December. And, of course, I won't be buying any yarn in London. See?:

(1 December 2007) I am most certainly not going near any yarn store in London while I'm there... I don't need any more Rowan products either!

Well, that might not strictly be true. After all, my Rowan stash will be severely depleted after finishing off the Tilted Duster with ASC:

I love this little detail on the sides of the fronts:


So, a happy Friday to all: and JJ will no doubt be thrilled when I tell him this evening that today marks the anniversary of the Glasgow underground railway in 1896. I shall have to raise a glass or three this evening at the holiday rendezvous of The Tenant Advocates!