Vivian's Blue Sweater

Vivian's Blue Sweater

begun 11/06/2021

Knit in Raglan Pattern as Follows

Day One:

One episode of The Morning Show

One cup of tea

A reflection on the November New Moon

One episode of Invasion

Another cup of tea

Approximately 2" from cast-on.

Day Two:

During the first of two episodes of Foundation, change circular cable to 32". 

Two glasses of milk, joint supplements, and a phone call with a friend, about 3.5" from cast-on edge.

Wind 50g skein of contrast color while watching first half of an episode of The Watchmen. Continue knitting as established in main color for the rest of the episode while a pot of blackcurrant tea steeps. Pour tea. 4" from cast-on edge.

Set aside to attend Bluebeard's Castle opera.

Knit several rows while thinking about alternate endings.

Day Three:

Knit a couple rounds while watching The Watchmen.  Approximately 5" from cast-on edge.

Set aside to play pinball.

Day Four:

Knit to the final marker. Switch to contrast color and continue knitting in Raglan Pattern as established for two rounds. 

Set aside to attend court.

After two rounds of contrast color, switch to main color and knit as established for two rounds.

Set aside to look up "widow's mite."

Change to 42" cable.

Switch to contrast color and continue knitting in Raglan Pattern as established for 6 rounds while watching The Watchmen.

Register for Fall classes.

Switch to main color and continue knitting in Raglan Pattern as established for two rounds while strategizing how to pay upcoming legal fees. Separate for sleeves. 7" from cast-on edge.

Change to 32" cable. Body measures  approximately 34" around.

Work the body in stockinette stitch, in contrast color for two rounds, then switch to main color. 

Set aside for still water float.

Continue knitting in stockinette stitch with main color while thinking about how Cotton Mather allegedly wanted Quakers fetched off the deck of the Welcome when it made shore, and how he wanted them beaten and sold into slavery. 

Drink peach ginger turmeric tea. Approximately 9 inches from the cast-on edge.

Day Five:

After work knit half a round while sitting in the Jeep. Get distracted by sunshine. Take a call from a friend. Set aside for acupuncture and a meeting with Friends. Approximately 9 inches from cast-on edge.

Day Six:

Knit a round while on the phone with a lending agency. Set aside to read "Faculty Memoir: A Conversation with Laura Nader." Write analysis and reflection paper on reading. Read "The Price of Excellence." Briefly consider transferring to UCB. Discard the notion.

Continue knitting body in stockinette stitch while watching The Problem with Jon Stewart.

Day Seven:

Fine tune back length and arm measurements during family session with Vivian after work.

Set aside to attend philosophy writing group.

Day Eight:

After drafting a conference abstract, continue in stockinette stitch while watching The Morning Show. Pause often to add article links to dissertation.

Woolstok 150, October Sky (main color)

Woolstok 50, Morning Frost (contrast color)

Long tail cast on to 24" US7 circular needle: 20, pm, 30, pm, 20, pm, 30, place final marker. 100 stitches total.

Join for working in the round.

Raglan Pattern:

Round 1: knit to end of round.

Round 2: [knit to marker, kfb in stitch before and after marker] 4x. End of round.

Repeat these two rows until piece measures required depth for armholes.

New Moon Reflection

Today's visit with Vivian was potent in a good way. I'm encouraged. She is asking for what she wants, and this is wonderful. One of the things she mentioned is wanting a sweater, and she's also going through a great love of all things blue, so this evening I cast on a sweater for her from an October Sky blue yarn. 

I'm very thoughtful this evening, and have been since Friday's salt float during the new moon. I think that I'll make a post just about what I did and thought of and lived through while knitting this sweater, and I think I'll do it for all my future knitting projects. Some future projects might get a "knitting narrative" to go with them.

I hope you are well, dear Reader. 

These seem to be days of digging out, days recently spent turning the decaying summer into compost, hunkering down for the short cold days ahead. Even the moon is dark tonight, and time gathers in on itself for the return to winter.

Garter Blanket

I designed the Garter Blanket with one goal: a project that I could work on even on Headache Days, or during Zoom meetings. I started it in the middle of June, and worked on it sometimes more and sometimes less often; there was a whole week that it sat in a backpack, ignored but close by. This morning I cast off the last stitch, and I'll miss it, even though it had gotten so large that it was a beast to work with. Still. Very smooshy and cozy and the undyed wool was just the right choice. 

Pattern:

I used my standby favorite: Blue Sky Fibers Woolstock 150, in Highland Fleece. 

Five skeins on size 10 needles.

Cast on 196 stitches (or more for a wider blanket, or fewer for a narrower one). 56" wide.

Row 1: Knit to the end of the row.

Repeat Row 1 until the piece is desired length. I stopped at 42" long.

Round and Round: a sweater

I'm working on a new sweater pattern, going about the construction differently -- working from the bottom up, and starting with sleeves. I needed a new perspective on everything, I think. The recent bout of headaches, fatigue, and (irony-deficiency-induced?) illness left me on the edge of cranky. The only remedy was a new point of view.

Today I'm starting on the second sleeve, working in Woolstok cast iron. If the prototype goes well, I'll tweak it as an Actual Pattern and keep it in the repertoire.

It took about five hours of knitting to make the first sleeve. I have some driving and waiting time next week, so a portable project sounds Just Right.