It’s taken a while. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Hobo sweater.

(updated photo with new hair cut- Dec 5)

pattern: Hobo from Jaeger Magazine 5 (JM05)
yarn: Lane Borgosesia Bollicina
knitted: October 8, 2005-October 6, 2006
finishing: October 6 - November 23, 2006

I love this sweater. It’s definitely a special occasion sweater. We’re going to a holiday/housewarming party on Saturday and I can’t wait to wear it.

The first photo taken wasn’t the best photo, I was tired and wanted to get a photo up. I’ll probably have Bryan take a better one tomorrow after I get my hair cut.

Our trip to Kansas City for Thanksgiving was an uneventful one. The seven hour trip wore us out. Note to self, in the future don’t drive seven hours the day of Thanksgiving and then attempt to be social for several hours. On the way to Kansas, I was working on sewing up the Hobo sweater all so that I could wear it at Thanksgiving dinner. About two hours into the trip, I’d finished the overarm seams and it was all ready to wear. What a delightful sweater to wear, the cashmere silk blend was so nice against my skin. (Sorry no photo yet, I didn’t take my camera to Kansas. I promise one soon.) I was so relieved to find out that this yarn hasn’t been discontinued because it’s so lovely for scarves. Thanksgiving dinner was small for our family, there were only 11 in attendance. We’ve had over 20 some years. Eleven was just right. Friday, we had the family day-after-Thanksgiving lunch at Winstead’s and then shopped a bit on the Plaza. I bought buttons for the Cider House Rules vest and a cardigan that I finished several years ago but never put buttons on. Friday evening, we had dinner with my dad’s family. Then Saturday we headed back to Illinois. It was a quick trip but nice to get away for a few days.

While we were in Kansas, my mom gave me some cat toys for George and Chloe since her cats wouldn’t touch them. Bryan found them in my suitcase in a plastic bag and asked what they were, as he said that both cats were looking at him as if he’d just brought in the most interesting thing. I said, “Ask the kitties, they know.” The toys were little fuzzy egg-shaped toys with feathers sticking out of one end. He took one of the toys out and Chloe immediately went crazy playing with it. By the end of one day of playing our living room looked like a bird had blown up in it.

In the car, I’d planned to do so much knitting. For some reason after finishing sewing the Hobo sweater and realizing that I hadn’t brought an extra yarn ball with me, I just wasn’t in the mood to knit. Sunday and Monday, I worked a lot on the Cider House Rules vest for Bryan. I love this yarn so much, as I’ve mentioned before, that knitting this vest was a real pleasure. It was such a pleasure that the entire vest is blocking as I write this. Monday evening, I started the edging for one of the armholes and managed to knit about 9 1/2 of the 20 total inches (50.8 cm) required for just one armhole band. Once I get to the neck/button band, I know it’s going to take me a while because I have to knit 60″ (152 cm) and it’s a 13 stitch band on size 3 needles.

The idea of the Cider House Rules vest being finished has me so excited to start another sweater. Yesterday, I finished reknitting Bryan’s Christmas stocking and swatched for the Bianca Jacket from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. Since I’m feeling a bit adventurous, I’m also tempted to start the Martha sweater from Rowan Magazine 28 in deep red Felted Tweed. Hopefully, I can exert a little self-control and make myself only work on one sweater at a time.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I need to get into full swing with the library school application once again. This year, I’m finding it hard to work on because it’s my third time through. I think once I get going on it, things will come together pretty quickly. My letters of recommendation this year are very good and I think my library experience will help. If I don’t get in this time, I think I’ll have half the staff of the library at the school demanding an answer.

I just realized I haven’t posted anything about the new yarn that I’m spinning. I started spinning it about two weeks ago and am slowly making headway. I decided to try using my wheel’s double-drive capabilities and just see what I can do with it. The tensioning seems to be a bit more precise with double-drive, that’s just my opinion after using it for a little over a week. The fiber is one of my Maryland Sheep & Wool purchases from Stony Mountain Fibers. It’s so beautiful when it’s actually plied together, it looks like fluffy neopolitan ice cream.

With Socktoberfest over, I’m focusing on some projects that I’ve wanted to work on for a while. I’m still working on seaming the Hobo sweater. One and a half side/underarm seams down, half a side/underarm seam and two overarm seams to go. My goal is to wear it to Thanksgiving dinner in just over two and a half weeks. How it’s November already, I don’t know. Time seems to be in a bit of a time-warp lately since about July.

In the last week, Bryan and I have been seriously addicted to the third season of Six Feet Under this past week. It was a rare week, where we were both home every night of the week before 9pm. Next week, it’s back to the regular schedule with me teaching and working three nights out of the week. With all of that extra evening time, I got quite a bit of knitting completed. Sunday evening, I started Bryan’s Christmas stocking and finished the knitting part of it Wednesday night. When I knitted this stocking for my sister five years ago I forgot to indicate what size needles I’d knit her stocking on. Then when it came time to knit Bryan’s stocking the pattern I’d writtend indicated size _ 5 double-pointed needles, which my mind read as size 5 needles. The blank being a very important part of this confusion. So I knit his stocking on size 6 needles and his is significantly smaller than the original. I think I’m going to reknit the stocking on size 8s to get the right size before I teach my class in December. After finishing the stocking, I worked exclusively on Bryan’s Cider House Rules vest. Thursday afternoon and evening, I knitted over 100 rows of the one of the fronts of the vest. Now I’m working on the back, which is a bit slower. If I keep up at this rate, I could be finished with this by the New Year, which would be a major achievement for me, the last few years my track record in finishing sweaters hasn’t been very good.

Speaking of sweaters, I’ve finally come to terms with the Crazy Green sweater. Last time I measured it, the front half was 23 1/2 inches (59.7 cm) wide, which would make a 47 inch around sweater. It would definitely swim on me when most sweaters I make are only 40 inches around. So I’ve decided I’m going to frog the sweater soon and figure something else out to do with all 8 balls of yarn that I have that are different shades of green. I’m tempted to knit a sweater in the round or perhaps a a cute little cardigan. It was definitely a sweater that lived up to its name, it was destined to drive me crazy.

I wasn’t sure if it would happen but I finished Hobo two days before the personal deadline I’d set for myself. Friday night, I finished knitting it after knitting over 80 rows of the sleeve on the second piece. It wasn’t looking so good about a year ago for this sweater when it truly had me in tears, after ripping it out and restarting it I had hopes for it. Tonight, I’m working on sewing in the ends on one of the pieces and I’ll block it, then Tuesday I’ll block the second piece and put it together later. I would have loved to block both pieces together but I just don’t have the room. I’ll definitely be using the blockers that my mom gave me last year. When it’s all put together, I’ll definitely post photos.

October seems to be an auspicious month for my finishing major projects. Last year on October 7 I finished the Barbara shawl after three years. My next big project is the Cider House Rules vest for Bryan in Rowan’s Wool/Cotton “Ship Shape.” It’s a beautiful color and will be perfect for Bryan. He’s really excited that I’m finally starting this for him. We’ve been talking about it for over a year. Who knows I may be finishing next year in October. I’m sure Bryan would prefer it finished before then. If the Barbara shawl and the Hobo sweater have taught me anything it’s that I absolutely can’t have too many big projects going at once or I’ll just put them away and they’ll be neglected. That’s not to say that there won’t be project interruptions. Now if I could just get myself to work on the Crazy Green sweater, which has been truly neglected for more than a year, partly because it’s not that fun to work on, it’s just not working out the way that I thought it would and the idea of sewing in over 90 ends on just one piece doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. It looks really cool but I know it’s going to be a bit too big on me. It may be another sweater that I rip out and restart.

With the weather getting cooler and my toes thankful for handknit socks, I’ve knit just over four inches of the Fleece Artist sock, which I’ve decided to call the Knitbrarian socks since she’s the one that sent me the yarn. It’s such lovely yarn to work with. Another inch or two and I’ll be working the heel!

This morning, we registered for the Midwinter ALA Conference out in Seattle. I’ve never been to Seattle and I’m excited to go. Any other knitters going to the conference or live in Seattle? I’d love to meet up with some of you.

Some people have bad addictions to drugs, food and other unmentionables. Currently, I find myself glued to my computer more than I probably should be. I’m addicted/obsessed with YouTube. Not the crazy home videos but instead music videos by some of my favorite bands. Another thing that’s currently attracting me to the computer is Dr. Blind by Emily Haines, the lead singer of Metric. It’s such a haunting and beautiful song, I just want to listen to it over and over, I had it going through my head all day at work yesterday and while I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep last night. Fortunately for myself and the computer, Emily’s solo album comes out on Tuesday.

This past Monday Bryan and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We both had to work that day, after work we got dressed up and went out for a nice dinner. I truly can’t believe it’s already been two years since we got married. It was such a wonderful day and it was so wonderful that sometimes it doesn’t feel real. The wonderful thing was so many people came from near and far to celebrate our wedding. At this time two years ago, we were honeymooning in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada.

On a different note, this morning I had my hair cut and I feel so great. I’ve been so irritated with the layers that I had put in back in May. So I’m growing those out and the stylist softened the front, so I have really long “bangs” that come down to my chin. Nothing like good hair cut to make you feel like a normal person again.

Today was my day off since I work all weekend and I am hoping to finish my market bag soon. On RoseByAny’s blog she listed her goal dates for finishing certain projects. What a great idea. Here are my wish dates for finishing two of my current projects.

Hobo - October 8 (exactly one year after I re-started it)
After an extra hard lesson in gauge, I have less than 70 rows to go before I finish the body on the second piece. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be finished with the body within the next week. Once I get going on the sleeve, it took me a day or so to finish it on the first piece. Then I need to block the pieces and sew them together. Fortunately, there are only four easy seams on this sweater. The top of the sleeves and the side/underarm seams.
Go with the Flow socks - October 31
I’ve joined Lolly’s Socktober Fest again this year. I hope to finish these socks and possibly start another pair for myself, which hopefully will go quickly. If I can finish both pairs by the end of October that would just be fabulous. I’m hoping that my obsession with socks from last year comes back.

I can’t believe I forgot this earlier, Marianne, my August Project Spectrum swap pal sent me this cute little fellow for August. He’s so cute and all handmade. I totally loved the creativity of the Project Spectrum swap pals I had. I didn’t experiment with a lot just challenged myself to make cool cards in that month’s colors and I think some of them are my best cards. I wasn’t the best Project Spectrum participant working on projects in that month’s color. Frankly, I had too many projects and I had too many babies to knit for. I guess the Log Cabin Blanket counted for almost every color of the rainbow anyway, so I guess I was working on a project in that month’s colors now that I think about it. March really inspired me to work on the Hobo sweater and now I’m more than 75% finished with the sweater.

We’re now in our fifth straight day of 50 degree weather with rain. A low-pressure system has parked itself on top of us. There are those of you that live in the Northwest where five days of rain isn’t a big deal but it’s really starting to wear on me. I want to be outside enjoying the sun. It’s May, not March. This is obviously payback for having a beautiful April with nice warm temperatures and lots of sun. I know we need the rain but can’t it rain one day, then be sunny the next? Not six days straight.

Fortunately, the rain didn’t stop us too much on Saturday as we ventured out for the first Farmer’s Market of the season. It was the first time we’d been to the Farmer’s Market here but we came home with some great stuff - four small basil plants, a pound of strawberries (YUM), three lovely tomatoes, locally-made raspberry fruit spread (sweetened with white grape juice) and a pound of freshly picked salad greens, which were scrumptious.

Sunday, the rain and cool temperatures were the perfect excuse to bum around, knit and read the entire day. Today, I’m having a serious case of the Mondays and the rain is not helping. Speaking of work, you’re probably wondering what became of the Acquisitions job. The interview went well, but they hired someone with previous acquisitions experience. I received a very nice note in my mailbox at work from the woman who interviewed me. She explained why they hired someone else but another position would be opening up in August and I’m her first choice for the job. When I saw her on Friday, I thanked her for the note and said it meant a lot. She told me that I’m hired for the position opening up in August, unless I change my mind. Things are working out for the better, now Bryan and I can have a leisurely summer after the middle of June. He’s in school for the next four weeks for an intensive summer semester and then he’ll be off for two months.

I’ve made some progress on the Hobo sweater and significant progress on the “Go with the Flow” Socks. I just turned the heel last night.

In my previous posts about my trip to Maryland, I haven’t included photos of the yarn I spun in my Novelty Yarns class with Judith Mackenzie McCuin. (click photos for larger image)
From top
2-ply slub yarn
Cabled bouclé with red thread - fiber 50/50 silk/wool (this was a rescued by Judith)
Marled yarn (3-ply)

Cabled Bouclé with white silk thread

Cotton bound bouclé
My first time spinning with cotton so slubs were very easy to do

I need a bit of practice with boucle yarn but it was really fun to do. Right now I’m just waiting for my new wheel before I start anything new, it should be here in about a week and a half. Last week, I finished spinning the garden yarn on Wednesday. Because I don’t want to start anything new, I respun a hank of the Lemondrop plied yarn so that I can cable ply it to make it stronger. I have one more hank to do and then it’s just waiting for the new wheel to arrive, so that I can wind all of the yarn I’ve spun on Matilda onto the bobbins of the new wheel. I realize that I could wind the yarn onto weaving bobbins but at this point, I can’t afford a bobbin winder and I figure this will be just as easy.

Because I’m in the library so much and in Maryland we were talking about kids’ books about knitting and spinning, we’ve been reading kids’ books in bed to each other before we go to sleep. In the last few nights, we’ve read Russell the Sheep by Rob Scotton, Mr. Nick’s Knitting by Margaret Wild, which is out of print and such a wonderful book, and Brave Charlotte by Anu Stohner and Henrike Wilson. All of these books are so beautifully illustrated. Yes, there is a theme here of knitting and sheep. Next on our list are The Baabaasheep Quartet by Leslie Elizabeth Watts, With Love From Grandma by Harriet Ziefert and Deborah Kogan Ray, Mrs. McDockerty’s Knitting by Ruth Martinez and Catharine O’Neill, and Derek the Knitting Dinosaur by Mary Blackwood and Kerry Argent. I found all of these in just a five minute search on the library’s online catalog. There are a lot more that I just didn’t find in those five minutes. We thought it would be a perfect way to get acquainted with more than just adult fiction so that we can be well-rounded librarians.

I’m off to do my volunteer work and then work after that. Looks like we may see the sun on Wednesday. I plan on spending a good part of the day outside!

Four years ago today, I started you, Hobo sweater. I was filled with excitement for a beautiful raspberry-colored sweater made out of a lovely cashmere and silk yarn. It was an interesting time. I was still dealing with the loss of my dear grandmother and was four months from meeting the man who would be my husband two years later. I was living in a wonderful old apartment and teaching knitting in Chicago. Times were not only interesting personally but world-wide too. September 11 was less than a year past and there was only talk of war in Iraq with everyone hoping that it wouldn’t get to that point.

Little did I know that just like the world our relationship would become tumultuous too. Our relationship would make me question my ability as a knitter and prove that I should practice what I preach. Many students have heard my “lecture” on gauge and how important it is but when their own teacher doesn’t follow it, it can only lead to disaster.

After avoiding you for over a year because I detested the size 3 needles and there were many more interesting projects, I decided to work on you hoping to finish by the end of 2006. I think nearing the end of the Barbara shawl prompted me to work on you. That was when disaster struck, I was 2/3 of the way through the first half of you and I went to retrieve a new ball of yarn. I realized that I was going to run out of yarn before you were finished. I’ve never cried over a sweater before but boy did I cry over your former self. After a night of coming to terms with the idea of ripping out 2/3 of half of you, I did what any good knitter would do. I turned on a mentally unchallenging program (Days of Our Lives), pulled out the ball winder and let her rip.

Within three weeks after restarting you, I started the body of the first half of you. Then I quickly tired of the 167 stitches knowing that I would have nearly 200 rows to knit. Other projects were much more tempting like the Fleurette scarf in Kidsilk Haze, Norwegian mittens, Christmas mittens with a matching hat, various pairs of socks and an attempt at a Snowflake vest. Then something happened on February 22 of this year. I picked you up and we haven’t been apart for long since. In a matter of six weeks, I finished one half of you and am diligently working on the second half of you. I promise to fulfill my promise of finishing you by the end of this year, as long as you keep up your end of the deal - don’t run out of yarn. Here’s to May 2nd next year being a celebration of a completed Hobo sweater!

And give my regards to your friend the Crazy Green sweater. One day she too will receive the love that she deserves. Until then let her know she’s not forgotten.