Don’t Get Any Ideas

June 20, 2008

After my marathon sewing projects, I wanted to do a little knitting. Not just any knitting, though. I had criteria. Criteria that could actually be listed in list-format. (What can I say, I love my lists).

Susan’s Recent Project Knitting Criteria – In List Format

1. The yarn had to already have been wound into balls. Any yarn still in the skein was right out. Hey, it’s hot, winding yarn takes time and energy and also? There’s always a cat sleeping in my prime yarn-winding location. First rule of the SpaceCase/Martini household is, “Don’t disturb a sleeping cat.”

2. The project had to be relatively simple. A little pattern-reading would be OK so as not to grow too bored too quickly. But I was planning some prime TV-watching time, and didn’t trust myself to take on any complicated lace projects while trying to keep one eye on “So You Think You Can Dance.”

3. The project had to be relatively small. No puddles of wool in my lap, please, now that the weather has finally warmed up.

4. No socks. I know, right? I love knitting socks! But I knew I had a sock kit from Woolgirl heading my way, and I knew I’d want to start those socks ASAP once it arrived, so I didn’t want to be in the middle of another pair when it did.

After careful consideration and stash perusal, I found the perfect project. The funny thing about the first project was that I started it right as my parents came to town for a visit. So when I pulled it out of my knitting bag to work on a few rows, I felt the need to say, “NO, this is NOT a HINT.”

Because I had decided to knit a baby sweater. More specifically, the famous Tulips Cardigan from Dream in Color, that came in a kit with all of the yarn pre-wound. It was perfect!

Here’s progress shot:

This is actually all done, with ends woven in and everything, but it needs a bath and a blocking before I do a final wrap-up. But I will say this – there’s a reason this pattern is so popular. So cute! So fast! Not all that boring! Did I mention so cute?

It was so much fun to knit something so small, so quickly, that I had a yen to try another baby sweater. I had 3 skeins of Knitpicks Shine Sport just sitting in my stash, which have now become this:

An almost finished Baby Surprise Jacket. Just two seams, and 5 buttons, and this will be done, too.

Luckily, the Woolgirl sock kit arrived in time (the socks are already on my needles). If it hadn’t,  I would have probably started another baby item and really had people wondering.  But now I have to figure out if anyone I know is expecting, so I can pass these along to someone who will use them.

Posted in Knitting, Sweaters