28Thirty

I finished my NaKniSweMo project right on time which ought to make it a huge win. Well, it is and it isn't.

The pattern is 28Thirty by Sarah & Rachel for Zephyr Style. I used a bit less than 5 skeins of Peace Fleece in a gorgeous color called Baltic Sea. After quite polling nearly everyone I know and trying to reason with DQ I finally acquiesced and used the buttons DQ liked better - the oak leaf looking ones. On the inside I used plain black buttons to hide the mess I usualy create when attaching buttons. All this stuff is fine and yet I doubt this sweater will get much use. Why?



It itches. The Peace Fleece was perfectly lovely to knit with and it looks great. Nice and even with loads of body. I had heard that the yarn bloomed nicely after a wash and it did but it's still itchy. I told DQ that she can wear it with long sleeves and she may but she loves to layer short sleeves under sweaters or hoodies and this is not a sweater to be worn over short sleeves. What to do? Soak it again. Wash it on the gentle cycle. I don't know but it's worth thinking about because there is a lot to like about the sweater.



The pattern was really well written and clear and I followed it exactly. My only problem with the pattern as written is the sleeve length which is about a repeat too long. I like the way the garter ridges define he raglan sleeves and the bit of texture at the cuffs and hem. All good things. I think that the collar is a nifty and versatile feature. Wear it up or down. I even like the cropped length. DQ says it's not exactly what she expected it would be but I think it's a fun and young sweater and I hope that she comes to love it.

NaKniSwemo... personally

Old Business - Today is it, the last day for my birthday contest. If you haven't already done so then leave a comment here by the end of the day for a chance to win a bit of yarn. Spread the word.

New Business - NaKniSwemo. Yup, I'm going to try this again. Of course no project ever goes off without a hitch and this one is no different. First - I didn't remember NaKniSweMo until the very last minute - actually a day late. Nothing quite as much fun as starting a project behind the 8-ball.

Thankfully once I saw a NaKniSweMo button on someone else's blog I knew immediately what I wanted to cast on AND I had the yarn, pattern, and needles ready to go at home. As soon as I got home on Monday I cast on for 28Thirty from Zephyr style using Peace Fleece Worsted in Baltic Blue. So far it's moving along without any problems. I finished the neck last night and now I'm into the raglan increases. At this rate I'm pretty sure I'll finish on time.

Unfortunately the second problem is that I don't think that this is a true NaKniSweMo project because it's a cropped sweater and I doubt that it's got 50,000 stitches. I do plan to lengthen it a little but it's still likely to fall short. I suppose if I was a stickler for this type of detail it would be a big problem but I'm not. I think of this as more of a personal challenge and since this is far from the only thing I'm knitting right now I totally think it counts.

Scary Stuff

After a really cold week it warmed up to create the perfect setting for some of our weekend activities. Trick or treating on Friday night was great. We were joined by a bunch of friends and had so much fun. The kids collected candy and we all saw some really spooky stuff.

We live in a neighborhood where there are lots of kids and many families get really into decorating for Halloween. We saw yards full of tombstones, tons of gaudy lights and bats flying in trees. There was even one house with an elaborate haunted garage complete with strobe lights, smoke, a maze and costumed figures jumping out at us. It was spooky but not nearly as scary as this display in one yard. Supposedly the man of the house is a righty and is convinced that his wife will vote with him but I sense a bit of denial. Can you imagine the tension in this house today, on the eve of the election? Oy!

The weather was also wonderful for Stinkerbelle's last softball game of the fall season. They didn't have a fabulously successful season. Ok, they lost every game. But still, they all improved quite a lot and they had fun. Most importantly, Stinky is looking forward to playing again in the Spring.



Sadly the weather got quite a bit colder on Sunday and it put a damper on DQ's enjoyment of her weekend outing with the Girl Scouts. They went for a horseback tour of Gettysburg. I think the thrill of staying in a hotel with her 2 friends and NO ADULT CHAPERONE in their room made up for it. (Their were adults in the rooms with the younger girls nearby)

I achieved a few personal goals this weekend too. One of them relates to NaKniSweMo. I cast on Saturday night and went to bed exasperated because I ran out of yarn befoe I got 220 stitches. The next morning I woke up and ripped it back and tried again and was sucessful his time. Yay! then I consulted the pattern and realized that I only needed 202 stitches which I had the night before. Ugh! The moral of the story is not to cast on for stuff while watching SNL. It's too late and too distracting.

Thankfully now I'm chugging along so we'll see how it goes.