If I Were Green I Would Die

This is a project at least a year in the making.  Because they didn't have more than a few balls of each, and most of the balls had been used to make samples or something, I got several skeins of Berroco Comfort Chunky for a steal.  There wasn't enough of any one color to make a sweater's worth, so I whipped up this ombre number.

Photo taken sometime long ago when I was willing to be outdoors with sleeves on

It's a Buttony sweater, and I'm happy enough with it.  I put it aside for months because the sleeves were a pain in the ass.  I had to take them out and redo them at least six times, and as you can see, they're still too wide.  The neckline is also a bit too wide, but that was a problem with me because I of course knew better than the pattern how many stitches to cast on.  But it was a nice thing to have around for the end of spring, and I'm sure sometime, months from now, it will cool off enough here to contemplate wearing it again.

On Ravelry here.

This Week in Yarning.

At this point it should really be This Year in Yarning, but whatever.  I'd like to have a weekly thing, where I sum up what I've been working on, with gorgeous pictures to go with it, but I haven't been working on much during 2011.  I finished an old sweater, and I made a triangle scarf for a friend out of yarn she'd dyed and spun.

But the last month or so, I've been working on this gorgeousness.

It's the Fragile Heart pattern with a few alterations.  The pattern called for the body to be knit in one big piece, but I split the repeats in half and grafted them together.

I think it looks pretty good.  I also added a few extra repeats to the edging.  The pattern called for 7 or 8 repeats and I did 12.  It's lovely, and I've been wearing it at work to cut the chill out of the air conditioning.  It's definitely not a wrap it twice around your neck sort of scarf, but I'm very happy with it.

A spider took over my favorite perch for a camera, so there's no self portraits, and it's too fucking hot to imagine taking this thing outside again, so here's another beauty shot.

My bullet points about this pattern

• Swatch with big yarn before casting on in lace weight mohair
• Only knit in the most powerfully air conditioned rooms
• Wait until 7 repeats in before attempting to knit after a glass a wine
• Be sure and count the dropped stitches every time you gather them up to make the heart pattern. If there aren't 5, you're doing it wrong
• When working the backwards yarn overs on the edging, untwist them during the pearl row.  
• The points on the edging are done in blocking- if you want them very defined, do some sort of picot edging.

That's all the wisdom I've got.  Everybody keep cool.

Yes, I Could Probably Use a Vacation

It baffles the other women in my office, but I've been using the calendars from the Curiosity Group at my desk.  Anybody who needs a little bit more whimsy should head over and sign up for their calendar of the month club.  I liked their current one so much I set up a little background for it too.

It would look better printed in color, of course, but since we don't have one at work I get by.