When Debbie Met Sally

It's time to move on.  Time to put my Creative Top-Down in a time out.  I wasn't feeling the love - knitting was becoming a drag.  With the March Break providing me with non-knitting thinking time, I realized - it's only a month until my niece's wedding!  My niece's wedding that takes place on a swamp boat  in New Orleans.  Hot, humid New Orleans.  I don't need a fuzzy, furry, wool/alpaca blend sweater right now.  I need a summer cover up.

So, my CTD, has been set aside for the time being and I have started Creative Top-Down V2.  My 'Debbie Met Sally' summer cover up.

I was inspired by Audreypurrls.  She has been thinking of knitting Sally Melville's
 Where's The Opaque?   for a late summer wedding.

 

It is a see-through/opaque combo top, from The Knit Stitch Book.  It started me thinking.  Why not do the entire sweater in the see-through stitch?  Of course that would mean a cardi not a pullover.  But to top off  a little, summer, sun dress - it would be perfect for the wedding. The question then became - what summer cardi pattern would I use?

I chose Deb Gemmell's Shrug Those Shoulders  pattern - a variation of the basic DK weight, V Neck cardi from the book Button Up Your Top Down.

 Knitting it with a mint green cotton/acrylic combo from my stash,

I think it will be a  great addition  to my  'Aunt-of-the- Bride' dress.

There were a few false starts yesterday as I tried to estimate the number of stitches  for the cast on. Since the entire sweater is a form of garter stitch,   I am converting the  2X2 ribbing to garter stitch  for all the trim.  My knitterly instinct tells me, that  at the neck line, fewer stitches might be required to pull that off.  I played with it a bit and think hope I have it. 

Would Sally  be pleased at this adaption of her pattern?  Not sure.  Deb will be thrilled - that I know. 

Things I Learned On My March Break

As evidenced by the absence of March Break blogging, Grandchildren filled my time  last week.  And since old dogs are never too old to learn new tricks, I thought I'd share what I learned during their visit.

15 year old Granddaughters no longer think it cool to visit Grandma for March Break.

10 and 11 year old Grandkids still love to come.

My 11 year old Grandson  and I wear the same size shoe.  This we learned when, in the early morning of a still wintry north, he got into the car wearing his heavy winter boots, arriving 10 hours later in the sunny, spring-like south, to realize he had not packed any shoes.

11 year old boys have perfected the art of putting on and taking off shoes without undoing the laces.

I really enjoyed The Lorax.

Kids survive even when Grandma lets them eat  only candy and pop for lunch at the movies.

Alice In Wonderland, as a bed time story, still enchants. 

Grandkids doing tricks on their roller blades at the skate park can give Grandma a heart attack.

10 year old Abi plays better Euchre than I do.

Lucky Charms is the cereal of choice for spring 2012.

Both Grandkids understand the subtleties of the game of curling better than I do.

Both grand kids shoot pool as well as I do.

 The future of the world is in good hands.

Back to normal and knitting - if I can find my needles.

Creatively Plodding

Can one plod creatively? Only in my knitterly world, perhaps.

My creative top-down is coming - slowly. 

One sleeve has been started,

along with 'take two' of the neck line.

 

There will probably be a take three as this one still doesn't please me completely.

The body is finished -

or so I thought until I tried it on again and feel it needs another inch or so.

The triangle decorating the lower front

 didn't materialize quite like my vision.  It wasn't supposed to look quite so Christmas-tree like.  Oh well. 

That little bit of triangular, colour work necessitated a few inches of flat knitting, so there is a short seam to sew.

 

This sweater has been a real plodder for me. I can't seem to get excited about it.  Partly, I think because despite loving the softness and colour  of the yarn I am not sure it is meant to be sweater yarn.  Better perhaps as a shawl or an afghan.  But, if not in knitterly denial, at least in a state of knitterly  acquiescence, I plod on with what has become, most  definitely,  a process sweater.  If I don't like it when it is done, well, it will make a good give-away.