Did You See?

Jared is embarking on the adult Tomten cruise! He's such a good knitter, so I'm really interested to see what modifications he makes and how it turns out. Maybe I'll be able to salvage my big, gartery thing based on his experience.

For now I'm plugging away on socks and really enjoying it. Pictures, hopefully, tomorrow. I made a mistake in the pattern so I need to rip back. Thank god I put in a lifeline.

Today we spent an ungodly amount of time at the health clinic for our daughter's first visit with the ENT doctor. He recommended surgery to insert tiny tubes in her ear drums to help fluid drain. Then they were able to fit us in to see everyone else we needed to see before scheduling the surgery for Tuesday! Although I know it will be traumatic to see her under anesthesia, and no surgery is without risk, we are very happy about the prospect of getting her off the seemingly constant cycle of antibiotics.

Dumb Luck

Progress on the adult Tomten continues, despite the tiny, little voice that says I should be knitting Sockapalooza socks. When the voice decides to get louder, or it becomes June, that's when I will officially listen. I have momentum on this thing and I'm sticking with it.

Anyway, so last night I decided I had knit enough hood and went to Elizabeth's directions for the tomten. They say to graft the top of the hood, and refer you to another page for instructions for grafting garter stitch.

Nah, I say, I don't care if there's a seam. I'll just try three-needle bind-off with the right sides together and see what happens.

Lo and behold. I flipped the bugger inside out and...do you see a seam? I don't see a seam! There's a seam on the inside, of course, and I guess I've always done three-needle bind-off on stockinette hoods (wallabies, mostly) because usually there's a noticeable indentation. It was 9:30 pm so I wasn't thinking it would work out so well this time. Not that I mind a seam--really I don't. But it's fun when it works out, isn't it?

Egg Jacket Procedeth

Although it may look like boring knitting, this is truly right up my alley, as they say. I stay at home with my two kids, that is to say that I am their full-time caregiver. We don't always stay home--that would be suicide.

Anyway, lately there is no time to knit during the day. I don't think of this as anyone's "fault" but rather just that right now life is busy with two little beings. I have always been sure I will miss the hell out of their little selves when they are even 6 and 8 years old, so I am trying to enjoy them as much as possible. As possible as they make it, that is.

So a 7:30 p.m. bedtime for them leaves me with 1.5 or maybe 2 hours of knitting time at night. And usually I am truly beat. Very spent and don't really feel like spending it doing math or backward flips to figure out something new.

I have to keep telling myself this, unfortunately, because I'm so inspired by so many blogs and projects out there and sometimes it gets to the point where I feel guilty for not pushing my skills more.

The truth is that right now, knitting for me is about getting to my center, doing something I really enjoy and making something that looks nice. Maybe when they are 6 and 8 and I will have the energy to do backflips.

The Egg Jacket

I refuse to "feel badly" about starting this sweater because, unbeknownst to Blogland, I had actually already knit this in the winter, but I didn't like how it was turning out. I had even started the arms, tried it on, and to my shock it grew--down to my thighs. I had planned for it to be a jacket-length, but to my hips was all I wanted. The garter stitch was stretching like nothing else and I wasn't happy.

So I frogged it. And it sat. I never photographed it.

Now, back, new and improved, I present the Tomten Jacket or, as I lovingly now refer to it, the Egg Jacket. I know, most Tomtens are made for children. The pattern is written for children. I have coveted one for years for myself, living in the great white North. The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool Chunky. Do not be fooled--this is NOT a chunky yarn. That's the problem I had last time. I went for the quick knit and decided to get 3.5 stitches per inch with size 10 needles. Too loose. Now I'm getting 4.5 stitches on size 7s and I like the firmer fabric. It will keep out the wind, that's for sure. I like this yarn in garter stitch because you really don't have to worry about the variegation in the yarn creating a pattern and it lends some interest to the fabric, as well.

I'm calling it the Egg Jacket because I visited a farm with the kids a week ago and lo, if there weren't chickens there laying eggs that were green, brown and pinky/brown. I have had a hard time describing the color of this yarn. Sometimes it's pink and sometimes it's warm brown, but when I saw the egg, that was it egg-zactly.