in a slump...

Yes, I am in a knitting slump. Or whatever. I was so, so excited to get my Cathay for the fiery bolero, and now I just don't even want to look at it. I've spent the last week being sick (a cold that kicked my ass, so much so, that I missed meeting Bruce Campbell at my local theater). Other than being sick, I've been experiencing extreme amounts of wedding planning stress and reading Nick Hornby's new book, "A Long Way Down", which is pretty good. I am hoping that I will feel like knitting again soon!

Knitting OCD

So, I ripped out the progress on my size 35 bolero and cast on for the 36.5. And then cast on again. And again. And again. And...well, you get the idea. I have this obsession with even stitches, and mine just didn't look even each time I cast on, so I kept re-starting (probably 10 times, when you figure in the size 35 and the 36.5). Maybe I just should not knit with cotton yarn. I don't know. Anyway, at Meetup last night, Martha convinced me to proceed with what I had (even though the stitches are still not even). Here's my progress so far:



So, from now on, on the blog, the fiery bolero shall be known as "Cathy", since

1. that's easier than typing "fiery bolero"
2. I can't ever remember the correct pronunciation for "bolero"
3. "cathay" sounds snooty.

Not much to look at, I know. However, I will have some knitting time this weekend, and I look forward to working on it.

Speaking of Meetup, here's a photo:



A small group, but mighty. Jane, where were you? It was a good time. I knitted (mostly), I talked, I drank a lovely mint frappuccino, I stayed too late.

In semi-related knitting news, I found these photos on my camera card today from a trip to Living Treasures Animal Park in Donegal a month or so ago:





That alpaca was So. Cute. It was so little and must have been a wee babe, and was making these really plaintive sighing sounds as it was eating out of my hand. I can't stand the cuteness.

To rip or not to rip...that is the question

Well, I received my Cathay and eagerly swatched for the Fiery Bolero (in my case it won't be very fiery, though):



Buying this yarn was totally worth it. I adore the color, and other than learning to deal with the splittiness, it's a pleasure to knit with. I got gauge perfectly with my swatch, I took my bust measurement (35) and decided to knit the size 35 (there's also a 36.5). I am happily knitting away and things are looking good, and decide to google and see who else is knitting this. I come across Shobhana at My Life in Stitches, who's made a size 36.5. Now, I am not a big girl by any means, but Shobhana appears to be teeny tiny and the 36.5 appears to fit her like a glove. I panic. I google some more and find another finished bolero by Sandra of I May Be Knitting a Ranch House (greatest knitting blog name ever). I email Sandra and she sweetly emails back to let me know that she knit the 36.5 as a gift for her mother. However, the fit looks very good on her (maybe a tiny bit big), and we appear to be of similar shape and size, so I have the sinking feeling that there is some ripping in my future. Sigh. I just really want this to actually fit, so I believe that I will be starting over today with the 36.5.

Blog slacker

Yes, that's me. No knittting news to write about, unfortunately. I've been working here and there on the Bijou scarf and waiting anxiously for my Cathay to show up so I can start swatching for the bolero. I've read so many good things about it, and Tara of Dirty Purls is making a super cute T out of it, and her fabric just looks luscious.