Corrrrrrrrrrrrmo!

In the spirit of Jasmin 2010, I have been on a finishing binge. After the Tour de Fleece, I decided to finish up some spinning projects that were languishing on plastic weaving bobbins, and the first project on my list was the baby cormo fleece that I bought at the Retzlaff winery in 2009 and split with the fabulous Meghan.

Before I say anything else, you should know that this fleece is so soft and crimpy, that it's no longer just "cormo". You have to roll your r's. Rrrrrrrrr. Corrrrrrrrrrrrmo. It's that soft.

The baby is all grown up!

and finally:

I wish you could feel how fabulous this yarn is. When I was finishing the singles, Gnat was positively bombarding me with fantastic sweater suggestions, including the Baby Cables and Big Ones Too sweater.

Go ahead, click on it. It's GORGEOUS, and is totally feeding my current obsession with cables and yoked sweaters. Of course, from this blog you wouldn't know, since I haven't posted pictures of me in any of the sweaters I've finished except for the Mondo Cable Cardi, but they're coming.

For now, I'll pet the yarn until I cast on the sweater. Which, for the record is queued to get cast on after I finish ... something.

Horizontal cables are the new black

When last I posted, it was the coming out for my Mondo Cable Cardi. Since then, we've had the Olympics, and I am proud to say that not only did I come home (stay home?) with the gold, but my sweater is - predictably- the best thing I've ever knit.

(This reminds me of elementary school, where we would write, "Today is March 3rd, 2010. This is a sample of my very best handwriting.")

I know I said that about the Tangled Yoke cardigan, and probably every other sweater I've knit before that. But seriously, they keep getting better and better. Either that, or it's my inner magpie piping up.

In any case, I finished the knitting, and the finishing before closing ceremonies, and I was *so* excited about it that I put the Seneca on Venus (my bust/body double) immediately. Knitting a sweater is a labor of love, and regardless of the image in my head, sometimes the sweater doesn't work out, and it isn't until I put it on that I know for certain whether it is a total failure or success.

Technique, execution, and my beloved math are less powerful combined than the power of delusion. As someone who sees herself about six feet tall in her mind's eye, I'm keenly aware of this. I always have a moment, when I'm trying a finished sweater on for the first time, where I am ready to look in the mirror and see a Failure. It has happened, and those sweaters find new, loving homes. Not a big deal, especially now that the nieces have become teens, and are always willing to enhance their wardrobes.

You will understand my joy, when after buying the fleece, spinning, plying, and knitting this sweater, I put it on and it SANG on my body. The shaping follows my curves, the horizontal cables sit perfectly on my shoulders, and - even unblocked - every single time I passed a mirror (or reflective window), I preened like a peacock. Apparently, horizontal cables are the new black.

I'm doing my best to be Jasmin 2010, because what the Knitting Olympics remind me every time is that I *can* knit a sweater in two weeks - if I stick to it. Now, if only my inner magpie would pipe down and stop tempting me with new patterns...

Sleeves. Check!

First, I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone about how I feel about seed stitch. (Except for you, Emy, but I'm pretty sure you're a Cylon.) Last night, Mom and I went to Wednesday night knitting, and I worked and worked and worked on the sleeves.

I knew I was pretty close to finishing them when we left, and when I got home and Andrew fired up the newest episode of Heroes, I was ONE ROW away from the bind-off. So, in the spirit of Jasmin 2010, I finished the sleeves. (By the way, I said from the start that Sylar only needed someone to love him. I didn't need any tattoo-powers to know that, duh.)

What got me through finishing the sleeves, other than being so close, was the newest, most effective carrot I found to dangle in front of myself- cashmere. I found some worsted weight cashmere that I bought last year(?) in cowl quantities- one in light grey, one in Mom's Red. The scrunchable cowl is calling my name for the red, and I told myself that when I finished the sleeves (while Mom was lining the pieces), I could start a new cowl.

Alas, I have two sweaters of my own, which are finished, minus some sleeve and collar action. So, instead of winding up my cashmere, I'm finishing a sleeve and a collar today. I'm not committing myself to sticking to this finish-two-start-one thing, but it's not a bad way to start the year.

Ah, seed stitch.

This is Boo's sweater, sort of:

I may have hit a wall. So, here's the list of things I would rather do than knit one more row of seed stitch:

- Dust.
- Dishes.
- Laundry.
- Tidy my office.
- Look up knife technique classes at Sur La Table.
- Blog.
- Catch up on "Big Love".
- Finish up Season 5 of Hercules on the Roku Box.
- Take a nap.
- Complain about seed stitch giving me ennui on Facebook.
- Complain about seed stitch to Andrew, my mother, and both dogs.
- Holler "WHYYYYYY?!" into the night sky, shaking my fists.
- Justify replacing our mugs with Mustache Mugs. (Go ahead, click. You know you want to.)
- Daydream about casting one not one, but THREE sweaters for myself, then snap back to keeping myself on track with Jasmin 2010.

And you can bet that I've done each and every one of those things, with only 2 1/2" more to go on each of the sleeves on Boo's Sweater. Tomorrow, I will drink a lot of coffee, and finish the sleeves.

Jasmin 2010, over and out.

Jasmin 2010 has arrived

I know I've historically posted my different resolutions- nay, lifestyle changes - before the turn of the year, I've had a plan for Jasmin 2010 since I planned out Jasmin 2009.

Jasmin 2010 is all about finishing. Taking projects and making a choice about whether they are going to be finished, frogged, or donated. I'm not saying that I won't leave anything unfinished, ever, but what I am planning to do is actively work at not abandoning my projects (or books) mid-flow.

I've started cooking pretty seriously, and to that end, I will be taking a knife techniques class. If it's a reasonable price, I'm going to use my Jasmin 2009 skills and just go for it, and if it's a little pricey, I'm going to ask for it for an anniversary gift. I know I'm getting better gradually, but it's better to learn good techniques first, rather than have to unlearn bad ones.

So, I have started 2010 off on a great note. I pushed the Barbara Walker interview live, and I'll be going through my UFO boxes and ripping out abandoned, ill-conceived, or just plain unloved projects. Free up the needles for other projects, and free up some space. (I'm finding that watching Hoarders is especially inspiring for freeing up space and getting rid of things we don't really need.)

2009, you were great for trying new things, but you were also incredibly hard on my family. It's you, not me, and I've moved on to something better and brighter. 2010 and I have a bright outlook on things, and I think we're going to get on famously.