December 17, 2003

Is this a frilly ruffle I see before me?

It is, it is a frilly ruffle*! Knit using Kidsilk Haze and the desire to not have to rip out any of it, at any time, under any circumstance. The very same frilly ruffle at the cuff of the sleeves of Elfin, which - if the knitting gods are kind to me - shall be finished before I leave next week on a month's vacation. If I manage that, I will reward myself with a whopping glass of spiked eggnog. Knitting hands, don't fail me now.

I used the knitted cast-on for the frill, because I think it creates a more supple edge than the cable cast-on, which is what I tried at first. And your eyes aren't deceiving you: I did only one frill instead of three as called for in the pattern. While three layers of extra frilly ruffles looks very romantic and feminine, I can't help thinking "Elizabethan ruff!" every time I see them on that cardi in the Rowan mag. And, at one horrendous and very brief moment, I was reminded of Bozo the Clown and the frilly ruff he wears at the neck and cuffs. Still, I was tempted to go for the three (and Monsieur Le Hubby was keen on the idea), but I knew that I would think of that Elizabethan ruff every time I wore the cardi. One frill, thank you.

I already finished knitting the first sleeve, which you can see here when it was still on the needles. (Once one gets past the trepidation of knitting that frilly ruffle, it's pretty quick knitting, pardner.) I cast on for the second sleeve this morning, but haven't gotten past the first row as I'm too busy running around like my butt is on fire while I continue to run errands in preparation of our trip and spending Christmas overseas. And while we're on the subject of running errands, here's a shot I took while out and about today:



[Click me for an expanded view.]

The façade of a bookstore in La Croix Rousse. I see that building all the time, and I just love looking at it. It's so quaint.

*My browser shows the ruffle in a purplish tone, so some may be seeing something similar. It's actually grayish-brown (the shade is called "Drab"), and goes very nicely with the chocolate color of the yarn. Thanks again to Sarah W. for choosing these great colors for me!

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