October 31, 2005

(Psst...click the links and thumbnails or you'll miss the visuals.)



All blocked and nowhere to go but in a waiting pile of lonely non-seamed knitted pieces. For two long weeks Wrappy Jacket remained untouched! However, I'm happy to announce that this past weekend was spent finishing Wrappy Jacket, and she's ready for a debut this week (hopefully tomorrow, which is a holiday) so photos will be forthcoming. But before I can even think about showing you a finished knitted object, I must bring you up to date on activities the past two weeks:

School. I had three school assignments due over the past two weeks, which is why Wrappy Jacket remained so neglected. One of those assignments was in pattern drafting (construction of skirt from start to finish, with accompanying visuals and documentation), and this is how my apartment looked for a good part of that time. I felt like a one woman sewing sweatshop! Thankfully, the project has been turned in and Skinny Rabbit Sewing Sweatshop is hoping for a satisfactory grade.

[Footnote: The observant may notice an addition to the Skinny Rabbit Sewing Sweatshop. That's right; it's my new SERGER. I call him "Boxy", and oh how I love him.]

Captain Destructo. To add to the busy-ness of the past two weeks, my boy decided that it was high time he got the chicken pox. Boy stays home all last week and binges on A Bug's Life on DVD and games of "Go Fish" while my husband and I manage to perform juggling of schedules and "I'll take the morning off while you take the afternoon off" negotiations. Boy gets to wear staining red medication that he happily says makes him "look like a clown". Today, after almost 10 days of recovery, he's more than well enough to go trick-or-treating and I don't think he'll need a costume thanks to red medication.

Knitting. Shockingly, I managed to get knitting done even though seaming on the Wrappy Jacket took a back seat. I nabbed some rows here and there on a few projects currently in the making so it's basically, like, total multi-project mania, dude. Really, it is.



1) Butterfly camisole. Oh la laaaa...the Kid Silk Haze, she's like an early morning drug. I still get up 20 minutes earlier so I can knit a few rows on Butterfly while drinking my morning coffee and trying to clear my bedhead. Early morning knitting on Butterfly works, as I've completed the back piece and have started the front piece. The end of November will not come without my wearing a finished Butterfly, let me tell you.

2) Captain Destructo's "Letterman Jacket" from Pitchoun Hiver '05. How could I let fall go by without knitting this cute jacket for my boy? I have a free hour every Monday at school and this is the project I'll work on during that time. The hem and sleeve cuffs have striped ribbing that is worked on size 3.5mm needles, and the rest is worked in another yarn using size 6mm needles. It's a pretty fast knit thanks to those size 6 needles. Last Monday I started the back piece and finished the ribbing at the hem. The project remained untouched for the rest of the week, and last night I knit through most of the back piece while watching Star Wars (the very first one, with Carrie Fisher and her side buns hairdo) on DVD. (P.S. The first time I watched it: When it came out in theaters way back when. Hello! My age is showing again.)

3) The Gigantic Knit Otherwise Known as Papa Vest. Bet you thought I had given up on those seemingly miles of ribbing on my dad's vest, didn't you? Haha! I didn't. I started the front piece (back piece is completed, remember?) and in this very photo I'm just 30 rows shy of the armhole shaping. Looks like my dad is going to be wearing a handknit ribbed vest this winter. Who loves ya, dad?

But wait, there's even more: A big thank you to my friends Nancy and Mrs. Pilkington for keeping me in happy snail mail. On Saturday I received packages from both of them, and that made my weekend! Nancy thoughtfully sent some Noro goodies, a vintage "how to knit" book (I *love* that kind of stuff) and some Halloween treats for the Captain. [See it all here.] Mrs. Pilkington, who always knows just what I need, sent me some gorgeous fabric, some hard-to-get-here candies, a 70s sewing pattern for a sewn telephone and trucks, and a 70s book entitled Creating Body Coverings that is literally FULL of wacky ideas I can use in my projects at school. [See it all here.] Wow! I'm very touched and want to give a big public "thank you" for their thoughtfulness and generosity!

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