I'm Such a Joiner

Not quite as momentous an event as our team winning the AFC playoffs, but with all the football watching, I finally joined the sleeves to the yoke yesterday.

I forgot how many hundreds (300 to be exact!) are in yoke sweaters! Fingers be saved though, because I decreased a bunch of stitches right away to end up with the right multiple for the colorwork pattern. I plan on decreasing one more time (one repeats worth of stitches for the pattern) then starting the pattern about 1/3 the way up the yoke. With my new 60" cable for my needles, trying it on was easy. It looked pretty funny, but it fit great and let me know that decreasing another few inches around before the colorwork would be fine.

This has not been using nearly as much yarn as I though it would. To begin with, I had three skeins of 400 yards each. To date, one skein is gone, the second is about 2/3 gone and I have not even touched the third. The hems are left to be done, but they will only be about 3" each (2" plain knitting then a 1" knitted/sewn hem with a contrasting stripe thrown in on the sleeves and contrasting facing on the waist hem) so I think I should have plenty. I'm toying with the idea of a picot edge on the hem to mix it up a little, but I'm not sure it goes with the design of the sweater. Once I start decreasing and doing the colorwork, I know this one will fly off the needles.

Stalking knit objects we see on the street for knitters is like finding a rare bird for Ornithologists. Thrilling. Exciting. The unknown. Leaving the gym last week, I spotted these in the car parked next to me.

Luckily I had my camera with me and while getting some strange looks from people walking by, I just had to get a shot. They look vaguely familiar, and I know I've seen the pattern before, but I just can't place it. I don't think they are entrelac from what I remember, but maybe some kind of shell knitted pattern. Has anyone seen it before? They are just so super cute!!!

Later last week, my encounter in the parking lot of the gym was not so favorable. I came out to find that someone (guessing the big white box truck that was parked beside me when I pulled in, but not there when I left) knocked off my passenger side mirror! It was just dangling there by the wire. My new vehicle! So, I shelled out the $200 for a new mirror. Knowing it was a power mirror, I wasn't sure if I could do it myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, but there are some things I just don't want to mess with. I asked at the dealership when I picked up the mirror and he said it should be relatively easy. He printed me out a schematic just in case. Saturday afternoon when I went to install it I made sure I had plenty of time and tons of tools on hand. Turns out it was 3 screws and a jack to plug in for the power. Real hard. I had literally started and finished before my sister was out of the shower. Those are the kind of repairs I like!

Signs of spring are starting to show up in the mailbox.

Seed catalogs!!! This year, I will have a garden brimming with good things. Last year it got away from me, but I plan on doing some container gardening on the deck (tomatoes, herbs) and a bunch in the raised bed. Picking only a few things is hard! There are so many neat veggies out there! Colorful carrots and crazy Cauliflower, yummy tomatoes, things I never thought I could grow, and unusual varieties. This is going to take a while!