I am good at what I do.   That isn't necessarily boastful...but it is true.  Did I just jump into knitting and turn cables like a champ?   Not really.   I cannot tell you how many times I tossed that crappy Red Heart worsted weight on the US 8 14" straight needles.  I can absolutely picture it, to this day... it was *dreadful*.  Extra stitches, wiggly sides...  Hell, one piece I'd tried, had this weird triangle thing going on.   Thinking back, I was splitting the plies of the yarn, thus adding many MANY extra stitches LOL     I wont say I'm cheap, but I'm very frugal.   I folded the pointy edge of that dreadful triangle  to the inside, used it for a drawstring channel, and sewed the sides up... my elder daughter's American Girl doll got a horrid green skirt  LOL

Why do I mention this?   We all start somewhere.   That little doll skirt was made twenty seven years ago!  Where the hell did the time go?!    I'm appalled that, sitting here, i had to do that math  ...   And yet, here I am...still knitting...  

A week ago, tomorrow (Tuesday), I picked up a bag of yarn, with only the collar of a top-down pullover completed.   The knitter, a lovely lady who is NINETY FOUR (!) wants it just done and over.   It started as a KAL (knit-a-long) with her friend-group.  Everyone else is done, and she's just not feeling it.  After a follow-up text to confirm sizing, I picked up where she left off.  

I bound off at just about 2am friday morning.  

40" finished bust, US 8's, in the round.  

This is before it went to the bath :)  

The Bath...   While this piece is a cotton blend (WEBS' Valley Yarns Gretchen), I did use Eucalan in a cool sink-full of water.  I let it soak, gave it a swish, and squeezed the water out.  I laid the piece flat, used a yard stick to check sizing, and let it air dry in the shade outside.  Its been a beautiful few days... and the light breeze helped move things along.

And this is what the sweater looks like on the boards :) 

For something that only took about 52 hours total, start to finish, with sleeping and meals, and naps!

I'll be dropping this off to her tomorrow.. exactly a week since I picked it up from her.

I hope she likes it. :) 

Italian Waistcoats!

So. Check this out. My Laurel, Maddalena, bless her, and I were geeking over the jackets/waistcoats in the V&A. Like this one - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O10383/jacket-unknown 

  Then... oh... did we EVER find a piece! This jacket is ON DISPLAY! AS WE SPEAK! https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107796/jacket-unknown/

  It is HEAVILY modified. When we brought it to our sunday group, everyone kind of looked and made their comments on what the heck is going on here. One lady, I believe it was Clare, mentioned that she thought they'd cut it down, then added the panels on the sides to suit the widening silhouette. My heart BREAKS, looking at this. It SHOULD be nominally constructed like the first one I linked. Same basket weave....same garter edges along the sides and underarm. The neckline is a hot mess, but was probably also modified to suit a much later form. I mean.. DUDE! LOOK AT THAT DARK YARN!!! The gold threads! ......and those floats. oh, those floats. Every hand knitter comes to colorwork eventually, and they fight with their floats. Apparently, knitters for hire in the medieval period just threw caution to the wind, kept those floats wildly long (i think you could hang small children in them) and just rolled with it... 

Tell me again that perfection is key

 Tell me again that you have to make things perfect. 

Tell me again, so I can tell you "NO! THAT ISNT RIGHT!" LOL

So. yeah. Slacker much? Well, not really. I've been terribly busy...and busy getting all up in my head. About what? heh. Everything.
Theres been a delayed grief reaction to the loss of my mom. I'm moving into a place, finally after two years, where I can begin to forgive...to be able to miss her...to love the woman, if not the things that made her unkind. And thats been a challenge. A challenge I didnt' realize until I began coming out of it. I've been out of the loop with my SCA (Society for Creative Anacronism) families, too. I've not been super creative. I've been dismissive and avoidant when it comes to working for the greater good in my hobby. I was so burned out. SO burned out. Add that to missing my mom? Oh yeah.. and my dog, wee Slick, was diagnosed with CDD - Canine Cognative Disorder. Doggie Dementia. Homie's been sundowning hard... and it's horribly difficult to find motivation when you're not sleeping and pre-grieving your furry companion. Brooke, my younger daughter, moved to New Jersey, and is starting a life. She's met a gentleman and is finding her way, sans parental units. Jeeze... this feels like a lot lol I'm coming back, I think, though... and making some progress in regaining my creative focus. My need to "MAKE" is coming back.. and with it, a want to write about it. To share it.

Do you care? heh thats okay.. Sit with me a moment... We'll learn to care, again, together