Not an awful lot of knitting today. I picked up the Gigi sleeve, and started working on it again, then I realised that the shaping was wrong if I wanted long sleeves. Because the pattern is designed for 3/4 sleeves, the bottom of the sleeve is too wide for the wrist. So I ripped it back and started it again, casting on fewer stitches to start. Originally, I was just going to knit the sleeve longer at the end, but the wrist shaping was too baggy.
So now, I’m a little further on than I was before, roughly 6 inches into the first sleeve, but much happier with the shaping.

Thankyou for all the lovely comments I’ve been getting 🙂 This blogging caper is fun, isn’t it!
Unfortunately, I think Em would endeavour to make my life miserable to the end of my days if I gave away the bunny. Some days I’d gladly give her away. The bunny that is.
I think 😉
The evening bag is finished and felted, waiting only for a strap and an evening out. (I hope it doesn’t hold it’s breath)
Prefelted

Felted

I should have placed something in the picture for size perspective. It did shrink quite a bit, and I wasn’t paying attention, so it went a bit further than I’d hoped. Luckily I could stretch the top a bit, or I’d never get anything into the bag. I’m happy with the finished product, although the construction gave me some grief. The pattern says you need only one ball of the eyelash yarn, and it calls for an 8mm circ. I don’t have an 8mm circ, so I used a 9mm. I ran out of yarn about 5 rows from the end. So I ripped it back, and redid it with a 7mm, and finished with mere yards of eyelash to spare. I’m not a huge fan of eyelash, but this was a fun mindless project. I didn’t pick the eyelash out of the knitting and fluff it up before I felted it, mainly because I was feeling lazy, but it fluffed up nicely all by itself.
I found a pattern today that may resurrect the Cleckheaton yarn, but I’m leaving the yarn in the closet for the time being as a punishment.
Back to Gigi now 🙂

Look! I got another package from Jill!

This is like christmas! There’s a lovely ball of Sugar Babies, so I can make Em another Bucket Hat, theres Cascade Sierra, Cascade pearls, Lion Magic Stripes for socks, bits and pieces of other cottons to play with, and a lovely, lovely bamboo circular. And a little pink bunny for Em, which was very much appreciated and adored 🙂
Everyone in our house gets excited when a parcel arrives!

I got a little done on my evening bag today, but not enough to warrant a picture.
And I was too busy admiring my new yarn to get much else done 😉

And thats all I have to say about the Cleckheaton sweater. No matter what I did, I could not get gauge. Finally my stitch count was right, but the row count was out, and it wasn’t working. So Jill was right – it had it’s chance, and it blew it!
Therefore, I’m going to work much more on Gigi. And Stella over at She Who Knits is hosting a Gigi knit-along. Perhaps that will encourage me to actually complete the sweater! At least I’m getting gauge on this one!
In the meantime, I started a fill-in project. A nice little quickie that will leave me fulfilled. Or something.

A felted evening bag. While my lifestyle has no room for an evening bag, I thought the project was cute, inexpensive and fun. And you never know when a girl might require an evening bag 🙂
In other news, I subscribed to Interweave Knits today. I really like this magazine. I’ve seen a few of the US magazines now (thanks, Jill!), and I liked this one, FCEK and Vogue Knits. If all goes well with the Interweave subscription, I think I’ll subscribe to the others, too.

Jenanne left a comment about the Papyrus tank the other day that got me thinking (Thanks, Jenanne!). She mentioned that her daughter wears a tank with a similar gauge over another tank. Great idea! But then I took it a step further – maybe I could line the top with some cotton lycra or somesuch. Something to consider.
I’m having issues with my Cleckheaton sweater. I knit a few rows the other night, feeling guilty that I had started Gigi. Then I checked the gauge again. It wasn’t right, again! I checked the damn swatch, and it was spot on, but the sweater itself had a gauge of 20.5 sts/ 4″ instead of 19sts with 4.5mm anodised aluminium needles. So I swore, stomped, the ripped. Cast on with 5mm aluminium circs. 18sts/4″. Keep that in mind, it’s perfect for Rogue 😉
So I cast on a sleeve with 4.5mm ordinary aluminium circs. So far, so good, I’ve done 8″. The stitch count is right, the rows are 27 rows instead of 28. Hopefully it won’t be too bad.
I will not let this sweater beat me.
It’s not determination, it’s stubbornness 🙂