Sober Sunday

The Tempter has suggested that since (a) I have lost a stone so far this year and (b) laser eye surgery is a relatively rare event, I could afford some cider both today and on Tuesday. I resisted. Likewise, I rose above his suggestion, referred to yesterday, of not swatching for my new attempt at a Child’s Cardigan.

Here, first of all, is the Surprise, on its way to the stash cupboard. Good riddance.



Here is the pile of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport which will, I hope, become a Child’s Cardigan.



Here is the swatch.

It was a useful exercise (surprise). I don’t think it’ll affect size calculations much – I haven’t taken a tape measure to it yet. And anyway, if it doesn’t fit one granddaughter, it’ll fit another. But swatching established that I like the suggested needle size, and like the fabric it produces. The idea, if it can be elevated to that status, is st st stripes separated by black garter stitch ridges. I prefer six-row stripes (top of swatch) to four-row ones (bottom).

The black is provided by some Jaeger Matchmaker DK which happened to be about. It is slightly heavier than sport weight. I don’t think that will matter in the body of the cardigan, but I have decided, as a result of swatching, to do the ribbing in Lorna’s Laces.

In real life, the stripes will be different colours. I don’t have enough of any one.

I don’t see why I shouldn’t [famous last words, those] – why I shouldn’t knit the body in one piece to the underarms. It’ll do away with a lot of loose ends. I hope to cast on today, on that assumption.

Miscellaneous

Meanwhile, the Princess top edging continues to edge forward. Two recent landmarks: I have embarked on the last bunch of 50 stitches from the centre, and I have finished the original purchase of Gossamer Merino and joined in the auxiliary ball I bought recently. I don’t think there is any detectable difference.

Miriam Pittenger has launched a blog about her Princess and other adventures. I signed up as a follower just now, and Google chose to illustrate me, not with the usual back-view-on-the-front-step picture, but with one of Mungo, Archie and Fergus Drake of Athens.

Thanks, everybody, for advice on keeping those lines straight in Surprises. I’ve knit the baby version half a dozen times at least. I suspect that on most of them, I centered the decreases. I’m sure that on at least one, the line wavers. I agree with Janet and Stash Haus that markers are the answer. I had one that came after the Crucial Stitch on right-side -- that is, action -- rows. It involved a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing with stitches and marker every time I got there on a decrease row, but it worked.

Until I carelessly removed it while unpicking a whole row. I was able to relocate the Crucial Stitch while I was still in decrease mode, but when the same thing happened in the increase section, I was flummoxed.