Originally published Monday, May 11, 2009
Yesterday was Mothers Day, but for me it was just another day. It was the first Mothers Day of my life without my mother, who died last June 1st from brain cancer. I didn’t feel particularly sad, just a little empty. But I passed the day pleasantly, spending some time with the DH, baking (and eating) pumpkin bread, listening to podcasts and an audiobook on my iPod, and, of course, knitting.
I must apologize to you, my myriad loyal readers, for being remiss in keeping you apprised of my progress on Kinsale. As you can see from this picture,
sleeve number two, which is lying on top of sleeve number one, is nearly completed. Once I cast the second sleeve off the needle, I shall begin the odious task of seaming up the sweater.
Seaming is a job I don’t particularly enjoy. As much as possible, I knit sweaters in the round and in one piece in order to avoid having to seam. Sounds extreme, I know, but I’m not the only knitter who looks at a sweater designed to be knitted in pieces and puzzles out how best to knit it in one piece just to avoid having to sew. But sometimes seaming is unavoidable. I probably could have made Kinsale in one piece, but when I started it, I decided to construct it as Alice Starmore designed it. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. LOL Now reality has reared its ugly head, and I’m faced with four seams to sew.☹
When I started the sweater, I planned for the seaming by adding two extra stitches to each piece, one at the start of the row and one at the finish, and made a stocking stitch selvedge for seaming with mattress stitch. I like having a selvedge to work with because then I don’t have to fool around with pattern stitches. I’m hopeful the stocking stitch selvedge will make seaming a little easier.
I ought to have Kinsale finished by the end of this week. Once it’s completed, I plan to finish several projects that have been hibernating:
- Gjende, which needs the armholes cut, the sleeves sewn in, and the neckband knitted.
- The Black Hap Shawl based upon the Black Circular Shawl in Sharon Miller’s Heirloom Knitting, which just needs the loose ends woven in, then a wash and block.
- The Orkney Pi Shawl, which needs the knitted-on edging finished.
Once these three projects are finished, then I can start swatching for St. Enda and start planning my first Fair Isle sweater. Don’t blame me, blame my mother. She’s the one who taught me to knit when I was nine years old.☺
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All Kinds Of Knitting 