A More Knitty Weekend

When you last left YarnEnvy, I was lamenting the status of a few WIPs. It's all good now. On Friday night I got an e-mail from Jenn that she has about half a ball of each of the yarns I need for Cardi Raye, and she's more than happy to send them to me. Yippee! How wonderful. I love technology. It's bringing people together. And on Saturday morning when I pulled out Butterfly, intending to rip it out, I decided that the increases made a strong vertical line, and I didn't want to introduce another vertical line with centered double decreases. So I continued on, (and nearly finished the left front by the time my laundry was done this afternoon). After work on Saturday, I stopped at Borders with my 30% off coupon, and bought Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. (What is that big pocket in the back for?) I read through it today and I think it'll be a lot of fun to use. Already I've seen one pattern that I'd like to change, and I used my new Knit Happens! journal to plan it a little. I wasn't sure if it would look good, but I sketched it out, and I like it.

The original had the stripes up above the bust line, and I thought that was not flattering; it would be more flattering with a pattern at the bust line (I'm wearing my favorite T-Shirt with a wide paisley pattern at the bust line today; coincidence?) but I wasn't sure if it would look wrong if the stripes extended over the sleeves that low. I think it's wonderful, don't you?

And then, when I got home, the new Interweave Knits was in my mailbox. And what a great issue. I really like most of the patterns. I haven't been able to pick out just a few favorites yet, so I'll spare you a lengthy picture-heavy post; just buy the magazine. I read someone complaining about this issue; I don't remember where. But they said something to the effect that there were a few good ones and the rest were just trying to make Lion Brand yarns look good, and that this is a trend with Interweave. I don't care if someone doesn't like a magazine, but it made me curious, and I'd like the record to show that there is only one pattern using a Lion Brand yarn in the entire issue. (And there's nothing fundamentally wrong with Lion Brand yarns. They're a hell of a lot better than that DB Cashmerino Aran everyone covets, but is crap. Just sayin'.) Another thing I noticed about this issue is that a lot of the ads are new, too, so there are a lot of new patterns out there, and a lot of things to look at.

So it was a very good, very knitty weekend.

[Update: Left half of Butterfly is finished!]