24 September
My friend Ginny released her Sunday Sweater pattern today. I'm so excited about this pattern! Ginny first shared her idea for the sweater with me several months ago, as she was knitting up the first prototype. Over time, as she worked out the details of the pattern, she shared a lot of her thoughts about the sweater and the process of designing it with me. It was so cool to witness her idea come to fruition in those first two sweaters she knit. I was excited to be the first person she shared the pattern with, and that I was able to be the first person to knit it (besides herself).
Today I'm sharing just a sort of teaser photo, because I'm waiting to photograph it on Fiona until November. Such a long way away!
With this one complete, and a good bit of work done on the next one, I'm well on the way to completing a sweater for each of my children in time for my annual November goal. It's such a good feeling. Not only that, but I also finished last year's sweaters a while back (two were completed way back in February, the other just a few weeks ago). I'd like to photograph those and share them here soon, too. I'm currently on pace to complete something like 10 or 11 sweater-type items (I'm counting vests in the number) during 2012! What an exciting thing for me, especially considering how little knitting I did last year, and how I haven't knit at all during long periods this year. It's been bits of progress here and there, with a few big spurts. I can't even put into words how happy and peaceful I feel about knitting these days, and its quiet progress.
And speaking of quiet progress, I'm really enjoying the cross-stitch. I completed two letters and two motifs on the sampler over the weekend (photo above was from before I started on the wellies, which are above the O and P), and I might sneak in a little bit more before the week is over, because it's just so fun and addictive. I first cross-stitched when I was 10 or 11, and my mom (who used to do a ton of cross-stitch) taught me. Later, when I was first married, I thought I'd cross-stitch some hand towels for our bathroom (I bought those towels with the Aida cloth panels), but I didn't like the project much so I let it go. Anyway, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it this time around (I so badly want the finished object but I just wasn't sure if I'd have the patience for cross-stitch!). I have been so pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it is. More to come on that!