some knitting news

It's really been forever since I've written about what's on my needles. I'm not sure whether that's because I'm unable to complete a project, or maybe because I'm trying to focus on other things. In any case, I have been knitting. Quite a lot, actually.

First of all, I've been slowly trying to fix Christopher's sweater. Perhaps you remember the surgery I performed last fall? I had to take a month off from that project to recover, it was so nerve-wracking! In the meantime, there was an article in Interweave Knits about arm-cap construction, and I also received a copy of Sweater Design in Plain English. Using both I was able to come up with a new design for the sweater arms, and I've been knitting a new arm while unraveling the old one. (You might remember that I actually blocked the sweater before I decided to fix it, so the yarn is very kinky. I've discovered however that the my lumpy new sleeve evens itself out with a little steam blocking, so I'm forging ahead.) I'm nearly done with the first one, which I will sew to the sweater and test before embarking on the next one.

I've also made a great deal of progress on the Forecast sweater I started last October. It is ingeniously knit from the neck down, a technique which was new to me but one which I am now a huge fan of. I am a sleeve short of having it done, but I've somehow misplaced my #7 double pointed needles, making it impossible for me to finish. (I don't have any great photos of it in its current state, so these are some earlier ones. Just imagine it with a button band and a right arm.)I've also started a shawl. Strangely, in this case I was completely swayed by peer pressure over at Ravelry. The Victorian Lace Today group was organizing a knit-along for any of 4 patterns from the book, and I jumped on board. I haven't really been longing for a shawl, though I do love the patterns in the book. This one is the Spider's Web half-hexagon. The knitting has been going very fast; I started at the beginning of January and am now on row 115 or so. (That might not seem like a lot, but at this point each row has over 300 stiches, so it takes a while.)
Strangely, I can't wait to start another project. I am trying really, really hard not to cast on another cardigan, and there's a baby blanket that is just calling for me to make for my sister-in-law. If only I could find those #7 needles and finish my Forecast...