Step Into My Thimble

Seda Vest, so far:

You know that instruction that appears in just about every knit-in-the-round pattern? The one about being careful not to twist? Well, I didn’t do that the first time around on this project. Oops. And yeah, there were 196 provisionally cast on stitches too. But in the end it was for the best. When I took it off the needle, I could try it on and I discovered that it was way too huge. Even with the elaborate swatching this pattern asks you to do (which I actually did), I was off by one whole stitch per inch.

So, math has been redone, we’re now down to 160 stitches, and I could even carefully take apart the provisional cast-on and just subtract 36 stitches from the chain. It’s been mostly easy going ever since.

I will say that this pattern has some pretty cryptically written instructions. I read it all several times and some of it makes no sense…like the “expand these stitches in the ribbing” business on the edges of the back cabled part. Expand? Like stretch it, or am I supposed to increase? And if so, how? My answer to all that was to just ignore it. I hope that doesn’t bite me on the ass later!

The last week has been all about quarantine funtimes at our house. We were all sick with one thing or another. Lucky for us we had just roasted a chicken before the plague descended, so we had a frame with a little meat left for a couple pots of therapeutic soup. Even Maeve enjoyed that, with lots of barley, all mushed up. Now, we’re all much better, just in time for “real” winter weather.

Sick or not, we’ve been having a good time with our old tub too.

Some of you may recall that my little brother was in the hospital before the holidays. He finally got connected with a decent doctor, got his kidney biopsy test results transferred, and learned this week that he has Autoimmune Kidney Disease, or IgA Nephropathy. Not a great diagnosis, as it means more steroid treatment, a lifetime of ACE inhibitor medication, and some pretty big lifestyle changes, like giving up salt. The doctor says this illness is genetic, but as far as we know nobody in previous generations ever had it. It’s triggered by upper respiratory infections, and can have “flares” like many other autoimmune disorders. His wife is a nurse, and they already did live a pretty healthy life, so we have high hopes for his ability to manage the illness. My sister and I made a deal to take care of our kidneys just in case he needs one someday…

I have started the Seda Vest (yeah! the one with steeks). It took about two hours to do a provisional cast-on of 196 stitches, but I’m there and I already have about two inches done on it, including the first set of short rows in back. A few more rounds and I’ll begin the pretty cabled bit on the back that makes all the shaping. I decided to give it a snug, longer fit, and I think it will turn out nice. The Wool of the Andes yarn is pretty good so far–I am re-winding the balls as I go, and haven’t found any weak spots or knots yet. This may be my best $15 handknitted adult garment yet.

And congratulations to Heidi on baby Sophie. Welcome to the crazy rollercoaster that is motherhood…I think you’ll be tall enough to get on the ride!

We’ve reached the day…nine months in the womb, and another nine out in the world. No longer an infant, but still a baby. The best things about her lately are her little chuckles, her ability to “ham” complete with scrunchy nose, her long naps most days, and her great joy at being able to swiftly roll away during diaper changes. And, she gives great snuggly hugs.

If she doesn’t exactly appear thrilled about this milestone in the above picture, it’s because we’ve been dealing with a case of RSV lately. Compared to a lot of others, Maeve doesn’t have it very bad. Although we visited an urgent care doctor, we never had to go to the ER or get a breathing treatment. Minor wheezing only lasted a couple days, and she’s back to sleeping okay and being in a mostly good mood. It’s just the cough that will probably stick around for a while, and keep us away from most of our regular and not-so-regular activities, like baby swim class, La Leche League, and her cousin’s first birthday party.

Out of all the things to worry about as a mother, the health ones are the worst!

Fresh out of the oven this morning, some Black Cookies. They’re lovely molasses cookies that are not too sweet, a perfect soft consistency. I took some to the neighbors who promptly flipped with joy. And the house smells wonderful now too.

Here’s Maeve messing around with her friend Gordie the other day. They are such cute little pals in their overall-y goodness.

I decided to make that vest after all. Every time I’m facing a new knitting technique, it seems to be my habit to freak out and run away from it for a while. I remember setting aside a whole day to “finally” confront double-pointed needles not long after learning to knit, and then being pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. So with that in mind, that and the oh so tempting price tag of $15 with shipping, I will knit that silly vest and steek it, and let you all know how it goes!

I picked the color Asparagus. I have so many green clothes, so this is just a slight variation for the wardrobe. And as I write this, I think I must have chosen the color because it’s very similar to the Kamchatka Seamoss I’ve been using for Rodney’s “Chad’s Pullover” Peace Fleece kit. Will we be dorks in our matching clothing?

On a related note, I have not exactly loved the yarns I bought from KnitPicks in the past. I hope this one works out okay. Sometimes it is true that you get what you pay for, though I would like to believe that KnitPicks really can provide quality yarns for those low prices. I am a skeptic (as usual) in part because of their affiliation with the larger “Crafts Americana Group” which cannot stop spamming me with quilting catalogs and other things I don’t want.

What do you think about KnitPicks yarn? Which ones do you like, and why?

I would really like to make this vest, which could be done for as little as about ten bucks, but steeking???

Can anyone recommend a basic women’s V-neck vest pattern that’s free on the internet? I could almost as easily customize that to have the neat diamond of cable shaping in the back, though probably not the cables around the neck and armholes.