If you notice that last post dated nearly three months ago, you'll have a sense that these days I don't expect to knit more than one serious garment per year. And with work, kids, Facebook & Twitter competing for my time, not to mention the affect Ravelry has had on many knitblogs (no regrets!), I consequently don't hold up my end of the blogging bargain as well as I did in the old days (I missed my blogiversary earlier this month ~ seven years!). So I am as surprised as anyone to find myself with a new sweater to report: Rooibos, designed by the talented Amy Swenson, which was offered as a "surprise" late-addition pattern in the winter issue of Knitty, right around the time the Olympics began.
If I'd been inclined to participate in the Ravelympics, this was my project. I started it then, but it took me a bit longer to complete. The yarn is Rowan Plaid that I'd bought ages ago when it first came out. I even had a dear friend in London send me that pattern book for the yarn, but I soon realized that my climate was not the one for the heavy-sweater design I'd chosen. When I saw this loose yet fitted vest, I knew I had just the yarn in stash. I think I had to tweak needle size for gauge, but being able to do that -- and make adjustments to length -- is one of the reasons we love the handknits, right?
I'm glad we had the one chilly day this week for me to debut this FO, because May is bringing us 90 degrees tomorrow! ALSO: my right arm doesn't appear in these pix because I have a brace on my wrist, having received a tendinitis diagnosis and cortisone shot to the elbow on Tuesday. I believe I injured my elbow in an early-February fall, slamming it on the cement basement floor, but I'm betting that knitting this sweet sweater -- plus two scarves for my girls and a pair of baby booties -- didn't exactly help! While my wrist is immobilized for the sake of my elbow, I have plenty of time to plot the next knit ~ and a secret embroidery project to work on with my good left hand.
