Sassy Does It

In this moment, I’m about as happy as I can be.

I’ve just arrived back in the UK for a week’s holiday with friends in the north of England, and I can’t bloody wait for the good times to get rolling with some of my favorite people ever.

Before I fly further north, I’m hanging out at Heathrow.  Normally not something noteworthy, but I’m digging the new Terminal 5 like a kid in a candy store. Building this extension may have been controversial, but today it’s ringing my bell. I can’t get enough.  Now, by the time my connection takes off in 3 hours, I’m sure I’ll have had enough - but until the ADD kicks in I’m luuuurrrving it.

Although severely tempted by the Wagamama and Giraffe, my hungry belly veered me into the pub mecca in which I’m currently hoovering down my Stilton & Broccoli soup and Murphy’s stout.  I’d take a picture to show you, but I’m afraid it might not look as appetizing mauled and half-munched.  I’ll leave it to your mind’s eye.

Right - I could continue to ramble about my delight in the glory of T5 (did I mention that there is a much, much better selection of places to eat and shop and sit around? and that the design is just cool?), but that will get old fast in spite of its shiny newness.  Instead let me update you on my knitting.  What a concept!

My Thermis is off the needles and ready to warm my neck in the chill of the North.

FO:  Thermis

Fiber:  Cascade Rustic

Adaptations:  Fewer number of pattern repeats to account for taller row count in gauge with subsituted fiber

Verdict:  Like it.  Very quick knit.  Feels lovely.  The wool/linen combo of the fiber is surprisingly nice; warm but not heavy or scratchy.  The soft variegation of the gray shades works for me, and I can be picky about my variegated yarns.  The length is nice.  Little loosey-goosier than the pattern called for, but whatever - it’s a cowl, and fit-wise, it will be largely obsured under other warm garments.  And there’s always the dryer.

So much for gifting it:  immediately upon completion, the weather warmed up in all the target markets where my potential recipients were located.  I’m sure it will get cold again, but it seems silly to give a wool cowl to someone when it’s that balmy out.

Thus, I’m, er, keeping it for myself.

I do like the look of it, although even with adaptations for the bulkier row gauge for this fiber it ended up a bit bigger than I planned.  No biggie - and I didn’t sweat too long over my calculations at the start, so it isn’t surprising.  But it doesn’t matter, I do like it, and will flaunt it with pride.

I like the wee buttons I found for it at the LYS, so they make me happy.

I broke down and bought some cashmere mittens a few weeks ago (gloves/mittens for myself are too far back in my queue for my poor fingers to benefit this winter), and these new mittens are the perfect shade of grey to go with the cowl.  Good thing I’ll be in a chilly place this week to appreciate all the warmth.

My other project is moving along, although there is just a lot of ground to cover.  The Sheer Poncho is my gift for Kymber, who’s birthday-girl status is the reason for our reunion vacation this week.

It’s not done on time as I’d planned - of course - but I’m OK with this.  I’m not superwoman - there, I said it.

It’s looking lovely; the cashmere fabric is so dreamy, and the drape is perfect.

I think I’ll be able to finish it this week while we are loafing around.  This will make it less of an on-the-day surprise and more of a work-in-progress display of affection until it’s done.

I’ve churned a lot more out than is shown here, but you get the idea.

Oh look, a plate of mac and cheese with mature cheddar has materialized, as well as another pint of stout.

Yes, that’s two dishes with fatty cheese in it so far today (not to mention the second pint) - aren’t I good to myself?

I rationalize with the following:

1. I’m hungry. I’ve just flown many miles without proper nutrition.
2. I’m veggie. I need my protein from something other than the steak & ale pie alternative (as if this is well-known for its easy-on-the-waistline properties).
3. I’m on bloody holiday.

That’s it for now. Off to finish round #2 of my gloriously naughty not-at-all-good-for-you British lunch.

I’m attempting to thwart that icky I-don’t-wanna-go-back-to-work Sunday-night feeling with a blog post. 

Very similar to the strategy employed in high school in lieu of doing homework on a Sunday night:  write a 4-page note to at least 2 BFFs about the boy who doesn’t even know who I am, then fold the notes into tiny shapes and shove them into my backpack for later distribution.

So much easier - and less heart-wrenching - to just type away here and then click on “publish”.  And knitting is just less stressful than boys.  At least the scary ones I shed tears over knew.  Or wanted to know.  You know.

Couple of new WIPs going now, I’m happy to report.

Like clockwork that doesn’t work quite right, the gifting instinct came a wee bit late for me this year.  This is supposed to happen before Christmas, but I feel less Grinch-ish now and more susceptible to the knitting-gifts-for-others bug.  So people I love will be getting little knitted things now instead of then.

Not now, but soon.

Sknitty got me turned on to Thermis, which I cast on last night and tore through like a bandit.  Something about that thermal pattern mixed with the cowl and then the buttons - Amy likey.  I’ve just got the second buttonhole and a bit of ribbing left and then this puppy will be off the needles.

I do like the Cascade Rustic yarn I picked up for this.  Never even heard of Rustic, and when I saw it in ye olde LYS, I become entranced by the pretty soft grey mix.  Seventy-nine percent wool, the rest linen, which is why the color has such a distinct variation, I think - the two fibers pick up the dye differently.

Normally linen and I don’t get along too well, but I really liked the feel of this yarn. I figured I’d go for it since this is a cowl that’s meant to drape nicely around the neck and probably won’t be prone to lots of wrinkling.  I let the visions of creased pants and skirts float away and just bought it.  Very proud of myself.

Once I cast on I could see that although hitting stitches-per-inch gauge would be easy, the fiber was plumper in row height than the suggested Patons Classic Wool, so row gauge would be off.  No worries - I made a few mods along the way to accommodate.  I still like the way it’s looking.  Will share the modifications with the FO post.

I do have my eye on making another one of these little Thermis guys in a lighter neutral tone. We’ll see.

At the yarn store, along with the grey Rustic, I picked up some Berroco Ultra Alpaca to make handwarmers for my aunties, who tend toward chilliness, even in Arizona.  I hope to get going on those soon as well.

Next, a pair of knee-high red socks as requested by Maizy.  Found a nice little mock-cable pattern that I adapted to a child’s size. 

I had Sissy B run some covert measurements while Maizy was napping, but given my desire to get this right without bothering her with fervent texts about calf measurements again, there are still a few particulars I’m guessing a bit on. 

Sad to say, I actually Googled “child calf dimension” prior to breaking down and asking my sister the first time.

As for my Google endeavor, after finding not much, I did land on this kind-of-freaked-me-out research article reporting the optimal way to measure kids prior to designing and standardizing crash tests for cars.  And I proceeded to use the resulting charts and graphs in sketching out the sock adaptation - uh, is that geeky?

Anyway, here’s hoping they fit her!  Will see Sissy B and the girls next weekend, so I’m hoping these two are FO’d by then.

Sheer Poncho - absolutely no progress.  Maybe soon.  Stockinette, don’t take it personally.

That’s it for now.  And would you look at the time!  Looks like sleepy time - no time to catch up on those work e-mails I’ve been ignoring for the better part of two weeks.  Darn.

Consider the top-secret BFF note folded into a triangle and slid into your locker.