Pattern: Classic Washcloth from A Knitter's Book of Yarn
Yarn: Knit Picks Crayon in 8051 (blue) and 8054 (green)
Size: 12.5" x 12.5" (32 cm x 32 cm) before washing
Yardage: about 90% of the blue ball and 10% of the green ball (meaning I can make another one with the colours the other way around)
Needles: 3.25 mm bamboo


This is the first project in ages I've done on straight needles - they feel so much more traditional - it was nice. the project itself is very nice too; a simple, mostly garter square with just enough variation in colour and pattern to make it interesting at the beginning and the end. I'd finished the first border the day I cast -on and then mosied my way through the middle section whenever I had some spare knitting time (Rob's sweater is still very close to being finished but since the weather has gotten so hot I've let it sit on the back burner).

I got to the end of the centre section at knit night on Thursday (for anyone in town there is a new knitting group meeting after work in Javaroma every Thursday - more info in the "Knorth of 60 Knitters" group on Ravelry). The pattern calls for you to knit the centre section for 6" but I think this is a mistake because the final measurements given are 12" by 12" and there is no way 6" + 2.5" (24 rows of border at gauge) = 12". I worked the centre until the length of my knitting was equal to the width less the height of the border and I ended up with a square washcloth.

I shoved the ball of green into my purse Friday morning and was glad I did. Our power went out at 4:30 - late enough that there was no point for anyone to hang around in my office and we all left half an hour early. I ended up hanging around at Rob's office instead because he needed to make sure the server started properly after the power came back. I attached my green yarn, knit the stockinette border, switched back to blue and was just finishing up the sixth row of garter when the lights came back on. Once the server was going we left and I got most the way through casting off while we were walking around the video store trying to pick something to watch (Coraline). I wove in ends when we got home and it was finished.

And it's so soft!

Its still got a trip through the laundry to do before it is officially done but I'm not going to wait for that to use it. In this hot weather one of the nicest things in the afternoon, when the office is muggy, is to wash my face. It gets rid of that greasy, sticky feeling and makes me feel refreshed and ready for a few more hours of sitting at my desk trying to concentrate through the heat. I don't like the feel of paper towels on my face though and that's all we've got at work. I read about hankachi on Goodness a little while ago and realized they were exactly what I needed. I think this washcloth might be my first hankachi.

I'm getting so close to being done Rob's sweater. It's very exciting. I got it out to work on last night after Abby went to bed. I thought I would start into the second set of short-rows; maybe even finish them and do a decrease round or two; while I was at it I might even just finish the neck and cast off; I'd probably put off kitchenering the underarms and weaving in ends until another time - it would depend on when I finished ...

I brought my basket out to the family room. I got all settled down on the couch with a blanket on my lap and the cat next to me and my tape measure within easy distance. I was sure I would need it shortly. I got out the pattern so I'd know when to do my short-rows and decreases. I pulled the sweater out and spread it on my lap.

And that's when I saw it ... for twenty stitches roughly three inches down in my knitting I'd knit instead of purled. I stared at it - this scar in my knitting - I didn't even think of taking a picture. There was only one thing to do. At least I wasn't going to have to frog out the whole sweater for three inches. Though now that I'm done I realize it might have looked better if I had.

I laddered out the affected section and knit it back up properly. Every stitch is now as it should be. I was careful to make sure the decreases went into the correct round and in the right sequence. But oh the tension - one side of the section is just a bit tight but the other is horribly loose. So loose I thought I might have missed a stitch but no ... just very, very loose.

I always hope while I'm knitting that I'll be able to get away with not blocking before an item can be worn. Rob's sweater was behaving very well in this respect. The fabric looked good and the tension was close enough to it's blocked state that Rob could have tried on and even worn his sweater without waiting for me to block it. But no longer. It will have to be blocked. In fact, it will probably have to blocked, worn, and blocked again before those hideously loose stitches disappear into their even siblings.

Perhaps tonight I will finish the short-rows ...

We've been busy. After a trip out to the nursery and another to Canadian Tire we spent most of last night and this afternoon playing with plants and dirt.


I've got boxes of flowers along our front deck. My sister, Jane, and I grew the sweet peas and morning glories from seed and then picked up a few more plants to fill things out.


Rob put together our new lawn mower and cleaned up our front lawn. It still needs a good drink but looks so much tidier. That's got to be the fastest possible way to get rid of dandelions.


Two big half barrels (in an awesome yellow) are now hanging out next to the tomatoes Jane gave me. In a few weeks they'll start to show the tops of carrots.


Abby stayed outside with us the whole time we were working. She had a lot of fun chasing bugs and chewing the assembly instructions for the lawn mower but got pretty hot being in the sun for so long.


We were feeling the heat too so, along with an ice cube for Abby, I got some lemonade and cherries out of the fridge. We enjoyed them while admiring our handiwork.

Yesterday marks our first anniversary in this house. It's incredible to think we have been here a whole year. It feel so different now that it did when we moved in.

Oh ... and I got some yarn ... from the nursery.

Yep. I was walking around looking for someone to tell us what the tree we were looking at was, turned a corner in the shop and discovered a nice little display of Knit Picks yarns and needles and some good looking knitting books. It's just to the right of the seed potatoes.

I wanted to get some - to show support for their endeavour you know - and saw the basket of pima cotton at the bottom of the display. The blue and green were so nice and summery and I instantly thought of the Classic Washcloth in The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I scrounged up some needles and cast-on after dinner.


It's so soft!