jessie in stitches

Well, I just haven't been posting 'cause I've been too busy or too uninspired. In fact, I got sick of the blogging thing really fast. I think it's because I am not that much of a talker. I hate talking on the phone. I have no interest in keeping a personal diary. I don't think everything in life needs to be memorexed. I would say the opposite, in fact... memories are a little distorted by photographs or videos. I guess that I don't see the need to review the past so much. That said, I do like that there is a record of all the things I have knitted. And I like the way this blog is like a tool I can use to interact with other knitters and solve my knitting problems, and improve my skills in general. So I've stuck to a strictly knitting format. I don't discuss what I had for dinner, or what I saw on the way home from work. And I think that's why my blog is so boring. But after all these years as a New Yorker, where no one's eyes meet as they walk down the street, I don't feel the need to share my life with strangers. And I know this is hypocritical because some of the blogs I most enjoy reading are those where people really express themselves.

THAT SAID, I haven't decided to quit the blog yet. So, for now, it's back to the knitting stuff:

After the Clapotis debacle was finally over, I tried to get back to the Aimee sweater. As you can see I had already finished the back, but I decided that it was too short, and so as I started to knit the front I added an extra repeat, knowing full well that this would require re-knitting the back. There may be a way to cut it and keep some stitches live and then graft, but I'm not THAT fancy a knitter. Yet. Anyway, I burnt out on the front of the sweater before I got too far because I just couldn't put my heart into it. It was feeling like a chore. I realized that after Clapotis, I needed some easy, quick, fairly mindless knitting to just decompress. Hence, the green baby sweater and the purple/magenta kerchief...

It's a really unusual shade of green. That seems like a wierd thing to say, because green is green, but this is unusual. And of course no digital camera/monitor combo will get the shade just so. Anyway, here's how the sweater looks on the cover of the pattern book:

I used a much thicker yarn than in the pattern, and was very impressed with myself when the thing seemed to come out about the size I intended. Now I have to decide on a closure. I am deciding between an i-cord tie closure, a self-yarn button (basically i-cord tied into a knot and used for a button) which might be baby-safer but I don't really think so, or a button. I did incredibly find the perfect blue-green button to use. Comments would be welcome and appreciated. Here's a shot of the button:

And lastly, here's the "summer kerchief" kit that my friend Soledad gave to me. I knew I wasn't fond of the pattern - mostly garter stitch with some yarn overs at the edge. I would have done stockinette with a more detailed edge. But this was part of Clapotis recovery, you'll recall, so I just followed the pattern blindly and didn't modify it at all. It was just what the doctor ordered - mindless project completion for knitting spirit boost. I'm not sure it looks good on me - someone with fuller hair or a less rediculously tiny head might look better. Maybe it would make a nice gift for Soledad!