Already?

A Sleeve and a Cap

Well, it worked! I have a sleeve cap. That's the good news.



I think the sleeve is actually the right length too! (although the whole thing looks squished in this photo)




The bad new is that now I have to replicate it on the other side.



There might be some width issues in the cap but I think I've prevented any major problems by adding a teeny bit of length to the overall cap. So We'll see. I'm cool with redoing the whole sleeve. Well, obviously since it's worked top to bottom I'd have to redo the entire sleeve. But it's a relatively quick knit. I'm pretty stoked that it worked on my first try.

Another neon indicator that swatching works...

Finally!

I finally started knitting today. I have totally been playing hooky from the project that's due in less than a week. I don't know what happened but I totally fell off the wagon! It's not that I haven't been thinking about it. Oh, I have! I just couldn't get the mojo going. I'm feeling pretty motivated. I've done all of the math. I've made all of the swatches...Now if the knitting gods are kind to me I can whip this sweater out in a few days and make the deadline! Once I finish this I have a couple of personal pieces to knit...which I'm seriously looking forward to. I feel like I haven't done my own stuff in so long. (plus, Vinterbloms with metallic pink yarn???!!!)

The weirdest thing happened to me last week. I received two fed ex packages with yarn in them. I didn't order any yarn -- I'm almost off yarn consumption because I have about a barnful of yarn in my apartment that I probably will never get to the bottom of in my lifetime!! I don't know who sent them. I don't recognize the companies. One of the boxes was full of some new prototypes for some new company (I'm guessing). And since I don't know who sent it I feel like I can say it is total crap. Acrylic blends? Faux organic labelling? I mean can anything acrylic really be organic? It's slightly offensive to jump on the "green" bandwagon for crapp acrylic blen yarn sales. That box will be headed off to a school for the kids to knit with. I try to supply them with really great yarn but I'll give it to the youngest knitters who are super rough on the yarn. They will love the colors and I've found that color over content wins every time with them!

The other box was filled with cashmere! soy/silk blend! the softest baby blue merino! and I'm forgetting the 4th. But a BAG of each yarn. 10 BALLS! A SWEATER PER BAG! WHO SENT THIS TO ME? all I can say is...Thanks. really. thank you. I seriously don't need any yarn but hooo-ya it's nice to get it! While I'm knitting for the next 3 days I'll think of how to use this new yarn. Maybe the sender will come calling and want to see samples? And maybe I'll be ready??

In other news, I went to the Joffrey Ballet's Spring Workshop last night. It was held at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU. It was pretty amazing. Everyone from the tiniest little ballerinas to professional dancers were there dancing. It was seriously impressive. They danced to Mendelsohn, Tchaikovsky, Prince, the Fray, Schubert, and a bunch of others that I can't remember. I can't really equate this to a normal ballet recital because it was so much more. And the dancing was...well, so much more. What does a ballet recital look like from a suburban ballet school? Would it be this impressive?? I know mine weren't! I overheard some of the girls talking about the Nutcracker - as in they had been in THE Nutcracker. I guess they were about 10ish. Can you imagine? Can professional dancing ever live up to that?

I forgot these...

I think I need to make this...




Hoods are a total pain in the neck. but this one looks good. I know a machine did it but still...



Definitely out of cashmere




And there was something about this that I sort of liked...





except, ewww...

Got it!

During the "pre-service" meeting yesterday at work I figured out my sleeve issues. I always seem to figure out my knitting problems while I'm sitting around the communal table before we open for dinner. hmmmm.

Anyway, here it is...I'm going to work my sleeve below the sleeve cap for an inch. Then I'll increase 3 sts every other row for 4". I'll work 2" even. Then decrease 3 sts for 4". Then an inch even. Voila! I should have a normal looking sleeve and be able to set it into the body.


This is a dinky sample of a couple of the sleeve cables and the 3st inc every other row.



Hopefully my math isn't fuzzy and my knitting will actually look like my numbers?

But it looks like the beginning of a sleeve cap, right?


THE SHOES CAME!
The Dansko's were delivered on Monday during service. I was off. When I got to work yesterday the kitchen staff that was working had already dug into the box and claimed theirs. Pretty funny. I have to get a photo of everyone before the shoes look like....well, shoes that are worn in a commercial kitchen.

Dansko is totally awesome for doing this. Everyone in the kitchen is totally appreciative and happy with their new shoes! Thank you, LeAnne!!

What do you think?

Can I make a sleeve cap when working a sleeve shoulder to wrist? by increasing each rs shoulder edge? until I get to the center - work even and then decrease back down the other side?

That should work, right. If my row gauge can equal my rate of sleeve cap shaping, yes?

What am I not getting? Will it really work that easily? a simple increase and decrease?

hmmmmmmm........

anyone?