FO: Daisy Cardi

"When he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock ... his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it." - The Great Gatsby

Daisy Cardigan
Size: 9-12 mos.
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton in Delphinium, 5 balls
Needles: Size 3 and 6
Extras: DK cotton yarn in grape and teal for embroidery;
waiting to find perfect buttons

Detail of the front of the cardi. I finished the knitting and weaving in of ends a week ago. It's taken me that long to put in all those embroidered flowers. Finishing and me, we don't speak much.

Oh, but when we do, we can't seem to remember why it is that we don't speak oftener. The original cardi in the book has just one color of flower. I wasn't sure I'd have enough of either scrap yarn for all the daisies, so I just alternated. I like the effect; it's a bit more fun and playful. Perfect for little girls with chubby cheeks. There are still a few things left (namely, blocking the button bands and sewing in buttons) but I consider this a finished object. I think I have another couple weeks to get to the buttons.

There's one thing I will not forgive knitting for: The thinness of my wallet. In addition to the books and the yarn and the needles and the notions, knitting introduced me to etsy. Just when I thought I had gained control over my monstrously greedy addiction to yarn.

The bird's nest pendant was too cute...and I already had enamel bird earrings to complement it. Although I doubt I'll wear this all at once. That might be a little too bird-crazy.

And maybe my favorite earrings, ever. They're hearts! They're leaves! They're hearts and leaves! They're mine, man.

THISCLOSE

This sweater is an albatross. I love the look of it, I love the lace, which is easily memorizable, I love that the color perfectly matches the skirt that my mother requested this for. However, I now know that I do NOT like figuring out lace shaping on my own. These patterns should come with mandatory charts, Rowan! CHARTS! I think I will try and stick with some simpler patterns for the next few projects just to remove the memory of this one. And now, all that seaming. All. That. Seaming. However, I realize that after I finish all that seaming, this will officially be my first completed sweater. I think this calls for champagne.

Other areas of interest: I am now ordering yarn for Joy, a Kim Hargreaves pattern from Rowan Vintage Style.

This is pretty much the same pattern as Agnes in Rowan 35, but with 4-ply wool and not Cotton Glace. And with beads, not french knots. I'm making this for my aunt, who is a preacher's wife living in L.A. This is the beginning of a long line of knitting for family members. I figure as long as I am generous with the knitting I can't chastise myself for my obsession. I'm going to go with Knit Picks Gloss on this one and pick up the beads at one of the stores in midtown.

While I wait for the yarn to arrive, however, I have these to keep me occupied:

The first time I flipped through Fitted Knits, I was not impressed. However, after looking through it a few more times at Barnes and Noble, I'm actually wanting to make a few of Stefanie Japel's designs. So when I saw this in the fall Knitscene and realized it only requires four balls of yarn, I was sold. Literally. I bought four balls of Lang's Venezia in a deep wine red and also the copy of Knitscene. Although I think I might actually modify and make it into a deep-V cardi.

As for this, I just have to knit up the sleeves and collar on this baby cardi, another one from Simply Baby. I made the 9-12 month size, but this seems a bit large even for a one-year old. Maybe I don't hang around babies often enough. Anyway, also for the baby niece. I love this yarn. I thought I was about to swear off cotton yarn because the Rowan 4-ply Cotton I'm using on Posy is a bit hard on the hands. Rowan Handknit Cotton, however, is scrumptious. It's still a tiny bit stiff in terms of give, but it's buttery soft sliding through my fingers. I could eat it. The color is actually a gorgeously muted grape/lavendar. Flash sucks.