Rowan Roadster

I'm soo happy to have this one finished:

• Pattern: Rowan Roadster from Rowan Magazine Number 33
• Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton (10 balls)
• Size: Small
  

This cardigan has been in the WIP pile for years -- I can recall 2 years when I had this down as my NaKniSweMo sweater (and that's because it had already been lying around for a good while in an unfinished state). I'm not sure why it took me so long to just finish it up -- it's a straightforward knit (although lots of picking up stitches on this one and that's not one of the things I enjoy doing).


And it's been interesting to see how my knitting has progressed over that time. One of the things I used to do was convince myself that I'd done said number of inches for the body (I'm really impatient you see) when truly it wasn't quite there. So a lot of my first sweaters were just a touch short. (Ha ha not quite midriff 80's style but you get the idea!) Although this one isn't too bad, it really would have benefited from an extra cm, or 2, in the body length. Another flaw design feature is that the bottom band is attached inside out. Yes, a man on a galloping horse wouldn't notice, so between that and the gasps of horror when I'd mention taking scissors to it and grafting it on the right way, I decided to just leave as is.

So it's done, and I love it! I think it'll be going on vacation with me this week....

I've been tagged

My lovely friend Ruth tagged me with these questions:

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with some good friends (who I miss dearly). Aaah fond memories. And I was working in a business intelligence job for a technology company. Hard to believe that was 10 years ago already!

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
Make plans for our vacation, mow the lawn, do some laundry, get buttons for my Roadster cardigan, swap out my winter clothes for my summer wardrobe (yay!)
(oh yeah and there was a bunch of work stuff too)

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Sweet: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
Savory: A good crusty loaf of bread with butter and cheese

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Travel. Spoil friends and family.

5) Places I have lived:
UK: Blackpool, Manchester, Bristol, London 'burbs, Exeter...
The Netherlands: Amsterdam
USA: Colorado Springs, Denver 'burbs

6) Jobs I have had:
I was never short of work going through school/college -- my home town is a tourist resort. I've worked in restaurants, B&Bs, a bowling alley, hair salon, retail stores, nightclubs, etc.
Since then I've been working in marketing and business intelligence roles for a technology company.

7) Peeps I wanna know more about:
Amanda
Bea
Denise
Nachaele
Terrie

Breaking the silence

I've been unusually quiet this past couple of weeks: work's been hectic, and then I went away for a long weekend with Joe to Colorado wine country. It was stunning!

But back to the knitting -- buttony is now complete:

Ignore the state of my garden. It is in serious need of attention. I guess that's what happens when you have 3 dogs that like to run around back there. (Well that and a lazy pair of owners ;o)

• Pattern: Buttony
• Yarn: Patagonia Cotton
• Mods: I did a little waist shaping
• Buttons: Etsy - Button Boutique (she has some adorable buttons and takes custom orders - perfect for this sweater that needed an unlucky 13 buttons)

Next up: I'm trying to finish up Rowan Roadster. It's been on the needles for at least 3 years, that I can remember. Poor neglected project...

***Edited to add:***
Anonymous asked...
What gauge did you use? I'm considering using Kathmandu at 5 sts/1"...

Sam said:
I just measured my gauge and found that a square inch = 4.5sts x 6 rows. Hope this helps :)