ok, so i stayed up most of the night again - but i finished the little red aran cardigan - and well, it looks pretty ok if i say so myself. of course work was too busy today for me to get away to the notions store on west 57th, sigh, but i can look at my little cardigan while i am doing my computer work... and remember that there is another world...while the phones ring off the wall.

notes for next time
the sleeves are little too long - almost the same length as the body - either make them shorter (i may cut the edges and redo these...) or make the body longer (i did try adding some more border but at 2 am it didnt work - either i was too tired or ... probably too tired and it wasnt a good idea anyway).

need to make the fronts a bit bigger - i didnt really allow for the overlap and for any decreasing at the neck - luckily the shawl collar helps to hide that - but next time i will make a wider first panel so i can decrease it - just a little i do like the shawl collar - maybe needs to be a bit wider next time too.

didnt steek cause its cotton - but i need to figure out some better way to do this with cotton - i will have to experiment - i did the tahki cotton classic in the round and havent cut it yet - so i guess i will find out how cotton takes to steeking... nothing like jumping right in as a newbie steeker.

so maybe tonight i will redo those sleeves' length - although i already did the sc edgeing - and after all maybe his arms are longer (its hard to design for a baby thats thousands of miles away.. in louisiana)

need to review that size chart i have at home in my sofa knit bag.

next project (as if i need another new one) is for the new cousin baby girl - born this week... another southern baby - dont know about making a wool sweater. although with a/c prevalent in the south maybe... well have to see - am going to check out the new nichols/malcolm baby design book (cant remember the name now ) and see what may appeal to make quickly.

being inspired by a number of other knitters' blogs... set up this as my own contribution. and to help keep track. will be pretty rudimentary for awhile until i get a scanner, etc.. and learn more about templates and html, etc. more to come.

to catch up on WIPs
current WIP - a red cotton Aran of my own design for my new nephew
made from Brown Sheep Cotton red (bought on ebay) took a pattern outline from a little vogue book and adapted it using XOXOs with four stitch cables and a valentine heart cable (from another book) - the heart goes down the center back - the cable/XO/cable goes along each of the fronts and along side the heart on the back. the sleeve has the same pattern as the fronts.

knit the fronts and back as one piece (segmenting off each of the fronts and back for finishing on their own). joined the shoulder seams and then tried to knit the sleeves from the armholes - but too small for my 16" circs and dont have any smaller - didnt feel like doing them on dps so am making them separately (ugh except they are small and go fast) finished the first one in an all nite knitting session last nite - several EGRobinson films on tcm...

so tonight want to finish the other sleeve and get them sewn in and then take it to work saturday to the button place (greenberg and hammer) to pick out buttons. nephew's father is in town and it would be fun to give it to him to take.

other WIPS for nephew
several other sweaters - some are done some need seams sewing and buttons put on ... i seem to lose interest at that point - partly because i need to get a new table to be able to put all the stuff out on (my little round table broke and i need to replace it). some of them are in wool so he may not be able to wear them now (he lives in louisiana) and they may be too small next year - so have to reevaluate them and maybe give them to others (another cousin just had her baby this week and another one is due anyminute and a friend done the street had one a few months ago, so no dearth of recipients).

the last sweater before the red aran is a green tahki cotton classic aran (pale green really pretty) and its almost done too - i think i need a sleeve to finish and then sew seams - and of course pick buttons - maybe i will get that done tonight too. but at least i can take it in to pick out buttons tomorrow.

other WIPS
laprobe to finish for mother (was birthday, then xmas and now mother's day present - just have to finish the last few rows and then sew and cut the steek (i did it in the round out of Classic Elite bravo). need to do that early next week to get it in the mail in time for next sunday.

future WIPS
the two bags from the Alice Starmore collection on www.virtualyarns.com - thistle and heart - am thrilled to have them but dont know when i will start them as i seem to be in a baby sweater/aran mode for now, but its nice to see the box sitting there with all the lovely yarn... along with the other three boxes from VY with yarn for a wrap and a scarf.... no sweaters ordered yet . maybe later this summer for the fall.

ok need to go and enter stuff in needletrax - bought a few weeks ago and havent set up yet.