Unexpectedly Diligent

Diligence is a great theory. Normally it stays that way, as a theory. Yesterday, I got beyond the theory and worked diligently on the Picovoli cardigan. I knit, and knit and knit some more. When I was tired I knit again.

Actual inches of sweater have been completed and I will soon be back where I was pre-ripit. I was feeling very successful but there was a point in the day where I just had to put the needles down.

I picked up the crochet hook. Recall the blue crocheted sweater with the short row shaping. This is a project that I'd like to complete in short order as well. This too was a project that had to be ripped.

I'm working on the second front. Ought to be simple, right? Repeat everything you did on the first side. Sure. No problem. Easy peasy. But you have to start with the right number of foundation chains first.

Now that I know there are 67 stitches along the front, not 65, it should match. I am at the start of the short row shaping and am working on the proper side of the fabric. Life is good and I hope to have the fronts done today. Diligence works.

But since my mind doesn't work in only one direction at a time, when my hands were tired, I pulled out the crochet books. I have a significant library of knitting and crochet books. I did not mean to have a significant library, it just happened and the knitting part of it is pretty recent. The nice thing about having a significant library of books is that I am able to pull the pile off the shelf and find the next project among those shiny pages.

I have spoken before about my fondness for Jane Snedden Peever's Crocheted Aran Sweaters which is distressingly out of print. Pick it up if you see it anywhere. Her second book, More Crocheted Aran Sweaters is still available. These books are a masterwork in the possibilities of crochet post work. Each time I look for a new sweater for myself, one of these books is sure to inspire me.

This just popped up from Crocheted Aran Sweaters.The pattern is called Summer Solstice. It has such a strong gansey flavour with its single stitch bottom section and its more strongly patterned top and sleeve section. I have yarn in the stash that will work, but I'm really fond of the cream coloured original made of a cotton blend. There are some really great looking cotton blends out right now and I'm sure there any number of great yarns that will work, but it would be a lovely early fall sweater in a fingering weight wool. I'll have to think about it.

My horoscope this morning says 'There are significant thoughts running around your mind' I should probably be afraid, but this morning, even with the small next sweater diversion, my thoughts are the same as yesterday.

Two Days of Diligence. I'm going for a personal best.