Almost a Sweater, Sprucey Lucy, & 52 Pair Plunge

This morning I finished up the second sleeve of Hey Teach, which means all the body pieces are now DONE!

Top: all finished pieces (L), sleeves (R)
Bottom: front pieces (L), back piece (R)

Next step is to wash and block the pieces. I haven’t had a whole lot of experience blocking things. Only one sweater I ever knit needed to be seamed I didn’t block because it was made out of Caron Simply Soft and it didn’t seem worth it to bother with since it’s 100% acrylic. Hey Teach is made from Cascade Sierra which is 80% cotton/20% wool. The pattern says to block the pieces before seaming and knitting the button band. My initial thought was “be lazy, just seam it up now, knit the button band, then wash and block it!” For me, once something is blocking, it means it’s DONE. I’ve done a fair amount of blocking, but that’s mostly consisted of “wash and lay flat to dry” more then “wash, pin flat, let dry, seam together.” I have blocked shawls, so I know how to do that, but I wasn’t sure what the benefit of doing that to the pieces would be vs finishing it then blocking. So, I asked with Laura about blocking. As it turns out, blocking should make the sweater easier to seam by getting rid of the curling ends, so I definitely want to block this before seaming it up. It should also open up the lace and make it easier to pick up the stitches for the button band. My only concern is the loose stitches on the back and front pieces that you pick up when knitting the button band. I think I’ll put them on waste yarn (they’re on stitch holders right now), then block it. We’ll see how that goes!

Since Hey Teach is at the point where I can no longer knit it, I’ve gone back to the Sprucey Lucy socks. I turned the heel the other night and now I’m working on the leg. The first time I knit the heel, I started it too soon, so I had to rip back, add an inch, then do the heel again. It could have used another 1/4 to 1/2 inch on the foot before starting the heel, but I haven’t decided if I want to rip it out again. I’m thinking (hoping) it will grow some when washed and I don’t want it to be too lose, so I think I’ll leave it as is. Even if it doesn’t grow any when I wash it, it still fits well – just a smidge more snugly then I usually make socks. I might end up liking that, though!

Sprucey Lucy, picture taken today on my lunch break while sitting and knitting in my car

While I’m on the subject of socks… I have a confession to make. I joined 52 Pair Plung III. I think in a moment of complete tiredness or craziness, I thought it was a good idea to join, so I did. For those not familiar with the 52 Pair Plunge, the goal is to knit 52 pairs of socks within one year (June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010). Socks can be done in any pattern, yarn, or size (baby, child, adult). I’m thinking I can do it. If I throw in baby/kids socks to be donated or gifted and some thicker socks for wintertime for me (and maybe others), I think I could get quite a few pairs done pretty quickly that way. My goal is to knit as many pairs as I can in a year. Aim for 52, but not stress if I don’t get there. I want to challenge myself, here, and this is one heck of a way to do it! (I’ll be keeping track of my progress here.)

Somehow, this week seems to have flown by without me realizing it. It’s been a busy one, though. This past weekend we picked out paint colors because… Monday, we closed on the house!!

Our New House!! You can see more photos of it on Flickr, here.

This weekend we will be washing down walls in preparation for people to paint before we move in. We’ll be moving after the painting and some other minor repairs get done (before the end of the month is out). I have a feeling that all this moving and new house stuff might get in the way of my knitting for a while, but I’m okay with that! Moving out of the apartment and into a house will be a welcome change. No more Mr. & Ms. Stompy McStomperton upstairs! I get my own craft room, too, which I’m super excited about :o)

I’m kind of glad this week is almost over. Despite it seeming to go quickly, it feels kind of long and drawn out at the same time. I’m looking forward to some down time this weekend. How about you? How’s your week been? I’m still trying to figure out how it’s almost mid-June!

Until next time… happy crafting!