FLS, a Knotty sleeve (sort of), and Hanami

It's Friday already! Good grief. Here's a picture-friendly post to start your weekend off.

First up, the finished February Lady Sweater, completed with crocheted ribbon chain woven through the eyelets and four clasp buttons. It fits perfectly and I love, love, love it!

I decided that the stinky smell (which it finally occurred to me was like sewer water) was from the water, not the wool. We've been having smelly water issues here in Hillsboro for a while now. To be honest, while I had read about the issues, I hadn't really noticed them. But the water I used to soak the sweater was drawn from the guest bathroom tub, something that has only been used a handful of times since I bought this house nine years ago, so the combination of the city's current stinky water problems and pipes that have sat idle for quite some time probably came together and stank up my sweater. UGH! I ended up putting it in a zippered pillowcase and a run through the hand wash cycle on my front-loading washer and it's fine now, thank goodness!

I'm positive that this sweater will be worn a lot in the fall.

Next is the Knotty Wrap top. I finished one sleeve and find that my gauge is much too big. That's why I start with the sleeve (I hate gauge swatches). The picture shows the still wet sleeve just sort of flopped on the blocking board without any real shaping since I know the gauge is way off.

I will be going down a needle size and then frogging and re-knitting this one. It's a simple pattern repeat and the Silkience is very nice to knit with, so it's no big deal. I really love the look of the knotted cable. And I like the drape of the yarn, too. I think that once I get the gauge correct, this will be a lovely summer sweater.

Finally, Here is the beginning of my Hanami stole. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I like how it's looking. Working with the Dream in Color Baby is an okay experience. Because it's superwash, it has that sort of crunchy feel to it that's quite a difference from working with the Malabrigo and Silkience. But I love how it's giving stitch definition and I love how the colors are soft and slightly variegated. I'm looking forward to spending more time on this soon.

One non-knitting thing. I have a NetFlix subscription that allows me unlimited access to their online content in addition to the DVDs they deliver in my mailbox. I discovered that the Showime series "Weeds" is part of their online content and, since I've never seen the show on TV, started watching season one. I love it! Now I know what I've been missing and I'm so glad it's easy to catch up without having to wait for the mail delivery.

Have a great weekend! I will be working at the shop, typing, knitting, and watching more "Weeds." I'm sure the time will go by much too quickly -- again!