Friday, September 5, 2008

Swatchez

Photographic skills still elude me. It's amazing what a difference light can make. I took about six pictures of this swatch -- with flash, without flash, blinds open, blinds closed -- and each one looked different. In one picture, the swatch looked green, like my Gathered Pullover. But here is a swatch for my next project. The center cable is a definite yes; I just need to figure out what kinds of cables should flank it. This isn't even an entire repeat of the cable pattern, but you can get an idea of what it looks like.


Here's a closer view, no flash.


I was wrong in my last post. This is not a Knitpicks yarn, it's Elann.com's Peruvian Highland Wool, in Chocolate Truffle. I did a swatch of another stitch pattern in the Knitpicks yarn, but I prefer Elann's. The Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, which I used for my Nantucket Jacket, is nice enough, but feels like it will pill pretty quickly. It hasn't in the Nantucket Jacket, but I think that's because of the tight gauge and the cable-y stitch pattern. Nonetheless, for this project, it's going to be the Elann yarn.

Also yet to be decided is whether this will be a full-on sweater, or a vest. Please feel free to clog up my comments with opinions. I know there are people out there who check in, but don't comment -- please do!

So far the new school year seems to be going well. Sr. Jr. is excited and motivated, even though he had a bit of nerves last night, of all things. Interestingly, a neighbor told me that her daughter, also a 6th grader in the same school, was nervous last night too. Luckily, with a hot shower and some time spent on homework, the nerves went away. Jr. Jr.'s only in second grade, so he's just excited to see his friends again. We're having trouble finding books for him to read. He's got a very high reading level and picky taste. He'll read a few pages of a book and immediately decide it's not for him. He doesn't even give things a chance. If he likes a book, he reads voraciously. I'm having trouble finding books that interest him without being too mature for him. I did have similar issues with Sr. Jr., but he was less picky.

I know I've been remarkably silent, for me, on the current political situation. I think it's simply because I don't want to scorch your eyeballs. Now that the school year is restarting, so is the playgroup tea circuit. I love these women dearly, but their politics are very different than mine. The first meet up will be here, and I think I'll make a firm rule that Politics Will Not Be Discussed In My House. Otherwise, they might soon be my ex-friends.

Hanna is supposed to drench us this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get started on this sweater/vest thingy, if I ever settle on which it's going to be.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I vote for a vest; that particular yarn with those cables will work nicely. And yes, I've been waiting for your comments on Palin. She will set back women's rights 100 years or more. I can't stand her. :-) I do, however, think the daughter is OFF LIMITS,except, ahem, with regard to Palin's stance on federal funding for reproductive education in the schools. Not all pregnant teens have the support, financial and emotional, of their families when find themselves with a "situation."

Loren T said...

Thanks, Sharon. I'm leaning vest right now, simply because it's a big hole in my wardrobe, but I like the yarn and the pattern enough to want to make a whole sweater out of it. Conundrum.

I'm not commenting on Palin right now because I still froth at the mouth and have my head spin 'round at the thought of her. Not only does she support abstinence-only education, but she's cut funding for teen mothers AND programs for special education and other programs for special needs children. But women's rights issues are far from the only reason that she scares me. I'm going to stop now before I really get ranting.

But yes, her daughter's situation should be off limits. I feel bad for the poor girl, who has to have this whole thing play out on a national level.

kippi said...

***eeeww. scorched eyeballs.***** :-)

I vote for a vest as well. You astonish me at the speed at which you can produce such a beautiful cable pattern. Amazing.

Wish I could help with book recommendations. What is his favorite genre? I couldn't get through the Eragon books, but I enjoyed them on audio cd. Lemony snicket is good, pretty easy reading though but with interesting plots and great for vocabulary building.

The Book Thief is a good one, but it might be better suited to your older son.

How about the "so you want to be a wizard" series?

I like looking at kids fiction so will keep my eyes out for something that might look interesting. Otherwise just tell me to shut up. :-)

Hope Hanna brings you just enough rain to allow you to get all you things finished. Or started.

Anonymous said...

My kids both liked all the Andrew Clements books. It's hard to remember back to 2d grade. Maybe the Magic Treehouse series? Junie B. Jones (well, my daugher loved those). At that age, my son was especially into all the Usborne series-type books (non-fiction stuff). He would practically memorize them.

I think the Book Thief might be for older kids. I read it and enjoyed it. It's on the list for my son at TJ.

And yes, Kippi--she does those cables at an amazing pace.

Loren T said...

Sharon & kippi --

Been there and burned through that, bookwise. Jr. Jr. read all of the Magic Tree House books before the end of kindergarten. He refuses to read the Lemony Snicket books, which I love. He's read Harry Potter 1-4 (I think 5-7 are a bit too mature for him). He liked Flush but gave up on Hoot after one chapter. Likewise, he liked Frindle but just said no to another Clements book (it had money and comic books, two of this favorite things!). I think he's just a contrarian. I get him books I know he'd like, but he just sniffs at them.

He wants his big brother to recommend books to him, but big brother comes up with things like Huck Finn, so he's not very helpful.

We had an evening outing to the bookstore, so at least he has a couple of things to read, if he actually reads more than one chapter.

I'll try to get his teacher in on the act and she what she comes up with, too.

Loren

Anonymous said...

Loren:

I asked my son this weekend what he was reading in 2d grade. He said, "Mom, don't you remember. That was the year I started reading Atlases and Encyclopedias." Now I do recall the huge interest in Atlases, so you may want to try that!