Just a little reality break . . .

Well, since we last met, Dear Reader, I've been on a little reality break. That's when your kitchen floor is removed and replaced, your kitchen radiators are installed at last (we've been without for a year), and you've aged one whole year. Yep, Saturday was my birthday. I had a lovely takeout Chinese birthday feast as well as great presents. Unfortunately, the "Sudoku for Dummies" book is cutting into my knitting time!

Since then, I've been beating the gauge of my blue sweater into submission and have been knitting away. I went down a needle size, removed four stitches (they were seam stitches and I'm knitting in the round) and went up to a 32 inch length needle from a 24 inch length needle. Elizabeth Zimmerman said you only need a 24 and 16 inch length needle for any sweater but I was just too cramped.

I've also finally picked up a free ball of Baby Ull from Dale that I picked up this summer at the Otter Creek Store in Mercer, PA. It was their Grand Re-opening after moving across the square. I was supposed to have knit something with my free yarn and up to 50% of some other yarn for a contest. However, the deadline is tomorrow and I don't think I'll be finished by then. I simply turned to Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns for a rolled brim hat pattern and striped the green Baby Ull with a fun orange/green fuzzy yarn from Needlework Unlimited in Minneapolis, MN. Unfortunately I've lost the tag but this is a fabulously soft yarn(like cat fur - is that a gross analogy?) and I love the colors too. This picture is way too red but I think it gives a little of the effect with green. Electric!