Cutting the Cord

A few more thoughts about the (yo, sl 1, k2, psso) stitch pattern:

This stitch pattern is used in some of the shawls in the Icelandic shawl book, Three-Cornered and Long Shawls, by Sigridur Halldórsdóttir (translation by Marilyn van Keppel).

In Beyer/Burda charting, and also in the Icelandic book, the (sl 1, k2, psso) maneuver uses a chart symbol that looks a lot like an H or an N with a squiggle instead of the horizontal or slanted crossbar. It will be similar in other chart styles that borrow from the Beyer/Burda conventions.

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Fleegle indicated a preference for knitted tutus over knitted ponchos. Well, you're in luck!

I was idly flipping through Handknit Holidays (edited by Melanie Falick), and came across the poncho/skirt pattern by Carrie Brenner (on p.112). The description says, "This versatile piece had its beginnings as a poncho... until the model wearing it pulled it down over her hips. At that moment, it was transformed into a playful skirt."

So, you can have it all! Knit those poncho-like doilies to your heart's content, but wear them as tutus instead.

If you do this, we want pictures.

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I have finished the knitting on my sweater!!!! (How many exclamation points can I use before the punctuation police smack my fingers?)

I need to cut the yarn (always difficult), graft the underarms, hide the yarn ends, and block it.

The sweater fits. It's nicely oversized. It's beautiful in a rustic sort of way.

This is the kind of sweater I thought I'd never knit, because who would ever knit a plain gray sweater? Well, I did. It takes exactly as much time and yarn as a non-gray sweater, and less time than a patterned sweater.

I am bouncing around happily. A sweater! For me! And it fits! And it's done before winter! And I made it out of my very own handspun! And there's enough left for another sweater! And now I can start the next sweater with confidence!

But first I have to cut the yarn. That for me is the point of commitment. Snip! For some reason, it can be a psychological difficult moment. Do I really like the item? Am I willing to inflict damage on my preciousssss handspun?

Yes.

(exit stage right, scissors in hand...)