Bits and pieces

I've frogged the flounce on my Olympic Cormorant. The sweater had a tendency to hang open. I decided that the flounce needed to begin closer to the buttonhole so that the right front would overlap the left a bit more.
See the dorky picture to the right for the telltale gap. Note to self - take time to assess your work as you go. It is far easier to be quite analytical and critical at each step in knitting a garment than it is to rework the entire 7" of flounce!

On a more positive note, I wore the Einstein coat yesterday to work and then to shopping and my hair appointment. In the cute cooking store in town, the sales person admired my coat and asked if I made it. When I answered "yes", she responded that it was too bad that the yarn shop in town closed. I think told her that I had worked there and that yes, it really was too bad. I confessed that I'd like to have my own yarn shop in town, minus the huge lease that accompanied the old shop.

Today, I read that my former co-worker at said yarn shop has begun working at another yarn shop in the area. She loved it! I can't help green feelings of envy. I am happy for her though.

To add to my yarn shop envy, I finally read The Friday Night Knitting Club. Why did I wait so long to read a book that my friends and customers had long recommended? I woke up at 4 am this morning to finish the book. One of the comments on the jacket described the story as "Steel Magnolias" in Manhattan. Now, my daughter watches Steel Magnolias whenever she feels like a good cry. I found myself crying in bed as I finished the book, so the comparison holds water, so to speak.

Einstein Completed

I finished the Einstein coat! This was such a delight to work, just as Sally Melville describes it in "The Knit Stitch". On top of that, we actually had sun in northeast Ohio by which to photograph the finished object! Really,
the artificial light that I used to photograph the work in progress did not capture the true color of the Lopi that I used. These photos are pretty close to the actual shade of green.

A few comments about my coat. The set-in sleeves eliminated some but not all of the underarm bulk. At this point, I might even go back to the drop sleeve design because Dolman sleeves are reappearing on the scene. The only problem with this is the sheer bulk of the Lopi yarn.

When I made my buttonholes, I first followed the directions in the book and knit into the back of the yarnover. Sally Melville says this is to tighten them. Mine were so tight that I could barely find them. So, I knit into the front of the yarnover instead, which produced a nice round buttonhole, visible to the naked eye.

When seaming the sleeves, definitely consider the yarn to use. The Lopi tended to tear apart as I pulled the seam together. Although I was able to carefully complete the seams with Lopi, an easier choice would be a more tightly spun yarn in a suitable color.

A group of us are meeting at the library in town, working on their Einstein coats. My coat provides a visual for them and inspiration to knit on!