Well, I tried my first “February Fix.” I have this pair of Lopi sweaters, knitted way back in 1989 when I began “serious” knitting in college. The brown one was my very first sweater, and the green one–with, I think, 3 more stitches per row, but knitted back and forth rather than circularly–was my second. As you can see, the gauge was (ahem) rather different), even though the basic sweater shaping was the same . . .honestly! Anyway, the green one never fit quite the way I would have hoped, and the front corners have always hung low and long, and basically, I wore it over my pajamas for years–nice, big, warm sweater. But I thought it would be nice if it fit just a little bit better, so I decided I’d try gritting my teeth and full the thing–my very first attempt at felting anything.

As you can see, it certainly did shrink down in size . . . after I fought with it for a while. First, I tried the washing machine, but it felted the right side (left of the picture) and barely touched the other side). That I did myself, by hand, in the bathtub–an experience I am not eager to try again. Hot, steamy, aching arms . . . really not that fun! But at least the sides ended up symmetrical. (They are, really, even if they don’t quite look it in this photo–it’s just the way it’s laying on the floor.) The only problem is now it’s just a tiny but too small. Granted, I tried it on earlier over a thick shirt and it would no doubt fit better over a t-shirt, but the sleeves are just a little tight and about half an inch shorter than they should be. Sigh. But at least I tried something new! I do like the way the color intensified, though–it’s a much brighter shade of that green.

Speaking of something new, I got two packages in the mail today. One was this lovely jute tote bag from Levenger.com. They have great things; their slogan is “Tools for Readers,” but their bags are also great for knitting. This one was on sale for $30, with a matching leather pouch for inside. Very nice. Then the yarn is “Shimmer” from KnitPicks in the color “Turquoise Splendor.” It’s a lace-weight Baby Alpaca/Silk blend and very soft. I bought it to, well, try it (of course), but also as back up in case I’m not happy with the color I ordered for me “Fiddlesticks Peacock Feathers” shawl. I’m not usually a fan of turquoise, but this seemed like a very good choice for that shawl. (You can’t really see the green shades in the picture, but they’re there.) Oh, and the first volume of Barbara Walker’s stitch collection. I have the second one already and figured I should really have the first one to go along with it.

My Pi-are-square shawl is now at the “slowly-creeping” stage–we’re into the last increase section and it took me over an hour to do two rows tonight. Which means two rows is obviously going to be about all I can manage in any given sitting. I also got some work done on my newly-restarted socks while watching the “Happy Days Reunion” special with Mom, while recording it for my niece–a new H.D. fan. (She’s got a picture of Fonzie in her bedroom.) Up until the last season or two, that was SUCH a good show! My opinion is that it wasn’t jumping the shark that marked their decline; it was when Ritchie left the show. Up until then, though, it was all pure gold. “Laverne and Shirley” was pretty darn good, too . . . and even “Mork & Mindy” had its moments . . . mostly thanks to Robin Williams! (And who could argue the logic of having your baby born old and “ageing” into youthfulness? Just imagine having the wisdom of age and the energy to do something with it! Always made a certain amount of sense to me, even if it was ridiculous on the show…)

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