Warmth is a good, good thing. We do finally have heat in the house again. The two-man crew got here around 10:30 and left at 6:15. It was a long day. Lots of banging. Lots of barking. But finally, we have a nice, new, shiny furnace, and the house is a comfy 67-degrees. Ahhhhh.

Yep, warmth is a good, good thing. But there’s more than one way to get it. Heating the air in the house is certainly a good one. But you know, knitwear is good too!

I got the yoke sewed on to my sweater–a more challenging task than I expected. The length of the sweater-plus-sleeves is at least twice the length of the yoke on the top. Just getting it pinned on took me almost an hour. (But, thanks, Kirsten, for your tip, from when you made yours.)

I’m so happy with this sweater. It fits beautifully. The deep orange color is just gorgeous. It’s warm but–despite the cables and the Aran-weight yarn–not bulky. It’s just wonderful. I can’t tell you how much I like it.

Now, there’s just one thing missing. The perfect button to hold the whole thing together. I actually picked up a possibility on Saturday, a lovely little button, but I don’t love it on the sweater. Meanwhile, I placed an order with the Button Drawer to get a few more samples, which I hoped would have come today, but . . . well, maybe tomorrow. I hope so! Because, really, I can’t hold the sweater together with my hands all the time, huh?

I’ve gotten through the first (and quickest) chart on my Lotus Blossom Shawl. I like this color so much. Now, when I got the yarn (a Christmas gift), I was disappointed, feeling the color was blander, more insipid than I’d expected. When I wound it into balls, well, I liked it better. But now that I’m knitting with it? Love it. The colors are just lovely. Golds. Browns. Bronzes. So pretty.

My second Jaywalker is coming along. I’m about 1/2″ away from the heel, I think. So, progress is being made.

I didn’t get as many numbers crunched for my Olympics sweater as I’d hoped today–just too cold. Basically, all I really did today? Sewed the yoke onto my sweater. Cooked supper. Got some reading done–but not as much as I would have liked. (The banging, the barking, you remember.)

Right now, I’m watcing a special on PBS on John and Abigail Adams. It’s excellent. What an extraordinary marriage the two of them had, back in the 18th century. John has come down as a smart, obnoxious man, more forthright than diplomatic, but I’ve always admired him as a politician who determinedly, stubbornly–and yes, obnoxiously–worked for what he believed was right, regardless of whether it was easy. He didn’t say what people wanted to hear (like Jefferson so often did), she said, bluntly, what he thought. And Abigail? An amazing woman. Supportive of her husband. Incredibly capable (she kept the farm going in a war zone for years without John). Incredibly smart. And frankly, I think a lot of both of them for having had the insight to pick each other. And my, what amazing letters they wrote to each other. Have you read any of them?

And . . . good-bye to West Wing. I can’t say I’m surprised, and certainly the show hasn’t been the same these last few years, but those first few seasons remain some of the most amazing hours of television I’ve ever seen.

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning // 8 Comments »