What with all this other stuff I’ve been talking about lately–Christmas, Gloating, Spinning . . . all that stuff–I’d hate for you to think that I don’t actually knit any more.

Because, I DO.

See? Here’s the back of my Celtic Icon sweater–mostly done. I’ve got the raglan shaping done, but need to work the cable pattern all the way up for another 18″ for the hood.

It still seems really long, but the measurements do pretty much match what the schematic states, so I guess it will be okay. I goofed, actually, on the raglan shaping. I was decreasing on every other row, but I should have done that for 12 more rows than I did–until I had 6 stitches left on either side of the cable panel–but I miscalculated and shifted gears when I had 12 on either side. I don’t think it will really matter, though, as long as I match the shaping on the front sections and the arms . . . right? (I hope!) Or maybe I’ll choose to tear out the last 14 rows . . .

And here’s the beginning of my Tatami Kimono. It looks tiny, I know, like it couldn’t possibly be wide enough to be the back of a sweater. But in fact, when laid flat, the size is about right–and of course, when I drop the stitches, it will be even wider. It just looks small.

But, this is my handspun yarn, too–that raspberry cream yarn from last month. It’s just so pretty!

There are my socks, too, in Socks That Rock “Harlotty,” but I don’t have a picture for you. They’re downstairs in my purse and I just don’t have the energy to go get them. Between my office Christmas party last week, the movie with my friend on Friday, and Gloating Day, though, they’re coming along nicely. Just about at–or within 1/2″ anyway–of turning the heel. Lovely colors!

Now, those puppies I told you about?? Bonnie actually posted pictures. Go gush over those adorable fuzzy little faces. Really–they are so worth the trip. She has all sorts of nice things to say about Chappy, too, so naturally, I like this post a lot (grin).

I was sorry, this morning, to hear about Gerald Ford. I was only, what, eight, when he became President, so national/world politics weren’t exactly my main interest at the time, but I remember always liking him–and what I’ve learned of him later on, as an adult, has not given me any cause to change my mind. He came across as a genuinely good man, and I’ve always been sorry that that pardon of Nixon doomed his attempt at reelection in 1976. Nixon was guilty, sure, but I think Ford was wise not to let a Presidential legal trial drag the country any further than Watergate already had. It wasn’t about letting Nixon get off, it was about doing what was right for the country–letting it heal. Which is what his presidency was all about, I think. And certainly, that’s what all the news outlets have been saying today. (Oh, and I loved his line describing that he was a simple fellow, not necessarily a “grand” President. “Remember, I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln.” Love that double-entendre there!

I think it’s pretty nifty that he was the oldest living President–having beaten out Ronald Reagan by one month in age. And I think it’s further pretty nifty that it took to the very end of the 20th century before any President beat John Adams out for that. You’d think that with all the medical advances, some one of them would have gotten past good ol’ cantankerous John with his reliance on 18th/19th century medicine. But John Adams has always been one of my favorites . . . I don’t mind in the least that Gerald Ford beat him out. Great wife, too–Betty Ford, that is, but then, so was Abigail Adams.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning // 5 Comments »