Noro Shirakaba

With the yoke finished and the stitches for the sleeves separated, this project is starting to take shape. So far, so good. I'm really happy with the way this Noro Shirakaba is working up.

It's a blend of silk and cotton with a bit of wool. Not the softest yarn to the touch, but knit up the fabric has an almost felted feel - reminds me a chalkboard eraser. Can't help but think it's going to make the perfect summer cardigan. The yarn does vary somewhat from thick to thin, but the variations are not nearly as extreme as I've seen in Noro Iro or Noro Kureyon, so the resulting fabric is more evenly textured.

The variegation is quite beautiful I think. This colourway moves from a light mint green to a dark olive green, but always consistently green - no yucky transitional colours and no jarring colour shifts. Think of it as Noro for the timid ... my favourite Noro so far.

sweet

The little blue sweater is done! I took my time with the seams, because if they aren't right they really let the whole project down. The way the mattress stitches disappear is really quite amazing particularly at the raglan seams. I'm happy with the sweater but it's hard to judge how it will fit; I haven't any kids here to try it on. The wool was a pleasure from start to finish. After casting off the last stitch of the neckband, there was a scant 10 grams of wool left. Perfect. Nothing left to do but wash it and see how it looks after that.

Work continues on the yoke of my Tea Leaves cardigan. Going down a couple of needle sizes got me to the stitch gauge but the resulting fabric was a bit stiff. Instead, I decided to go with the recommended needle size and follow the directions for a couple of sizes smaller. No guarantee that this will work, but what's the worst that can happen? If I have to rip it all out and start again, it wouldn't be the first time.

angered and saddened

When Stephen Harper announced in December that the G20 summit would be held in Toronto there were lots of objections. Why downtown Toronto? Within the square kilometer fenced off for a security perimeter were 18,000 residents, hundreds of businesses and the busiest transit hub in Ontario. Surely there had to be better places to hold the summit? But Harper wasn't listening.

Today I'm saddened at the vandalism and hooliganism and distressed by the egregious disregard for civil rights and liberties shown by the security forces. But mostly I'm angry. Does anyone think it was worth it? Nothing accomplished as far as I can see. Billions of dollars wasted and a black eye for Toronto in the international press. I'm glad I chose to stay home, watch soccer and knit.

a quiet Friday

Someone described downtown Toronto as post-apocalyptic, and when I boarded the empty rush hour train from the empty platform at 5pm on Friday, that description seemed very apt. I saw more police in riot gear and heavily armed ETF officers, than other passengers. Eerie.

Just outside the G20 perimeter fence, I saw this very haunting and creative WWF protest - carvers created a life size polar bear ice sculpture which melted through the day to reveal a bronze skeleton ... "Melting Hearts and Changing Minds". A very effective way to demonstrate against global warming, huh?

With the downtown core a ghost town, there wasn't much going on at work. Nice to get out early! After supper I finished up the second sleeve of this little sweater while watching soccer. The weekend ahead looks rainy, so it looks like lots more knitting will get done.

a second sleeve

Within a few rows I'll start the raglan shaping of the second sleeve. Then sewing up and the neckband. Normally I would have some trepidation about these steps, but this time I feel pretty confident. My seaming has improved thanks to this tutorial. Picking up stitches evenly can also be worrying but the pattern instructions are so precise that I'm feeling pretty positive about it. I don't usually wash sweaters before gifting them, but in this case I think I will. I'd like to see for myself how this wool washes and dries.

My trip to work may be interesting today. My workplace is near the G20 security perimeter - I'll be walking along side the security fences and possibly passing through security checkpoints this morning. Yesterday a man was arrested just blocks away with implements including a chainsaw, gas cans and a crossbow in his car. A little worrying, don't you think?

starting the first sleeve

Motivation to finish this sweater is ramping up, now that I have a plan for how to proceed with my Tea Leaves cardigan. But I've promised myself that the latter won't be started until the little sweater is done ... probably by the end of this week.

I cast on the first sleeve late last night while Gavin read. He's stuck in Lee Child's latest book, 61 Hours, and can't put it down. Curled up in an armchair knitting, I reflected that this yarn, Moda Dea Washable Wool, is an absolute pleasure to knit. Many Ravelers have complained about numerous knots, but I've been lucky so far - just one knot in the first three balls. So far I'm really pleased with the way the pattern is knitting up. I just hope the neckband is as well-done as the rest of the pattern. Guess I'll find out in a couple of days.

toddler's sweater progress

With the back done and the front nearly done, this little v-neck ribbed sweater is chugging along. It's been an enjoyable knit, mostly because it fills me with good memories of Mom. This pattern is exactly the sort of knit she liked best - knit on straight needles, v-neck, and a ribbed pattern. I have the faintest recollection of an oatmeal coloured sweater she knit from this pattern for the first child of a woman she babysit decades ago. More than anything, I think she'd really like the sweater I'm knitting. I can imagine her encouraging me, saying things like "that's a beautiful colour" and "you're doing a good job'.

My Tea Leaves swatch is dry but I'm no further ahead. The gauge is exactly the same as it was before washing and blocking. Come to think of it, that's oddly reassuring. One thing - the Tea Leaves pattern was designed in 2009 using Madeline Tosh worsted, but in January 2010, the yarn was reclassified as DK instead of worsted .... which maybe explains why I can't get the gauge correctly. My new plan? Swatch to get the row gauge and then compensate for the stitch gauge by knitting a smaller size. That should work, don't you think?