Actually, I have finished a few things.  Since I seem to be “the accessory knitter” fortunately most of my projects are small.  The Marsan watchcap was a quick knit and likely one that I will be doing again.  It’s got a twisted rib used throughout, and is a great TV-watching project.

I had promised a friend some hand-warmers last year, and since I had this yarn out, I went ahead and improvised some fingerless mitts using the Subway Mittens from Interweave Knits Winter 2007 for my guide (and to get the thumb gusset somewhere close to correct). This will be another pattern I’m going to knit again.  I love these for myself, but there are a couple more elderly sisters for whom I want to make some.

The yarn I used this time, was given to me by a friend whose mother died and this was part of her mother’s yarn stash.  Most of the stash is acrylic baby yarn, since she crochet’d beautiful doll clothes from sport weight acrylic, but there was also a bit of navy blue worsted wool in there.  (Amazing how fast mittens knit up using worsted weight yarn.)  I tapered the tops using randomly placed cables, and then ended with a K2P2 rib.   I guess they would look a little better “modeled” since they just look all kind of rumply here, but I don’t have them anymore.  They’re warming a friend’s hands.

Meanwhile, I’m swimming upstream with a flood of ideas and me trying to cast them all on at once.  It must be the season.  It’s a good time for making warm things, and this summer was so hot it really wasn’t all that conducive to getting enthusiastic about hats and mittens and shawls and socks and sweaters and more hats, and more mittens … stuff like that.

And here’s what I have to show for my attempt at the pattern thus far.  It would make a great dishcloth or doily without the brim, I’m thinking.

It’s too big here, so I tossed it in the washing machine to felt down for a while, and I think I’ve decreased the size by about 1/3rd.  We shall see when it’s finished drying again.

I also didn’t do the ribbing on the brim as shown on the original pattern.  My brim looks more like an eye of the partridge heel on a sock - or maybe a seed stitch - and I really like it.  It was, of course, one of those “happy accidents”.  What happened was, I didn’t have the picture of the beret in front of me, and the instructions for knitting the ribbing don’t just say “do a K1P1 rib” - which would have made total sense to me - and I think I tried to make more out of their hand-holding than originally intended, so I ended up with a completely different “rib” - which is actually no ribbing at all!

My gauge for the lace pattern was apparently OFF by quite a bit too.  So, if I knit this one again I will either go down a few sizes on the larger needle (the one used to knit the lace pattern) or maybe not do quite as many repeats of the lace pattern as called for….likely the needle size will be my safest bet.  However, I’ve got so many of these hat patterns that I have found and want to make, this will likely be the only attempt at this one for a while.  Once the felted version is dry, I’ll add it’s picture.

I went with 3/4 length sleeves.  I decreased about 10% before starting the garter stitch hems of the sleeves and the bottom of the cardigan.  Also, as EZ recommends, I slipped the first stitch of the rows to make a nice chained edge to the  fronts, and I used my favorite bind off - which I refer to as “Annie Modesitt’s bindoff” - although I’m sure she didnt invent it, I just saw her demo it once so in my mind it’s “hers.”  It’s the K2tog Bindoff found on this page.

The Knitpicks Andean Silk yarn “crocked” quite a bit, (turned my Denise needle tips blue!) so when I washed it for blocking, I added distilled (white) vinegar to the wash.  Hopefully any excess dye is now no longer a problem.  It did fade down from the deep blue-green jade color, but it’s still a very nice color.

This yarn is *very soft* with a beautiful drape though, and I would not hesitate to use it again in another project.  Just be aware that it does not necessarily “finish” to the same deep jewel color as originally contemplated.

I, personally, don’t like the “eyelets” that were included in this pattern, so I knit into the back of those yarn-over increases to eliminate the holes.  I also decreased about 10% before knitting the garter stitch cuffs and bottom hem so they aren’t so “belled”.  Just a personal preference though.  This sweater looks great just as written, gauging from the sampling of the 2,643 other Lady Sweater projects listed on Ravelry as of November 2, 2008.

I bought extra yarn because I thought I was going to run out.  I actually would have, only I just barely needed a yard or two of one extra ball of yarn.  Sooooo….since I have it here and I was overcome by that “end of a great project let-down” - I cast on for a hat with the same yarn.  That is currently drying.  Now what????  I may have to get the wheel out and spin for a while and contemplate my next project.