Progress

My long weekend was wonderful. We BBQ-d, spent long nights drinking on our balcony, saw fireworks, took warm midnight walks around Brooklyn, and of course, I got a decent amount of knitting in here and there. It wasn't the marathon-knitting weekend I had planned - the heat-induced laziness has definitely taken its toll - but it was summer-y in every way possible, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I started Demi last week and spent most of my knitting time indulging myself with cables galore. Although, I did finally take the plunge and throw a finished piece of Raspy in the washer for the final test. I am very happy to report that Sleeve #1 emerged from the dryer meeting exactly my planned measurements. Exhibit A:

...with flying colors

To say I felt smug is an understatement... ha! Talk about satisfaction! The fabric becomes denser after washing, and my only worry is that, because my prototype is a finer weight fabric, the finished Raspy may be a little too thick for my chosen fit. It may not be perfect, but I think it will still be fine. Maybe I should have planned a bit more ease to account for the fabric density, but oh well. I'm sure it will work itself out in the end. I'm still enjoying the fact that it matches the lines/proportions of the prototype perfectly.

And I thought I might as well give you a progress shot of Demi. I can't stop staring and groping it. This isn't a sweater. It's sculpture! This is honestly how I feel - I dont even care if I wear it, I'll just hang it on the wall and admire!

side panel - i love this cable.

Some of you have inquired whether or not I am knitting Demi for myself or for someone else? This one, my friends, is for me. I've changed all the central cable panels (the ones with bobbles) and taken out the waist shaping. Simple changes to the cables, are actually giving the sweater quite a different look. I'm also knitting it in the round [the cable panel you see above is the side of the sweater and will be the panel located under the arm] I'll be changing proportions, mainly body/sleeve length and armhole depth. Adding some nice rustic wooden buttons and I think it'll be a unique piece. But we'll just have to see. Its definitely the thickest and warmest sweater I've ever knit. But as I said before, this one is 100% about the process. And i'm loving working on it. So whatever it turns out to be, I know its worth the time.

I'm spending the day cleaning and organizing, making art and then working on Demi (with constant coffee intake). I have another exciting weekend ahead, but I'll tell you more about that later. Knitters of the world: Godspeed!