What Else?

Since I have a huge stack of student papers to work through and my little house is a complete disaster, I have—what else?—cast on for a new sweater. This is, perhaps, not quite as foolhardy as it seems, since it’s just a child’s sweater: the Peplum Cardigan from Leisure Arts’ Daddy’s Little Girl.

I actually suspect there is a method to my madness. When everything else seems out of control, I take on a small, controlled knitting project. That way I can shelter myself on my little island of knitting sanity and accomplishment while the workplace and domestic winds rage just offshore.

I confess I have no idea whom I’m knitting it for. But that will not stop me! I will knit the cute little peplum. I will work the diamond-stitch pattern. Inch by inch, I will bring the ribbed body into being. And since this is a small sweater, I will do all this in a reasonable amount of time, thus providing a satisfying contrast to the slog that is student essays and a never-ending pile of dishes in the sink. I am not knitting for some child—I am knitting for me!

I am knitting this darling in some delicious, pumpkin-colored Highland Silk that I got on close-out at Elann. I realize it is completely wrong of me, but I can’t help doing a gloat-y bit of a heiner-wiggling I-got-the-last-of-it dance: life has been difficult, and snagging this yarn ranks as an important recent accomplishment. Please forgive me.

In other news, Kim Hargreaves has a new book out, Nectar, which is wonderful for her and for knitters everywhere, but completely unfair for me, since I haven’t even had a chance to knit anything out of her previous book, Heartfelt. The new book is slightly less my style than the previous one (by which I mean “more tight-fitting garments that look uncomfortable and would be rather gappy on my figure”), but it still has some beautiful knits. I particularly like

Honey—

and Joy—

And with that I leave you. Papers and dishes—and a few rows of reward knitting—await.