It's My Turn

And I know it sounds crazy, because you'd think writing a book is about me, really, right?And certainly it is, but it's not as if I get to wear the socks around the house. This is different. This (once it dries the rest of the way) is mine all mine and I can wear it any time I want.I didn't even have to write a pattern for the thing. It put no demands on me beyond "knit me."I'll give you the stats. It's Elizabeth Zimmermann's Seamless Hybrid and Seamless Saddle Shoulder, blended a bit. In the round, deep saddle shoulders, but the back neck sort of like the seamless saddle, but modified, and, well, it's done on the needles. No writing, no thinking, just knitting till it looked right and was done. There's a cable front and center, and back and center too.And not a single seam anywhere. Everything was done on one set of 36" long needles, no dpn, no shorter circs, one needle start to finish. The yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca, color 6280, Mahogany Mix, and I was on a US 7, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 sts/inch.I am in love with this sweater. And, it being February, and at the time I finished it still Sunday and therefore selfish knitting day, I cast on a February baby sweater with the remains. More will be revealed. I am hoping there's enough yarn for the sweater and the hat. I don't think I can get the leggings out of what I have here. Although. I do know where I can get more yarn...
In an attempt to recover from the blow of the septic problem (because my twitch just wasn't fully developed enough, and Gene's was becoming visible at last) we took the dogs for a snow walk. Dazee led the way as much as allowed, acting very much like a very young dog. Owen hates walks until we turn for home. He's convinced, I think, that we're taking him off into the woods to leave him at the mercy of the forest sprites who wish to torture him. When we came out of the woods and headed back down the road I discovered the most amazing thing. Dazee's little front legs act just like mixer blades in too-thick dough. They churn up big wads that attach to the back of her front legs until she can't walk any more, and slows...and then the big wad falls off and she trots to the lead again. I wished more than anything for the camera, because it just has to be seen to be believed. I laughed until I couldn't breathe. She was covered with little snowballs when we came in, so I hucked her in the sink and melted them off. And then it hit her, like a ton of bricks.Let the sleeping dog lie.

(Yes, in her bed that is indeed Cris the felted star-nosed mole. He's made of Amherst and Northampton, and I love him, but Dazee loves him more.)

PS - other mods: percentage incs and decs for hems and back neck, wrist and bottom hems done with provisional, neck hem done with K first st tog with backward loop of a stitch of the first round of said hem, combined the saddle with the hybrid to get a rate of dec on the raglans that appealed to me...I think that was it.