Lateral thinking-

I ordered roses this morning.  Yesterday, I took a tour of the East Cupcake Botanical Gardens, and found them lacking.  We put some things in last fall, and some of them are doing wonderfully ... and some are only sputtering, like our firebush.  I posted an eviction notice for the firebush (it will move to the back yard) and some new roses will move in.

I became rose fluent about 10 years ago, right after a miscarriage.  At first, I planted a rose to remember the baby.  Then I got good at roses.  Hybrid teas, climbers, polyanthas, floribundas.  

I learned my lesson.  Some roses are REALLY finicky.  Some are easy as pie.  

Knock Out is one of those easy as pie roses.  I put some in last year.  One plant grew an enormous cane that towers two feet over everything else.  I arched it and weighted it down with a Coke bottle,  in hopes that it will sprout some lateral growth and quit looking like a bayonet.   These days, EVERYONE carries Knock Out, so much so that it is hard to find other roses.  I surfed over to Chamblee's Roses, which I shop because they are reasonable, they are one of the bigger growers in Texas, and they are by my DMIL's.  The Antique Rose Emporium almost got my business today, but I wanted some quirky things that they just didn't carry.

I ordered another Knock Out, a Mutabilis, a few Belinda's Dream-the basis of this my new rose garden.    Mutabilis is such a big girl, I bought her to anchor one very bare corner of the house.  Belinda's Dream is a beautiful fragrant girly rose-you would never know that she is Earthkind AND a Texas Superstar plant-meaning I don't have to mess with her.   Yay.  I bought three for a little hedge.  

For me, choosing roses is kind of like buying yarn.  You can have all the gorgeous all natural organic spun by fairies and dyed with moonbeams yarn in the universe, and some little slip of polyester novelty will catch your eye.  Because it's pretty.  (Raise your hand, c'mon now, I know you've been there.)  So I bought a Wild Blue Yonder (above) which will pop against my house.   And it's the Air Force Song ... they were pretty much guaranteed a sale.  I also bought Hot Cocoa, because it will SING when I put it next to my plumbago.

After I placed my rose order, I went and did some running around.  I've got furniture coming today, so I took DH's clothes to the cleaners, picked up some Bisquick ... now I can settle in for some knitting.  I stopped by my mailbox and guess what?!?

A present from my cousin!  Red, and flowered (but with cherry blossoms instead of roses, to celebrate Girl's Day).  

My rockin' out lounge jammies.

I am grateful for you-

Lookie!

My niece sent me a text as I was pulling into Hancock Fabric's parking lot. "He's here, I can hear him crying!" So I picked up the two lousy skeins of floss that I drove a total of 70 miles to get ... that IS freaking ridiculous, isn't it? For seven little stitches?

But I NEEDED them. I am really pleased with the way it came out!!

And look at what ELSE I have to show you:

(Dang, that is a schnoz!!)

I present Brandon, Le Nephew!!!  I have NO idea what the middle name is.

The project that ate my time!

I finally finished a project. I say finally, but really, I have knit it one and a half times (at least), frogged it, and it spent a lot of time in time out-that was several short time outs, not one protracted time out. It's Shirley Paden's cardigan from VK S/S 2004, #11, knit in Elann's Camilla yarn.

To make this easier for you, I recommend-

1) Photo copy the chart and put it in a document protector. Use a Post-it to move up the chart as you work. Write down each row as you finish it. As soon as you finish it. Store the pen in the document protector so you don't have to look for one at the end of the row.

2) Buy deluxe post-its. The super sticky kind. This is no time for shoddy bargain post-its.

3) Mark the "right side of the garment" with a safety pin, a scrap of yarn, SOMETHING.

4) Since the entire garment is knit by the charts, I found I did better when I was alone.

5) Knitting the sweater body takes about 250 stitches a row. It could be that 2 rows may be all you can manage in a session, and then you have to put it away! This is why good record keeping is essential.

6) There were times when I picked it up and could not understand where I was in the pattern. Some days it took me 10 minutes to see it. If you can't see where you are in the chart, just sit with it in your lap. If you can't see it in 15 minutes, just put it down. It is not your day to work on it. I had trouble reading right to left, and then left to right on the pattern. This is true lace!

7) This is not a forgiving pattern. It's extremely linear, and a stitch out of place SHOWS. Fudging doesn't work well. Since the pattern changes every row, I found it difficult to memorize.

8) There is a big paradigm shift on the facing. Study the chart before you begin, and notice how it differs from the main chart-look at how the diagonal travels, and what happens in the wake of the stitches. (Yes, I reknit this portion.)

9) I knit facing A and facing B separately up to the slant points. Then I photocopied charts A and B and taped them together. Then, I worked them concurrently, using markers to designate the increase sector (which I just worked in rib).

10) It might be easier to knit the sleeves in the round. I think I would like it in wool.

Edited to add: I slipped the first and last stitch of every row on the collar and front opening to give myself a springboard for a 3 needle bindoff to attach the collar. It worked great.

I did the same thing at the under arm, and that about killed me. The jacket had a very narrow armscye (is that the right word??), and the sleeve top was fairly wide. I just about screwed myself there.

Lookie!

Ok, I am not smart enough to manage a screen shot, so it's a good thing Marie hooked me up. Look at THIS!