don't fear the scissors - day 362

in which our plucky heroine almost has a new cardigan...

...my Black Ice cardigan has been a challenge, despite being touted as a simple fast project. In part, because my own body is a different shape than the one the sweater was originally designed for, and in the other part because I added a number of additional variables into the mix!

The first change I did was to add some short rows in the front to create bosom darts, as I am rather amply endowed. I've done this a few times with my handknits, and it really helps. I had planned all along to make a cardigan rather than a pullover, which meant steeking the center front, which went smoothly, except for some reason the cardigan then became LOT wider than planned, and the fronts overlapped for almost four inches! (and the neckline came much higher on my neck in the front than I found comfortable.)

So... chalk marked the desired adjustment to the central width, machine stitched a safety line, and cut away several inches on both sides, then chalked the desired neck contour and did the same thing. The neckline got a ribbed border that rolled over and was stitched back down, completely enclosing the cut edges, and the center front is getting a triple I-cord border, with loop closures and some matte black buttons

The only other issue is that I have narrow shoulders and short arms. The pattern has knitted in shoulder shaping, which I was able to block/smooth out with my Wonderful Steam Iron, and the sleeve length is pretty easy to adjust. I initially ended the sleeves with an I-cord border to match the center front, but it doesn't look quite the way I imagined it, and I will probably re-do with ribbing instead

Now that it is almost but not quite completely done, I'm debating whether to leave it as a plain black cardigan, or (as in my original idea) to add embroidered decoration to the front yoke area... am tempted to just leave it plain black, as that way it can serve as a background for various decorative brooches. The doubled yarn made a delightfully "bouncy" and cozy knitted fabric, and it should be perfect for both wearing around the house in the winter, and for wearing underneath a rain shell in inclement weather.

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experimental condiment creation - horseradish. There has been a horseradish plant growing in the parking strip for years now, ever since Cindy brought a start over here. There was a gap in the rainy weather, so I tipped over the ceramic cylinder it resides in, which gave me easy access to the roots without having to actually dig. I sliced off a smallish root and put the planter cylinder back upright, replacing the roots and soil, and then topping it off with some compost/mulch.

Taking the root into the kitchen, it needed scrubbed and then peeled, which left me with a somewhat pungent thick pencil sized root, with irregular placess that needed cut away, as it wasn't a smooth shape, but had obviously grown around rocks etc... It was quite hard, more like wood than root vegetable, but I chopped it into ⅛" or smaller dice, and used my wee food processor to chop it finer than that, after adding enough water. Strained out the solids, and added a tablespoon of vinegar and a pinch of salt to the tablespoon or so of horseradish. I'm going to let it sit overnight before tasting...

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My oldest friend Sharon is being moved from the hospital to rehab after her craniotomy on Saturday, to continue physical healing, to safely receive weeks of IV antibiotics, and to hopefully recover some of her ability to communicate and remember things. My friend Heather, Sharon's daughter, just had her 10 week ultrasound, and there is definitely a little future child of her and Brandon growing in there. For which I have already started knitting a baby sweater. Like I do... (I've rather lost count of the baby sweaters and bits I have knit over the years)

yarn is KnitPicks "cloudy with a chance of rainbows" and is just a touch more subtly greyed than the usual rainbow yarn. I like it very much as far as color, and since it is superwash merino blended with nylon, it can be tossed in the washer, which is rather a necessity for the modern infant. It is very soft.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Kestrel kuspuk	darned Totoro gloves	recycle bin
2	6 jars orange marmalade	-	random books
3	5 jars applesauce	-	-
4	horseradish	-	-
5	charter #1	-	-
6	-	-	-
7	-	-	-
8	-	x	-
9	-	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - today when I spoke with my mom, she remembered the part of the conversation we had yesterday and asked after Sharon. Bits of short term memory. Also she told me that she walked halfway to the other end of the apartment without using her walker. (which was confirmed by my dad, and is further than she has been able to walk in months!) While there is no healing from her condition, any temporary respite and signs of strength are worth celebrating.