It's a back

Introducing the completed back of Paul's sweater! Of course, it won't look that shapely on Paul--my dress form isn't set up for his shape--but pinned on the dress form you can really see the detail of the vertical stripes.

This sweater is different from others that I've made in that the neck is knit onto the pieces, so the seams will extend from the shoulders up the neck. So this also shows the real neck height.

I've started the front, and am almost finished with the bottom ribbing!

Poem in my pocket

Happy first national Poem in Your Pocket Day! I love carrying around poetry--usually favorites such as Byron's "She Walks in Beauty" or Carroll's "Jabberwocky." Today, though, I wanted to discover something new, and since one point of today's celebrations is to share, check out e.e. cummings' "the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls"--it mentions knitting.

And the yarn

This is the wonderful 2-ply worsted Jacobs yarn that I bought at the Meet the Sheep day from Robin at Meridian Jacobs. It's wonderfully tweedy-looking, due to the colors of wool on the sheep that she's woven together--it's not dyed--it's as the sheep grew it. I bought a bit of a darker color in case I don't have enough of the gray.

And this is the beautiful Fiber Creations yarn from Colleen; I'm thinking a big, warm scarf for winter bike rides to work along the Bay, and to wear in the repurposed warehouse where I work, and where the heat fails as often as the wind blows.

Meridian Jacobs

We had a great time at Meridian Jacobs' Meet the Sheep & Fiber Fun 2008 in Vacaville. After two really intense weeks, we didn't make any commitments or any plans for today; we decided that if we woke up feeling like going, we'd go. It was a beautiful spring morning, so after waffles, we went.

I was not only interested in meeting the lambs, but after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and hearing Michael Shuman on Alternative Radio discuss local economics in his book The Small-mart Revolution, I've been more interested in finding local yarn. Meridian Jacobs is only 54 miles from home, and the drive up there was almost worth the entire trip; the hills are not only green from the recent rain, but they're not sprinkled, they're sprayed with colorful flowers--the deep, red-purples surrounded the brilliant orange California poppies before fields of mustard yellows.

Robin was there telling us all about the sheep and the goats, and the kids who were there got to help bottle feed the baby goat (who, I believe, is two weeks old). The goats were incredibly friendly, licking and nibbling your fingers while you pet them, and her dogs Bonnie & Rusty were lovable, too. Some of the sheep didn't mind some attention and some petting, but some were shy. Robin's sheep are all Jacob sheep, and her friend Colleen was there with incredibly fluffy Romney and CVM sheep (Mopsy and friend!). Cedric loved watching the sheep in the open field, the sheep and goats in the barn, and even the two pigs.

Near the shop spinners and weavers were patiently explaining their craft to kids and adults alike, and Colleen was there with her Fiber Confections yarn. Many folks hung out there also with their picnic or takeout lunch. Did I buy some yarn? Oh, yes, thanks to the fortuitous arrival of our tax refunds (taking the sting out of having overpaid our 2007 taxes!).

How to not put the elephant's trunk in its ear

I had been mystified; the first time I knit this elephant, as you can see, the trunk was where its left ear should be! (The little legs are supposed to open at the inseam.) I had no idea what had gone wrong, and ended up frogging the whole head and starting over. This time I paid close attention, and the elephant's nose is going to be right where it should.

In the pattern, when you put the legs on to the needles, in the section called, "Body," there's this little bit: "Join double strand of main yarn with RS facing to the beginning of one needle." I'm working on dpns, and already had the yarn attached to one of the legs, thank you very much. That's the problem! The yarn is attached where the elephant's "family jewels" would be (or "gates of Venus"--these are very private elephants, who only reveal their gender post-adoption to their new caretakers, so I have no idea what gender they will turn out to be). The yarn should be at the hip--in the middle of one of the legs.

The solution? No need to clip yarn and reattach it. When knitting the head, just knit row five 75% of the way around--stop over the right shoulder. You're all lined up for the rest of the head, and the nose will show up where it's supposed to be.

Pattern source: "Lovable toys," In: Last-minute knitted gifts / Joelle Hoverson.