The Sweatshop of Lovers Blog

While my Dollar and a Half Cardigan takes a break for my Ravelympics projects, there are a TON of finished sweaters this week that I can’t wait to show off to y’all!

Java Fold Back Cardi

Gloria finished her February sweater in January and her January sweater in February, but who is counting? I love the fun buttons! They were made for that sweater.

Sexy Vesty

Tracy knit this beautiful vest, Sexy Vesty, for her sister. I’m not a big vest wearer but I am all over this vest! I put it in my queue for sure.

Barfly Pullover

Clara finished her first sweater, the Barfly Pullover, and it looks amazing! I love that bottom shaping and the neckline. This sweater is really flattering on her!

Aquitaine Pullover

Robin, who is knew to the group, posted her January sweater this week, the Aquitaine Pullover. I love the lace detail! This sweater is from the new Interweave, so if you had it on the mind grapes take a look at Robin’s project page because she made some really helpful notes!

Diva Tunic

Liz knit another Diva Tunic! This one for her sister. Remember the sweater she knit for herself last month? It’s like knitting two socks! Only, really large socks. They both look fabulous! I bet Liz will be knitting something else for March, though!

Liesl

Here is our second Liesl sweater! This one also completed by Liz. She is a knitting fool! The color is great and you can really see the detail in the lace pattern. So pretty!

Trellis & Vine Pullover

Becca (rav) finished the Trellis & Vine Pullover that has been sitting on her needles for a long time! This sweater was in my queue for a while, then I dumped it, but now it’s going back in for sure. I love how it’s less fitted than in the pattern pictures. It is such a beautiful pattern for a roomy pullover!

Granny Square Jackets

While not knitting and made out of previously made granny squares, it’s still ok! Marolee made two granny square jackets by … seaming together granny squares, of course! Makes my granny square slippers look like a walk in the park! I know how hard it is to seam those up.

Placket Sweater

Kris knit up this adorable Placket Neck Pullover! The yarn she used, the Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed, has beautiful yellow flecks throughout! Such a beautiful choice.

Congratulations to everyone who finished this week! I love seeing the variety of projects coming into the group. Non knitters are always shocked when I explain this project to them. How can you find 12 different sweaters you want to knit?

I’m pretty sure I could knit a sweater a month for the rest of my life and STILL not get to all the beautiful sweaters out there I’d like to knit.

We’ve even had some new people join this week! Our Knit a Sweater a Month Challenge Ravelry Group is up to 148 members! And my mailing list is growing, too. Please don’t hesitate to join us!

Now get knitting!

So everything was going swimmingly. Saturday morning I was on fire! Went to the gym, did my running around, and was working on my granny squares when I needed more yarn. I’ve got piles of yarn all over the place, and whenever I look for yarn it ends up all over the floor. I bent down to pick up a skein that had rolled under my futon when SMACK!

I knocked my head hard on the arm of my futon like a dummy. I stood up, shocked, kind of laughed to myself, then burst into tears. It hurt! But I shook it off and kept working. I got a headache, then my neck started hurting, and I got really tired. PT had a cold all week so I just thought I was getting a cold, so I canceled my party plans for Saturday night and went to bed, never thinking I might have concussed myself on my futon! I woke up Sunday morning with a headache. I went to wash my face before Holiday Present Prep class and looked at myself in the mirror for the first time since Saturday and I have a huge bump and bruise on my forehead! It all comes together. I’m not getting sick – I just smacked the crap out of my head!

Luckily I didn’t put it together Saturday or I probably would have made myself crazy thinking I had a concussion. But I’m alive and this morning my head is feeling good. Still bruised up! But feeling good.

I did find the canola oil in the fridge this morning, however, so there might be some permanent damage.

Granny Squares!

Despite my stupidity, I did manage to click almost everything off my list! I didn’t tackle the sewing pile because sitting up hurt for most of the weekend, and I didn’t do too much reading because that hurt, too.

But I did make 36 freaking granny squares!

One!

Two!

Three!

And made three pairs of granny square slippers!

It’s really too bad that I’m refusing to make another granny square for as long as I live, because I would like a pair of these for myself. They are so ridiculous and so ugly-amazing that they are kind of hard to resist! The best part is that I got to use up left over skeins from projects I never got to, or yarn I bought on sale with nothing in mind for it.

One!

Two!

Three!

These were a lot of fun to make. And the instructions from The Purl Bee couldn’t be any clearer. The woman takes a picture of every aspect of putting each granny square together. It was so helpful! I don’t know if it was the head injury or if it was just hard, but even after making six slippers I couldn’t put them together for memory.

Trio of Granny Square Slippers

Three lucky people on my Christmas list, including my Sweatshop Secret Santa recipient, will be getting a pair of these.

PT is flying back to Chicago at this very moment! Leave it to me to almost kill myself the first weekend I’m alone in months and months.

PT unexpectedly left town last night for the weekend (nothing bad! He just got an unexpected vacation from work) leaving Velma, Pudge Rodreguez, and I to our own devices. In my case, ‘devices’ means being ridiculously productive.

I’m usually really productive; when you are a one woman show you have no choice. What you don’t do just doesn’t get done. But when you live with someone there is more downtime:  Discussing potential Saturday afternoon activities. Taking long lunches. Snuggling.

Wine Cozy

So now that PT is out of town it’s like I’m on speed. He left last night and I’ve already  done a lot of reading, finished this wine cozy for PT’s mom’s Christmas present, and crocheted 8.25 granny squares.

Granny!

I forgot how fun it is to make granny squares! It has been so long that I had to look up instructions to remind myself.

I’ll be making a lot of granny squares today for an undisclosed project. I’ll tell you soon.

I got up this morning at 6:30, played with the kitties, cleaned up a little, made some tea, and am now trying to organize my weekend. MY weekend.

I’m a relationship kinda girl. I’ve been in one pretty nonstop since I was 17. I’ve had a live in boyfriend pretty nonstop since I was 21. I love it, it is how I am. Even when I say to myself after a break up, ‘Allyson, chill for a while and be single,’ that resolve never lasts long.

So, I appreciate this time. This fake single time. I know he is out there, surely sleeping at this time, in the little bed in the upstairs of his mom’s house in Minnesota, but here I am with a nice long to-do list full of crafty and Sweatshop-related things and two entire days to myself.

Sewing Pile

-A Crafty and Sweatshop-Related To-Do List-

Three Granny Square Projects (36 granny squares!)

Write a newsletter for Monday

Go to the gym

Go to Target

Pre-write some blogs

Tackle sewing pile

Finally make message board

Read more

-Maybe-

Get started on Turtle Shell Legwarmers <- oh yes I did

It’s kind of like writers who think they need to be drunk and miserable to write, or artists who think they need to be depressed to paint. Do I get more done when I’m single? Yes. But luckily I’m smart enough to recognize the fact that I like having a boyfriend. I’m happier when I’ve got someone who is ridiculously supportive of all the silliness. The piles of yarn everywhere. The long gchat explanations of what a swift is. The long blog entries full of pros and cons about our relationship (sorry, PT!).

That to-do list isn’t going to finish itself! I love when I look at the clock in the morning, think about everything I’ve already accomplished, and think, ‘And I’ve still got 13 1/2 hours until I’m meeting Rachel for a drink!’ I can get a lot accomplished in 13 1/2 hours.