A Hopeless Case? (now with more photos)

This Saturday was my Grandfather's surprise 85th birthday celebration. 57 of his family, friends and neighbors gathered at a restaurant in good old Springfield, PA to congratulate him. My Aunt baked the cake and she and my mother patiently and laboriously decorated it. I also helped (see the wobbly thin line of icing separating the sparkley side from the rest? That's my work, pathetic, no?) I wore my most recently finished sweater and got plenty of compliments on it. I am wondering though if my family has given up on the idea of my every getting married or being in a serious relationship, etc. I don't really care, I have professed a belief that marriage isn't necessary. It is just that I was surprised because several relatives asked my brother if he was dating anyone and told him that he had better hurry and get married. I, on the other hand, did not have to field a single question about my dating/non-marital status, and I am 4 years older than him. I also discovered that out of my grandfather's grandchildren, there is only one shorter than me, and I am the oldest grandchild. That just strikes me as unnatural, especially since I am 5'9" so it isn't as if I am short, though I must confess that two of the taller grandchildren are male, though one is only 14!

Thank you to The Bitter Knitter for taking care of Isis while I was away. I really appreciate it!

On to more relevant babbling, I took the bus to get down to PA, so I had plenty of knitting time. I had glorious plans of making my grandmother's second sleeve. I packed the woolease (which I hate working with) and my size 7 needles. When I got on the bus though, my second mitten was calling to me, after all, it could be cold when I got back into town, clearly if it was I would be very unhappy that I hadn't done the other mitten, right? After the skein I was working with ran out, I started that stupid second sleeve, right? Wrong. Instead I worked on my Tea Shawl, lace seemed more interesting than ribbing followed by stockinette stitch. Can you blame me? Over the weekend though I decided to be good and to start that stupid sleeve. I opened the Winter VK which I brought with me for the pattern, and pulled out the icky woolease. When I read the pattern though, it told me to cast on using smaller needles. Well, wouldn't you know it, the smaller needles would be a size 6. Crying shame that I couldn't work on it. So I did more work on my Tea Shawl. The circle on the picture of the finished shawl shows how far I have gotten, because the picture of the actual shawl shows nothing. I finished the second mitten on Saturday morning while visiting with my parents. Sorry the photo isn't great, it is my right hand in the glove and I am right handed.

The next dilemma that I face is whether or not to start my IK sweater. I have the yarn already (got it for under $40, sport weight alpaca!) The only reason it is not on the needles already is that the pattern calls for size 9 needles. My 24" size 9s (Addi Turbos) are being used on a UFO that may never become an FO. I can't decide if I should buy a pair of size 9's in a different length, or pillage the UFO for the Addis.

My final comment for today, is congratulations to K for hitting her 1 year knitaversary (approximate date). You are an amazing knitter!