Another One Bites the Dust!

Bada dum dum dum...another one bites the dust! Another FO out of the way in time for the Knitting Olympics! I think this baby sweater took longer than any other baby sweater in history. I don't whether it was because it was a boring knit or whether I didn't like the yarn, or what, but regardless, put a fork in 'er... Again, my camera has made my den look like something from the 9th level of hell, but I swear it's rather cozy in here. Since Savannah wasn't around to model her new duds, I convinced my stuffed monkey to model it instead. I can't decide if I like it or not. It's kind of boring, but I guess it will be one of those everyday type sweaters. Here are the stats:
Pattern: Pumpkin
Source: Treasury of Rowan Knits
Designer: Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly Baby cotton something or other
Date started: 1/14/06
Date completed: 2/9/06

It's machine washable, which is good since my neice is a real drooler. The front of her shirt is usually soaked with her dribble. I know, I know, TMI.

Last week, J was kind enough to let me in on the not so well-kept secret that a few hanks of Vesper sock yarn were going to be on sale through Etsy, so I got some while the gettin' was good. It arrived yesterday and I have to say I'm very pleased. I was a little surprised that it wasn't machine-washable, but the colors are amazing! I haven't decided on a pattern for it, but I'm sure something will come to mind. I think the variegations are subtle enough that any pattern will be wonderful.

Now for my exciting news! Well, I think it's exciting. In typical knitzalot fashion, I have decided to make my life as complicated as possible and cram as much into each and every day as I can. Toward that end, I have decided to change my Knitting Olympics project. I'm going to do extensive modifications to an already existing pattern. I figure I'll dip my big toe in the design pool and see how it feels. The pattern will be the Cabaret Raglan from the Summer 2004 Interweave Knits. I've sort of liked this pattern for a while but something about it has always bothered me. Maybe it's the way it hangs on the model or maybe it's the fact that it's shaped like a box. Who knows? But I saw it hanging up at Two Sisters and Ewe in La Mesa yesterday and I fell in love. But like love can be, it has its conditions. First of all, it needs waist shaping. I'm thinking it should come in between 3 and 4 inches through the waist section. Second, that garter stitch edging simply HAS to go. So, I flipped through my Knitting on the Edge book and picked two lace edgings that I think would be suitable. I'd appreciate your comments in which one you prefer. I feel like they pick up on the linear eyelet pattern from the top while adding visual interest to the bottom and sleeves. I think with these mods, the sweater will be magnifique. Naturally, I'm using Cotton-Ease (I SWEAR I use yarns other than cotton/acrylic blends). Unlike the other sweater I was planning, I feel like this is a suitable project because it involves a "first" - i.e. fairly major modifications to an existing pattern.