Covid and Knitting -- Not In That Order

 I have a finished object:

I have knit sweaters before, but this is the first one that actually fits! It is the Fullerton Cardigan, which was published in the now-defunct Knitscene magazine. It is an easy, well-written pattern that would be a great first sweater. The yarn, Croft West Yorkshire Spinners, is a beautiful, lofty worsted weight. It is pretty scratchy, but it was fine over the turtleneck. I'll soak it to try to soften it up.

There has been a lot of knitting -- all on another sweater, Design 10, which turned out to be a total disaster. It's in time out while I decide whether to try to fix or frog it.

Last weekend I mentioned that I took my mom to the hospital for a colonoscopy. I didn't add that the outpatient surgery center was crowded and there were no Covid safety measures. There were people with masks on their chins and large family groups hanging around.  I knew it wasn't safe, but how do you walk out on your 85-year-old mother?

On Tuesday evening, I realized I had a sore throat, which lasted for a few days. I was also very tired. So, I either had a cold or Covid. I couldn't get a test until Thursday and now, 36 hours later, I still don't have results. I do know that I got it at the hospital because I had been homebound for the two weeks preceding the colonoscopy with a kidney stone.

Here's the worst part: I'm supposed to visit Seth in Chicago on Tuesday. Obviously I don't want to expose him to Covid. I decided that I'm going to go whether I have Covid or not. I'll drive to the Air Bnb, which seems safe to me. By the end of my visit I can go to museums, under CDC guidance. I've been homebound for more than three weeks now, so any change of scene will be appreciated!

Loving Summer

Even though I went into school yesterday and worked for a full day, I am just loving summer. Just being able to get up and savor coffee and craft in the morning is a luxury that I treasure. I hate having to be at work before 8 a.m.  I'd love a job that didn't start until 9, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

We've had some spectacular sunny days. Last Saturday, I took advantage of one by going sketching twice. In the morning I sketched with some friends at a park near my house, where I worked on a tree. I need some lessons in foliage!

In the afternoon, another sketcher and I drove out to a county park to paint the ruins of an old farmhouse. You can judge for yourself how well I did.

And here is my rendering:

It was both fun and hard to capture the stones and the angles. My friend gave me some advise on doing foliage, and I think it helped.

Also, I realized that I put up an old photo of my Fullerton Cardigan. Here is a more recent one.

Almost done!

A Good Friend and an Old Project

Thanks to the lovely Kathy B, there is a summer swap going on. My swapmate, Judy, really knows me. 

She sent a great skein of sock yarn in the cool colors that I love, and the perfect napkins for our Fourth of July cook-out. The card is quilled and just exquisite. I may just frame it!

And this little pewter  button is so cute -- and exactly the kind of thing I love to have at hand for mixed-media work! Thanks so much Judy. I'm working on your package!

I got quite a bit of knitting done last week on my Fullerton Cardigan.  As of this writing, both sleeves are done and I just need to knit the button band. This must be the fastest sweater out there.

I'm having quite a busy weekend, but that's another post!

About That Sweater

Way back on May 20, I went to a nearby coffee shop/yarn store, the Sow's Ear, with a friend. The point of the trip was to sketch, and we did indeed sketch:

Of course I had to wander through the store and check out the goods. I stumbled on the spring issue of Knitscene, which I hadn't looked at before.

I flipped through it and fell in love with the sweater, that looked both cute and easy.

The pattern, Fullerton Cardigan, is made with Brown Sheep Worsted, but I don't like mohair, so I bought an armful of the wonderfully affordable Berroco Vintage. Now I have this:

I think that someday it really will be a sweater!

And what is it about sleeves? They are so boring to knit!