alisonknits: Tying Up Loose Ends (Literally!)

I'm off to California tomorrow morning, and I had the last couple days off. Yesterday I finally finished writing the "Sunspots" sweater pattern for Karabella (I had run into some technical difficulties, and was avoiding dealing with it for some time). It got me thinking - all I had left to do on finishing the sweater itself was to complete the garter edging, and finish sewing the side and sleeve seams. So I did, and washed it, and let it dry, and now I'm wearing it! See:

SUNSPOTS

But wait, there's more!

HERE YE, HERE YE...

HANKfold

Let it be known that Henry VIII is now... (drumroll please)... *finished*.

HANK8

Scott was kind enough to model it for me. I'll give it to Dad when I see him in a month. Woo hoo!

I also cleaned my kitchen (had to, in order to handwash the Sunspots sweater in the sink), and while I was at it, the bathroom as well. It's amazing what I can accomplish when I get on a roll. Oh, and I went to a movie and made a list of things to pack for my trip.

I attribute this productive day also to The Artist's Way. I'm on Week 4, and this is reading deprivation week. I'm not supposed to read anything. Really. I've cheated some (I'm still reading most of my e-mail), but I've steered clear of books, magazines and newspapers. And blogs. And because I feel that the spirit of this exercise is about getting away from the words we use to anesthetize ourselves, I've tried to make this a full-on media fast, turning off the TV as well. Which as many of you know, is a major source of time suckage for me.

So... of course it helped that I had a couple days off, but... hey, this stuff really works!

I'm off to the other coast - ciao!

Comments

GORGEOUS!!!

Posted by: elisabeth | June 23, 2004 at 09:35 PM

Wow!!!! It's absolutely stunning!

Posted by: Kitty | June 23, 2004 at 10:00 PM

Newbie to your blog here! Both sweaters are amazing but Sunspots is really WOW!! Will Karabella be offering the pattern??

Posted by: Debi | June 23, 2004 at 10:42 PM

Thanks all!
Debi, welcome to my blog, and yes, Karabella will be offering the pattern. It should be available within a couple weeks since I finally finished writing it. Just to clarify, for the record, I didn't design this sweater myself, just wrote the pattern for an already-made sample sweater. You can read more about the pattern-writing process on an entry I wrote about a month or so back called "How a sweater becomes a pattern."

Posted by: Alison | June 24, 2004 at 05:16 AM

Absolutely gorgeous, Alison! :) Amazing work, as always. I really like the Sunspots. Very cool looking. And it's nice to see what Scott looks like, too. :)

Posted by: Lisa | June 24, 2004 at 08:48 AM

Alison, it is divine! Wish I had seen it on you at TNNA....bet it is even lovlier in person!

Can't wait to get he pattern....what yarn?

Kristine

Posted by: Kristine | June 24, 2004 at 07:04 PM

Wow - I am so impressed - of the gorgeous sweaters and your surge in productivity! Have fun in CA!

Posted by: Ellen | June 24, 2004 at 08:09 PM

Congratulations on the absolutely beautiful Hank 8 and gorgeous lace cardigan!! I have not even started on my Hank 8. Maybe next year.

Posted by: May | June 24, 2004 at 09:55 PM

Thanks for the welcome Alison!I read your pervious blog entry, very interesting!! Let us know when the pattern is available, k?
PS-I'm a virgo too, what date are you??
I'm the 18th!
Have fun in Cali!!

Posted by: Debi | June 25, 2004 at 04:51 AM

wowie! they both look great! :-)

Posted by: athena | June 25, 2004 at 11:50 AM

Oh, Alison! Amazing! I cannot get over those Sunspots. How you could translate such a thing into a pattern boggles the mind. You're awfully talented.

And Hank 8! Really spectacular. You've inspired me to get back to Keava.

Way to go. Hope your trip is fantastic.

Posted by: Ann | June 25, 2004 at 01:53 PM

Alison, that's a beautimous sweater - quite tempting!

Posted by: Donna | June 26, 2004 at 01:07 PM

Sunspots is amazing. That is some trick to write up a pattern for a sweater that is already knit. Congratulations! (I was at School Products last Saturday. Berta is great and it was fun to see the sweaters hanging up on the walls. Of course, I couldn't walk away with buying some cashmere.) Have fun on your trip!

Posted by: Kerstin | June 28, 2004 at 07:00 AM

WOW. That sweater is just gorgeous! And different. I'm going to have the read your post (how a sweater becomes a pattern). I think it's pretty amazing that you were able to do this. What kind of size range will the pattern be offered in?

Posted by: Gaile | June 28, 2004 at 04:54 PM

Beautiful job on the Sunspots and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of you for finishing Hank 8. It looks great, and Scott is an excellent model!
Have a great time in CA! :)

Posted by: Lynnette | June 28, 2004 at 08:16 PM