I was teaching my beginner crochet class at River Wools when who should appear but Christy Renshaw, the soon-to-be-famous designer, speed knitter and handknitter extraordinaire. Christy amazed me by telling me that she looked at my blog. (I have a blog?!?!?) She also pointed out that I don't have an email link on said blog. So, as a temporary measure until I can schedule a Hack-the-Template Day:

Email Me.

I'm coming to the end of the West Side Raglan. Er, at least it started out as a West Side Raglan. I'm working in a different gauge; I used rolled hems instead of the slip-stitch rib; I added A-line side shaping; I changed the decrease style; I altered the raglan shaping; I raised the back neck with short rows; and I'm going to put a funnel neck on it. So, basically, what it has in common with the WSR is that they are both raglans. Anyway, it's all slip-stitch-basted together and I just have to sew the raglan seams properly and add the funnel neck.

I can't decide which I want more desperately: Reynolds Cabaret to knit the Norah Gaughan raglan from the spring IK, or Reynolds Odyssey to knit a Hippy Chic pullover.

I'm knitting madly back and forth in stockinette, of all things. I bought fifteen skeins of Berroco Uxbridge Tweed, #1171 Marionberry, thinking I was going to knit the heavily cabled-and-bobbled Maine. But when I swatched, I decided I didn't want a cabled sweater that hefty, and I'm making a West Side Raglan instead. I'm adding subtle A-line shaping and possibly a funnel neck.

The Uxbridge Tweed is a sad story of a lost opportunity to save money. It went up at elann.com right around the time I went to Stitches Midwest, so I didn't buy it. A couple of weeks later, I discovered that UT had been discontinued by Berroco (guess that's why elann.com had it–DUH). So I went on a mad internet hunt for it and had to pay $4.95 a ball for it, which is actually a little higher than full retail.

Meanwhile, I've completely finished the Debbie Bliss Hooded Aran Cardigan, and after a marathon week with a crochet hook, I am about a dozen ends away from having a fabulously bobbled crocheted off-white coat (Fall 2003 FCEK).