Nighttime Knitting...

 I think I've told you before that I usually work in my studio during the day.

Up until about nine months ago, I would knit in the evening while I

watched television or we listened to music in the living room...

until my arthritic thumbs told me to take a break.

Giving my thumbs a break must have been good for them because the

pain has taken a little vacation and it doesn't hurt when I knit (a bit) these days.

All that being said, I've been able to knit with the girls again at Paneras 

on Tuesday nights and I've made some real progress on this.

The back and both sleeves are finished now, and now I'm in the

 process of knitting the leaf detail along the bottom of the front piece.

I'm not going to overdo it to the point that my hands hurt again, but if I

just work on it a little at a time, I think I can actually finish it soon!

It's time to spend my studio days getting back to the Farmer's Wife blocks,

but for the foreseeable future, I'll have this beautiful yarn in my sights in the evenings.

What are you working on?

Time To Finish This...

It's been over a year since I worked on this sweater. I had been complaining of pain in my hands (I know. I don't complain very often, so you know it really hurt!) I was diagnosed with basal joint arthritis in my thumbs at that time. The doctor offered cortisone shots, but I declined for a number of reasons. He did tell me that the pain would just disappear from time to time, and I figured I'd try to complete this sweater on those days.

Did I say it's been over a year? Some days are diamonds, and some days are crap not, so I've decided it's time to just put on my Big Girl Panties, keep my bottle of Aleve handy, and forge ahead toward the finish.

I already made and finished this sweater in a soft green cotton in March, 2010 and just love it. (I think I wear it waaay too often actually.) I think an ivory bamboo will be perfect to wear with just about anything, and give my green version a break from time to time.

The sleeves are already finished, and I'm nearly done with the back, so I'm going back to complete the front and then assemble the pieces. Time to stop twiddling my thumbs and make 'em do something useful! I'm not one to sit around feeling sorry for myself, and if this is how my hands are going to be, then these are the hands I'll work with. I'll keep you posted.

Bamboo Sweater Progress...

I spent Sunday working on my studio decor in anticipation of Where Bloggers Create II, so I have no photos of the quilt to show you today. However, when the studio project was finished, I just didn't have the concentration to work on the quilt. Instead, I decided I'd better get back to knitting on my Bamboo Sweater if I want to be able to wear it in Wisconsin when I travel to my cousin's wedding the end of this month.

I'll be back to sewing on the quilt today, so I promise to show you what my quilt top looks like in Tuesday's post.

Thanks to everyone for leaving messages for Kes. She really enjoyed reading what everyone had to say, and made a point of showing me how popular she was. She was so darn cute, I just didn't have the heart to holler at her. But I did make her do some recycling to teach her a lesson! (One of these days, I'll photograph her hard at work on keeping us "greener". I think you'll really get a kick out of it.)

Please Don't Shed On My Knitting...

Two sleeves are finished and I've started on the back of the sweater now.
I loved this sweater pattern in green cotton (remember?),
so I know I'm going to love it in creamy, soft bamboo.

I started this sweater during the wedding gown project, and this is how
much I've managed to accomplish so far. The pattern and I
are so well acquainted that it's really a fun sweater to knit.

I'm already working on the ribbing, so that part will skip right along!

Kes has company for the next few days (or more). Our good friend, Richard, made an emergency trip to the hospital Thursday night, and had to leave Stout behind at home. He (Richard, not Stout), then called us this morning to ask us to go and liberate his dog, who'd probably been crossing his legs for hours awaiting his master's return. So, at 6:30 Friday morning, Handsome and I brought Stout home to stay with us for a while.

The two Labs are good friends, and have spent lots of time together, so Kes is glad to have him around...as long as he doesn't try to play with her toys, and as long as he stays well clear of her food dish! Besides, she really thinks he's kind of a debonair fellow! (Just look at his way with the ladies.) Kes loves 'em tall, dark and mysterious. This ought to be fun.