A ten hour drive to watch a Griz game yesterday did a lot for my knitting! I finished a Christmas sweater that has been hanging around my neck like a noose for a month. I don't usually put anything on the needles without finishing within a couple of weeks. The gals at the yarn shop had asked about my progress several times. I finally fessed up, this is not my finest project! How embarrassing to realize halfway through the sweater that you forgot the first three rows in the center cable pattern! (It was at the bottom of the first column of the page and I overlooked it - oh man!) I thought that it was a misprint and so reworked the beginning of the cable - having to rethink it every time I got to that point. When I realized what I had done the front was completed and I was on the back of the sweater and didn’t want to retrace my steps. But I like things perfect, down to every last stitch! I decided that the sweater was a lesson in acceptance, I assured myself that no one would know that the cable was not the one printed in the pattern (over and over again I said this to myself as I knit). It was difficult not to rip out and just start over but now that the sweater is done I do have to say, it turned out fine.

Pattern: Patons Aran Knits for the Family
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Knitting Worsted
Colorway: Ecru
Needles: US Size 5, and 8

With this sweater done I moved on to Christmas sweater number five!

Pattern: Patons Aran Knits for the Family
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Knitting Worsted
Colorway: Ecru
Needles: US Size 5, and 8

While at Charity knitting the gals mentioned that one of our own, Amanda Muscha, had a pattern published in Knitty this fall! It's a hat pattern and to be honest my family just doesn't have heads that can wear hats. We kiddingly say we have melon heads - very large melons! I did check out the hat and love it though.

I continued looking at the many patterns in the issue and found an item that I will love to wear on my long stem of a neck in the chill of winter, a lace cowl! It's absolutely beautiful and a fun knit!

 Pattern: Eleanor
Yarn: Happy Feet
Colorway: Burgandy
Needles: US Size 7, 5, 4

Oh! Griz won their game Saturday, NAU made a touchdown and pulled ahead the last two minutes of the game, then Griz headed down the field and made a touchdown winning 24-21.