Despite my best efforts, the little pink cardi just wasn't doing it for me. When I got to the yoke, the shape took a decidedly alarming turn and didn't look as if it would fit any baby I knew. So it has been frogged:
But all is not lost! I remembered that I had a small stash of baby afghans for just such an occasion and a pretty pink ripple afghan will soon be winging its way to my great niece. I think I've learned a lesson from this (stop laughing!). Afghans will now be my go-to baby gift. They are for the most part mindless knitting, don't have to fit and can be stashed away for quick gifts that don't look quick at all.
This did free me up to start something new. Marguerite and I had decided to start a KAL on Labor Day. With her blessing, I started a few days early – she will zip past me in no time flat! We are working on the Set-In Sleeve Aran from Janet Szabo's book, Aran Sweater Design. Marguerite has dubbed this "Chenille" because it looks like a design from a chenille bedspread. My version is being made from Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool in a deep rose:
Not the best view of the cables, but the color is pretty true. You'll notice that there is some cable splay in the border. Janet has purposely left it in so that the sweater will have some shaping. I'm just a tad nervous about that as I have no shaping in that area. I'm going on faith assuming that some of it will block out and the rest will give me the nice feminine shape that I lack! Miracle sweater!! Or delusion.
Time to bring you up to date on our neverending road project that has finally ended. As you may recall, last spring WSDOT (affectionately known around here as "washdot") started a major road project at the end of our driveway. They lowered the road as much as 10 feet in some areas, but about 3 feet by our driveway. Unfortunately, winter weather came early and they were forced to put the project on hold until this spring. They left us with this lovely bump for the entire winter:
They did put in a transition strip, but at the beginning it was only about 3 feet wide. We complained and they came out and widened it. It still was a challenge as we are pulling out onto a very busy highway. Coming in was just as much fun because you had to come to almost a dead stop to avoid jarring your teeth out. It was always great fun to watch in the rear view mirror and anticipate someone not paying attention and plowing into you! Spring came this year along with great hopes of a speedy finish. Alas, it was not to be! The Department of Natural Resources decided that road work was unfriendly to a nest of eagles nearby and ordered that the work not be resumed until after the baby eagles had fledged, mid July. Of course, DNR did nothing to step in on the 4th of July when fireworks were going off for 24 hours straight right around the nest, but I digress. Finally, this week the work was finished and we could not be happier. This is even better than before they started because we actually have about 30 feet of real road to pull into our driveway:
Enough lollygagging around - I need to get up and get started. A whole lovely day ahead of me with no one at home (hubby's off to a car show) and nowhere to go. I'll put a roast in the crockpot and spend a lovely day in my sewing room. Heaven!
missouristar 
Chenille is looking great. Mine will be started sometime next week. No need to make this a race. Right?
What a beautiful Aran that will be- I love the center cable panel!
I can see why you are loving your hand quilting with that beautiful frame.
That will be a gorgeous sweater! If it doesn’t flatter you, you can send it to me, I unfortunately have plenty of that “feminine shaping”.
For years they’ve been telling us that they will be redoing our road and tearing up a portion of our driveway. After waiting for three years we went ahead an replaced our driveway anyway. Still no sign of them (fingers crossed).
I popped over from Marguerite’s blog to see your Chenille…it’s coming also so very well! And, WSDOT is better than PENNDOT by far.
I will certainly enjoy watching your Aran come to life. I really love cabled sweaters – so beautiful! I really need to order some yarns from Elann. Since you and Marguerite use them, they must be good!
That is a lovely sweater, and the center cable is fascinating.
I have the same problem as you do, and to give myself some hips I always wear pleated pants (in addition, I’m under the delusion that the pleats hide my tummy). It is easier to create the illusion with a skirt.
Our town has nothing better to do with our tax dollars than add curbs (to roads where no one walks), and so a small road with beautiful cherry trees along the median is now dug up while the “special concrete” needed for this enterprise has arrived.