Just do it!

This was the basic message of the New Year episode of Cast On "Start as you mean to go on" and as (as a runner) I never underestimate the power of the inspirational slogan* I have picked up the Anya sweater as my first step towards knitting more sweaters in 2008. I have plenty of them lined up: Anya to finish off, a sleeveless sweater in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino 4 ply for which I bought yarn back in November, a long sleeved sweater in Wensleydale Longwool which I bought back in August and strangely didn't feel like knitting up at the time (who buys longwool in August for goodness sake!).

Anyways, after a particularly mild and wet Christmas the promised cold snap has arrived (it was bitterly cold and windy at the football match this evening) so it's perfect sweater knitting weather and Anya is coming along quite nicely. One of the front/back pieces** is done up to the start of the funnel neck and I've knit 9" of the second piece (below).



I've not got around to making a light box btw. This photo is just the serendipitous result of combining a flash and a cream bedspread.

I'm starting to wonder a little bit (as is traditional when knitting Rowan patterns) about the yarn estimates. I know that I've switched the colour scheme about a tad but I seem to be going through my 1 ball of Kidsilk Night at an alarming rate, even though I think that if anything I'm knitting less of the colourwork with it than specified. Fingers crossed I won't end up having to buy an extra ball. Conversely I'm not sure why they specified 2 balls of one of the KSH shades as that seems to be used least. I suppose if push comes to shove I can always switch the colours around again for the sleeves and pretend it's a design feature.

* "Impossible is nothing" (Adidas) got me through two marathons.
** Back and front are identical for this sweater, or would be if I hadn't made different errors (of pattern and colour rather than rather than anything ugly like dropped or twisted stitches) on each. I'll wait until both pieces are finished before deciding which is prettiest and should be the front. Neither mistake is earth shatteringingly obvious - indeed I'll buy a drink for any sharp eyed Bluestocking who spots both mistakes the next time I bring it along to a meeting.