Knitting – Page 16 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Buttoned Cardigan, i

A week or so ago I dug around in my stash and found some “Second Time Around” cotton. I knew what I wanted to make out of it, but I needed to modify the pattern because my gauge was going to be very different than that of the pattern. I ended up changing some elements of the Buttoned Cardigan, by Eva Weichmann.

The pattern calls for 6 st/inch. My gauge appears to be about 4.5-5 st/inch.

The simplicity of the pattern is one of its most appealing qualities. Knit in the round – really, back and forth – on a circular needle, from the bottom up, is something I prefer in sweaters, just because I hate sewing. The sleeves and sweater are connected with minimal sewing – no setting in of a sleeve.

The garter stitch accents, especially placed between stockinette at the edges of the sleeves and at the bottom of the sweater, are really elegant. This creates a slightly more formal quality to the sweater, giving it a more finished appearance than a 2×2 rib. The same for the sleeves. Also, if you look closely at the buttonholes, you will see that the garter stitch surrounds the buttons, but changes to the finished edge of stockinette, which makes for an interesting and attractive buttonhole band.

The yarn I am using is rather “busy” but it shows up the garter stitch very nicely between the stockinette. The photo, unfortunately, doesn’t really do justice to the yarn, but hopefully will give you an idea of what it will look like.

The green buttons bring out the lighter thread running through the yarn, and I think will really add interest to the sweater itself.

Freedom from the Albatross*

I think I am getting stuck on Albatross* this, Albatross* that. It just feels so good to let go of an annoying project in such a constructive way – writing up a pattern that may be of some benefit to someone else. Although I have not gotten a lot of comments on the Albatross Socks*, a lot of people have clicked on the pattern, so I guess that is good news.

With the encroaching graduation of my students, I am looking for something to do, and have settled on to designing a lightweight sweater in cotton. I’ve had this yarn lying around since 2005 (found the receipt in the bag), and to break the boredom of the being Connected to the Cold Pack, I decided to dig out a few knitting books. In particular, I dug out Eva Weichmann’s Simple Stitches, and began working on one of the sweaters. Unfortunately, the yarn I am using is not going to get anywhere near any of her gauges, so I decided to use a few elements of one sweater in particular to build one of my own creation.

I have about 1440 yards of this stuff, called “Second Time Cotton,” which can make a substantial sweater. According to the label, on US 8, the gauge is 17 st / inch. On US size 6, I get about 4.5.

Things I am considering in the design of this sweater is the material – cotton – and the fact that I don’t want to seam more than necessary. 3/4 length sleeves are also appealing. I want a cardigan or jacket which can be worn by itself, or over a lightweight knit top. The fact that cotton sweaters can look baggy and messy means I want stitches which will help maintain the sweater’s shape. And I want something rather mindless, but still interesting to do, and something which will have a rather tailored appearance, yet still fit close to the body (and the bulges!). And something which can be easily worked into a 1-piece, no sew, pattern.

Cold Therapy, Post-Op

Ouch! My radial nerve is hurting. I hope that it is only temporary, from pressure from the healing process.

One of the best things to treat the swelling from the inflammation which is part of the body’s healing process is cold. My MD recommended the Polar Care 300, which is a portable, electric ice pack. An igloo cooler is modified, or specially made by Breg (the manufacturer), to pump cold water through a baffled pack. This acts like an ice pack, and helps reduce post-op swelling. Unfortunately, the bandages on my arm were so big that the ice pack did not get employed as it should have, which is very important during the first 72 hours. Ah, well.

My surgery was done in Valencia, and the Polar Care 300 unit is sold by DME nearby. Unlike other cold pack set-ups, the Polar Care is not bulky, very portable, extremely quiet, and incredibly well thought out. We paid about 189.00 at DME. Today, I am walking around with a tube to connect me to the unit, which I need to do hourly. Hopefully the burning of the radial nerve will diminish, cuz it hurts more than the surgery!

Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

On 7/26 I had an arthroscopic resection of the distal clavicle of my right shoulder. Arthritis was the primary cause, with a loss of cartilage, a lot of bone spurring, and a slight tear. The tear was minimal, and could be cleaned up very easily, letting me get out of the sling and into limited use on Friday. Funny how little things, like putting on a shirt, were suddenly so difficult. But, every day, things are getting easier.

These pictures may gross you out, but given how bad my arthritis was, I’m happy to see these! The clavicle area in the shoulder had 12-13 mm (about 1/2 inch) taken out. The picture below shows you how awful it was – rough, uneven. No wonder I hurt!

To do the surgery, I had three small incisions made in my shoulder, with a camera inserted, an instrument to ablate, and one to cauterize. Other instruments were used to smooth the bone, and all sorts of things. I have a really cool DVD of it all!

This next picture shows how the bone was cut away, to finally create a smooth surface for tendons and nerves, and eventual healing of the periosteum (bone covering). The process was begun here. The silver instrument actually grinds away at the bone, and the auger-quality of it slurps up the bone as it grinds down.

This next picture shows you the bone shaved away, exposing a “new” surface, one much smoother than the old, and which will heal with a smooth covering on it. It is raw, but the healing process will cover it very nicely, like a fracture repairs itself.

Today, I really don’t feel bad at all. There is some tingling in my hand and forearm, and a general ache in the area where they took out the bone. I expect Celebrex is masking some of it, and the cold pack (a Polar Care 300 unit) is helping. I think I was probably overactive yesterday, and I didn’t sleep in my sling – but I am taking it easy today, and tomorrow – and I will definitely sleep in my sling. I was asleep during the entire process, which took a couple of hours. Getting me out of the anaesthesia was a different story altogether….

I feel better than I did 3 days ago, and expect I will continue to improve. A skilled surgeon is certainly an artist, and someone to be as appreciated as talented as your favorite painter, actor, or singer!

Flight of the Albatross*

Whew! What a relief it is to get those socks out of my life! I’m glad I did them, but the frustration – combined with guilt – about finishing them was a burden. I had no energy to do anything. And now they are gone I’ve been on sort of a rampage – cleaning house – gardening – and finishing up a heap of UFOs. I’ve got a number of berets and a pair of socks now, with loose ends woven in and toes woven shut, and a dropped stitched secured. That makes me feel really productive, and here are the results:

A grey Meret for a birthday last February: