Kitty: First, Second, and Third

So, first things first. In the previous post I showed a picture of the Shosenshi Paper in a cup of water. Well it has been soaking in the cup since St. Patrick's Day and the fiber structure is still in good shape. I did a stress test and it was still able to support weight. It dried to the same size without any noticeable fraying. Cool stuff.. :)

Second, the Phildar cardigan is finally done. Except I need to block the front edge again and tack it down. I just sat and finished sewing in all the ends as I talked to my mom on the phone. I called her back to see if she had started her socks and I got inspired to finish sewing in the ends.

I am 75% happy with the cardigan. After just putting it on again, the back really needs a 2 inch tuck down the center to take out some of the bulk. The pitch of the sleeves needs to be fuller or the yarn more substantial. The sweater is pretty heavy and front heavy. So it pulls the front forward while pulling the shoulder seems forward as well.

I also wasn't that happy with the yarn. It had an amazing number of spliced knots. One skein had over 24 splices. While other skeins were fine. Some skeins also had places where it looked like it hadn't been spun at all.

I would really have a hard time buying the yarn again or recommending it. It is a lovely colour, nice hand, and amazingly warm. But I felt the quality left a lot to be desired. It also probably wasn't the best yarn for the pattern. So thus the 75% rating on the sweater for me.

Thirdly, now that that is finished, look what is on the needles now. I just casted it on last night. I love the way this yarn is knitting up. I was so happy to find it for a quick little tank top with a simple square neckline.

I am off to the local bead store tomorrow in hopes that I can find some jade beads to make shoulder straps for it. If not I found some on ebay that I could always order from China that would be cool. I thought it would make a nice little evening sweater for a bridal shower I need to go to in April. So lets hope this pattern works better than the last one.

On the fun side, I went to Target and bought a Peep Pen. It is so much fun and made me happy that it was almost easter. :) Hopefully it will cheer up the gray while I am finishing up work projects.

PS. And A Sneak, I am still waiting and being a good girl.