I Did IT: I made SLEEVES!!!!

Hi all,

I want to share with you all one of my proudest moments in knitting. I, Eryka Jackson, made not one, but TWO sleeves! It was much easier than I thought and I think I am on my way to getting more comfortable with sleeves. As some people may know, this has been one of the biggest obstacles in my knitting development.

I started my quest with the Zimmerman February baby sweater, which Ellen and Kathy suggested I try at our knitting outing earlier this month.

Now, while I love the book and find Mrs. Zimmerman witty and rather enjoyable, I found the directions a little daunting. So after an in depth discussion with Susan Rainey at the last Minnesota Knitting Guild meeting, and unraveling all the work I had done on the Zimmerman sweater, I decided to try a doing a version of the 5-hour Baby Sweater, called the Baby Jiffy Sweater.

The directions were much easier to follow than the Zimmerman sweater and it knits really quickly. While I unraveled on Tuesday night, I didn't get a chance to work on it until Thursday. I am using Caron's Natural Blends, which is an acrylic bamboo blend. I love the color, but I think the yarn pulls to easily. Oh well, I am making it for Ava, who just turned one month old. So it will be something she can romp around in this fall. By the way, isn't she pretty?

On Wednesday night, I drove, the 68 miles down to St. Peter MN so that Amanda, president of the machine knitters guild, and I could work on my knitting machine. That was a LONG drive, but I was worth it. I have a new sponge bar, my needles have been rotated and I got a video to help me enhance my skills while I wait for her class in October. Amanda is such a great teacher, and she and her family are really cool!

Regards,

Eryka