A cheese grater in every closet!

My name is Linda, and I'm a knitoholic. Don't alert the police, please, but I have had a library book checked out since December. Not just any book, mind you, but this one:If you are the Somerset county knitter who has had this book on hold for 8 weeks, I apologize, but I can't bring myself to return it. Simply put, I have fallen in love with Aran sweaters in general, and Alice Starmore's in particular. This book is tragically out of print, so unless I care to part with about $250, a library copy is as close as I'll get to having my own.

My first (but not last!) sweater from this book is on the needles, and it is Na Craga! I've been waiting for just the right pattern for this scrumptious yarn from Beaverslide in charcoal Fisherman's weight. It's been marinating in my stash for almost a year. Here it is snuggling on the sofa with its cousin, worsted weight Beaverslide in Jersey cream. I can't say enough about Beaverslide: the worsted and Fisherman's weight are a decadent delight for the senses. Jersey cream remains in my stash, but charcoal has seen the light of day! In addition to the Jersey cream and the charcoal, I invested in Beaverslide's color cards. There are about eleventy-jillion of their yarns I can't wait to get my paws on, though the number one is Cottontail, a 65/35 merino/mohair blend.

So what's the deal with the cheese grater? Alan correctly characterized one of Na Craga's main topological features as such. Check it out and I think you'll agree: Here's the cheese grater up close:

Starting with a sleeve to get the rhythm of the cables seemed like a sensible first step, and rewarding in that I was finished with it quite quickly.

Deciding to cast on for the back, I confidently picked up my needles to execute the nifty tubular cast-on variation I used for the sleeve, both of which begin with a 2x2 rib. But. I. Can't. Get. The. Cast-on. Right!! I fiddled with the tubular cast-on myself and didn't use directions from a book, nor did I commit to paper what steps I took. Say it with me: Linda is a dope.

Que sera sera. It will come to me eventually.

In other Casa Linda news, our Peruvian exchange student has arrived! Daughter #1 went on an exchange last year to Lima, and now we are returning the favor for the child she stayed with. Exchange student #1 is delightful! Her English is impeccable, and would put most of us Anglo-centric Americans to shame. But get this: she is tri-lingual, now working on French. We are thrilled to have her here with us.

Vaya con dios, Amigas!