Oatmeal and Ribwarmer weather...not!

Since the temperature has gone up overnight from the 40's to almost 60, and the air smells like Spring, it doesn't seem like it's two days before Thanksgiving. It doesn't seem like it's oatmeal weather (what we have for brekky during the week.) It doesn't seem like vest or sweater weather as I sit here in a tshirt! It does seem like rhubarb weather...and we did have that with the oatmeal for breakfast! During rhubarb season I cut up and blanch rhubarb, put it in containers and freeze it. That wonderful perennial is too good for just a Spring tonic! (Ah, the joys of rhubarb custard pie!)

Today I'm sharing a picture from Knitting Camp last summer during my show-and-tell in which I'm explaining the 'frogs' on my ribwarmer, my 'not my show and tell' since the Russian Prime was my official show and tell. You can see Amy in the background (Hi, Amy!)as she hosts the production!

Last Spring the Knitbabysurprise group was talking about knitting an Adult Surprise Jacket as a knitalong. I thought I'd really enjoy that, then I looked around my stash for possibilities. Hmmm. That's going to take a lot of yarn. Hmmm. I do have a lot of yarn, but not the combination that will work for this ASJ. Then thought about the J&S chunky weight 2 ply Soft Spun I had gotten on eBay. It didn't have a specific project and it was Spring-like colors (color#64) which is mostly a Spring green with cream.

So, instead of making the ASJ with the group, I got out all my references to Elizabeth Zimmermann's ribwarmer. There was Spun Out #17 (originally Wool Gathering #7), Knitters' magazine #5 Fall/Winter 1986, Knitting Workshop pp 104-105 and the Knitting Workshop video/now DVD. The Knitters magazine I'd found a while back on eBay but the others are available from Schoolhouse Press. I read through the materials and checked the section on the VHS, then cast on. I kept checking the sources throughout...just because. The Knitters' magazine was really good in that it showed options that Elizabeth and others had utilized to personalize the ribwarmer.

I used the Ribwarmer as my news and porch-sitting project. When the days are warm and long, we sit out on the front porch after DH comes back from his activity run. Antsy Nancy that I am, I need to have something to do with my hands...I can not just 'sit there and relax'. Not relaxing. Drives me crazy. So, I get a lot of knitting done then.

By June 1st was my planned finishing date, as I'd mentioned in the Russian Prime post. I had the ribwarmer all knit with the surrounding I-Cord and just had to do the closures. I'd found the perfect buttons in Austin at Hill Country Weavers one year. So, how was I going to fasten them? Had found some hair elastics at the grocery and my hair was currently short and permed with the worst permanent ever, so I wouldn't be using them for awhile. I crocheted around two hairbands. Then, criss-crossed them to fasten the buttons. (DH's idea, actually, to criss-cross them!) Right before camp, the week before, it took me an hour to be able to sew the buttons on. That tells you how sore I still was at that point five weeks after the flight. But on they were!

I really do believe that the desire for attending 2.75 was what speeded my recovery. And, I certainly know that tips from Jaya and from Lucy really helped, too, as most everyone recognized that I certainly was not in 'top form'. Thank you so very, very much.