Round-the-Bend (RTB)

In the Round-the-Bend VHS, Meg Swansen relates that this jacket was named Round-the-Bend because it nearly drove her and her mother, Elizabeth Zimmermann, that way as they were trying to figure out how to construct it the way Meg wanted.

Sunday, after Ravelympics postings, I cast on my 33 stitches in celery Berroco Ultra Alpaca to finally work on this. I only knit a few ridges with the Ravelympic exhaustion nipping at my heels. But I've wanted to knit this for so very long.

Here on the back porch floor, you're joining me to peruse the book Handknitting with Meg Swansen, Wool Gathering #43 and the DVD. The VHS is on the entertainment stand. The VHS and the DVD are the same, except that now Rangely wool is suggested since the original Highland wool is no longer available. I'm knitting the RTB in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, celery as the main color with stripes of ocean (a teal) and moss green. Last June I had found the perfect buttons on sale at Jo-Ann Fabrics in Lower Burrell. (To SHP and YE's great joy, I have no local LYS, so SHP/"Yarn Elf's Workshop" become it with an occasional stop at Jo-Ann's seven miles away for something like buttons or thread.) Summer 2007 I had planned on choosing my colors at 2.75 but I just could not make up my mind. Talk about wandering around, looking at alpaca, wandering around ad infinitum! The buttons made my decision for me and they were on sale at 50% original retail price.

Here is a close up of RTB in the lavender this morning to see progress. It's the first cuff and a bit of the first sleeve. The cuffs and the main RTB body are in garter stitch while the sleeves are stockinette. OK, so it's not very far along...I admit that the Ravelympics plus the first day of school 'tuckered me out.'

These colors aren't Autumnal, but that's the idea. Every single January when I am already sick of winter, I look at my sweaters and jackets for heavy but Spring-like garb. Since I haven't done anything about this problem the prior year, every year holds the same disappointment. That is not going to happen in January 2009!