Finished Object Dance

Himself and I are planning to get away for the week of the MLK holiday and are looking to rent a vacation cottage somewhere in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, where we're hoping they'll have snow. Cottage with kitchen, laundry, snow removal, shower, not too far from a road. Waterfront optional, but they all seem to have it. Prefer <$800 cdn per week for rental.

We've been looking at an awful lot of websites. If anyone knows anything about this part of Quebec and can recommend a town to head for, we'll seeking info. We're wondering if the lack of information about cross country skiing areas is because it would be like listing the area has gas stations -- common enough to why mention? We're looking for groomed trails for the most part and a lodge that gives me a place to sit in warmth when I'm tired enough to stop and he has another couple hours in him.

In the meantime I'm starting the design process for the upcoming small gauge Sockotta sweater, and decided to survey the measurements of current EPS-based sweaters, all in Cascade 200 or Lamb's Pride Worsted.

Sweater	Circumference	Neck to hip	Underarm to hip	Underarm to cuff	Neck	Hip circumference	Wingspan
Gray cardigan	24	18	11	13	5.25	19.25	49
Black stripe	23	18.5	11	14.5	7.5	18.5	53
Blue green	23	18	9	15.5	10.5	20	48
Pink cardigan	23	19	10	13	7	20.5	52
Gray tweed	21.5	18	10	18	9.5	19	53
Brown	23	19	10	19	9.5	20.5	56
Periwinkle	24	19	10.5	14	5	21.5	55

(multiply any circumference by 2)

So, since most of these are vaguely loose anyway and I won't want a worsted's ease, I should be making it a little smaller around. This will affect the other percentages. Most of the hip circumferences can be taken in, too. Decisions to be made. Tomorrow I measure the gauge of the swatch and start doing numbers. I'm thinking a provisional cast on so I can deal with the hip later. Probably a Hybrid shoulder (see Knitting Workshop), which is a blend of the Raglan and Saddle Shoulder sweater, or a true Saddle Shoulder.

This gives me something to work on this upcoming weekend while Himself's folks are in town. Not sure what they'll want to do while they're here, but this is good company knitting. Acreage to cover between needing to change course.

Speaking of changing course, a number of strangers out and about have complimented me on the pirate hat, though the fellow at the supermarket deli seems to thing it's a revolutionary thing, or Napoleonic (they wore bicornes I think and this is a tricorne). I made it fit better by 1. resewing the brim to the crown more level rather than having the brim so much higher than the crown and 2. burying a length of black elastic (the 1" wide type you buy by the yard) in the bottom of the fold, doing a rough measurement, stapling the ends together at the needed length and trimming the ends. Where the hat had been loose before and the wind got in, it's now holding on tight and fits better. I feel is has panache, which is something needed around Boston in the winter.