Nemesis

Out of the blue, Lily asked me what a nemesis was yesterday.  I explained that a nemesis was something that you are always fighting, something that you are always struggling against.  We talked about how comic book characters always seem to have a nemesis.

If I were a comic book character, Gauge would be my nemesis.  It’s a constant struggle to get gauge.  Take my Lettuce Pullover for instance.

I swatched on a US 4, a US 5, a US 2, and finally on a US 3.  (And don’t ask me why, but it was in that order)  I think it should really be knitted on a 2.5 because none of the swatches came out just right.  I decided to go with a 3 because I have plenty of yarn and I think a pullover with slightly more positive ease is better than a too tight sweater.  Especially a sweater like this where I will definitely have to wear a shirt underneath.  Some things are just better left to the imagination.

Since you asked, this is what the sweater looks like right now.

It’s slow going as only a sweater with laceweight yarn and size 3 needles can be.  And no, I don’t think it’s the wine’s fault that it’s so slow going.  I’m hitting that point in the raglan increases (about 20 rows before I can separate out the sleeves) that each row seems to take absolutely forever instead of the appoximately 10 minutes that each row really takes.

To cut the boredom and give my hands a break from the teeny tiny yarn, I cast on for a Banana Tree Cardigan.  I have enough of a brown washable worsted weight yarn in my stash that I didn’t need to go shopping for it.  I’m somewhat amused that all of my knits have food names right now.

In other news, I am on the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The chocolate chip cookie recipe that I remember as a child.  One with lots of vanilla, too many chocolate chips to count (ok, I always add extra) and the perfect soft but not overly puffy texture.  I just made a batch that was good, lots of vanilla flavor and soft, but they fell flat.  If you have a good recipe, send it my way.