A First

I have a first to report, Gentle Reader, something which has never happened before in the history of man. The Pilgrim ventured into a yarn shop today - one with lots of nice specimens to peruse, one might add - and walked out empy-handed. I was moved by much of what I saw, to be sure; just not quite enough to proceed to purchase.

Could it be that the enormity of the unused stash has finally found its way past the Pilgrim Hat and actually into his brain?

Perhaps the recently-reported neighborly construction debacle has had at least one positive outcome. The holes are as yet unpatched, and so the stash skeins are stuffed hither and thither around the apartment. It would have to be a decidedly delicious fiber to prompt a Pilgrim to add to the disarray. Decidedly delicious indeed.

On my sleeve...

The pullover progresses. Currently one finds one's self completely enamored with the sleeve which, like the rest of the sweater, is knit entirely in the round. Yea, the very thought of no sleeve seeming thrills the Pilgrim to the very core! And - don't know if you can tell - but I am completely in love with the way in which the increases appear. Note also the turned under and knitted together contrast hem - again, no finishing required other than weaving in a few strands.

Indeed, how do I love this project? Let me count the ways....(one merely hope it fits - they don't always, you know...)

Soiled Stash

One of the joys of New York cooperative apartment ("co-op") living is abiding and enduring the neighbors' renovations. The building which the Pilgrim calls his home is generally terrific, a fantastic place to be. However, recently the new neighbors have undertaken a complete gut renovation on the rooms adjacent to ours, and, well, a bit more than adjacent. You see, their renovation work has now resulted in gaping holes into one of the Pilgrim's storage closets, resulting in a most unwelcome coating of plaster dust (along with a general feeling of invasion of personal space).

The new neighbors - let's call them David and Hillary - have apologized profusely, even offering to cover cleaning for any articles of clothing that might have suffered in the incident. However, as I tried most diplomatically to explain to them, this particular closet is not home to ordinary items of clothing. Oh no indeed. This closet houses electronic equipment, hundreds of CD's, the Long-Suffering Other's collection of archival materials...I shan't go on. They were mortified.

What I neglected to include is that this particular closet - the one now coated with plaster dust - is also home to the Pilgrim's KNITTING STASH.

HONESTLY! It's a good thing they're British, and that the Pilgrim possesses a torrid case of Anglophilia. Depending on what happens next, however, there may actually be a cure for that.....

A Pilgrim's Progress

One is pleased to report slow but steady progress on the Prada-inspired seamless mohair pullover. As has been posted previously, the Pilgrim is not pressuring himself to finish this project on any particular timetable. While he works, consolation comes from the recent completion of the stripey socks ("Jaywalker") for the L-SO which were met with high regard and worn once already despite these bizarre subtropical climes in the great Northeast.

Day by day, stitch by stitch, slowly but surely, it grows.