The Ribby Cardi Knit Behind

So, I was knitting away on my fourth baby hat of the week today, and suddenly a stash-busting project appeared in my brain, fully realized and ready to execute.

About, oh, three years ago, during one of my husband's interminable hospitalizations, I bought enough Plymouth Encore to make an afghan for Boy. I chose "manly colors" designed not to offend, and the Rambling Rows afghan pattern. I made it all the way across the top of the afghan before 1) I got sick of the colors and decided it was too blah; 2) the light in the hospital made it impossible to work with the black square I was on; and 3) I re-thought the entire project and decided that pattern would be much more fun with richer yet still manly stained glass colors. Because Boy, left to his own devices, would decorate entirely in battleship gray and surfaces that can be hosed off after a party, he needs an afghan with rich color.

So I abandoned the Drearily Manly Afghan plan, and this left me with a shitload of Plymouth Encore in Sensible Colors. It is sitting in a plastic under-the-bed storage box, mocking me for my pathetic lack of daring in color selection, and in such generous quantities, too.

So today I was working on a bright coral and yellow baby hat with cute little squiggle embellishments on top (photos tomorrow if it doesn't rain) and realized that I KNEW what the Encore should be. It should be a neutral as all hell, go with everything Ribby Cardi
It will be gray with black sleeves. It could also be gray with navy sleeves or wine sleeves or teal sleeves, but it will be gray with black sleeves, because then it will go everywhere. It will be as go-with-everything a sweater as ever conceived by a color-blind nun, but it will be punched up a bit with a big chunky zipper. I may have to bead a zipper pull in pewter and onyx chunky stones, or something. It will see a lot of action, I gah-ron-tee.

So, a year after all the Cool Bloggers bought the pattern and made three of these things apiece, I finally downloaded and cast on the Ribby Cardi. And I'm rediscovering my deep fondness for Plymouth Encore. Yes, it's 75% acrylic, but damn, it doesn't feel like it at all, it's so soft and easy on my carpal tunnel troubled hands, and non-acrylICKY feeling, and has depth of color, and yet, you can throw it in the washer. And dryer. That's why I chose it for the afghan in the first place, but now I remember how much I actually enjoy working with it. It feels good. The non-Ribby-Cardi leftovers of the afghan (and there will be lots, obviously) will become charity hats and scarves.

I love it when a stash busting inspiration just crashes into my brain, fully formed, and I know it's the Right Thing To Do, and I have a week off and can make enormous progress on it, if not finish it.

Otherwise, I have little planned for my "vacation" between jobs. Damn, didn't I just do this two years ago?

I'm going to get a haircut, because my hair has gone well past my shoulders and is therefore long enough to be utterly without style. I like long hair, it's easier to maintain than short for me, but this is getting dreary long, not sexy long. Two inches have gotta go, and a little layering needs to be added.

I'm going to buy some cute new tops and weed the closet of things that are just too tired, because though the new job dress code is jeans and sandals, that doesn't mean dressing like I'm cleaning the garage. Which I am not doing on my vacation. Other than signing the roof contract tomorrow, I am NOT, repeat, NOT doing my usual Type A List of Things to Do. I'm knitting. And reading Harry Potter. And doing my nails and coloring my hair. Yep.