May Yarn Along: Looking Forward to Looking Back

I'm joining Ginny's Yarn Along for the second time, and hope to make this a more regular thing! Perhaps it will help keep me focused on my knitting (and reading!) projects, and that wouldn't be a bad thing.

I'm now well into my sweater with the Sugar Baby Alpaca. The pattern I'm using is Looking Back, and I'm eager to finish it -- even if I probably won't get to wear it until the fall. After the months and months I spent working on my White Pine cardigan, it feels good to be making quick progress on this sweater! I'm hoping to complete this knit within the next few days, which would be just about a month.

This will be quite a light knit (which works well with the lacy pattern). I do love that it buttons up the back -- though the neckline was so high that I can't imagine wearing it buttons-facing-front. I altered the back neckline to make it practical to wear as a forward-facing cardigan (i.e., maternity friendly, in case I need that in the future). I'm hoping this doesn't make it slip off the shoulders too easily -- it will require an undershirt regardless, so I'm not too worried about it. Still, I'm hoping the neck band will pull it all together (literally and figuratively).

So far, this has been a pretty painless knit! I've had a few hiccups here and there (figuring out the back neckline alteration, picking up stitches around the armholes, and binding off the bottom and sleeve edges), but overall it's been smooth sailing. Now all that remains are the button and neck bands, and I'm having a bit of difficulty there. I finished the buttonhole side, only to realize that it wasn't quite right. I took the whole thing off, blocked the sweater (I hate blocking before the project is finished!), and am now ready to start again after I do a little math to figure out the best pick-up ratio. I'd rather just charge ahead and finish, but I know I'll be happier with the result if I take a little time to do it right.

As for my current reading, I picked up Northanger Abbey on a whim -- it's been years since I last read it, and I still hadn't read any of my "upgraded" Jane Austen volumes (I'd wanted hardcover versions for several years, and I love the tiny Collector's Library editions. They were also quite economical). I'd forgotten just how much I love Jane Austen's writing! I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

That's what's on my needles and my mind this month; I'd love to hear what projects and reads you have underway!