EZ's BSJ, MMKG, and GPS

Last Saturday was our MMKG (Mid-Michigan Knitters Guild) Retreat. It was held again at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. It is a very nice facility, though both times we have gone it has been extremely cold outside. I do wonder what it would be like to see the place when it is sunny and green. We ate, we talked, we laughed, we knitted, we ate, and we had knitting classes taught by the very patient Sarah Peasley. (Did I mention that we ate? Way too much really good food is furnished at the facility.) I had a great time! I worked on my Elizabeth Zimmermann's (EZ) Bavarian Jacket. I am making mine plum with black trim. I ran across it on Carla's site and loved the structure. I thought I would give it a try.

We spent our final day at the retreat in the registration building. Due to the weather, a portion of the county was without power. Fortunately the Kellogg Biological Station had generators. We were able to continue with the retreat. Leaving was a bit scary since the roads were horrible AND if you did find yourself in the ditch, the temperatures were below zero along with a nasty wind chill. Teresa and I caravaned back to Lansing. Others traveled in their packs. Eventually everyone safely made it home. One of the harder aspects of the trip was reversing the directions that we used to find the location so we could drive back home. All back roads - nasty, icy, and trying to read the directions made it very difficult.

When we first arrived at Kellogg a couple of the members were singing praises of their GPS navigation systems. I didn't think twice about it until I got home. Wow, if I wouldn't have needed to read the map while concentrating on the roads, that would have helped. This weekend we are heading to Wisconsin for a niece's birthday. Snow predictions come and go, and with the thought of last weeks drive and the story of several hundred cars just sitting on a highway in Wisconsin during their bad snow storm... Hey, I love balancing maps and trying to figure out how the hell to get out of Chicago, or how to get back onto a road as much as the next guy... but, I realized that it just doesn't have to be that hard anymore. So why should it? So after calculations of costs verses features, we found the GPS system that will work for us. And when I am not driving... more knit time. :-)

At the retreat Sarah had some yarn that had been donated by Pat for the charity knitting. I scooped up three colors intending to knit a Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) hoping to get it done in time for Sarah to take it to afghans for Afghans . When I was knitting the swatch I thought it was too thin for freezing babies in Afghanistan. Double checked the yarn. You know, funny thing - 'worsted' on yarn labels seem to have many meanings. I really should remember to check the weight of the skein along with the length. (I get lured by the color and forget that last detail.) It is thinner than the DK weight yarn I used to knit my gloves. Well, I still was in a yank to knit a BSJ. Since my goal was a warm sweater for charity (if done on time) - color isn't as important. So I am using bright scraps of yarn used on T's previous projects. All while knitting this the colors reminded me of Lynn H. :-)


Meanwhile - the BSJ sweater... holy crap! I wouldn't say it was the odd construction that made it difficult. I would say it is the vagueness of the pattern. Simple words like 'continue' would have been appreciated. Ravelry to the rescue!!!!! Found a forum, and information that I was looking for to get me moving forward. Oh, and Sarah - my guess is that if I don't get it done in time it - I will have tried my darndest. Everything will be done but sewing on the buttons. Gees, just ask Ram-niss. He is still waiting for me to just sew on the zipper to his otherwise completed sweater (seams and all).