knit wrong, purl wrong

I guess I’ve reached that age: suddenly I’m getting invited to a lot of weddings. This is wonderful for lots of reasons. I get to share in my friends’ great happiness. I get to enjoy dinner and dancing. And I get to dress up, which is maybe the greatest pleasure my tiny soul knows.

So when I got a wedding invitation that stipulated a forties dress code, I was very delighted indeed – especially because I have the Stitch In Time book and have been staring besottedly at it ever since I acquired it. The book is as beautiful as the patterns it offers, with charmingly mannered photography and elegant styling.

Every pattern offers appealing detail and something unexpected in the construction, so settling on the one to make was heartbreakingly difficult. Such A Debonair Little Jumper won out in the end because of the excellent proportions of ribbing and lace (I think this will nip my waist perfectly when worn with a pencil skirt) and the impossibly pretty ribbon detail at the front neck.

With the wedding in August, I had some nerves about starting a sweater project so late on – and especially one worked in finer yarn than I normally use (the Zarina falls between 4ply and DK). I hardly needed to worry: lightweight and easy to handle, the stitches fly along my needles. After a week of evening knitting, I’m halfway up the back and my hands have barely felt tired. It might just be that I’m on the skinny stuff for life.