Gimme an F, gimme and L, gimme and S.......

What does it spell? February Lady Sweater of course!

Yes I too have jumped on the FLS bandwagon! 4000 plus knitters can not be wrong! How could I resist when the it just seems to look so good on everyone. I had to have one for myself.

So I suggested to the Amiras (our Abu Dhabi knitting group) back in November last year that we make it as a KAL in Februaury. February Lady Sweater KAL in FEBRUARY, get it? The word got around, some girls in Dubai decided to jump on with us and now I think there are about ten of us in three different cities in the UAE knitting along together! There is quite a lively discussion taking place here, if you are interested.

On the 30th of January a few of us Abu Dhabians (is that the correct expresion?) headed to Dubai to meet up with a few of the Dubai girls for an afternoon of coffee, carrot cake and of course knitting! There were needles, cake forks and ball winders flying everywhere. Over the course of the afternoon I think we had about 20 knitters all up. It was just amazing. Anyway, at the end of the afternoon after we tore ourselves away from pouring over each others yarn and books, we had a bit if a group cast on. I finally feel like I am part of a community again!

Here's my swatch that I completed that day.


The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in Emerald. This is the first time that I have used Mally (we've nicknamed it for convenience and in true Aussie style!) and I am completely in love. It really is perfect for this project and I just can not get over how good the garter stitch looks and feels in this yarn. I want to buy up the stuff!

The other great thing about this project is the speed with which it is working up! The photo below was taken on the weekend, a week after the cast on and now I am past my waist! I'll be on to the sleeves before I know it.


Okay, modifications. I used an M1 increase instead of a yo on the "eyelet" row. On the sleeves I am intending to decrease the additional stitches to reduce the bulk of the sleeves. I am considering doing a longer sleeve and if I do I may look at decreasing needle size as I go down the sleeve to reduce the "bell effect". I'll let you know what I decide on that one.

For the buttonholes I just went with the method suggesed in the pattern. They looked okay so I stuck with it. They might need a bit of reinforcement at the corners, we'll see.


The loopy lace scarf is finished! I sewed the ends in on the way to work this morning. Pics coming soon.

On a more sombre note, please spare a though for the families that are living the horror of the Victorian Bush fires at the moment. Whole towns have been wiped out, and whole families lost. If you have a spare dollar or two you can donate to the Australian Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal.