Leonidas has made something. Chez Fibermom, we are always making something. All family members make things, whether it be archaic weaponry or modern jewelry, and I find it one of the most satisfying parts of life. So seeing someone begin dabbling in making stuff is exciting. Like seeing someone who has not previously been much of a reader get excited about a book. It is hard not to swarm around them pushing books into their hands. Or knitting needles, saws, and paintbrushes, as the case may be. Leonidas is fortunate to be off on the other side of the country, and therefore safe from me.

Our favorite xanga philosophers are debating the existence of objective reality, but I like this statement of The Craftsman Philosophy:

“Respect the earth, live in harmony with nature, spend time with your family, be good to your neighbor, and value the dedication, skill and care of the craftsman.”

Doesn’t that just about cover it? Well, obviously only for a certain sort of life. This is why it is not a strong contender for objective reality points. James Bond would totally not relate to this statement. On the other hand, James Bond is not himself a poster boy for objective reality, being fictional and all.

Here is Hopkins’s neckband:

The variegated yarn gives false shading and makes it look as though it has an interesting shape, maybe a moebius strip, but it is actually just an ordinary neckband. I like getting the body completed before the sleeves so that any needed adjustments can be made. Doing all the parts separately and then putting them all together can lead to that “Oh, it’ll be okay once I do the neckband” feeling, which can lead to the “Horrors! I’ll have to frog the whole thing!” feeling. This way, you can be sure that the body of the sweater is as it should be, and adjust the sleeves accordingly.

I was poring over my assorted Fair Isle books in search of something triangular for my sleeves. Have you ever noticed how few Fair Isle designs are triangular? I was imagining something like this:

Wouldn’t that be excellent? Upside down, of course, sort of growing up out of the cuff.  However, Fair Isle designs are bands, circles, or squares, never asymmetrical triangles. Nor can I see myself charting this pattern, or anything like it.

 I was looking at all sorts of designs, trying to find something really compatible with the patterns already on Hopkins, when it struck me that the variegations mean that the details of the patterns are … hmm.. let’s say subtle.  The overall effect is of a brick wall with moss growing on it. So it hardly matters what design I choose, and I can go with the general shape of the thing.

The fretwork which you see in the picture is from Alice Starmore’s Roscrea, and the same sweater also uses a band of cornucopia shapes. I think that individual motifs from this pattern will give the asymmetry and roughly triangular shape I have in mind. If not, well, it’s just a sleeve. I can always frog it.