Spent some sick time yesterday trying out my swap yarn. I want to make a cool raglan sweater for myself based loosely on this pattern from the latest Vogue Knitting. But this yarn is nowhere near as chunky as the Waterspun Weekend called for in the pattern, so I experimented a bit with the gauge and how wide and long to make the cables. I'm so proud of myself for making a real test swatch. Usually I am such a loser about that sort of thing (and we wonder that I have problems later on!).

What am I doing swatching for something new, you may admonishingly (and with good reason) ask. Well, all the pieces of the crazy continental are knitted and blocked and need to be sewn up, but I've just been feeling too crappy and runny-nosey to be leaning over seaming up a sweater. So I was in search of some more good simple knitting (for my left hand!) to take my mind off of this cold. In order to indulge myself a little (hey, I'm sick here), I allowed myself to do the swatch but then (inspired by my virtuous swatching) I picked up a half-completed Christmas project, the tiger hat for my nephew. I thought I would try using my left hand, even though I knit the first half of the hat using my right. "So it'll be a bit looser. Then I won't worry that it's too small." Knit twenty rows... Nahhh, this half's not too small. It's humongous - fitting around my husband's head. Did I mention that my nephew is six. Rip!

I am inclined to believe that the universe is telling me to keep those works-in-progress in their project bags, think no further about those pesky holiday gifts to be completed, and start a new sweater. But that could just be the Nyquil talking.