Crochet Bug

The loom is warped and ready to weave but I haven't done a thing with it since Friday 'cause I got bit hard by the crochet bug. I've been working on this sweater for a week or so; it's the Mesa Jacket by Doris Chan that's on the front of the January 2007 Crochet! Magazine. I love the yarn - Moda Dea's Tweedle Dee in Cinnamon Twist - and how fast it works up on a "P" hook. I was hoping to have it finished today, but I still have one sleeve and some finishing to do. But that didn't stop me from having a photo shoot and pressing poor Marie into modeling for me. The colors are really wonky in these photos; in real life, they are deep, rich shades of autumn.

The detailing is amazing - the side vents have buttons and button holes (haven't found the right buttons yet . . . . must. go. shopping.) and the main body is worked in rows from top to bottom, rather than around, which gives it a neat ribbed look. Having worked with Doris Chan's patterns before, I swatched like mad before I started this. I had to move up from the recommended "L" hook to a "P" before I could get the right gauge. I think I mentioned that I met Doris - in an elevator - at the Knit and Crochet Show in Oakland? I was wearing the pineapple shawl (Blue Curacao Shawl) from her Amazing Lace book and took the opportunity to show it off to her. She told me that nobody ever gets the same gauge she does; she crochets very tightly. Having that insight, I wasn't surprised that I had to adjust my hook size - I was just glad I had a hook that was big enough!

I love the look of this sweater, but I wasn't sure how it would look on me. So far so good. I made it oversized and I think it's going to be a really comfy, go-anywhere favorite.