this day in History:
1938: First jazz concert at Carnegie Hall
1949: The first TV sitcom debuts
1820: Anne Bronte is born
1899: New land speed record is set in a automobile...

2008: BB's Beryl hits the catwalk...

Well! No speed records were set in the knitting of this garment, but VOILA! The Selkirk Beryl is finished! And it was FAST! Beryl #3 took a little over 4 weeks to knit; 4 skeins of yarn in Forest Brown and 4 brass buttons, more from my last rendezvous with Tender Buttons.

This sweater is incredibly light; it weighs about 14 oz. which is another plus in my book for the yarn used. Yarns in this gauge group (18/24) can be very heavy and dense. If you compare what we have in hand-knitting with what is out there in the commercial world, you see a big difference in hand and weight. IMHO, the Retail Rack has access to lighter, loftier, softer yarns—discounting the downside to some of the range in quality, of course. (Lots of commercial sweaters use more blended micro-fiber/organic combos, which tend to lighten up the garment as well.) So, I am leaning towards the lightweights! They are easier to knit, finish and wear. Email me any yarn suggestions HERE...

My finishing techniques keep moving towards commercial practices as well. I love using my steam iron to block, lightly pressing the fabric into shape. This is the weekend I go searching for another Scuncii to replace the traded one too. My big 'ole floor model just isn't as easy to use and actually delivers less continuous BLASTS. I think I was seduced by it thinking it was as good as all the ones I've seen in boutiques, you know, you walk in and they're preparing their new shipments for the rack. The garment is on a free-standing device and they are using a stainless steel steamer to *finish* it for sale. My steamer is plastic and wimpy...

But my old Black & Decker steam iron works pretty darn good, too! The sweater fabric finished to size, shape and behaviour in no time at all...

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