SSS and a First (for me)

SSS. No not second sock syndrome (although I have been known to have a mild case of that in the past.) No, I'm talking about second sleeve syndrome. Even though I called in sick to work yesterday (and yes, I really am sick) I still only knit a few rows on the second sleeve of the Manly Sweater. Why? Second Sleeve Syndrome.

I always go into a project excited, loving the yarn, the texture, the simplicity and grace of the knit and purl stitches. When I finish the front and back of a sweater I always think "wow. I'm almost there." Then I plow through the first sleeve and it hits me. I have to do that again. Dammit! And it doesn't help that sleeves always seem to be less work than they really are. You look at a sleeve on a sweater and you think, "it's not that big. I'll be done in no time. Not nearly as big as a front or back and I finished those fine." Yeah right. By the time I'm done with the first sleeve I realize that one sleeve equals about 1 1/2 times the work of a single front or single back. And there's two of them!

In other news, I have made my first official internet yarn purchase. And I am HAPPY about it. I have purchased two skeins of "shimmer" in "happy dance" and one skein of "alpaca cloud" in "tidewater," all from Knitpicks. Let me tell you. I pratically did a happy dance when the order was submitted. I plan to use the "shimmer" for my very own flower basket shawl, which I have been burning to knit for a while now, and the "alpaca cloud" for the trellis scarf in the Spring IK. My first internet yarn purchases, my first real lace projects, and two Evelyn A. Clark designs. My head is spinning with the knitty goodness.