Who Needs a Philosopher's Stone?

I finished the front! I finished the front! I finished the front!


















You know, I could get to like this. I could develop an addiction to finishing things. Granted, there are two sleeves to be done, then the blocking and the assembly and the finishing touches, but hot damn, this has been awfully rewarding so far.

All this excitement must seem more than a bit daft to the rest of the world. You have to remember, at this point last year I couldn't knit. The only blog I read was the Yarn Harlot, and that was because I'd happened on At Knit's End on the impulse-buy shelf at the Starbucks in Barnes and Noble. I picked it up for my sister. She never got it. I found the blog because the website was on the cover of the book.

At the time, Stephanie was in the throes of responding to and organizing the Knitting Olympics. (Did you know the KO made "The History of Knitting" in Wikipedia? How's that for infiltrating the masses?) I was so on the outside of the sweet shop. I certainly wasn't going to join the Olympics; I saw what those real knitters were doing to challenge themselves. In comparison, "I will learn to knit in 16 days" just didn't seem very Olympian. I almost didn't even try. For all, I still sometimes can't believe I pulled it off.

So yes, now, when I can follow a pattern, when my hands produce what they're supposed to produce, when the whole sticks-and-string transformation happens, I am amazed and delighted. So forgive my excitement and enthusiasm. This is still like alchemy to me - gold out of base metal.

I finished the front. What do you think, 2 sleeves and assembly in time to reach Urbana by Feb. 13 (aka Clare's birthday)?