Selfish knitting

Hubby started a new job this week, and what a week it's been! Freezing cold for one thing, and much longer days, at least from my perspective. I've been rather spoiled in that Hubby usually comes home between 4:30 and 5pm, by which time the girls are finishing their naps or quiet time. Now that he's working downtown and taking the bus, he gets home closer to 6, around the time I'm just putting supper on the table. I felt very much like a grown-up because I made substantial dinner all week: baked beans with jacket potatoes, beef stew with red wine, roast chicken, hearty tomato soup, chicken pot pie, quiche with sweet potato fries. It's incredibly difficult to make dinner while looking after two small children, and I have more respect for my own mom now than ever!

This morning I'm enjoying some time to myself while Hubby is out running errands with the girls (he was going to take them on the bus for a fun treat, but the snow and the attitude of a certain three-year-old has made that idea impractical). I could do any number of things, like tidy up, vacuum, bake something delicious, even start dinner, but I will only commit to eating breakfast and knitting something selfish. I do tend to knit mostly for other people, so I don't feel badly at all about making something for me. Especially something as gorgeous as this cabled Blackberry Cardigan (no relation to the former RIM)!

The yarn comes from PEI, in fact from the same trip when I bought my dad's Aran yarn. I chose it because I was looking for something that matches my eyes. It's not exactly delightful to knit with, being minimally processed wool. I actually have to regularly pick out bits of straw and other vegetable matter! However, the swatch I knit turned out to be much softer than I had imagined, and I do want the finished product to have the sturdiness afforded by 100% wool. I started it on January 17th, and it's much too early to guess when it'll be done. April would be lovely, but I'll settle for any time before the end of 2013.