The Knitter Returns (that's me)
So I've documented how I used to knit and crochet - a lot - and how I recently dipped my toe back in with a cowl, and of course that should lead you to be sure I'd sign up to test a full size dress pattern that needs to be finished in the next three weeks. Oh wait - that wasn't your first thought?
To be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure why it was my first thought either, but when I saw this post from Chantal (@knitatude on IG), I immediately thought "oh that sounds fun, I should totally do it." And so I sent her an email, and she replied, and now I'm knitting a dress - for the first time in about 10 years. And the strange thing is that while I maybe should be freaking out, I'm actually totally not. Sure I still have more things to do than I have time in the day, but I also have been really wanting to get back to the yarn, and this gives me a great concrete reason to do it. ("But I committed that I'd have this dress finished, so it's kind of like work!") Plus it's baseball season for the boy child, so that's always good knitting time.
I found a yarn I'm quite taken with - not 100% cotton, in that my previous experience with 100% cotton yarn is that it can sometimes get a little saggy in the posterior after being worn a few times, but close, since I like the feel of cotton. It's Berroco Remix, which is a 100% recycled yarn - with cotton, acrylic, nylon, silk and linen - so that's fun. Plus it feels like it has enough rebound to not give my dress a droopy ass, which would be preferred.
So, like a good pattern tester, I was very diligent with my gauge swatch (not always my strong suit), and now I am ACTUALLY KNITTING. Pretty exciting. Or pretty relaxing, whichever way you want to look at it. I'll keep you posted on the progress.