>After a storm front or cold front has pushed through this area, blasting away some of the mid-August heat and humidity, there’s a refreshing chill in the nighttime air that hints at delights to come. Autumn is my best season. That’s when I am the most energized and productive. Designing with wool, cashmere and alpaca becomes doable after a long hot summer of abstinence. Buried under piles of garment samples deep within the recesses of a storage closet, my favorite crocheted jackets and sweaters are once again speaking to me.
There is one event left in this detestable month that I really anticipate. Despite the fact that I know it is a non-event staged by retailers, totally commercial and crass, I truly enjoy the “Back-to-School” thing. Let me be clear. I detest school, always have. The mere thought of entering a school building gives me the willies. And I’m not talking about the migraine-inducing shopping one is compelled to do when there are kids at home. Now that my nest is empty and those headaches are a vague memory, I find I just love shopping for school supplies.
Is it heaven wandering up and down the aisles, eyeing the reams of loose-leaf and printing paper, stacks of pristine composition books, tabbed dividers and report covers, orderly racks of Sharpies (hey, you know they got Sharpie pens now that don’t bleed through???) and ink refills, boxes of fresh pencils. Doesn’t the smell of cedar pencil shavings make you drool? My favorite pencils are Ticonderoga, for no other reason than I have positive associations with the name. One of the loveliest rock ballads from my days as a disc jockey is the little known album track “Ticonderoga Moon” by Orleans.
One can easily rationalize excessive back-to-school buying. Prices are better. Many supplies being offered are useful and necessary for my work. At least that’s what I tell myself as I am loading up the cart (s). Aren’t pencil boxes amazing? Perfect for storing crochet hooks and double-point knitting needles and stitch markers as well as the odd pencil. Toward my goal of being less wasteful, I endeavor to work electronically whenever possible using as little paper as possible. But there are crochet design tasks that require pen or pencil and hard copies. I still scrawl patterning notes, diagrams and schematics in notebooks, filling them with abandon. If you have paper, you need paper clips, right? Wow, those clear plastic rulers are indispensable for measuring gauge.
And just like the yarn and crochet tool acquisition syndrome, it doesn’t matter how many packages of stuff you already have squirrelled away; impulse purchases made the same time a year (several years) ago. One can never be too rich or own too many spiral-bound notebooks.
Doris Chan Crochet 
>That’s so funny! I also love school supplies. I have two wonderful excuses (my kids) to buy glue stick for 18 cents, and folders for 22 cents, and highlighters, I love highlighters. LOL, I even bought a few clipboards for $1 a piece for when I’m crocheting/writing/editing a the soccer field. LOL.
>This is the second weird kismet kind of things that has happened to me today. I was saying to someone at work that I wished I was still in school JUST so I could go back-to-school shopping! Maybe I’ll go shopping anyway. Why not?Btw… Empty nest?!?!?! I’m sure you’re not lying but I so CANNOT believe that you are old enough to have grown kids. Scary.
>Lacy Jacket looks great! I will post a picture of the one I made as a gift, as soon as I can fight my way through the boxes in the other room to get to the dress form. Or maybe I should just borrow a Size Small neighbor to model. It is a wonderful design and amazingly fast to make.
>I feel way less weird about my weakness for new writing implements and notebooks, now that I know I’m not the only one! And wait, jeans, t-shirt, Chucks? That’s me on any given workday! (Very casual office.) Though I’ll be wearing mine with the Triangular Shawl soon, thanks to your help on ravelry. Woohoo!Anyway, the jacket looks lovely. That’s a fantastic color; makes it look like a hip alternative to the ubiquitous jeans jacket 🙂
>I enjoyed your back to school shopping bit. This season reminds me of that movie “You’ve Got Mail” when Tom Hanks emails Meg Ryan something like…”I will send you a boquet of freshly sharpened pencils.” So Romantic!
>Oh, the joy of school supplies. There is a line from the movie, “You’ve Got Mail” in which Tom Hanks talks about New York in September and buying new pencils. I join you in this love fest, except I really loved going back to school.
>Would love to make this in RED! How would I make adjustments to have a higher neckline?
>Hey Laura, The front V-neck is actually higher, but as you can see it may be closed wherever you like. I’ve pinned mine a few inches below where the neck shaping ends.
>I absolutely LOVE this! I am finishing up the Sera Lace top. Maybe this will be my next big project! :o) I have also fallen in love with Caron’s Simply Soft. I can only imagine how soft and compfy this would be made up in that!
>I have my pattern in hand for the Lacy Jacket! Joann’s is having a sale this weekend, so I went on and ordered the yarn for this, 5 skeins of 6 oz each in Caron’s Simply Soft Country Blue. I ordered extra yarn just to be sure! I also needed fabric to sew a tank top to wear under my new Sera Lace Top, which is very near finished!!! :o) I was able to get my fabric for $2 a yard! Silk Essense in Hunter Green. Check out Joann’s this weekend girls! Now I can hardly wait to start the Lacy Jacket! ;o)
>I loved your lacy jacket! It fits really well.CheersChuana
>Ok, I have got to be doing something wrong. Not surprising! I have gotten as far as row 9 on the Lacy Jacket. I am making it in size XL. For some reason I am not coming out with the correct number of V’s. I get 51. I guess I will have to rip out and see if I can find my mistake. I was wondering if anyone who has already made this in size XL has had the same issue or is it just me? I can hardly wait to wear this!!!
>I finally got it! I traced my mistake back to row 5. I was getting confused on the wording. I did it exactly like the instructions for M Row 3. I was supposed to put a extra V in the 1st ch sp. and in the last ch sp. That explains why I kept coming up 2 ch spaces short! Whew!
I am a visual crocheter. Can I find and/or purchase diagrams for this pattern? I am confused about the instructions and I need some extra guidance. Thanks.
This jacket, although designed by me, is not my property. All rights belong to the yarn company/publisher. The answer is you cannot purchase diagrams from me.
Yours,
Doris