switching gears for today

it was a gorgeous (but cold!) late autumn day here . . . a nice break from the overcast skies we usually have this time of year. i love this trio of leaves on the drying epimedium rubrum plants—a little spot of intense red in a sea of fading gold and orange.

i put the purple hat aside for a bit yesterday after i wrote my post (even though i wanted to run right up and take it apart immediately) and was so glad i did—johanna generously emailed me once agan to offer leftovers from her own purple mink project (we’re going to trade, which makes me feel better). i think with that and with what i have left, i can knit a second hat that is more my own size. thank you johanna!

because the first hat—well, beckie tried it on last night and it looks aMAZing on her (no picture; it was too dark). so much so that i think she’s just going to have to take it home one of these days—after she models it for the the pattern release (i think that trade more than fair, don’t you??).
in fact, beckie was looking very sharp from head to toe last evening in some new clothes and the shoes we forced her to buy she chose herself in woodstock. she is stepping up her game . . . we’re going on another shopping trip tomorrow, in fact.

anyway, we had a fun knitting night and once again, i forgot to take a photo of her sweater. sorry. the good news is that once i do remember, it will be far enough along to really see the shape (she’s on the sleeve).

i worked on my own henley sleeve and i do believe i have a better sweater in progress now. by the end of the evening, i was a good way to the underarm point.

i adjusted the gauge numbers, which added one pattern repeat to the starting width. the fit will still be snug but not strapped, if you know what i mean. and the ribbing will be nice and flexible. the change adds two repeats to the body width, which makes me nervous, but i’m going to trust the numbers (for now).

i have plans this weekend to start a reknit of david’s 2007 christmas sweater in this batch of briar rose charity. i want to take it with me on our thanksgiving trip in two weeks.

but when i went to dig out my notes on it, i can’t find all of them (or any computer files, or that all-important post-it with the numbers, i know i had). rut-roh.
it’s so unlike me to misplace pattern notes, that i’m sure i could eventually find them right where i put them. but i think i should just spend the time swatching instead, using the sweater and my incomplete notes to get working.

late last night i worked on a project i’ve been ignoring—the mittens i started in ZYG serenity worsted a couple of weeks ago.

i finished one, except for the last few rows of the thumb (i conked out just before the end, haha). i’m not sure about this mitten . . . this project is going to be a set with a hat; i think the texture will make a beautiful hat, but i don’t know if it’s working in the mitten (yet).

i do like the way the yarn is knitting up a lot—it’s really dense and windproof on size 4 needles. this set will be a killer defense against the cold this winter. i think i should start the hat and mull over the mitt while i knit it. maybe something will occur to inspire me . . .

i started a new sock too (i couldn’t stand being sockless any longer). i don’t have enough knit yet to show it to you, but maybe next time. i’m expecting some yarn any minute to knit a club sock, too, so that should keep me in good sock knitting for a while.

in the meantime, i got a nice package of yarn today from susan ford at slackford studio—yummy, yummy yarn that’s a little different from what i’ve seen around.

susan has a range of sock and sport yarns, as well as fingering yarn for finer projects. from top to bottom:

pathway sport in roasted carrots colorway

this is a deliciously soft and lofty 8-ply cabled superwash merino sport yarn. i wish you could feel it—it’s not a heavy, tight-twist sport yarn at all. it is definitely the kind you want for baby items, soft mitts, and neckwarmers.

next is the hedonist sock—a different version of the merino/cashmere/nylon blend

this was a surprise addition to the package and susan chose the color—hot lips—which i adore. it truly is as soft and sexy as a long kiss; i am so saving this for a valentine’s knit.

and finally, the nimbus cloud fingering yarn—an amazing 2-ply alpaca/silk/cashmere blend in the lilac frost colorway.

i’ve never seen anything quite like it, but i love it. the cashmere and silk seem to go a long way in taking the edge off of those alpaca prickles, if you know what i mean. it’s my personal conundrum; i love the way alpaca behaves with all my heart, but next to my skin, it feels like a blanket of needles. i work around that by wearing layers under it, but this version tempts me to try getting closer.

we’re freshening up the blog and store just a little bit this week, so you may notice some changes, hopefully for the better. please bear with us for a few days while we get everything set.

and now, i’m sure it must be knit o’clock—right?