I'm not a monogamous knitter by nature. I totally have knitting ADD. I love it. I love having all those projects going. But for now... I'm trying to be a one project kind of gal. At least until this one project is done.
I'm so serious about this goal that I promised myself that there would be no knitted gifts this year. None. Why? Well, there's this "little project" I'm trying to finish up for Crystal Palace Yarns. I'm not a speed queen knitter... and life does interfere now and then. But even so, I'm trying to finish the Weekender Stole before the end of the month. The original design called for four skeins of yarn. I'm knitting a slightly wider version, so I anticipate that I'll need about five. As of this morning, I've gotten close enough to the end of the second ball to put the third one in the project bag for when I leave the house.
I'm still adoring this yarn (Panda Silk, in case you forgot). I'm still wanting to make something lovely and intended to be worn next to the skin with this yarn. The yum factor is .... very high.
So... with that much knitting left to do, I have no business whatsoever adding a knitted gift to my list. Right? Which is why I'm going to be casting on for a scarf for my beloved Wicked-Evil-Stepmother as soon as I've narrowed the two remaining options down to one. She wants to wear it not as a keep-your-neck-and-chest-warm-in-the-tundra-that-is-Vermont-Winter, but as a thing to wear over sweaters in the not-always-cozy classrooms in which she teaches. I tend to think that scarves should be reversible. Even more so when they're not going to be hidden by coats when they're doing their jobs. So... I scoured Ravelry for reversible scarves, and found the Asherton Scarf, which I quite like. I also found the Chicabean Scarf, which I like, but which is not reversible.... and have come up with a variation on the theme that I might actually be able to pull into a reversible item. I'll need to do some swatching to reach the final decision. (But votes are welcome).
I'll be using this
Those are two delicious skeins of Elsbeth Lavold's Silky Wool. I love me some Silky Wool. I love this color too. Someday, I'll knit a whole sweater out of it just for me. In the mean time... I'm knitting a scarf.
Of course, to get this Silky Wool, I had to go to the LYS. Lately, I've been good... stopping in to visit and knit without buying yarn. But... well... I needed new yarn for the scarf because my Beloved Evil-Wicked-Step-Mother had some specific color requirements.... and that got me looking.
I briefly toyed with getting this for her scarf instead....
It's Araucania Ranco. It's yummy. And though I tried valiantly, I was unable to leave it at the store. I think I'll put it in my own stocking....
I managed to justify it thusly: I do need a new cowl to go with my coat. A cowl, not a scarf, because a scarf is likely to do grabby things with the dreaded velcro stuff on the front of the coat. I have no yarn that looks decent with the coat. I've dithered, was tempted briefly by some Noro, but then found this Manos Silk/Wool blend in yummmy colors. They looked great with the coat. Chatting yielded that I might be able to pull said cowl out of one skein, but then again... it could take two. I'd almost talked myself into it, at $12.50 per skein, when I found this:
This Mirasol Chirapa looks STUNNING with my coat. And though it too might take 2 skeins, they're HALF THE PRICE of the Manos. Thus, saving me between $6.25 and $12.50. So, my Ranco was practically free. Really. I mean look at the math!
You will note that the Chirapa and the Ranco are still in hanks, while the Silky Wool is all wound up into center pull cakes? This is intentional... it's keeping me from casting on with the Chirapa before I knit the scarf.
The weather is testing my resolve though. I mean seriously -- Sunday evening, it was 53 degrees. Monday morning it was 7. (yes, single digits). Last night, it was in the teens, sleeting at us. Winter is not skipping us. I neeeeeed that cowl.....
Ahem.
I'm going back to the Weekender Stole now.
I'm so devoted to it that I even took it with me for my Cytoscopy. I didn't knit during the procedure of course... I watched the same screen that the doc did, and got to see for myself that my bladder is all healthy. So today, instead of being 90% sure I don't have bladder cancer -- I'm 100% sure. Nice thing, surety. I wonder if it will make me knit faster.
Silky Wool is perfect for a scarf; warmth with zero itch factor. Great color, too.
Posted by: kmkat | December 17, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Glad to hear you are healthy! What a fright!!! And, the yarn. Oh what lusciousness you display. Wish we had a decent LYS. Could go with some fibery cheer right now. Well, gotta run work on a sweater that has a chance at being completed before the Day.
Posted by: bev | December 18, 2008 at 06:59 AM