Persistent Knitter

Looking at what I’m knitting lately, I feel like I’ve been knitting somber, very dark things. While they are still fun to knit, they don’t do much for my mood in making me smile (unless it’s when I finish a sleeve or piece of the project). Maybe it’s those miles of stockinette in Hardangervidda’s dark blue (which really looks black to me). I am just finishing the heel of Mike’s secret-Christmas-socks, but they are also dark/somber colored, so I haven’t been wanting to pick them up much lately even though it’s my traveling-project. It’s a bit better because the trekking yarn is beautiful in it’s tweedy colors; but it’s still a very dark bit of knitting.

See the dark side of my knitting:

(Yes, that is the 2nd Hardangervidda sleeve on the right. I told you I’d cast on last night.)

I think I had to balance it with something that felt bright and cheery and lifted my mood as I knit. That’s why when I was looking through my stash for another easy travel project, I found the Lorna’s Laces sock yarn for Katie. I mentioned in my last post that I have two skeins of it, but the colors really aren’t me. They are much much more Katie/3 year old girl colors. I don’t know what I’ll do with the second skein, except leave it in my stash to age some more. Maybe I can make her some mittens to match her socks? Oooh - now that’s a fun idea!

Don’t forget I also started a sweater for her in a pretty purple color. Here’s the lighter/cheerier side of my knitting these days:

One note : I’m only about an inch into Katie’s new sherbert socks, but that’s the third try on sizing. I started with 35 stitches. Nope, way too small. 40 didn’t quite seem large enough. Now I’m using 45 and I think that will work just right. I only did about an inch each time, and the colors are so bright and the yarn so soft that I really didn’t mind at all.

I also realized it’s been forever since I knit something for myself! How many pairs of socks do I really need anyway? I was on hiatus from sweater knitting for myself due to my pregnant state, but it’s 5 months past that. Nevermind that I’ve still got some of the pregnancy weight. I need to indulge in a really special project for myself. My Interlacement’s Rick Rack yarn is calling out to me:

It’s very pretty colors, and it’s Rayon, so to me seems like a luxury fiber. However, I need to sit down with my knitting books and copy out some stitch patterns to try with it. I want to design my own sweater for this yarn. I’m not sure what needle size to use, or what will really look good. (but I swear I will NOT buy more needles just for this project.)

I’ve only seen rick-rack yarn knit up into gorgeous shawls. I hope that doesn’t mean I’m doomed in trying to design a sweater for it. I went to the point of pulling out a ball of it and playing with it for two minutes on a needle, but that wasn’t quite enough prep to be able to just sit down and enjoy knitting with it. Has anyone out there seen this yarn made into anything besides a shawl? If you have - please send me the information on it!

Another project I want to make myself is mittens or gloves. I was spinning some yarn to use in this project, but given that I’ve been doing _that_ for over a year now. I have little hope that those mittens will see the light of day for a very long time. So I will make myself mittens from my stash. I have several yarns that could work. I could use some of my lorna’s laces sock yarn (sport or fingering) or maybe some Mountain Colors Weaver’s Wool Quarters. Now that it’s getting cold again, I should really make this my next travel project. Right after Mikes secret socks and Katie’s sherbert socks. :)