New yarn! And: Why I should not order yarn after a concussion.

My new yarn arrived! Yay! First, came the gorgeous cashmere fingering from Argosy Luxury:

Yum, yum, yum! It is beautiful. The color is just great and perfect for Kevin.

One small matter, however. When I picked the yarn, based on the Ravelry page (without reading what others had used or looking closer at the yarn used in the original), I thought it was to be fingering yarn. Actually that's what the page says, but if you read further, it says look for something about using a yarn somewhere between fingering weight and sport. And the yarn used in the original pattern is DK. Ha. Well. This is what happens when I make choices when I'm not completely cognitively intact. (I'm totally blaming the concussion. I'm typically way too detail-oriented to make a mistake like this.) I tried it out to see if I would get gauge anyway. Maybe if it were to be a hat for a baby and not an adult....so I frogged what I had and just ordered some DK weight yarn from Argosy. Zen 4Ply in Coal, which likely you won't see on the page either because I think I ordered the last one. Coal is basically black with just a wisp of greyishness or maybe even brown in it.

I'm considering going double-stranded with the Zen 4Ply and Zen 2Ply because I love the colors in the 2Ply...all blue-grey-black. We'll see how it goes. I'm still hoping that I can have the hat ready for Vermont. The first order from Argosy shipping quickly and it isn't a really difficult project. A 3x3 rib with 114 stitches cast on and then basic k2tog to decrease at the crown. It didn't end up requiring too much translation because of the chart. And when Kevin did look at it to "translate" it turns out that half of the kanji could mean the same bunch of words, depending on context, and not being a knitter, he had no idea what a lot of it meant. So. Yay for charts.

(FYI - the concussion is mostly gone, or rather its side effects are. I still am getting headaches more often than I used to...like right now...and I've got a tiny bump that is getting smaller each day and some bruising that is fading as well. I have noticed my recall is much poorer than it ever was though. Hopefully that will improve, too.)

Well, thankfully the yarn I ordered from Knit Picks arrived as well, because otherwise I'd have nothing productive on my needles. And the needles I needed arrived from eknittingneedles.com, too. With my yarn stash growing as it is, I'm going to need a much bigger and better storage and organizational system.

I'm going to start....in a few minutes as soon as I bring up the laundry from the dryer....the Valentine Mitts. Just in time, too, because we're trying not to turn the heat above 60 (originally we were trying for 55, but I am not that hardy it turns out). I have on a turtleneck and a heavy, long, hooded sweater and it's not enough....damn the old, drafty house (and old, not double-paned windows, and lack of proper insulation) and old furnace that makes our heating bills way too high and doesn't even warm up the place.

Anyway, isn't the yarn beautiful? I just love the color: Iris Heather, mmm....lots of purpley, reddish loveliness. I think the cabling will really show it off nicely. So it's off to the basement I go and then back to make something pretty and warm.

and more stash is on its way....

A few months ago...I want to say DH but that's not true and "DB" isn't a common term as far as I know. Anyway....

A few months ago, dear boyfriend requested I knit him a cashmere hat. I briefly looked into it at the time (meaning, I looked at every boy hat on Ravelry), but dropped the idea because on further questioning DB "wasn't sure he would actually wear it." I don't think so. If I knit a cashmere hat for you, it will be worn.

Since he's been so nice lately, taking care of me and my head injury and putting up with my concussed crankiness, I re-offered. And he seemed more interested, perhaps because we have a trip to Vermont coming up! (In February I might add, with activities such as cross country skiing and snowshoeing.)

"Will it be done before our trip?" Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Well. I suppose it can be if I order the yarn rightnow and bump it up above the other 4 projects I had hoped to start. Plus he's paying for cashmere yarn. Yum!!!!

He's a good boyfriend. Ordered some lovely fingering cashmere (Zen 2-ply, in Stephanie's Laguna - a lovely bluegreyblack color) from Argosy Luxury Yarns. (You probably won't see that color on there because I think I got the last one -for now?- but it is yummy and soft and I can't wait to squish it.)

If he abandons it, I suppose I can claim it as my own. One can never have too much cashmere.

Oh! So the pattern. I had seen it before on Ravelry, but, like I said, dropped the idea at the time because someone was less than enthusiastic about the idea for some reason. But I was drawn to the same one again - "Vintage Cashmere Hat." Nice, right? Classic. One slight issue. The pattern is written in kanji. Japanese. Huh.

But wait! DB is fluent in Japanese. This is perfect. He translates the pattern, I knit it. Could it be any better? Perhaps if I ever write my own patterns he can translate them for the knitters in Japan!

I'm a little sorry to put aside my mitts for now (not that the yarn has arrived yet)....but not that sorry to work with cashmere. Can't wait till it gets here!

waiting for new needles & stash replenishment!

I'm kind of in knitter's limbo here. Nothing on the needles, which hasn't been the case for a while. Okay, that's not true, but it doesn't count because it's practice, right? I'm working on the swatches from Fearless Knitting Workbook. Not really a project though supposedly I can turn them into a blanket or pillowcase or something later.

Buuuuut! I should have yarn and needles arriving for three new projects soon. It had better be soon....

I ordered three balls of worsted weight Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks in Iris Heather, for my Valentine Mitts. A couple for the Cafe au Lait Mitts - DK Merino Style in Nutmeg. And a couple for the hot water bottle cozy - bulky Wool of the Andes, in Wine. Also ordered the necessary needles for these, plus the baby dress project from eknittingneedles.com. After my order was straightened out, I was quite pleased with how quickly the last order came and the quality. Definitely worth it for the price, for some of my first needles. Nice, warm bamboo. Someday when I have the funds I'll order a nice interchangeable set, but until then.....

Not all these projects are for me....just the Valentine Mitts and hot water bottle cozy....I think I should join the selfish knitters group on Ravelry :)  I never realized before...for all the work that goes into knits, why should it all be gifts? Of course the last knitted gift I gave (see below) was much appreciated I think. Roomie seemed quite pleased with the hat. Hopefully she will send some pictures!

Off to bed....I'm recovering from a bad fall and concussion so I need more rest despite my leaving work early and resting all day. Looking forward to my new microfleece sheets and thermal blanket.....

Lovely beribboned hat

Maybe I'm not the slowest knitter ever (this was done in a record - for me - 5 days, including finishing, sewing, etc.)....here's the Fawn Earflap Hat from Boutique Knits: 

Not bad! I did something funny with the casting on around the earflaps, but I worked it out so that the seed stitch pattern and decreases came out alright. Iffy on the yarn....it wasn't the most fun to work with (especially on bamboo needles...too much stick!) but I do like how it came out. I'm eyeing a cowl and an afghan (the latter as a gift probably) in the same yarn. I'll have to ask the hat recipient how it wears after a while. It's really soft and chunky and warm.

I'm ridiculous and went to the notions shop without my list, so I only got I think 4 feet of ribbon instead of 2 yards. Buuuuut it looks good. I used the clear nail polish thing to keep it from fraying, but if I use ribbon again I'll probably get that special product to prevent fray, whatever it is. Sewed the button on the outside of the hat instead of the inside as I assume recipient (it's still a surprise, at least until this weekend!) will most likely wear the flaps down.

If I didn't already have my cloche, earmuffs and the cashmere hat, I would so do one up for myself in a nice yellow, mmmm. But I need to stop. With the hats at least. I really want to do mitts for myself, either the ones out of Boutique Knits of course (time to get into colorwork!) or these cute ones I found on Ravelry. Annnnd I want to make this adorable dress to destash a bit. I've got to do something with the Classic Elite Star I bought for the ill-fated bikini....a baby dress for Kevin's niece, once she's born of course. Trying to decide if the newborn size or three-month-old is better. Due date is mid-May, so I'm thinking newborn so it can be summer wear, but three-month-old may last a while longer? Not sure....need to ask people who have had kids what is best! I suppose with a long sleeve tee and bloomers underneath it can last into the cooler months.

Also in the queue is the hot water bottle holder, a skirt, Calorimetry (because....there is some rule all knitters must do one? and I can always use more winter head wear) and more and more. I kind of just want to go on Knit Picks and buy the yarn for the mitts, hot water bottle holder and skirt so I can just go as soon as I'm ready. That would be a pricey venture though and probably I should just get the needles I need for the baby dress and stick with that. Oh and maybe yarn for the mitts because it is cold here! The thermostat lies...we set it on 64, because heat is too expensive and it all drafts out of the apartment anyway. But somehow it says "68." It hasn't been 68 since probably September.

Anyway....here's hoping mystery recipient likes her hat! If she poses with it, I'll try to get some pictures so you can see how it looks on.