Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Toggle Switch in my Knitter's Brain

When I last posted, I was in the midst of knitting up many of my newest purchases.  I had just cast on my Kindra sweater in Lustra, and was hoping this desire to knit straight through one purchase after another might last me through at least one sweater.

It didn't.  

This is where I stalled on the sweater (two sleeves and a bit of hem for the body):

Kindra sleeves
I stopped when I received my back ordered Rowan Lima for the Noelle Capelet.  I guess this still qualifies as knitting off new purchases, because I knit it up quickly.  I then knit up a pair of fingerless gloves (the yarn and pattern came with the then-current issue of Simply Knitting), another new purchase.
Noelle Capelet in the Lima color of Rowan Lima
Lacy Mitts in Bergere Ciboullette
Unfortunately for the Kindra (and my desire to finish it prior to the holiday season), the toggle switch in my brain then shifted to "knit scarves and shawlettes" mode.  First came the call from Margaret that she needed more scarves for teens for the annual gift basket program run by the local AAUW.  In addition to donating a few scarves and cowls I had knit earlier in the year, I knit a few from stash yarns.  I'm particularly happy with the way the black and gray scarf came out.

Study in Black and Gray Scarf
Pink Glitz Scarf
I gave Margaret the scarves at a Tuesday morning knit group meeting.  I was trying to finally finish a simple lace scarf in Noro King that I had started a year before (I did finish it a week or so later).  Caroline showed off the beautiful Wingspan she had just finished, and that reminded me that I had purchased two balls of Noro Shiraito (a cashmere blend) to make a Wingspan just like the shop model Beth made for Green Planet Yarns.
Noro King Scarf (done!)
That turned out to be my next project.  It was so much fun that I pulled out a ball of Crazy Zauberball in "Charisma" (magenta and black) to make another.  Both came out well, I think.

Shiraito Wingspan
Zauberball Wingspan

I also knit up a MainStreet Scarf from a kit I bought from Morehouse Farms a few years back.  The colors are more muted than they appear in the photo, and the yarn is exceedingly soft.  I haven't decided yet if this will be a gift or a keeper yet.

MainStreet Scarf
Since then, my projects have been strictly in the charity or gift category (still all scarves and shawlettes).  I've knit a few things from my aged stash (a mistake stitch scarf in Katia Tucan and a Multnomah shawlette in an odd fingering weight mohair), a mistake stitch scarf in Red Heart from stash I inherited from my late MIL, and I'm halfway through my second gift cowl from recent purchases (Rowan Frost and Frog Tree Meriboo, respectively).

Tucan Mistake Stitch Scarf
Red Heart Mistake Stitch Scarf
Multnomah in Mohair (blocking)
Links Cowl in Rowan Frost
Climb and Swirl Cowl in Meriboo
I should really get back to my Kindra so I can wear it to at least one of the holiday dinners I have coming up soon, but my brain has been whispering "fingerless mitts would be lovely Xmas gifts", so I may be waylaid once again.