The 3rd skein, anemic on
Friday morning is now thread bare. It is quite clearing nearing its
end.
As it stands now, length of the shell is just past 21 inches, and
it seems unlikely I will get a full 22 inches. But it will be close. My
thinking was that at the lower edge, there would be garter—just
as there is at the top. But I am rethinking—and considering just
working in the ribbing till the end. Well—at any rate, the last
few remaining yards of the skein will continue the rib pattern.
To finish, I have another 10 g mini
skein. It will—based on my experiences with the previous one—yield
another inch. So my final result should be 22 + inches or so, maybe
even 23 inches. A bit short of the ideal 24 inches—but still a
decent length.
I am so pleased with shell. I knit a
lot—fingerless gloves, and socks and hats.. but so little
clothing—I think I need to do more—not less. For now, I do need
a break from doing such a big project on such small needles—mostly
because I want a quick to finish project (I have been working on this
shell for a month now!),
While I have been whining about the
work of knitting it-- (not much, but) --I am so in love with the
results. It has not really taken that long either. The shell is 3
full skeins (and little bit more) of sock yarn. I would be pleases as
Punch to have knit 3 pairs of socks in 6 weeks—and this top is MORE
than the same work as 3 pairs of sock (they would have each had a bit
of yarn left over!)--and yet, it really hasn't seemed onerous to knit
(as sweater sometimes can)--after all it not much more work than 3 pairs of socks!
This top is going to be the start of a
trend. I think I need a brown top and well as the teal blue
cropped sweater, and maybe a rusty red/orange something, too. The
yarn also comes in lovely purple (and I love purple!).
Plus—white--and white could end up being any color I want. I could
knit a simple top, sleeveless or short sleeveled, or cropped, every
year for the next 5! I could have a full wardrobe of pretty little
tops.
If I end up making a cardigan from the
semi solid Pink alpaca yarn I have--(This is something in my queue) then, maybe next year-- a solid
pink top from the pink Sock Ease, for not quite matching sweater set.
(WAIT 2 pink sweaters? For me? The world must be coming to an end!)
PINK—is not one of my favorite
colors-- and a set of pink sweaters? And one in alpaca –a fiber
renowned for its warmth (for me? A person who is never cold?--well
never normally cold—I do feel cold once in awhile (its usually a
sign that I am coming down with something)). Do I ever feel so cold
that I need a set of pink sweaters? When is ever going to be so cold
that I will need to layer sweaters? (Not yesterday—or today—the
weather has been distinctly spring like!)
As I have been making list and planning
my projects for the year,I have also been casting about for the best
yarns. For some project, I know just the yarn I want. But for
others, I have been rooting through my stash. Along the way, I have
re-discovered more alpaca—in a blue and green mix— very similar
to the semi solid pink (but not as much) I have no idea of what to do
with it! Not quite enough for a top –but a lot for a shawl. It's
mostly a sky blue, but not entirely, it has some olive mixed in, too.
The green is a good match to the green of the shell. So, likely at
some point, it will be made into yet another scarf.
I also unearthed 4 solid skeins of
alpaca—2 in soft buttery yellow, the other, a similar color to
green wool I have been using for the shell—but darker. In some
light, it looks green, in other light, it looks brown—but I noticed
that the green shell sometimes looks brownish in the photos (I
usually try to get a better-truer color image—but..)
LAST year one of my plans was to turn
the green/brown alpaca into Annie Modesitt's Backyard Leaves Scarf—and it will
someday become just that... but NOT now. My mini obsession with
leafy patterns is beginning to abate—and I want to knit with any
color that is not green!--A pair of socks, and arm warmers, 2 hats
and shell are enough green for a while. (the link above is a Ravely link and
might not work if you aren't on Ravelry)
But the yellow? It's speaking to me.. I
don't quite understand what it is saying--which is good thing, too.
I already have plans for the sparkly blue shawl, and I only have
enough of these alpaca's to make a mini shawl or lacy scarf— but
it's not going to jump the queue and be up next.
I'll have to check my list and see what
else I have planned—and what is suitable for this so, so soft
yarn. A warm scarf or mini shawl is not too much of a good (and
warm) thing. I don't need to dress as warming as many do—but two
week ago when the temperatures never broke above freezing—I did
wear hats, and gloves, and layered fingerless gloves over them, and
scarf. I wore less warm clothing than many others, but I do make use
of my knitting.
More often than not—I like scarves
for style, rather than for warmth. But there are cold days when a
nice soft scarf around my neck feels lovely and cozy. It's always a
bonus when a soft warm scarf is also one that looks special!
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