You Done Good, LB?
We interrupt regularly scheduled knitting to bring you an impromtu baby sweater…
Mmmmm….stripey goodness.
The above project is the beginnings of the Child’s Placket-Neck Sweater by Joelle Hoverson from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, or available for free here. When my husband’s professor’s wife (got that?) recently gave birth (recently as in Monday) to a boy, Matt asked, “How fast can you knit a baby sweater?” As it turns out, pretty fast, especially when using worsted weight yarn. I’m using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, due mainly to a moment of weakness in Michael’s this week, and the fact that Matt deemed my first choice, which was in the stash and teal, “too girly.” I’m already onto the sleeves; the striping keeps me interested and the Cotton-Ease is truly lovely yarn with which to knit. It’s soft, but not too acyrlicy shiny, and the colors are downright “Rowan-esque.” While I was in Michael’s, I came *this* close to purchasing three skeins of the new Organic Cotton in a pretty green shade to make a Tube Toporini. At first glance, it’s pretty similar to the Blue Sky Cotton; but a few dollars cheaper per skein, although I think it has less yardage, about 100 yards as compared to Blue Sky’s 140ish? So it may work out to be about the same in the end.
I have some mixed feelings about Lion Brand’s new offerings. On the one hand, I’m really glad that the yarn company is creating products composed of natural fabrics in subtle colors. These products obviously appeal to those of us that would normally be shopping for yarn in an LYS. So why do I feel kind of….wrong…..buying them? When you think about it, Lion Brand is just as large a company as Cascade or Classic Elite, or even Rowan. And I really feel that price is kind of irrelevant, since when you factor in price per yard, Lion Brand is no less expensive than these “higher end” brands. But Cascade, et al. sell their products almost exclusively through smaller, local outfits instead of the “big box” stores to which Lion Brand mainly distributes. Maybe that’s what bothers me—the setting in which the product appears, as opposed to the product itself. Either way, when presented with a soft, pretty yarn in nice colors, I buy it, whether in the comfy LYS I love, or the generic Big Craft Store I don’t. I just don’t feel as good about the product from BCS. Not coming up with any conclusions here, obviously, just ruminating. Any thoughts?
I will have a few other things to show you now that my most recent hiatus from blogging has passed. I finished the Coquette Lace Tube Top from Stefanie Japel’s Fitted Knits a short while back, so I’ll do a full FO post on that once it’s all blocked and dry (maybe even a two-fer with the Razor Cami). I’m also finished with a quick-n-dirty Bainbridge Scarf (also in need of finishing/blocking), which I found on Ravelry, in some leftover Debbie Bliss Merino DK. It’s looking like the Prairie Tunic may hibernate until next summer, since I really have no desire right now to finish the back. I’m guessing I’ll find renewed interest in it come April when I’m yearning for summer, just like I did the Honeymoon Cami this past April. Let’s face it—as the end of summer draws near, I’m jonesing for some wool. I’m just tired of cotton and summer knits in general. I want some sweaters and shawls.
And finally, a sure sign of crisp fall weather to come, my favorite LYS had its annual end-of-summer sale last week after moving locations. I picked up some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in a rust color and a plum for a Clapotis and Diamond Fantasy Shawl . I also picked up some Cascade 220 in brown for Ysolda Teague’s Gretel. Hey, does anyone know if Silky Wool has been discontinued? I’ve seen it on super-clearance in a few places, and if it is, I’d like to prepare myself since it’s probably my favorite yarn. So next, I plan on casting on the Swallowtail Shawl in Blue Sky Alpaca Silk, getting an early start on Christmas knitting, and this is the chosen project for one of my sisters. I think I’ll knit the Clapotis for the other sister and the Diamond Fantasy shawl for Mom. I’m going to try to space these out over the next few months while digging into some sweaters like the Puffed Sleeve Feminine Cardigan, Ester, Wicked (yes, again), and Flair. Maybe even a Cloud Bolero, but I think I’m really getting ahead of myself here. Oh joyful fall knitting!
Yum….
Flower City Knits 