Good Morning Everyone!
It's official, the Harvest Moon has arrived, Fall is on it's way. I fully embrace this transition into the shorter days. I despise being hot, these cooler, sunny days helps me ease into what will become that chilly, frosty time of year I love, winter. I'm certainly not trying to rush anything, but accepting the inevitable helps me feel like I have some kind of control over my environment. I replaced my withered coleus with beautiful chrysamthemums on Sunday, it was the perfect day to start thinning out the gardens. I went to Rail City Market and replenished my Fall spices, nothing like fresh bags of clove, ginger and cinnamon to bake off a batch of molasses cookies. My Schieffelin sweater is finished and is waiting patiently to be worn, I love having a new sweater ready for Fall, two is even better.
I have cast on my next project, Jenn Steingass' Forestland Sweater, I haven't screwed it up yet. I'm using KnittingBro hand dyed superwash merino in Oliver Twist and Coquettish. What I find to be so interesting is how differently it feels from Malabrigo's Rios, another superwash merino. The twist is much tighter and yields an incredible hand. I'm not suggesting that it's better, but I am amazed the same fiber content can produce equally beautiful but different results. I guess that's just one of the many reasons I enjoy knitting so much and am always excited to put a new yarn in my hands. I absolutely love doing colorwork and this pattern has been fun to watch evolve. I've only been off in my count a couple of times, I still haven't mastered knitting with my eyes shut. I did learn a new increase with this project, an invisible left leaning increase. It's completely invisible, just like it's name says, I like it better than M1 which if done incorrectly leaves an obvious hole. Of course I get nervous when instructed to watch a video to learn anything. I learned so many techniques by flipping to the glossary in the back of Vogue Knitting Magazine circa1989 trying desperately to interpret what those diagrams were trying to depict. Remember the days before YouTube and Goggle?
Because I'm me, and self-diagnosed a bit crazy, I'm going to try to get not only my Forestland sweater finished, but Isabell Kraemer's Emsworth Vest done BEFORE our next KAL starts October 23rd. Boy do I love a challenge! Shall I mention there's going to be a road trip thrown into the middle of that schedule? Addie and I are travelling south to stay with Wanda and venture into our nation's capital so Addie can tour George Washington University, American University and Georgetown. Wanda has assured me she's already figured into our schedule a couple stops at the LYS, I need more yarn. That said, the shop will be closed on Saturday October 9th, mark your calendars.
Our next KAL is going to be the Marsali Cardigan knit with Berroco's Lanas Quick, which I received most of last week. There were some backorders and I didn't order enough for Cecile, but I will have these issues remedied before we cast on, hopefully. Along with the Lanas Quick, I did get more Vintage and Ultra Wool, Carrie was concerned that the shelves were looking a little bare. I keep talking about stranding with mohair, and I'm just not going to stop! Seriously, you may think it's a bit tedious and fussy to work with, but the end results are worth it, and I promise the effort is minimal. Carrie has finished the Dunya which is knit with Berroco's Topaz and Aerial, IT'S SO SOFT! Susan is working on a sweater using Vintage and Aerial Color, OMG the results are simply stunning! Yes, I'm super excited about this, STILL! I knit my cozy Spencer with Sesame and Aerial last Fall, the Il Favorito Grande with Ultra Wool and Artesia, and the Leni Hat with Malabrigo Sock and Aerial. If a sweater seems like too much to tackle fresh out of the gates, I can help you pick a more manageable project, you'll be hooked and you'll thank me. Ok, I'm done....for now.
With the days getting shorter, I think it's time to move Stitch and Bitch inside the shop, either that or we can start wearing headlamps. We will be meeting tomorrow evening from 6-7:30, I hope you can join in the fun. Make it a great day and I'll see you soon!
Katy