Knitting in the Aftermath

It snowed yesterday and today the trees around my house are loaded down with snow. The sun is out now and temps are supposed to rise so I'm sure it won't last long but, while it does, it is beautiful out there. This is the Japanese Dogwood in the sideyard.

Once all the holiday knitting furor is over it is such fun to sort through all my projects and discover what is left over. Of course there is yarn from projects and then there are all the projects I had started before the holidays that I can now get back to. On cold January evenings when the snow is piling up on the trees in the old cemetery out back it is a good time to brew cups of tea and make plans for all this yarn.

One of the things I have done for years is sort remainders of yarn into large zipping plastic blag by color or type until I have enough to plan a project. As I was going through my stash I discovered quite a few spare balls of yarns in pinks and purples (what a surprise) so I started a scarf using them in alternating bands paying more attention to texture than to color. I cast on 52 stitches on size 10 needles and decided to work it in Old Shale with 3 puled stitches on either side. I like to do that because the purled stitches roll backward and give a nice little edge that keeps the rest of the scarf from rolling. I'm going to just keep going until I start running out of yarn but I have a feeling that is a long way off.

And I finished the right hand glove (right) for my gloves knit from Knit Pick's new yarn Gloss which is a blend of merino wool and silk --- just lovely to work with. I have learned you should always start with the left hand because it is impossible to photograph your right hand --- at least for me. Knitting gloves is quite an adventure. Very labor intensive for something so small but also so very beautiful. I am knitting them on size 1 dblpt needles and I just love it. I can't wait to finish the second one so I can start wearing them. My sister loved the violet ones I knit for her. Actually, I can see where knitting gloves could get to be a bit of an obsession. Because they are small you can use very luxurious yarns and because they don't have to be as sturdy as socks you can make them quite fanicful. I'm already thinking about a pair in ColourMart's sumptuous cashmere next.

And I have two new cocoons that are almost ready to be photographed and my periwinkle bedjacket is nearly finished. I absolutely love it --- I think it is the prettiest thing I have ever made.

So now I have to get back to work on the latest iteration of the Mermaid Shawl and the instructions I am writing for that. I'll get it finished soon - I promise!

Stay warm, knit happily and thanks for reading.