Minimalist Cast-On

While the Tubey was blocking, a couple of days before I was aware of the sleeve snafu, I cast on for the Minimalist Cardigan from the '07 IK Fall issue. I'm using the Blue Sky Sport Weight Alpaca I bought last March to make a pleated skirt. The skirt is cute, but really? A wool skirt in Texas? Really?

The yarn is a little hairy to show off the stitches well, but my gauge is dead on and I think yardage-wise, I have enough. It's so soft, I know (if I can actually knit it correctly) that it will be something I'll actually wear.

The ability to type in a pattern's name, see a ton of examples, and read everyone's experience knitting it is the biggest reason I use Ravelry. The cardigan seems to be well liked by all, seaming being the only complaint. And really, does any one seek out seaming?

The Shabby Sheep

While KIPing at lunch last week, and very nice woman came up and told me she knit too and we chatted for a few moments about knitting. We were in a cafe near the store the Yarn Bully owns, and she mentioned that she had had similar experiences. She said her favorite place to go was The Shabby Sheep.

So S and I went on Saturday to check it out. I completely understand why it is her favorite place as it is now mine too. The staff are amazingly friendly. Not pushy at all they are happy to order anything for you, get anything off the top shelf, or take a moment to gush over the Eunny Jang enterlac knee socks with you.

I splurged and bought all of the supplies for the Blue Sky skirt. I've never made anything using the yarn the pattern recommends because I'm usually too cheap, but the alpaca is so wonderful to touch. If I'm going to ever wear a wooly skirt in Texas, it seems best that it's made out of the softest thing evah.

Not so Twinkletoes

*Oh, the sadness*

I started the Twinkletoes pattern from this winter's Knitty before Christmas. One slipper only took three short nights of knitting to make, but sadly, it doesn't fit well at all. The thing is way too big and I am not petite of foot at a size 8.5. They were even big on my younger sister, who comes in at a size 10. The loose toe I could deal with, maybe send them through a hot wash and dry and shrink away the floppiness, but the heel, the heel is sized for perhaps Paul Bunyan, or some other mythically gigantic person.

All of this is a real shame, since I liked working the pattern and it would have been a great way to use up the rest of my Salishan.

I made a list of projects I want to make in 2007...I can easily say I have about 6 months worth of pleasant work ahead of me.