Production Knitting

I'm making GREAT progress on mom's scarf. Am I the only one who feels like I've made progress when I'm able to fold my knitting? The scarf is not 40 inches long and easily folds up. I always put my knitting to the fold test and when it comfortably folds I think "OK, now I'm getting somewhere!"

I showed the scarf to Kim last night and she commented that the colors are much prettier in person. They yarn has pink, lavender and blue in it. I really think Mom's going to love it and at this rate I'll be done on Friday night!

What's next on my list?

Well, Kelly's Starmore pillow is not going to happen. I bought 3 types of yarn in order to get the color range I needed and the yarns do no play nicely together. That or I'm the world's worst FI knitter. Either way, that pillow is not happening this year.

So, instead she's asked for gauntlets with finger stubs on them. Are they called fingerless too? Or just the ones that are like a big tube? Anyway, that's what she'd like instead. I'm considering doing them up in a nice fiber - maybe a cashmere? - and possibly holding a strand of Fixation with it to make them fit better and give them more stretch. Has anyone tried that before with the Fixation?

Kelly - if you're reading this try to remind me that I need to take a few measurements from you this weekend.

What else?

Stella gave me this pattern this weekend and I'd like to make it. But, only if it comes from the stash! The catch? It uses 3spi yarn. I may have some yarn I can hold doubled but it definitely cuts down on the possibilities. I don't think I'll do the flowers on this one since it's winter. Maybe some fun embroidery though.

New VK

I peeked at the new VK last night. I didn't see anything that really grabbed me though. Lots of ponchos and glittery tops. It's not a bad issue, just not for me.

I also looked at Last Minute Gifts. The book is very pretty and some of the photos were reminiscent of Weekend Knitting. I enjoyed looking through the book but I left it on the shelf. The projects were nice and simple, but nothing totally grabbed me. She did have a chevron koigu scarf in there, but I could easily knit that up without a pattern. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice book, I would love to support the author (Purl is such a friendly store!), and I'm sure it has a market. I suspect I'm simply not the target audience for this book.

Another Stash Busting Idea

Allison pointed out the free pattern for these cute little bags the other day on her blog. I had misplaced that link long ago! Aren't they cute? While these seem to be done in Kureyon or Silk Garden I could see doing them up in a variety of solid yarns to make the stripes yourself (like the little zip up bag in Weekend Knitting).