New Yarn!

Ok, well it's sort of new yarn. I've had for about 2 months, and made a gauge swatch with it about a month ago, and finally have cast on a project with it. A while ago I noticed my Instagram feed was heavy with green and grey knitwear, and my wardrobe had a lot of black and cool colors. I also had a new design in mind, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to break out of my fashion comfort zone and make something in a new color. I decided I wanted a deep red, wine colored yarn in a worsted weight. And so the hunt for the perfect color began!

I loved Quince and Co.'s new color, Malbec, but it wasn't released at the time, and I wanted to try a new yarn. I've always been curious about Manos del Uruguay, but I didn't want something that variegated for this. I also looked into a lot of Etsy hand dyers. Overall, I discovered a lot of cool and enticing new yarn purveyors. Lorna's Laces almost reeled me in with some lovely deep reds, and O-Wool is now very high up on my list of yarns to try. But I'm very particular and all of these awesome yarns were just slightly, slightly off from the color I wanted.

I spent a couple of weeks looking at yarns, and really wishing I had a local yarn store (alas!). I kept coming back to Malabrigo's Merino Worsted in their deep burgundy.  I originally wanted a true solid, but my current design is so simple I think Malabrigo's subtle variegation will add some extra loveliness (assuming my design works!). But I had used this yarn before for my Tourist sweater, and I really wanted to try something new. Try a new yarn, or go with one you know you love? In the end it was the prices that got me. Here's the reality of the situation: a lot of the lovely, small business, hand dyed yarns were way too expensive. $20-30 for a 100g skein is not feasible for the amount of yarn I needed and the amount of my grad stipend. I went with Malabrigo, which I found on sale for a super reasonable price. No new yarn for this project, but I do get to nuzzle Merino Worsted like a weirdo! But if anyone has any yarn recommendations for me, I'd love to hear them! What are you favorite yarns?

The days of getting crazy on my birthday are over.

I'm convinced I'm a 70 year old man stuck in a 26 year old woman's body. The evidence to back my case? I like scotch.  I get all grumpy when the hoards of students get out of class at the same time on my campus, and I complain about "the youths" not being able to text and walk at the same time. My boss recently told me I make her feel young. I'm a curmudgeon. Not so long ago, my birthday celebrations matched my age better.  But this year my birthday drove home how lame I've become:  I was really, really looking forward to spending the weekend knitting, making dinner with my boyfriend, and watching movies.  Lock up your sons because this lady was getting wild!

Yeah not so much.  I didn't get crazy, but I did start working on a new knitting project! I made a 6 inch gauge swatch, and blocked it and everything. I hate doing this, so I'm giving myself a pat on the back right now. I also received a much appreciated and useful gift: a yarn bowl. Sadly a piece was broken when I opened it, but nothing some Epoxy couldn't fix.

So my days of waking up hungover after my birthday are gone, but so are my days of chasing yarn balls rolling around my floor.

Favorite Fall Sweater!

Halloween is a milestone in fall. Usually by Halloween it's consistently chilly, a lot of trees are bare, and hooray it's always sweater weather! This fall has been a little wishy-washy though. One day it's a brisk 40 degrees, the next it's 65 and humid. But now after Halloween, for which your faithful blogger sported a beard, it seems like sweater season is staying. This post is devoted to the ultimate reason for knitting, the one piece of knitwear that everyone can relate to, loves, and covets: The Fall Sweater.

My favorite fall sweater is Joji's Tourist, in the same mustardy yellow she originally made. I think it's a color that could go horribly wrong on me, but it's so perfect for fall I had to try it out. And after making Helene, I wanted a break from lace.  A simple pattern using a warm, worsted merino wool really resonated with me. This was my first time using merino wool, and I fell in love at first touch. Hmm...that sounds kind of weird. But it's just so soft: how could I not nuzzle it? Ok, not any less weird.

Snuggles!

I almost wish this pattern gave me more trouble, or some knitting epiphany so I would have some more amusing anecdotes to write about. But this pattern was smoothing sailing from cast on to bind off, and it knit up quickly. The ribbed collar and buttoned pocket lend it an elegant style, but in essence it's a simple raglan in stockinette stitch.

Pocket for increased coziness.  Oh and storing stuff, I guess. 

What makes this the ultimate fall sweater? It's got a big pocket to stuff my hands into on colder days. It's got a collar for ultimate snuggles. It's super soft. It's got a little positive ease for enhanced coziness. And for the cherry on top, the color is perfect for fall. And that's my Fall Sweater: simple, cozy, and stylish.  What's your favorite fall sweater?

Oh hi! I couldn't see you over there because I need a haircut!