Impulse Buys, New Projects and More
I went into Purlsoho the other day to buy a pair of size 5 bamboo
circs, because I have to start work on a cashmere cabled vest for my
husband. They only carry the metal Addi turbos for $15 a pair, not
worth it at all. So I virtuously turned down that suggestion, only to
go completely crazy and buy some Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in a
lovely colourway called "Brick Stripes":
All the colours are lovely and I am wondering why I need a pair of socks for $20, but what the heck, it was an impulse buy and the yarn is wonderful. So I started a pair of socks on size 1s, mainly to knit on the Path and subway commute. 
What I cannot figure out is how to make the stripes look even, as they
did in the sock on display in the store. Mine looks a little weird, but
at least it’s sort of in a regular pattern, which I like. I haven’t
made too many socks before, but this self-striping is interesting.
Anyway, this should be a nice break of stockinette, mindless knitting between the Russian Stole and my cabled vest.
Speaking of Russian Stole, I finished one vertical pattern repeat. At
45 rows per repeat and five such squares of 24 stitches each per
vertical repeat, I will be doing over 800 rows total for the size I
want the stole to be. I cannot imagine I’m actually looking forward to
a long winter, so I can actually wear this thing this season. Here’s
what it looks like, and I really recommend this pattern: it’s so
rhythmic, almost, and easy to memorise.
What else? I have some Indian rangoli patterns that my mother drew for me when she was visiting, and it’s long been my ambition to convert some of these to cabled designs. These are cursive lines drawn with rice flour on floors and courtyards of homes and temples, mostly in South India, and many of them are beautiful and intricate. So I have some with me, and my husband has manfully agreed to wear a cabled vest with some of these. In another impulse buy, I placed an order for the Stitch and Motif Maker Software. And also bought a ton of various Knitpicks yarns just to swatch. Two each of Andean Silk, Elegance, Merino Style and Wool of the Andes. So many people have said so many nice things about this company’s yarns, but I need to check for myself. So more on those next week, and more about my swatching for the rangoli cables as well.
