Knits are it

For Eye Candy Friday, at least... above is an advertisement that appeared in a large store window in the main shopping high street in Bath, England. Knit was one of the persistent themes for me on that trip. I saw one sweater go by (worn by a woman) in Cardiff that made me stop and stare, and then rush back to my room to make a sketch. While I was in England I diligently hunted the shops for a similar sweater, and since my return have been scouring magazines and websites looking for something even similar, that tickles the same knit bone that the Cardiff Cardigan did. I'm coming to the conclusion that I may have to design it myself, but not before I finish two of my three WIPs, which I present to you in the order that I think I'll finish them in.

The first Spumoni Sock, the first half of which was finished in one long sitting, while I was trapped on an airplane bound for Munich. Look at the stitches. You can't tell I was sleep-deprived, can you?

Man, I love self-striping yarn for socks! Next up is the Fiesta Ballet Scarf. The first half-repeat was completed while I was in London, and the rest has been done in the past week or ten days. I'm about one-eighth finished with it.

I love the colors of this yarn, and I love the way this pattern moves them around. This reminds me to write that I have been recently surfing knitting sites for sock yarns, and discovered that some knitters have found a way to deal with varigated yarns that make hideous pools of color: entrelac. The former Rainbow Socks, which are in the frog pond, fall into this category, and I think I'll try my hand at entrelac with that ball of yarn. Later.... after I've finished some other things.

Finally, the last thing I have on the needles is the Pi Shawl, which was nearly to the end of the next design element when I decided that it was imperfect enough to drive me crazy and I frogged it. I had it almost half-way back to where it was, while I was in England, when I made a fatal mistake and frogged it back again. I haven't picked it up since I've been back, but eventually it will call to me again and I'll get it in gear.

It's really not a complicated pattern or hard technique. On the contrary, most of the time this is a lovely, mindless knit that makes up into a really beautiful and useful shawl. I just need to relax a little more, that's all. That's an Addi bamboo circular needle, and it's great to work with.

When I finish the second sock, I plan to turn full-time to finish the scarf. I did a little inventory the other night, and remembered that I had yarn enough to do the Chanel Revisited Sweater (it's really a cardi) without buying an inch of yarn. There are the goods to make the Celtic Tote right away (which is probably what I'll do first). I have sufficient laceweights to make a stole and a shawl (like that Stonington Shawl I kept trying to get started) or something. Last week a knitting colleague gave me enough lovely soft black bulky yarn to make the Cabled Vest from the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2007 issue. I also have enough of that lavender and purple Ballybrae tweed wool to do something with, maybe a Zimmerman Fair Isle pullover. And, there's no excuse for not having another sock on the needles right away.

Such an embarassment of riches. I better get busy!