New motto for Purly

With almost 150 posts, I'm no longer the latest knitting blog, so I've got a new tagline courtesy of the Yarn Harlot. In her new book, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off,* she says "we don't think of ourselves as obsessed, but rather as exquisitely focused in a very narrow direction." And, of course, my direction is knitting with the occasional crochet edge.

*The link is to Amazon, but be sure to check your local, independent book store first, if you haven't gotten your copy yet.

So, what have I been focused on? Turning this pile of Mission Falls 1824 Wool (ignore that swatch - it didn't work out)



into these bits and pieces for a picot-edged cardi for Miss Isobel, using the numbers in The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I'm going to use it for a vest for Dad, too. Combined with that little, laminated Interweave Yarn Requirements dealie, I'm all set on basics.



Notice anything? One of these things is not like the other.



Seems I'm not terribly good at reading neck-shaping directions twice. Oddly, I messed up on the first one. The one where you don't have to reverse the directions in your head. Sigh. There will be a little frogging tonight I think, once we're dry. And then there will be sewing up and a knitted on button band/collar with picots. Should be cute and plenty big for her to wear next fall.



In the meantime I'm working on a shawl in some destashed Kidsilk Haze in Dewberry. Not a color I would have chosen in a shop, but working on it is a bit of a revelation, and I'm happy I snagged those two balls. I am now thinking of doing Icarus in three skeins of KSH Heavenly. ... Mist is pretty, too. Well, they're all gorgeous! Anyway, this shawl is basic stockinette worked from center neck edge out and down thanks to four YOs every knit row. My plan is to knit up the first skein, see where we are, and then think up a big edge plan with the second skein. I'm doing this on 4.5mm (US7s - I'm trying to learn the metric system for knitting).

Interesting about all the purple, eh? Next up, starting the vest once I get a US4 (3.5mm) circular (and figure out if I want to do stripes on the front or venture into Argyle territory - Dad is a very tall man, so I'm not sure about venturing). Perhaps I should do the Alpaca Silk Opera Gloves, since I have DPNs.