Stitch and Chat: So Much Yarn, So Little Time!

Par usual, when fall starts I get overwhelmed by all the new possibilities.

We knit up new samples for the shop.
The new yarns come in.
A pattern I designed for Tahki came out.
There are gifts to be made.
New designs I want to put to paper and knit up.

Every time I attempt to tidy up my workspace (the kitchen counter and Yarnia) within a day it is back to it's overflowing state with new beginnings or (in some cases, procrastinations).

One of the new samples I am particularly interested in is a very easy stockinette poncho. It's a very wearable accessory.

It's the Ara Pacis Poncho knit with Superior (Lace: 70% Cashmere, 25% Silk, 5% Merino, 330 yards). What makes it special is the fiber it's knit in and the drape of the fabric. My fashionista friends tell me that cashmere ponchos like this are really "in". Never being one to miss out on a fashion trend, I figured I'd knit one. ;)

The color comes as a complete shock, I know, what can I say? I'm knitting mine with A Touch of Twist, Zephyr, yarn (Lace: Merino/Silk Blend, 300 yards); purchased at Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival a couple of years ago. I think it will have a nice drape because of the silk. Although knitting stockinette like this makes some people crazy, I don't mind it. It's perfect for night-time tv knitting or when I'm too tired to concentrate, but would like to knit. I'm doubling the yarn to get gauge.

We got in Rowan Pure Wool Aran (Aran: 100% Wool, 186 yards). It's just got this great feel to it. I'm working on a pattern for a baby hat & mitten set.

I designed the Hudson Valley Vest for Tahki and it's published in the Tahki Yarns, Fall Getaways Collection, Fall/Winter 2013. The yarn the pattern uses is Calypso, (Bulky, 60% Wool, 40% Acrylic, 184 yards).

I have Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky (Aran: 100% Merino, 165 yards) in my stash in this rich, Cousteau, colorway. I've swatched (from bottom to top) with #10.5, 11, 13 needles (I think I swatched with #11 twice in the middle - two separate swatching sessions).

Although I technically get gauge with the #13, it's way to loose. When I hold it up, gravity opens the stitches up in a way I don't like. I'm going to take my chances and knit it with the #11 and then block the heck out of it.

I'm working on Thing #1's much desired sweater. It's black and it's lace - her choice, not mine. In a word, Oy. For those of you who know her, it's a surprise, don't tell her. She swears I promised her this sweater. The guilt was making me crazy. I'm sure I didn't promise. I'm very careful about that. She probably didn't understand that when saying I'd knit her a sweater, I meant, "sometime in the future". The yarn is Cascade Ultra Pima (DK: 100% Cotton, 220 yards).

Then there is a baby gift to knit. I'm knitting my Flap Happy hats for the new baby and sibling in Rowan Pure Wool Aran. I'm adding a contrasting stripe to each hat of the main color of the opposite hat so they will kind of match. I also modified my own pattern to include 3 rounds of garter after joining the ear flaps to the hat cast on. It will keep it from curling.