All the WIPs

 My knitting has been pretty monogamous this week. I’m just loving this pattern and yarn. It’s the Slip Stitch Beret pattern by Ysolda Teague, and the yarn is Lorna Lace’s Shepherd Sport in Bold Red.

I’ve never done this kind of pattern before and the fabric it produces is nothing like anything I’ve seen. It’s much more dense – kind of like knitting meets weaving. Her shaping is amazing – it looks to some degree like I know how to follow directions!

I have to say, though, it’s harder than I’m used to. I can usually read my knitting but this is so different and the shaping is so seamless.

I also worked on my Grayswood scarf with the beautiful Essential DK yarn in the “St. Elmo’s Fire” colorway that Sarah bought me at the Yarn Con Fiber Festival in Chicago last April, and I’m looking forward to wearing this scarf this winter. It’s good project for taking along for visits, etc. The pattern makes a pretty lace and works so well with the yarn, especially when I block it.

The other projects on the needles are in various states: the Melanie Berg shawl, La Crau, is great home or vacation knitting. It’s a easy pattern, but the rows are so long that it takes a while to feel like you’re making some progress. The Purple Cullum sweater is currently taking a break. It needs to be lengthened by a couple of inches.

The red/gray pillow cover from Knitting 24/7 by Veronik Avery is a simple geometric but requires steeking to finish and I felt like it was a low-risk project to practice that skill. I know someday I’ll want to knit a sweater in the round and steek it to to make a Cardigan. That is too much risk for me now. Baby steps.

That’s it for now… except the Chanel Blues jacket that I now have the yarn for. Now I *all* I need to to do is buy the pattern and make the swatch. Oh yeah, and knit the jacket. First things first.  Happy knitting!