In other news, Purl Soho has lured me in with their Thermal Cowl (a free pattern). However, instead of using their yarn, which is expensive, I'm using some I got on sale at Knit Picks for under $8 a skein. I did have to get four skeins instead of two, but it was still 2/3 of the price of the Purl Soho yarn. It's bulky yarn, and a very simple pattern, so it looks cool, but is super easy and quick. Just the kind of amusement I need in the middle of making the wrap mentioned above.
The yarn came in yesterday and I've swatched it and just gave it a bath. The pattern calls for size 11 needles, but I always go smaller to get gauge. I tried size 9 and 10. Here are my results. Hmm. I need to figure out how to post these side by side...
So I really like the nice fat cables in the top swatch, which is the size 9. However, it occurs to me that I didn't get gauge at all. It's supposed to be 13.5 stitches and 16 rounds to 4 inches. Yeah, maybe I do need to go up to the size 11 this time. This will be for Middle, who is chilly in Chicago.
Over the weekend I was in Lafayette, Louisiana for a dance competition with Smallest and picked up some souvenir yarn that was new to me. It's Emma's Yarn, and is dyed by a teenager whose parents own a yarn shop. Pretty spiffy. The yarn will be socks for Smallest. At some point.
If you are a follower of Mason Dixon Knitting, then you will know about the February Bang Out A Sweater. I'd picked up yarn to do the Carbeth Cardigan two years ago, and am thinking that this might be the month to get it done. We'll see how things go with the wrap and the cowl. There's a dance competition this Sunday, a plane trip and some long days of waiting next weekend, and then two more dance competitions the last two weekends of the month. Hopefully I'll have something good to show for all that ear abuse!
I think that's about it for now. I'll check back in with Little Moon pictures, and cowl swatch results.
Margie
