Projects for 2007

I have cast-on -itis! I can't stop casting on for new projects! I can already see that 2007 will be a great year for knitting new things. I have so many ideas and so many projects that I want to start!

Somebody stop me!

As for future projects – I would love to do more Fair Isle knnitting. I actually just purchased this pattern from Nordic Fiber Arts.




It's a mitten kit and it comes with yarn too – I selected Tan as my background color and Cranberry as the accent color.


I have been wanting to make this type of mittens for a while now - I just hope I will actually have a change to wear them this year - it's been so warm I haven't worn mittens or gloves at all lately! (Not that I'm complaining!)


I also plan to cast on for the Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style soon – I picked up some cool yarn (Paton’s SWS) in Natural Earth colorway. I think it will set off this pattern beautifully.

I also still plodding away on a top down sweater of my own design. I am using this gorgeous yarn – Araucania Nature Wool.

Here is the color I am using:




The dye lot I have is actually a lot more variegated than this images suggests – some portions are almost white – while others are a light to medium lovely bluish color. I bought an entire bag at Stitches East and some of the skeins have more color than others – so to avoid a noticeable different when changing skeins – I decided to use two skeins at once and alternate strands. This is helping to give it a much more uniform look and so far I love the fabric is it creating. I am knitting on size US 7s and I feel like it’s taking me forever!

I was the proud recipient of 4 – yes 4! - of Barbara Walker’s books in her series “A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” for my birthday and Christmas from the wonderful Nicol and so I think I am going to add a cool cable or something down the middle of the sweater front (instead of going bored to tears with just plain stockinette.) The basic pattern is from a class I took at Stitches East on the “Unpattern” Top Down Sweaters.

I like the idea of having this basic plain sweater pattern and then having the option to make it more decorative by adding cables, or lace or a trim of some kind.


I also finished up a project that had been sitting 90% done for a few months now.





All I had to do was attach handles and the ribbon to this baby and she was ready for a night on the town! I made this while in New Mexico over the summer/fall – in one evening in my hotel room. It was such a quick knit and great for someone new to cables. The free pattern is available here.

I was back in New Mexico last week on Thursday and Friday for a brief visit. (Actually it was for a party celebrating the grand opening of a new building where I was working last fall!)

There was snow everywhere! It was so beautiful to see everything covered with a layer of snow. Especially since we haven’t seen any yet back in Maryland. I was with four other co-workers and dragged them up Sandia Mountain to see the whole city under snow.



They went up kicking and screaming – but once they got up there – they were happy they went. I tell ya – people just aren’t adventurous!! I did get to have some of my ‘ole favorites again – A big plate of Santa Fe cakes for breakfast and a stuffed Sopapilla with green chilies for dinner. Yum!