~ inattentive schoolperson ~
School starts today. I've been a good schoolperson by knocking off a chunk of the reading in advance. I'm looking forward to this semester's classes - - and so far the reading's been good. One problem...no wait... two problems...er...three.
Problem One: Way back in June, when I went bananas at a local yarn shop during the mini-vacation to Seattle, I bought a bunch of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, with no specific pattern. I had been planning on improvising my own design, which has been undergoing various revisions within the confines of my mind, but I got distracted with other projects and this precious yarn has been collecting dust. As you all know, one of the most exciting parts of knitting is the dreaming stage, when you consult your stash, consider a multitude of patterns, peruse online yarn stores, compare yarns and guages, and Ravel somewhat obsessively. Well, I seem to exist in this 'dreaming stage' constantly and even though I've got projects in the works, I derive great joy from the infinite knitting possibilities.
Recently, I've gone back to this Jo Sharp yarn, which exists as tweedy awesomeness, and I've devoted some attention to attaching a pattern to it. I had pretty much resolved on the Rambling Rose cardigan from Interweave Knits, but then I noticed that something I've been lusting after on Ravelry has made its way into a pdf pattern download. If that is not a sign from God, than I don't know what would be.
And so, problem number one, is Baby Cables and Big Ones Too which will be knat in two colors of tweed, with the contrasting color comprising the garter stitch yolk and lower half of the arms. Part of what makes me drool all over this design is its similarity to the Cobblestone, but with feminine shaping and...sigh...diminishing cables.
Problem Two: I'm sure you have all been axiously awaiting my cast on for those Druid Mittens I mentioned two posts ago. Well, step one, acquire the pattern. My excitement for mittens has taken an expected-for-me turn - - that 'dreaming stage' I articulated above....yeah. Mittens.
Now, let's take a step back and discuss one of my life-long loves: fashion. By 'fashion,' I do not necessarily refer to trendy or high-end, but rather my own particular take which usually includes a good dose of fug, lots of contrasts (or, as some people call it, failure to match), and stuff that is interesting. Sometimes there is trendy, and rarely is there high-end (but only for financial reasons). As you can imagine, knitting has been integrated with my fashion tastes, and together they have 'fueled the fire' of that dreaming stage I keep mentioning.
In my mind, I have seen the glory of pairing modern knitted items (such as that diminishing cables pullover above) and traditional knitted accessories. For some time, I have been a great admirer of the traditional knitting and have only recently discovered what I expect to be my outlet. Mittens. And so, Selbuvotter (I highly recommend checking out the projects) and Latvian Mittens (again, check out the projects) will soon enable me to fulfill a great fashion dream. One of the reasons why mittens excite me is the notion that I will not go to jail and be executed if I fail to make matching mitts. In the past, I have considered my failure to maintain attention on a project, and have wondered if I would be able to make two of something (ie, a matching pair). But seriously, who's going to shoot me if I am spotted wearing a Latvian mitten with a Norweigan mitten? I didn't think so.
In other news, and possibly Problem Three, the temperature is cooling off. Which means more opportunities for me to have fun in the outside! This summer, when it was over 95 degrees, I opted to stay indoors...which proved to be much of the time. I have previously described my person's poor temperature regulation, and I have decided to 'live with' this condition rather than fight it. Anyhootily, last night it was in the low 70s, and I went on a fun mountain bike ride with the Josh. We didn't have much time before the sun set, but we meandered around some fun trails for about 45 minutes, which is sufficient for both cardiovascular health and mental health.