Yet More Wishes…
First, a quick SPIV update. I got a lovely e-mail from the gal sending to me. It seems we have a lot of things in common, and more unusual things too! Hmmm! She also said a package was going out for me later this week. Yippee! Then yesterday I got a lovely e-card wishing me a Happy New Year!
I have to say I’m really struggling with what to get the woman I’m sending to. She hasn’t been too forth coming on what she wants. Most of the knitting related items on her wishlist are not yet released. And, she has *very* sparse photographs on her blog so I don’t have much a clue about her style. The only thing I do know is that she has plenty of sock yarn in her stash so she’s not interested in anymore of that. I have an idea for one thing, but it’ll take some time to bring to fruition. Is anyone else kind of stuck with the person they are sending to? Oh how I wish she would make a post like this one…
Then, to the subject of the title…
Because the lovely, Abby asked and I’m doing a little “window” retail therapy to recover from my beginning of the week woes…
I’m totally drooling over Socks for Sandals & Clogs by Anna Zilboorg - you can see pics of some of the designs here. Now, given that I have a comission for some socks in March that are to be colorful, textured and for clogs, I really have to have this book, right?? Stop laughing - you know who you are. Yes, I can’t follow a pattern exactly as written to save my life, but it would be certainly great inspiration, right??? RIGHT! LOL! Okay, you can laugh now, since I’m laughing at myself. 
Then, I have Wendy to blame for this case of lust. Have you seen the lovely hand dyeds at Brooks Farm? Excuse me while I get a towel and sop up the drool that has made it onto my shirt… *swoon* Wouldn’t Clapotis be lovely in this? This yarn is even so beautiful that I’m drawn to colorways that include blue?!?!?! Like Classy Harmony (that would go with so many things, from jeans to dressy stuff) and Tropical Holiday (I have a sweater this color that when I wear DH just about trips over himself). The Duet would make a lovely Clapotis as well, though I’m concerned about the mohair causing the need to coax all those dropped stitches. But, Summer Sunset and Santa Fe are certainly drool worthy! Then, there is of course Primero 100% Kid Mohair. It has such lovely sheen! I love Copper River and San Marcos and Sedona and . . . and . . .
Of course everyone is going on and on about the KnitPicks house brand yarn; so I had to window shop over there as well. I have to say that I do feel a bit limited in color selection on a lot of the yarns…
- I do like Fern in Wool of the Andes, for what I’m not quite sure, but I’m all over sage and olive greens.
- The Chestnut or Wheat would make a goregous sweater for DH, but I haven’t gotten him to choose a pattern yet. I think I am going to get him to go for the V-neck rather than a cardigan for his first sweater knit by me though. He doesn’t like crews - says his head is too big to fit through them, LOL!
- Ashley from SnB got her yarn on Monday night and opened it there and last night I got to see the beginnings of her sock in either Snapdragon or Autumn Simple Stripes and while I’m not real big on the self patterning yarns, I have to admit that was making a darn pretty sock! EIther of those colors or perhaps Vineyard kind of intrique me, though I’m not sure I have an outfit to go with any but Vineyard or Storm
- I want to explore the lace knitting farther so Alpaca Cloud intriques me, and Snow’s current project with it feels and looks lovely (even unblocked). I like the Moss color and the Autumn color. I want to like Iris, but while I love purple, I don’t tend to care for the lighter shades too much. Bonus is that I have Scarf Style so I already have a pattern (Ene’s Scarf) that only takes two hanks . . .
- I also really, really want to like Shimmer, but I’m not big on varigated yarns, especially with lace work. If they are subtle color changes it can be really lovely, but their colorways in Shimmer are not appealing to me much. I like my standard neutrals of Deep Woods and Maple Leaf, but those feel a little too “safe” if that makes any sense? The others are either too much blue (I have somewhat a blue aversion, I wear jeans and I have a few blue sweaters my mom gave me last year for Christmas, but I don’t tend to buy that color for myself).
- I’m in love with Andea Treasue’s Lagoon colorway (again with the greens, can you tell it is brown season in Colorado?)… But, what would I make with it? I pretty much love all of their colors in this yarn, have you seen Embers? Oh, how rich!
- Oh, and wouldn’t the Sangria and Olive Andea Silk make a lovely Ribby Cardi? Or something inspired by that anyway? I’d have to totally upsize the pattern, so I might be better off designing my own…But those two colors together are just yummy! I’m not too excited by the Twist colors though
While I love the Alpaca Cloud, I think my first shawl project should be something that is perhaps more substantial? I want a utilitarian one that I can use in the bedroom to keep my shoulder warm while I read. Would one knit in Alpaca Cloud hold up to that sort of wear, nearly every night for 5-6 months out of the year?
I’m also kind if low on gadgets and I’m a gadget girl
- I would love a row counter bracelet (though what size wrist will it fit, I’d need an 8-inch for comfort), though I suppose that isn’t essential since I’ve resurrected my Handspring and am using CountAble.
- I’m also highly intriqued by the Yarn Bracelets though I suppose one could be made relatively easily with some comfortable yarn/tubing and an old CD.
- I know a lot of people will think it’s dumb of me to put this on my list. But we either don’t get produce in nets, or the nets are way too big to use over my yarn.
- I’d love an art purse from the talented Megan Noel (scroll down to the Aster one - I *love* that one, though I’d love a combination of sage green and purples as well) - I think they are as large as the purse I’m carrying right now and I have no trouble taking a sock project with me in it with all the other standard purse schwag.
- Sweater Wizard intrigues me, though I know I am more than capable of doing the math to design on my own. I’m just sketchy about figuring out sleeves and caps etc. I can do a tank top no problem! Though to be fair to myself I haven’t read up on issues such as that yet. Though I plan to in the not too distant future.
- I’m also in want of shorter sock needles! The only ones I’ve seen though were Bryspun and they don’t go smaller than a 2. But 7 or 8 inches of metal time 4 or 5 feels very lethal to me, LOL! Or course it is just more needle than I need. I do most of my socks on 1s, but would like 00-3’s probably.
- Of course if I got shorter needles I won’t have so much “safety room” on them for tossing the sock into my purse so I’d probably need point protectors too. Of course, if I did get an art purse from Megan, I’d need them anyway to protect you lovely fabric work.
- The Print a Grid software really intriques me as well. It sounds way cool to my inner geek and the designer who is trying desperately to surface with a bang.
- And, if I really do this lace knitting thing, blocking wires are definitely a must-have.
Okay, I think I’ve lusted long enough, LOL!
My Lotus Blossom has become my wear-around-the-house-or-out-to-the-mailbox wrap of choice. It’s good, sturdy, and really soft. It was also an incredibly easy knit.
I keep looking at the software for knit designs, thinking it might be fun, but I’ve got a Mac at home, so I’m safe from needing any of it too terribly much. Heehee.
I’ve got some of the Shimmer in Mist that I’ve knit a swatch in. It’s not wildly, contrastingly varigated. I avoided all varigated yarns for a long time, due to an aversion caused by the Red Heart afghans of the 70s.
Comment by Snow — 2/11/2005 @ 1:34 pm