I didn’t always love swatching. I used to think of it as a chore. Now I enjoy the times I knit a swatch as a “taste” of a larger project.
I got a ball of Rowan Lima, to swatch for Kind. I didn’t think I’d like it, but then again, I hadn’t knit with the Lima, now had I? I love love love this yarn. It’s very soft, very light, and very springy.
I’m pretty much sold on using this yarn for my project. The only problem is, I have to save up the money to get 16 balls of it. Maybe it will be my birthday sweater splurge. Oh, and I know I was trying to stay away from gray, but this truly was the best color for the sweater!
Here is a swatch of Shibui Knits Merino Alpaca in “Abyss”. It’s for a secret project. I really like knitting with the Merino Alpaca. The 50/50 blend is quite warm and soft, and the thickness of the yarn makes for a quick knit. I have knit with this yarn before, held together with Silk Cloud, and it made it even nicer. Mmm. And it has great stitch definition!
I’ll have some more exciting swatches for you next month. (In Madelinetosh Pashmina!)
I have been working on a sweater called Akoya (on and off) for the past month. Here is what I have accomplished so far. Two sleeves and part of the body. I’m quite anxious to get finished with it, though. My personal deadline is to have it done in two weeks, but you know how that goes.
I love knitting with the Madelinetosh sport. I enjoy the tight twist and overall feel of the yarn. It really softens up after blocking. That is all for now.
And here is a picture of sheer genius (I hope).
I was listening to a podcast today, and it reminded me I have 3 single skeins of MCN yarn from various dyers. Since they’re the same base (Merino/Cashmere/Nylon), same weight (fingering), and around the same yardage (400 yards), why not use them together? I went through my stitchtionaries, Ravelry’s pattern database, my own head, and decided that they would play nicely in Blakeslee.
© Emily Johnson
(I might make a few mods though. In addition to making it a three color pattern, I plan to make it more of a crewneck and then lengthen the sleeves some.)
I’m so happy that I was inspired to make something from my stash, and find a pattern that fits my stash. You know, instead of finding a pattern and stashing more yarn for it. I hope I do this a lot more in the future, especially with single skeins. It’s a good thing I like stripes. I had to force myself to not swatch for this today. I will swatch as soon as I am done with Akoya, and then I might even cast on and work on it every now and then.
Okay, I must use what is left of my day off to knit some more rows of Akoya. I need to find a good movie to watch or something…
