Knitting News

I was tempted, by the way, to title this post, "Knitting Knews," but I didn't feel like being silly tonight. :)

I visited the local yarn shop this afternoon, and I walked out with three balls of very soft yarn. One of them turned out to be a merino wool/cashmere blend that can't be put in the dryer, so I'm going to use it for a super soft scarf for myself. I should have read the label more carefully, but I couldn't resist the feel of the yarn. The color is a very pretty blue that will look good as a cabled scarf, and I can't wait to get started on it. I'm going back to the yarn store tomorrow afternoon, so I can get two more balls of that blue dye lot to use for my scarf. I've noticed over the years that using different dye lots can make a huge difference in the way a finished project looks, and it's definitely not an improvement.

The other two skeins (lemon yellow and cotton candy pink) are machine washable and dryer-safe, so both will be good choices for baby afghans. I have enough of those to make doll blankets for Princess and Starbuck to play with; once I determine which yarn I like better, I'll buy enough of one dye lot for an entire project.

I ordered my knitting needles today. I picked a range of sizes to allow me to experiment with different patterns and yarns without needing to place another order anytime soon. I also ordered a few more balls of yarn, so I could experiment with several different brands to find just the right combination of softness and washability to suit my needs.

While I'm waiting for my needles to arrive, I'm going to make a big push to finish the girls' baby afghans. They are made using the same pattern that was my grandmother's favorite afghan pattern (Red Heart's Park Avenue), and they are going to be big enough for the girls to use for a few more years. After that, they will join the other children's afghans in their hope chests for their own children. (I am sad to report that my oldest son's baby afghan was lost by his father after the divorce. I have all of the other afghans, though.)

I have quilting to finish, but as I've said in an earlier post, it's almost impossible to get time to actually quilt right now. The kids *should* go back to school on Monday, so I will probably have a little more time for quilting next week. With knitting and crocheting, I can work on my projects while the little ones are playing nearby, as well as when I'm watching TV with my husband. Quilting, for me anyway, tends to be a solitary pursuit. Needlework is more portable and more of a social activity. I'm glad that I'm getting back into my hobbies. It's been too long.