A Dash of Poison

I finally did it. I lost my "V" card in regards to cables. I wanted to try out cable knitting and I wanted to find a project for this beautiful 100% wool hand dyed yarn I bought on Etsy at 100PureWool. I bought this deep purple/pink/nearly black yarn called Poison and it just had to be something special. I was thinking about making a pair of fingerless gloves with it and I ran across the pattern for Dashing by Cheryl Niamath from Knitty, Spring 2007. I liked the simplicity of the cable pattern and I hoped they would be big enough to show up with this multi-color yarn. Well, I think they turned out pretty darn cute. The recipient has larger hands and arms than I do so the cables look even better on her. This was also the first time I've done anything mitten or glove like. Adding the thumb after knitting the hand was interesting and went pretty well. I managed to avoid any too large holes and I hid the little ones when I did the weaving in of the ends.

I also finished up my Knock-Off Noro scarf and Wow! am I happy with it.I love the way the colors move through this scarf and everyone who sees it thinks it is really cool. The simplicity of it appeals to both men and women too so this would be a good future gift idea if the right yarn was available. Maybe next time I'll even use the name brand yarn.

As I mentioned in my last post, this is Debbie Mumm "Traditions" and it is an acrylic/wool blend with a solid black core and a colored wrap around the outside. Well, the challenge is the outside and inside wraps don't always match and the black core occasionally pops out in a hernia like bulge. If you look at the photo below and look right around 1 o'clock, you'll see a dark spot. That's not a fly, it's the black core bulging out of the stitch. This takes place in about 4 spots along the scarf and I just couldn't figure out a way to stop it. I still love the end result though. The scarf has great colors and is soft and warm. What more can I ask for?

Lastly, I've been spending my time scheming my next sweater. "Have I finished the first?" you ask. Well, no. I mean, it's going ok. I've got the entire yoke and one whole sleeve finished and I've kind of stalled. Why? I don't know. I think it's because I'm not really inspired by the yarn. Enter my next sweater....

For Christmas, I received a Gift Certificate to my LYS, Knitorious, I by going to their After Christmas Sale, I was able to get an entire sweater's worth of Malabrigo for only $7 out of my pocket! Malabrigo!! I have heard so much about how amazing this yarn is and I want to find out for myself. Well, I've knit a gauge swatch and I am convinced. Malabrigo is sent from heaven. It is 100% wool but it is the softest wool I have ever felt. It is kettle dyed which means the colors move around in the skein and they are just beautiful in the swatch. After searching for days on Ravelry, I've decided to knit Wicked. I like the simplicity of the pattern, the small cable details, and the variety of looks the pattern allows. Yummy!

Tiki likes my scarf too. :)