Rainy Day Knitting

Thunder and lightening and sheets of rain put me in the mood for some simple knitting with old mystery movies as the backdrop. At present, I'm working on three different projects - a scarf, a baby blanket and this blue garter stitch kerchief:

Sock Hop yarn with matching OPI enamel in "Yoga-ta Get This Blue!"

The yarn is from Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop, the color "In The Skies." The kerchief pattern is a wonderfully adaptive and easy one from Laura Chau. The fingering weight yarn is held double and I'm knitting the kerchief on size 6 US / 4.0 mm circular needles. The only change I'm making is the addition of a k2tog, YO row every 7 garter ridges on the wrong side (even) row. It adds a bit of visual light to the garter fabric.

I really like the fact that, even though it's kind of bleak outdoors, I don't need much light indoors to work up something this pretty.

Something New

Yes, I am well aware that my projects-in-progress bags and basket overfloweth. After reading your advice on how to best manage that situation, in the end I decided to not view it as a problem in need of resolution. Call it the chumps way out, but I can't let the very thing that brought me joy become a burden. That would make me want to avoid it altogether which, to my mind, is most undesirable.

Instead of trying to manage it or corral it, I've hit upon setting small, achievable goals. That new car smell; the feeling of accomplishment - something that is often overlooked as a motivator. I didn't even have to search for perfect project. The answer landed in my mailbox just the other day in the form of these adorable pom-pom peds tennis socks. A love match, of that there can be no doubt!

Louet Gems Opal (sportweight) in grape and willow

Something else to lift the spirits? A fresh haircut and a hot manicure. The purple-black color you see above is called Black Cherry Chutney, part of OPI's India collection. I have six more colors to try out and I can't wait. So, what's your flay-va? That link takes you to the OPI studio where you can try on all of their current colors to see what's right for you.

I must really be feeling the purples lately. When I came across beadaholique's 'Purple Passion' seed bead mix, I absolutely fell in love:

It seems whenever seasons change, we crave change right along with it. So what's new with you lately?