Fresh Start

The Fall '07 issue of Interweave Knits finally landed in my mailbox this week. Just in time to help fend off a serious case of Knitting Ennui. I needed something to replace the frogged Fair Isle.

I'm very taken with Ruthie Nussbaum's Minimalist Cardigan. It's not exactly the fall sweater I've had in mind, but it is calling my name. I think I have enough "Olive" Morehouse Farm Merino 2-Ply. This yarn is a lighter gauge than the one the pattern suggests, but I swatched and worked the numbers, and I think if I knit to the size larger than I want (43 1/2"), I'll end up with something which should work for me - 37"-38." I can't quite figure out how much ease I want for this, since it doesn't have closures, so I hope I'm on the right track.



I was a little bit hesitant to embark on a sweater that is almost entirely Moss Stitch, but so far so good. I'm enjoying the yarn and the pattern.

While the sun was shining this afternoon, I also snapped a progress shot of my Melon Stitch Scarf in Malabrigo Lace. It's about 15" long now (pre-blocked). I should probably have finished it before starting something new, but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do. Hopefully both of these projects will be finished in time to fend off this winter's chill.

Catching Up

No sooner had we unpacked from our trip East, we were packing up again for our road trip North. This year's State Cup Tournament was held on the the Kenai Peninsula, a part of the state none of us had yet visited.

We had a week of glorious weather, great soccer, and magnificent environs.

Our favorite keeper

Toby on the beach in Kenai

It was a frustrating week, knit-wise, however. After obsessively swatching, plotting, and planning, I cast on for a sweater. And after knitting 3-4 inches I have decided I'm not happy with it after all. I think I'm going to cut my losses and continue looking for another sweater pattern. It's bad enough to finish a project for which you had high hopes, only to be disappointed. I'm not willing to go into it disappointed. I am a sucker for corrugated ribbing, however. I'm going to have to incorporate that into a sweater soon.

We arrived back in Juneau on Sunday and the weather was glorious all week long. Warm sunny days the likes of which Juneau hadn't seen in a long, long time. We saw moose, sand hill cranes, and trumpeter swans while on the road, but never saw a bear until we got home.

This fellow was hanging out by the glacier, along with a 6-8 others who have been spotted regularly feeding on the salmon running in Steep Creek. Watching bears go about their bear business will never cease to thrill me. We went three evenings in a row and saw bears each time.


Needing to shake off the knitting malaise brought on by self-inflicted fair isle failure, I buckled down to finish up the Monkey Socks. Fortified by sunshine and iced tea, it didn't take long.

Monkey Socks

Pattern: Monkey Socks, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in colorway P460
Needles: Susan Bates DPNs in US 1
Modifications: I made Cara's mini version with picot cuffs.