Progress!

I’m sure I am not alone in my current state of cast-on-itis. It’s that time of year and that autumn desire to knit all the things is doubled down this year because we’re all spending so much time at home. To my credit, however, I have used restraint. I have not cast on the Lucca Redux Cardigan I’ve been dying to make, I’ve only ordered one skein of yarn, and though I have plenty of stuff on the needles, I’m really making progress!

Static Socks

Those silly socks! Gosh, I enjoyed knitting them. I’d just finished my new Brewster Cardigan, we’d planned a little fall beach getaway and I needed a palette cleanser. I wanted to knit them out of my head and let the yarn do the work. Thankfully, I thought ahead and had this single (irresistible!) skein of KnitPicks Static in the “Peachy” color way standing by. I got a good chunk done on the beach and, since Laura likes to drive, a good chunk on the way home. They’re all finished now and are happily ensconced on my feet on this chilly morning!

Hudson+West

Do see what I’m faced with? No wonder I want to cast on! This pile of goodness arrived a while back and I can’t take my eyes off it. I’m not normally a huge fan of green but this is truly extraordinary. The depth of this color is stunning. There’s yellow and gold in there and deep Prussian blue. This is Everygreen. It has been on the H+W shade card since the beginning and I’m so happy that it is part of my current H+W project (secret for the time being of course! 😉

Maypole

Every now and then, I think it’s a good idea to re-visit patterns in my catalogue. It’s fun! It’s kind of like Christmas, but with most of the work already done. In the case of the Maypole Shawl, I’ve always been a little concerned that the variegated yarn I chose for the border makes the lace pattern hard to read. It’s hard to tell that the border is actually polka dots and that they really compliment the whimsy of the scalloped edging.

Completely on impulse, I cast on using some gorgeous skeins of CashLux Spark from SweetGeorgia Yarns. There is such richness in this tonal yarn; I suppose it looks orange or peach, but really it’s gold, persimmon, russet, pumpkin and hot pink. Every stitch is different and I am loving knitting it! There is a little piece of me that is hoping to have it done in time for our outdoor socially distanced Thanksgiving dinner. It would be the perfect cozy layer for sitting outside. I’m going to tighten up this pattern, clean up the chart, shoot some new photos and re-release it. It’s really been fun to knit!

Tarpon

I started this pullover back at the end of May and though it’s been far from uninterrupted, I’ve been making good steady progress on it. For the longest time it was “that project”, the one with a ton of stockinette that’s perfect for knit night or Zoom meetings. No need to look at the pattern, just straight on til breakfast.

Well, the body is done and now it’s time to work those cabled sleeves. It’s not “that project” anymore! The cable is pretty and engaging and requires a little attention. In the interest of full disclosure, this is the second time I’ve knit that sleeve. I finished the sleeve, decided I didn’t like the shaping strategy and ripped it back. I’ve got the sleeve shaping under control and have figured out a slick way to devolve that cable into the cuff. Tarpon has climbed the WIP ladder and has reached the audiobook level!

The Garden

I’ve not quite made a complete trip ’round the sun with my outdoor succulents, so this is the first autumn when the sun and rain have been allowed to act at will upon my babies. It has been so interesting to watch them grow and develop color. This bowl contains 12 varieties of echeveria and graptoveria in so many beautiful shades of red, pink, blue, purple and pale green. The echeveria “blue bird” (the big one) was not even 2″ across when I bought it in May!

It was a beautiful surprise to see some inflorescence on my senecio serpens! I never thought I’d see a blossom from this plant and certainly not at this time of year.