Snow Day

Today was the first snow day I can remember having in ages. We got eight inches of snow and ice. So I spent the day knitting. I started Mr. Greensleeves from Knitty and then worked on the Secret Stole. Clue 5 is pictured here. I am working on clue 6 now. Only three more clues to go.
Last weekend I finished a Purl Beret for Project Spectrum. I thought it would take a lot longer to knit but I finished it in about two days. I didn’t have enough of the hand-dyed yarn and didn’t know if the red merino would coordinate with it. I am very pleased. It is soft and comfortable and the colors blend well.
I also finished this vest from a Berroco pattern called Badia. I would have liked it a little longer and I think the armholes are a little short because the ribbing doesn't lie flat but I like the front detail and I've already worn it a few times. It was a fast knit too.

Time for Project Spectrum

I love Project Spectrum and have joined every year. The colors for February and March are fire-orange, red and pink. In Manhattan I saw a display with some perfectly colored scarves. I was home yesterday and finally went through my stash and picked out some Project Spectrum yarn. Here is what I found. I have enough of most of it to make sweaters but I only have one small skein of cashmere which is on the left. I need some simple car type knitting and decided to use the cashmere. I’ve wanted to make the Purl Beret for a while now and I decided to just use the yarn until it is finished and then switch to the merino ball on the other side, maybe adding in some left over Socks That Rock Henpecked for contrast. I’ve joined the Artist’s Card Swap too and have been making artist’s trading cards. This is the first time I have done anything so small and it has been fun. I seem to have fixated on a photograph of multi-color carrots I took a while ago and so I based this series on it. I can’t wait to get my swap partners.

Secret of the Stole

I'm working on my Secret of the Stole II. I’ve completed two clues so far and love the way it looks. There are a few minor mistakes. One is on the border and the other is a pattern mistake. I was doing the laundry in between knitting and when I came back after loading the machine I accidently repeated a row. Unfortunately that row had some double decreases, which I find very hard to take out. There is a good chance that tinking back will only lead to more problems, so, although I am not happy about it, I think I will have to live with them. I'm hoping they won't be that noticable when the stole is complete. The yarn is a mix of cashmere, silk and merino from Silk City called Kashmir and it is really very soft and pleasant to knit.