Baby Sophisticate #2 is almost done -- it needs to have ends woven in, buttons added, and a wash. This one is from Eco Alpaca, which is undyed, so it shouldn't run! Of course, it's also not machine-washable and dryable, but the soon-to-be mother is a knitter so I think she'll appreciate it!
This yarn is just a little bit thinner than the KnitPick Swish, although both are considered worsted. While knitting this, I also realized that I knit stockinette a lot tighter in the round. This shouldn't be a surprise, since I tend to purl loosely. For some reason, this problem seemed exacerbated in this yarn, so I went up a needle size for the sleeves in the round.
I'm about to leave for two conferences -- Midwest MLA in Indianapolis, followed just a few days later by South Central Chapter/MLA in Baton Rouge -- so I need travel knitting. While I'm sure several of my WIPs would fill this bill, I have cast on for two new projects!
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Lenore socks have been in my queue for ages. I even bought the yarn they were designed for (Blue Moon STR Lightweight in the Lenore colorway).
I'm glad I cast on for these before I left. Socks tend to work best on my feet if I cast on between 62 and 66 stitches on size 1s. The regular size Lenores are 60 stitch socks. I didn't want to go up a needle size, since I don't like a floppy sock, so I first tried casting on the large (72 stitch) size on size 0s. Whoa! Talk about huge! I got through most of the lace cuff and admitted this wasn't working. So now I'm doing the regular size on 1s -- I think they'll be fine! I really need to get over the idea that I need to knit big socks!
I also cast on Sugared Violets, a pretty little shawlette that will be perfect for knitting during meetings - the pattern is very straight-forward.
The yarn is Dream in Color Starry in Punky Fuchsia. Starry is a sock-weight yarn shot through with silver fibers. It's very pretty and not as flashy as it might sound!
