Well, as I near completion on a number of projects, of course I couldn't allow the number of UFOs decrease. So, I cast on some projects that have been sitting on my want list for some time now.
First off, I have finally gotten the lace bug from all of you in blog land. I did quite a bit of lace knitting in the 1980s and early 1990s. I really haven't touched it much lately. 
I selected a lace scarf to get me back into the groove without being overwhelmed. The pattern is "Lead or Follow" from Heartstrings. The yarn is Schafer "Anne" a wool/mohair/nylon fingering weight yarn.
For some mindless knitting for late nights when sleep eludes me but I can't concentrate well enough for lace work, I have this:
The pattern is a simple freebie from Patternworks, the yarn Prism's Cool Stuff - mixture of colors and texture changes. Not warm enough for the -20 degree nights, but certainly will be nice color and fun texture for the in between weather! I found a black jacket on sale last spring, so I've been seeking some wild color to contrast in scarves....
I also started this 
Color On Color scarf from Kathryn Alexander. I just found it in one of the many bags of knitting I have next to my bed. I love her use of 48 colors. I love the unexpected things in this scarf. However, I hate having to pull out two strands of the three strands of the yarn it calls for. I have to confess it discouraged me, and also that it comes in 30" lengths, adding far too many ends to eventually weave in. I am considering buying larger quantities of the yarn to get continuous lengths...... at a substantial increase in the cost, but perhaps worth it in terms of time, frustration and finishing!
Sometime this fall, I intend to knit some felted gauntlet mittens for the guy who plows my drive: 
He and his wife have been good friends - he built my house, she was the realtor, and they rented me a place temporarily when I moved here. He has requested a pair of gauntlet mittens since he found out I knit, and I finally found a wonderfully soft, feltable yarn. It was even on sale at The Yardgoods Center in Waterville, ME. It goes from lime green to forest, to a rosy brown. Felted, these mittens should be wicked warm to keep his fingers toasty!
So, that is it for tonight....
Hello!
What absolutley lovely yarn you have found, both for your laceshawl, and for the mittens. The colours look stunning.
Posted by: Tina | Monday, August 29, 2005 at 07:24