Spring has sprung

Finally we've had some good weather, and unaccountably the arrival of the sun makes me want to cast on tons of new projects. Cruising around blogland I don't think I'm alone. Before spring madness hit, the fronts of the long cardi were done:



Unfortunately I can't bring myself to cast on the sleeves - it's too hot to be knitting thick wool now. Given the unpredictability of the British weather, tomorrow of course it might be snowing again, and this project may once again become exceedingly attractive. It's a shame, because by my standards I was flying through it and I'd almost become a monogamous knitter.

The first thing I cast on was a new pair of socks. The previously ill-fated STR in the Monsoon colourway was calling the loudest. However, this is an unruly yarn. I had to cast on 4 times before I got the the combination of gauge/size/pooling to a point of acceptability.



If ever a yarn was cursed, it's this. The pattern I'm using is David's Toe-up Sock Cookbook(download available in Ravelry) which is basically Widdershins allowing you to work out the maths to suit your own stitch requirements. The original pattern is my favourite one for doing plain toe-up socks, but it is written with only 54 stitches. There is some geeky code-stuff available to help you change the numbers, but I never could get my head around it. The cookbook pattern, even though it involves some calculation, is a boon and it leads you very gently through the sums.

I got hold of some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool and I'm swatching for Honeycomb. The weird thing is the colour that has attracted me. It's sort of in the same family as the Monsoon, a dark olive green called "Forest". Not a colour I usually wear, but unaccountably attractive for some reason. Wonder why?



Finally I scored some Sophia Laceweight in last week's Posh Yarn sale. It's going to be a Swallowtail shawl for a friend. Pretty, isn't it? I don't think I've every come across such a soft, pettable yarn, but then I've never bought a skein of pure cashmere before.



And I've called in the Birthday present certificate and ordered a Lendrum. My loaner has not given me any trouble and I love it, so I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel (if you excuse the pun). I am indeed a fortunate wife.