Selfish, selfish me!

I confess, I don't always knit gifts with the purest of motives. Sometimes, I just want to try out a certain pattern, one which would suit the recipient more than me. Other times, I'm dying to have a go at an untried yarn. But then there are times when my selfish interests and benevolent impulses happily collide:



This is from www.handpaintedyarn.com, in Lettuce Violet. My sister requested a poncho for her birthday in July, and chose this colorway herself. It's always a joy to make things for her -- she's a crafter herself, so she likes handmade gifts and appreciates the time that goes into them. :) You can view the pattern here, but I think you have to be registered for the Lion Brand website.

So, I'm still plugging away at the Petunia Tote, the Vine Lace Scarf, and the U-Neck Vest, and a Squatty Sidekick bag, but I'll be giving the poncho some quality time as well.

You Know You're a Knitter When...

...your first response to a cold, rainy day in June is, "Sweet! I get to wear a sweater today!" Poor Wicked thought it was going to be put away for the summer, but it's now had a stay of hibernation. :)

And even though it really is summer, I do so love the colors of autumn:



This is KnitPicks Memories sock yarn, in the Redwood Forest colorway. I'd wanted this forever, but it was the "Clearance Colors" tag that spurred me into action. I wonder what that's that all about? Are new colorways in store? It's a nice, squishy yarn for the price, IMO. I haven't used it for socks yet, but I made a pair of Fingerless Mitts in the Fly Fishing colorway last year. They pilled TERRIBLY on the first wearing, but once I took a sweater shaver to them, they never pilled again.

Also in the KnitPicks package were DPNs to finish the Back-to-School U-Neck Vest, and Options tips to begin the Alexandra Ballerina Top, also from Fitted Knits:



I'd already ordered the yarn for this baby -- RYC Soft Tweed from WEBS, in Kingfisher. I'm trying to branch out from my reds, greens, and browns. :) I can't believe how light and, well, soft the Soft Tweed is -- thank the content (56% Wool/20% Viscose/14% Polyamide/10% Silk) for that.

My personal mandate it to now drop the Petunia Tote and Vine Lace Scarf, to see if I can finish these two garments by the end of June. I want to be able to enter the prize drawing in the Fitted Knits KAL. Eeep!