I retook the photos that were on the damaged disk.

First, the swatch for the Central Park Hoodie:



I know it's a bit dark but I didn't use flash so as to get a truer idea of the colors. It's a really lovely grey - it has a slight heathering of pink/purple/blue in it. It should look great with jeans when it's done.

I also tried out one turn of the central-back cable just to be sure that cable stitches wouldn't "melt" too much into the soft fabric.

I'm looking forward to casting on for this one.



And this is the Saxon braid cable for the bottom of Samus. I'm working on the next-to-last pattern repeat of it. (But it's a 32 row pattern, so that doesn't mean so much). I'm also looking forward to picking up the stitches and just being able to knit away on this one without so much concentration.

Interestingly, all three of these sweaters (these two and the one posted about yesterday) are from the "generic" type yarns offered by a couple of companies. The swatch is from Elann Pure Alpace, which, at least this year's version, is a super nice super soft yarn. (I have some of a previous incarnation that I've not knit up yet and it feels a bit "harder" and tougher. Maybe it was because of the dye - the older yarn I have is dark (dark green and a wine) and this is a very light color. Or maybe they've changed their mill. Or maybe I just lucked on on this batch and got a really good batch.). Samus is from the Highland Wool that Elann offers. It's not super soft, but it's a good basic wool. And it comes in a remarkable variety of colors. (As much as I love KnitPicks' yarn, it frustrates me that for some of them, they have such a small range of colors.)

The Hourglass pullover is made of Andean Silk, one of KnitPicks' yarns. It's a nice yarn; it's softer than the Highland wool.

I see now that Patternworks is also offering its own line of self-branded wools. I wonder if this is a response to the realization that some people only knit with Red Heart because that's all they can afford (but at that, the Patternworks/KnitPicks yarns aren't quite competitive pricewise with Red Heart, if you really get down to brass tacks).

I hope what it DOESN'T signal is Patternworks making a decision - a la KnitPicks - to go to all "Self-branded" yarns. Because, you know, as much as I like the Elann and KnitPicks offering, sometimes I like having a choice of other things. (but yeah, Elann also has their closeout yarns. But that's like the proverbial box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get offered in a given week).

But still. Interesting that all my sweaters-in-progress are of the more "generic" fibers. (I do have the Kureyon in-stash for the Rosedale).

It's also interesting the number of patterns I make from Knitty and MagKnits. I mean, considering that they're free, and considering that I have an extensive library of books and patterns I've bought.

****

Been doing some yarn-buying, despite the huge stash. Personal Threads was having a sale on Artful Yarns (and despite their "Reality" and "Soap" lines, I still [heart] Artful Yarns). So I bought the Broadway for the shawl in the new Vogue shawls book. (Now that they have a "correction" on their website telling you how many balls to get! I mean, gosh...that's kind of a bad error to make). I also bought some of the new "Heroes" line. They have one named for Mother Teresa. And if you read here regularly, you know I've quoted her a lot.

There is something about me and names given to yarns; they matter to me. Even though the color may not be what I'd immediately think of. This yarn is very bright colors - reds, yellows, purples. I suppose it's to recall the traditional textile colors of India, where she worked. But I wanted a ball or two to play with. Again, it's a "sympathetic magic" thing - I like the idea of going off to teach with a little decorative scarf of a yarn named after her around my neck. Just like I like wearing my big fuzzy scarf that includes some of the "George Bailey" Cinema yarn in the winter.

And I don't know. Maybe some people think that's peculiar - or worse, they think Artful Yarns is doing the equivalent of what the Gap is doing, where the Gap has taken Audrey Hepburn's image (well, with her heirs' permission) and is using it to sell skinny pants. Or the more egregious example of some years back that was from a vacuum cleaner manufacturer that showed Fred Astaire dancing with one of their vacuums.

But for me, I am treating it as the idea that the yarn name honors the person it is named for. Not that it's shilling using their image. But perhaps, at least on the days when I wear the scarf I will eventually make, it will make me think of Mother Teresa and will make me be more tolerant and patient and less quick to anger. And I'd be inclined to think that was a good thing.

(I suppose someone will also remind me that I should be less materialistic, sigh. Yes, I know. But yarn is pretty much my only vice these days.)

Anyway, the yarn came yesterday. Super fast. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, as the store's in Omaha, and it's more or less a straight shot south from them to me.