Patience is a virtue!

One, I might add, that I don't possess! It was obvious that the winning project for the next SKC KAL would be Fifi. I decided to swatch my Rowan Calmer to get ready. I think I have found the ideal cotton yarn. After knitting with the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece which I didn't love, this stuff is like Heaven! It feels like the finest merino wool! It has a rather unique construction which gives it incredible stretch! It doesn't split like the Brown Sheep did and it feels wonderful in the hands!

Even better is the fact that this yarn knitted exactly to gauge! Now the problem for me will be what size to knit. The finished bust measurements are 29.5" for XS and 33.5" for S. This sweater is to be knit with negative ease. When I knit Sahara, I knit it to a finished measurement of 31" to fit my 34.5" bust and it was perfect. As luck would have it, my ideal finished measurement is right in the middle of these two sizes! I'll have to figure this one out because of the stitch pattern but I will make it work.

It turns out that the SKC has decided to make this another double KAL. The other project will be Annie Modesitt's Red Carpet Convertible. This is actually a free pattern but Annie is requesting a donation. Her husband Gerry has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and will be undergoing bone marrow transplants and other major medical procedures. Please consider helping Annie out. She has designed some fabulous patterns such as the Backyard Leaves scarf and the Ribbed Silk Corset Pullover. Her new book of Romantic Hand Knits will be coming out this summer. I hope to make the Red Carpet Convertible as a top. I'm debating on the yarn. I'm thinking about using Artyarns Silk Ribbon in color 105. My second choice is color 137. I'm just not sure about the variegated colourway. I think this yarn would be a gorgeous substitution for the yarn used in the pattern.

Meanwhile, I was busy planning a couple of other summer projects. I found a discontinued yarn that I love! It's called Patina by Classic Elite and it is 70% Cotton and 30% Silk. The color is Mango. I purchased this yarn for Sizzle. In this color that top will definitely live up to its name!


Another summer project that I want to make is Coachella from the new Knitty. The recommended yarn is called Suede by Berroco. It is 100% nylon so that just doesn't appeal to me at all. So I went to the LYS to take a look. There were two possibilities: Berroco Bonsai, a bamboo tape and Wick, a blend of soy silk and polypropylene. I really like the look of the Bonsai, but it had no stretch. With this top, drape is more important then stretch, except for the fact that once again I am between two sizes. The Wick reminds me of Rowan Calmer. It feels almost the same and has a lot of stretch, so I figure that I can make the smaller size.


I had somewhat of a health scare this week. I had a couple of colorless moles appear on my chest where I've had a lot of sun damage. My primary doc thought one was skin cancer and the other precancerous so he sent me to a dermatologist. Fortunately she thought they were both precancerous and just zapped them with liquid nitrogen to freeze them off. Just hearing the word "Cancer" can be scary, but my doc told me that 50% of fair skinned people my age will get skin cancer. The sobering thing is that he said the sun damage done to cause skin cancer was done by the time I was 20! I mentioned to Ems that I might have skin cancer and she freaked out. She thought I was way too nonchalant about it. She said that she wasn't ready to deal with my mortality. She likes to think that I'll always be around. It's nice that my kids feel that way!

On a cheerier note: I wore some kitty shoes today! You can see why I love them!


Kitty Cam:
Samantha has a new friend!


And she seems annoyed that I've intruded upon their time together!