Yes, that's right, Koigu Cashmere

I still haven't rebuilt my stash spreadsheet after my unfortunate incident of the dropped laptop, but I've been doing pretty well with my yarn resolutions. Or, I was.

Here's a quick rundown:

1) I did not go to Rhinebeck

2) I am not knitting any gifts for Christmas so therefore I am not buying any yarn for them. I'm having a hard enough time getting the baby knitting I want done

3) I haven't purchased yarn for the Cardigan for Merry yet (although I'm still planning to but maybe not until the new year)

4) I did order more Big Tryst for the barn raising quilt as some new colors came out at The Loopy Ewe. However, I'm not sure if these colors really go with the others, so they may be saved for something else.

5) I haven't spent my store credits yet

6) I got the bitter orange, but I haven't ordered any handspun from Pigeon Roof Studios... nothing that I've managed to catch when available has quite captured my imagination.

In addition to the Big Tryst and the bitter orange, I also purchased a skein of natural/white handspun alpaca on Etsy for the Tomten Jacket as I decided it needed a contrasting accent. And quite recently I also splurged on some Sunnyside Ellen sock yarn that I just couldn't resist on a day that wasn't going so well otherwise and, yes, as you may have gathered from the title of this post, I splurged on some Koigu Cashmere.

I have been eying this yarn for months, and when I first visited String last May or so it was to pet the Koigu cashmere in person, especially after seeing Nicole from Stash and Burn's pretty pretty colorway. When I was there, I saw the cutest little baby sweater (pattern, ravelry - but the pictures do not do it justice).  However, I was a little put off by how many very expensive skeins even such a tiny little item would take.  Besides which, I wasn't even pregnant!

Since becoming pregnant, I've thought back to that sweater many times, but could never quite bring myself to pull the trigger... until I saw that the cashmere was on sale.  I've had good luck lately with things I've been wanting for a while coming down in price, or perhaps there are just a lot of sales right now.  Anyway, this yarn is by no means cheap, even on sale, but, you know, what's the point of having a baby if you can't indulge on its behalf?!!!

So, off to String I went, and after a nice chat with a mother and daughter who were just leaving the store and gasped when they saw me and said "are you about to give birth or what?!!" (it was not rude like it might sound - turns out the daughter was three months pregnant so they were both very excited) I got to fondle the cashmere and chat with Linda, the store owner, who advised that the tiny size jacket they had on display was one that she knit for her twin grandsons who were each 5lbs.  "I don't think you're going to be having a 5lb baby," she said, eying my rather large belly.  She recommended getting 4 skeins.

Of course, there was only 1 skein left of the colorway I really liked, which happened to be the one the jacket was knit in (I know, sometimes I am very unoriginal), colorway 460.  In fact, there weren't 4 matching skeins left of any colorway I was interested in (which is partly why they are on sale - there are only odds and ends left) and Linda said she wouldn't be ordering a new batch for a while.  I managed to find 3 different skeins that looked like they could go well together... did I really need 4?

I ended up buying 5 - the three that looked good together, and two of a fourth colorway that I really liked in and of itself and also happened to go best with the first three out of all the other colorways left.  But... it doesn't go GREAT and I love the other three so much, two in particular.  See what you think:

Here's my favorite, 460 (yes, these are pre-brooklyntweed workshop style photos):

My next favorite happens to be the same colorway and dye lot that Nicole has, c309:

Then I got another skein of 460 but from a different dyelot that really doesn't have the orange:

And then here is c324, very pretty, but not quite in line with the others (and I have secret plans for a tiny little cowl for myself with the extra):

Here they are all together:

They don't look too bad together, right?

Here's my dilemma though.  The pattern calls for 3 skeins for the 0-3 month size.  I'd like to knit this for the baby newborn even though I know he will grow out of it fast, but I know that large newborns sometimes don't even fit into newborn clothing, and Linda recommended I knit one size up, even for a newborn.  So I guess that's what I should do, which means 4 skeins, but does that include the hat?  

Further complicating the matter though is whether this is the right pattern for this particular collection of colorways, even though it's kind of what I had set my heart on originally.  In blending all the colorways, I'm afraid it's going to get muddy, and there are other patterns, such as the baby surprise jacket or the tomten jacket that lend themselves better to mixing multiple colorways in sections so you don't lose the beauty of each colorway.  The tomten jacket would actually be perfect for this - but I already made one!  I finished it by the way, although I haven't decided on toggle buttons or a zipper yet, and I love it.  Still, do I want to make another?  I'd rather make something different, and I really had something different in mind for a BSJ.

Tomten would be so perfect, or maybe something like this (pattern, ravelry)?  Probably I just need to swatch and see how it looks.

I'm excited about being able to direct a bit more focus back towards my knitting though - it feels like a bit of a knitting renaissance!  There is still a lot to do to prepare for the baby but I have at least completed the biggest and most burdensome - clearing out the home "office" (aka giant storage room). Over thanksgiving it was dismantled and converted to our new fitness room so the old fitness room could become the baby's room... yippee!!! 

Comments

[knithoundbrooklyn]

They are all gorgeous and hey. They are CASHMERE! How perfect is that?