Project Planning: Future Sweaters

It always seems that I want to make what I am not able to work on - anyone else have that problem? I'm trying to really hustle to get the zombie finished in time, so it's only logical that all I really want to work on are sweaters. Last week was my birthday (don't worry, I have a big bragging post coming up this week, lol), and it also happened to coincide with quite a few awesome yarn sales. I'm always a sale shopper, so I like to go ahead and get my yarn I want for future projects that I know I will make. Now, these purchases have been made over the last 2 months - some are from the WEBS 40th anniversary sale, so were their Deal of the Week (I follow them on Facebook - very dangerous), and a few other places. I don't have any yarn stores that are reasonably close to me or that are open at times when I can shop, so I LOVE WEBS (a.k.a. yarn.com). Anyway, let's get onto the good stuff. Here are the yarns I've bought recently along with the sweaters they will become ... once I'm able to work on them, lol.

The first thing I will work on (after I finish my Myrna) will be the Emelie Cardigan by Elin Berglund. I came across this pattern by accident on Ravelry and fell in love. I've decided to make this into a very practical basic and go with black yarn. Happily, WEBS had their Valley Yarns Charlemont for a great price, so I got 3 skeins. I'm going to make it with sleeves just past the elbow and I know I will wear the heck out of it. Let me just say, this yarn is heavenly. Seriously, this is the softest wool yarn I have ever used and I just can't wait! It's 60% Superwash Fine Merino, 20% Mulberry Silk, and 20% Polyamide. It's got to be the silk that makes it so wonderful. I've read that it can pill, but honestly I don't mind. I have a clothing shaver ready :) This will also be my first foray into fingering weight sweaters. I just won't get much wear out of worsted weight sweaters in Florida. I'm hoping that some fingering weight cardigans will fill my sweater gap during the warmer months as well when I basically just need sleeves over a sleeveless top.

This next yarn was a weekly deal and it was such a great buy that I couldn't pass it up. I've never been big on variegated yarn, but something about these colors kind of spoke to me. It's mostly tonal gray with hints of fuchsia. The yarn is Araucania Huasco in the Carmine colorway. Normally 3 skeins would have cost $75, but since this is a discontinued color and it had an additional 20% off, I got it for $30. So awesome. The yarn is Hand Dyed 100% Extra Fine Merino and it's seriously so nice. It's not as soft as the Charlemont (which makes me think it's the silk I'm loving in that one), but it's nice and soft and very springy/spongy. At the moment, I'm thinking of making the Beulah Cardigan by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark with it. This pattern is from Knit Scene, Spring 2012, but you can buy just the pattern too. I just love the design - especially that embroidered detail on the front. I'm not 100% sure this yarn would be good for this cardi, so I'm hesitant until I knit a swatch. I don't want to do any fancy stitch work with this yarn just because it would get lost in the variegated colors I think. We shall see...

About a month ago, I had the notion to look on ebay for yarn just to see what I could find. If you've ever looked on their, you'll immediately notice how many listings are for Chinese yarns and how cheap they are. I wanted to satisfy my curiosity as to the quality of this yarn, but if I was going to have to wait 3 weeks - q month to get it, I wanted to get more than just one or two skeins. I ended up ordering a rainbow, lol. It just arrived this weekend and I actually really love the yarn - it feels very similar to Lion Brand MicroSpun. It's 70% Bamboo and 30% Cotton, so I'm really hoping this will be a good warm weather piece. I knew immediately that this would be for the Jen Cardigan by Kim Hargreaves (From her book Precious). I've wanted this pattern for a while, but it's a British pattern that was only in print, so I couldn't find it anywhere that I could buy it. Happily, I asked around online and a kind knitter shared the pattern with me! People are really so nice :) This pattern is designed for bamboo yarn, so I know it will end up fitting right. Bamboo is notorious for growing sometimes up to 4 or 5 times bigger as you wear it - no joke. So, I'm hoping to make this up in white and fill a big gap in my wardrobe.

This is the label on the yarn. Anyone ever used it before? So far it seems nice :) And at only $1.74 per skein SHIPPED, it wouldn't be a big deal even if I end up not liking it.

Like I said, I ordered a rainbow. Unfortunately, I ordered 18 skeins and only 15 arrived in my package. They left out a pink, red, and orange (so I really did order a full rainbow). I've contacted them and hopefully they can just send me the additional skeins. I'm hoping to use the colors for things like Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi with it (I've had the book for ages but never had enough colors of fingering weight yarn). I'm excited to report back about this yarn - I'll let you know how it goes!

This next project I've had planned for quite a few months. WEBS had a daily deal on Cascade Sierra Quatro and I got it for $3.99 a skein! Ho yeah! This yarn is 80% Pima Cotton and 20% Wool and I have it ear-marked for the Hey, Teach! Cardigan by Hélène Rush. I have 6 skeins, so I'm sure I will have extra at the end. It's a free pattern from Knitty.com and I love the example photo. I've done a lot of looking at other people's projects on it though, and it seems that most people end up with it very loose looking at the waist. I plan on going down a needle size for the ribbing, but also adding elastic thread to that area to cinch it in more. I just have to get red elastic thread, lol. 

This is another batch of Cascade Sierra that I ordered along with the Huasco. Since I live in Florida, I'm always on the watch for good cotton yarn. I've already used this yarn once on my Miette and liked it, so when they started discounting this and selling it off quick because it was discontinued, I knew it was now or never. There isn't much of a color selection left, but I really liked this orangey-pink color called Sunset. I picked up 5 skeins without a solid plan of what I wanted to make. I figured I could always make another Miette if I ran out of designs I liked. After searching my pattern stash, I came across this #04 Tailored Jacket by Verena Design Team. I actually won this pattern magazine from MaZe Living during Sew Grateful week, and this pattern was easily my favorite in the issue. And it's designed for cotton yarn :) So we shall see.

This last plan is still an in progress as I have not purchased the yarn yet (I'm waiting for a free shipping day on Joann's website - crossing my fingers for July 4th!), but I know I am going to. I came across this new yarn last time I was in a Joann's and I am dying to try it in a cardigan. It's Vickie Howell's Cotton-ish in Jade Jersey. It's a DK weight and I just happened to get this cute Sea Glass Cardi by Ela Torrente pattern that it will go perfect with. The yarn is 55% Cotton and 45% Acrylic, but it is so soft. The cardigan is super cute and Ela is offering the pattern for free until today (run and grab it if you want it!). I love Kelly Green and this yarn is just my idea of perfect, lol. So I hope to get this yarn soon even though it clearly will be a while before I get to make it.

So that's just a little bit of what's been going on in my head. I swear, I'm fantastic at planning projects - if only I was as good at actually making them, lol.