FOs!

Melissa’s been a dear and done some photos for me, so I can begin to share a few of my recent projects.

First up are two versions of Sourwood Mountain.

Version one is knit in two strands of DROPS laceweight heathered alpaca. The color is one of my absolute favorites, and these babies are soft, soft, soft.

Unfortunately, they came out a bit tight—which is what I get for swapping out yarns and choosing a pattern size without swatching. Normally, I am quite happy to give away finished knits and don’t worry about size (“Every knit will fit someone.”) But as I worked on these babies, I knew I would not be parting with them. The fit my hands ok, but are too tight for the overpping button closure on the wrist, so I just sewed on a decorative butting to help keep the wrist opening from pulling too much and left them at that. I am occasionally haunted by the fact that they didn’t come out exactly as they were supposed to, but then the color and comfort distract me and I am nothing but pleased, pleased, pleased again.

The minute I finished my first pair, I cast on for a second pair using Argosy Yarn’s Jo Jo, an absolutely delicious wool/cashmere/angora blend. Argosy was one of my finds during Stitches ’08. I believe the owner/dyer Melissa originally planned to run a wholesale business, but she now sells her yarns via on-line retail. You absolutely must check out her yarns. These are some of the finest quality fibers I’ve ever worked with, and the colorways are rich and striking. (The prices are also quite reasonable for goods of this quality.) She has a knack for coming up with colors that stand out from the usual crowd—witness my mitts in the Cherokee colorway, which moves from burgundy to brown to black and also back and forth between dusty and clear hues.

Every stitch of this project was a pleasure, and I had to stop after every round to pet them and coo at them and marvel at the softness of the fiber and the joy of the color. These mitts do have enough overlap for the button closure, though I haven’t yet found the perfect buttons.

And here’s the yummy neckwarmer I gave my mom for Christmas. I knit this out of Plymouth’s Mulberry Merino, which is soft and glossy and comes in wonderful colors.

I’ll be publishing this as a free pattern when I get a chance, although that probably won’t be until sometimes after the end of this academic year.