back to school time

The yarn guy---I mean, the mail carrier came yesterday. And he brought me this:

...9 hanks of Handpainted Yarn bulky wool in Velvet Grapes. The colors are similar to the colors I'm using in my sock, but have a much greater range. Apparently I'm going through a purple phase. I ordered this yarn to make Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style. Since I'm so close to finishing the sweater, I thought I'd go ahead and start a brand new project!! It really makes no sense, but it happens every time. As soon as I'm this close to finishing a project, I start spending all my time searching for new patterns and comparing yarns and then casting on for the new thing. I actually did start one of the sleeves for the cabled turtleneck, and it shouldn't take me any longer than a mindless (yet addictive) reality show marathon to finish both of them, so I don't feel too bad starting Lady Eleanor.

Well, I learned magic loop the other night and it Changed My Life. It's absolutely my favorite tricky knitting technique yet. I get what everyone's raving about now and it will definitely result in more socks down the road.

Overall, it was quite a productive summer of knitting for me. I completed the lace panel cardi that I'd had on the needles for a while, finished the Prairie Tunic, knit 2 Odessa hats, learned how to knit socks, and put a big dent in the cabled turtleneck sweater. Unfortunately, I have to resume my position as a responsible, contributing member of society next week. The knitting will slow down, but before that happens I'm going to try to add "Taught Myself Entrelac" to the list!