Every fall, as the weather gets cool at night, I am overcome by the desire to knit the perfect, knock-around cardi. The cardi that can be worn everywhere, and sturdy enough to throw in a corner of the car if it gets too hot. I envision something with cables, maybe something with a hood. I see tweedy yarn, a classic fabric with a more modern fit. Last year, I just couldn't find the right pattern. I did find a yarn that I fell in love with, well I fell in love with the color. The yarn is really a marine blue with flecks of green and purple with the overall effect being a bluish-teal. I snapped up eight skeins, hoping it would be enough to make a cardigan, and stowed it in a stash box.

So this fall, when the desire to knit that great cardi came again, I pulled out the yarn and got on http://www.ravelry.com/ and searched the data base looking at what other people were making with this yarn. I kept seeing CPH, central park hoodie. Upon more investigation, I realized the pattern was in a back issue of Knitscene, conveniently filed with my other back issues of knitting mags. Amazing--pulling a new project, yarn AND pattern, from stash, no $$$ spent.

I started a front last night and it is such a quick knit that the one side is now done, and I would have started the back except I was stuck at work and didn't bring the smaller needles to do the ribbing. So on Friday, while waiting to have my LASIK surgery, I was able to start the back, and by the next morning, had this much done: Clearly, the LASIK didn't help me pay more attention to my knitting, as I screwed up two of the cables. I am almost up to the armhole shaping today. I also finished the second Papa sock, except for grafting the toe, that should go quickly. Here is the intended recipient

He doesn't usually look this stern, and I swear my house is not crooked, but I was in a hurry to snap the picture.

Elizabeth has abandoned her idea of being Darth Vader for Halloween. She saw a witch costume at Gymboree and had to model it for us when we got home.

Lastly, I started the Nanny socks for Christmas. I was going to make a pattern from Knitty, but forgot to take the pattern home with me after I printed it at work, so I am making it up as I go. The eyelet pattern is a little tedious to knit and I may not keep it up for the foot of the sock, we'll see. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome. I've never used this yarn before and I used my typical needles, 2.00mm. It is a bouncy yarn that is slightly thicker than the usual sock yarn. So far I am enjoying these. As you can see, I have had a flurry of starteritis, and keep burying the UFOs under the new projects. I am starting to feel as though I need to come up with a schedule to finish the UFOs!