Knitting plans for spring

A journey through my yarn stash

As I write this, it’s a driech day in Inverness, I’m under the weather, Daisy is recovering from knee surgery so we can’t walk the dogs and everyone is restless. It’s the kind of day that feels awkward; I’ve been dropping things, bumping into furniture, being irritable with Andrew and struggling to focus. I want to rest, but can’t mentally let myself settle. I want to be busy and productive, but I don’t feel well enough for it. Normally I would solve this feeling by going for a run, but I’m experiencing vertigo at the moment and can’t guarantee I won’t suddenly feel dizzy and nauseous. I don’t really want to be too far from home, but I feel cooped up inside.

All in all, it’s the perfect day to plan my future knitting. I got my stash out recently, grouped yarns together that would work well together, and browsed Ravelry for inspiration. I don’t have a particularly large yarn stash (my fabric is a different story for another newsletter) but I’ve got enough for 2 sweaters and a hat, so that’s enough to be getting on with.

Oslo hat

Lets cover off the easy ones first - this yarn combo (Drops Merino Extra Fine leftover from another project, held double with Knitting for Olive Soft Silk Mohair) is going to be an Oslo hat by PetiteKnit.

This is the hat I recently finished, but came out far too big. There is a part of me that can’t be bothered to cast this on again, having so recently knit and frogged it, but I also don’t want to waste the beautiful yarn. I’m hoping once I’ve got a bit of emotional distance from this one, it will fly off the needles.

Vest No. 1

This yarn combo has already proven its worth in the form of Sweater No. 18, which I’ve barely removed from my body in the few weeks since it came off the needles. I’ve got the remains of 2 sleeves left to frog from the oversized sweater I’m using as one of the yarns, reclaimed from an unloved, unworn handknit piece. I’m holding it double with Drops Kidsilk and I think I have enough of both for Vest No. 1 by My Favourite Things Knitwear.

I’m debating between a few of her vest patterns - do I want V neck or crew neck? Plain or cables? Waistcoat or pullover? I might need to ponder this one a bit longer before I cast anything on.

Seaglass Sweater

This is a pattern by Wool & Pine, designed to use up scraps and remnants. I found it by browsing Ravelry and it looks pretty popular, with over a thousand projects listed.

My friend Moira gave me a beautiful selection of Japanese Iroiro yarn. This is a brand I’ve not come across before, but it’s a 100% wool, fingering weight yarn that appears to come in a wide variety of colours. I’ve also got a decent number of balls of the pink Drops Merino Extra Fine, and the combo together (held double with the thrifted Nutiden and remnants of Drops Kidsilk) I think would make a lovely sweater for my Mum. The yarn requirements are listed in grams, rather than yards, so whilst I’m sure I have enough for one sweater here, I’m actually wondering if I have enough for two. Perhaps I prioritise the most Mum-appropriate colours (the pastels, pinks and blues) initially, and if I have enough, save the autumnal hues for myself. We’ve got a couple of projects like that, where I’ve knit one for Mum and one for myself, so we match from across the country!

I’m excited to get stuck into these, I’m just casting off my November balaclava, so by the time you read this I may well have already got one of these projects going. Realistically, these projects will probably only last me a few months, so I need to think about thrifting some yarn for future projects. I haven’t been charity shopping for a while so now I have an excuse.