On Autumn and Knitting Plans

The weather is starting to change here, and while I know we will have at least two more blasts of summer, you can tell that Winter is Coming (and no I haven't read A Song of Fire and Ice, yet) by the chill in the air.  After getting practically nothing knit this summer (okay I did get some knitting done, but I miss how much knitting I was getting done when I was marginally employed, although I couldn't afford yarn), I went through and reordered my queue, because my knitting bug is back with a vengence.

Unlike my sister, who plans her knitting projects around the seasons, I am a bit more random (we are a perfect examples of a product knitter and a process knitter).  However, now that fall is on our doorstep I am starting focus a bit more on getting through my queue and turning my closet of wool into wearable objects, because right now it is only giving me a mental warm fuzzy feeling not a physical one.

So here is what we have next, however this is subject to change pending the release of jaw dropping new patterns, like the ones in the Fall 2011 Brooklyn Tweed LookBook (which just about knocked my socks off when it came out a couple of weeks ago.

Seeing as how I have been slacking at WIP Wednesdays, I do have a project on the needles, it is the Thundercloud Cowl by Snowden Becker, however since I only have one skein of KnitPicks Aloft, it will be shorter than the pattern describes.

Also on my needles, just barely, is the first half of the October Pair of the Woodland Winter Mittens.  This kit contains enough KnitPicks Palette to make six pairs of mittens, themed for the months of October to March.  They are fun colorwork mittens and they have been sitting in my stash since last January. I am planning on keeping on adding the next months pair to my queue till I get them all done.  I know many people find Palette to be evil, scratchy and felty, I however find it warm, lofty, soft and felty. For me the felty nature of palette helps make the mittens warmer and more windproof, something you need here year round, but most critically in the winter.

So, here is my list.  You all can keep me honest now that I have confessed my fall knitting plans.

After that, I am going to try and finish off the KnitPick Comfy Sport stash I picked up and turned about half into My First Crocheted Blanket.  I am going to make a baby sweater and possibly (depending on what is left) matching hat and baby socks/booties.  I am going to use the Playtime Colors Pattern, because it was designed for KP Shine (Cotton/Modal) Sport, which is quite similar to KP Comfy (although the Modal will give more shine and drape than Acrylic will).  Also, it uses multiple colors, which is good, because I need to get this moved out of my stash.  The Comfy is a nice yarn, but I do prefer wools and future baby things will probably be made out of superwash wool, rather than cotton.  The other reason for doing this pattern is that it uses a more complex sweater construction than the top-down seamless cardigan I made last fall.  I may want to start knitting garments at some point (because I will reach a point where I have enough mitts, hats, cowls and socks to keep me happy for a good long while), and making small garments is a good way to try out some new skills.

After that, another pair of Palette Mittens.  This time Strago by Jared Flood.  I have had this pattern in my queue for a while, but there is something about fall that makes me want to have an obscene number of mittens, and again Palette because it is versatile, cheap (or was when I bought it) and warm. I think this color work will be a nice change from the more involved Woodland Winter Mittens, that will be dotting up all winter.

So, after warming my hands (and some mystery, yet to be born child) I think it will be time for a hat.  Capucine has been in my queue since I first saw it being knit by Phat Fiber folks. It seems like an ideal hat for me in the winter, because I prefer earflaps on my hats, but I look insane if I wear an earflap hat, so hopefully this cap, along with the Lara pattern from the Twist Collective last winter will fit well  and look good on me.  The yarn for this comes from a local fiber producer.  I used the same stuff on a Mobeus Cowl for my Mom last winter, and while it is scratchy (it is farm fresh wool), I think the pattern will leave room for lining if needed.

Guess it is time for the November's Woodland Winter Mittens.  Not much to say here, but I sure hope I like these patterns, because there are another four pairs after this one.

Finally, some crochet.  I loved making the Baby Blanket and watching Carla make her hexagons, so I thought I need to crochet more often.  Initially I had bought the tosh DK I am using for this to make a large triangle shawl, however, I don't wear triangle shawls, at all., I love crescent shawls and stoles, but traditional triangle shawls aren't for me.  So instead I found the pattern for this Calm Cowl (cowls being one of my favorite things to knit or wear). I am excited to crochet with a nice yarn and make something larger than a hexagon.

So those are my next five projects (not including the two already on the needles), hopefully I will have some finished objects to start showing off soon.

P.S.  If you are on Ravelry, feel free to come check out my live Queue, it is always changing, but I do have some awesome stuff planned (and for most of them I already have yarn, yikes).