Back to the Cardi

I don't know what's going on, but the last few days I feel like a knitting (and blogging) machine.... but don't worry, everything has a balance and I'm sure I'll get into a rut again soon.

But for now, I've got my groove on.....
... and I'm flying on the cardi (this is the left front). When I picked it up tonight, I only had the bottom moss stitch border done. And in just a few short hours, I'm almost half way to the arm holes. (Thank you to Miss Peno, who spent the evening laying on my book, so now the pattern lays perfectly flat.)

It was weird going back to this. The Fan Shawl was knit with Regia Silk, and that yarn is so soft and ... well... silky. This (Filatura Di Crossa Zara) feels so rough by comparison. And it's not really rough at all. It's extra fine merino and it's knitting up just lovely. It just took a few rows to get used to again.

It has the perfect amount of sproing, and is giving me nice even tension (a big thing for me). And rub it against your cheek... there is absolutely no itch. The Regia was also very splitty, and this isn't. It really is a nice yarn to knit with. I wish I had more.

Anyway, I've set myself a goal for this one. I'd like to have it done for the end of October. Just in time for the really cool weather. It's a doable goal too, as long as I limit the crackghan to weekend movie-watching knitting, limit the socks to weekend car knitting (that's if Dave doesn't make me drive), and resist the urge to cast on for another shawl.

That's going to be the really hard part... you see, Mom apparently snagged me two skeins of Handmaiden Sea Silk... and it's due to arrive any day. And I have the perfect shawl picked out:

The Red Dragon Shawl... though mine will be a green dragon...(these aren't the actual skeins Im getting, just a pic I stole off the net)

...as the colour mom picked out was Forest (or at least that's what we think it was.. neither of us can remember for sure.. it might be Hemlock or Cedar... it's green anyway.) So, when it arrives, it's going to take some serious resisting... of course, it's all knit with charts (I hate charts) and the cardi is simple stocknit stitch, so the cardi may just win out.