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The wonderful thing about being a knitter is that your world is always fresh and full of promise.   New opportunities beckon.   Current problems can be replaced by anticipated future successes.  Being a knitter means you have limitless potential.

In that spirit, I have plans.  And, it isn’t that my current knitting isn’t going well, because surprisingly, everything is.  I even managed to get most of the foot of a second sock done during a forum on constitutional reform tonight.  But still, I have a short list of projects I want to start, that I’ll share with you.

At the top of my list is a vest for Ollie.  I love the classic Peace Fleece Vest pattern.

And Ollie wants one in the silk/alpaca yarn I used for my Clapotis.

I’m convinced he’ll look angelic in this vest at his school’s holiday music program.

I also want to knit some felted bowls, maybe with some beadwork around the top, and this Manos del Uruguay yarn is what I have in mind.  I’m thinking the colors will blend into each other and I can have a pretty, soft, organic shape.

I also have lots of baby knitting I want to do, including Leigh Radford’s Baby Bolero pattern from the One Skein Knits book in Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton.

And then I have my new skeins of Koigu that want to be a baby sweater of some unknown (at present) type.

I think about each of these projects lovingly in spare moments throughout the day.  I found myself fantasizing about the Koigu during Pilates today.  Ollie has asked about a vest at least a half dozen times during the last week, so that is at the top of my "new starts" priorities.

It’s fun — and it’s a certain sort of power — having the ability to reinvent yourself by casting on a set number of stitches and starting anew.  It’s one of the reasons why I’m happy to let knitting have a large amount of space in my life.

I’ve managed to avoid doing lots of things that I should have done this week so that I could indulge myself and knit.

First off, I finished the Noro Hat.  How cool is this?

This pattern is so irresistible that one of my cousins and my uncle are both knitting it.

I started a scarf for Teddy in Misti Alpaca.  Those of you who read my blog because you have kids with DiGeorge or Non-Verbal Learning Disorder and who also knit will appreciate that this is a basic solid color scarf, knit in garter stitch.  I’m not sure I’m going to survive the boredom, but the simple, basic stitch in the incredibly soft yarn is perfect for someone with sensory integration issues like Teddy.  I’m knitting it extra-wide to keep him warm, which means I’m going to have to beg the store in Connecticut to send me a second skein, as I’m about to run out.

And, my Noro Adventure Bag is off the needles!  Here it is pictured right before I did the stitches on the sides for the tabs, before knitting the last couple of rounds and binding off.

All that is left is to do the strap for the top and the tabs on the side.  I can’t wait to felt this bag and see it take shape!

Speaking of bags, an exceptionally special knitting bag showed up on my doorstep this week.  This one.

It’s a horrible picture of an awesome bag.  It was made for me by a good friend, Tonya of Mother & Child Creations.  I’m linking upfront before you all email and ask where you can get one of her bags.  She does a few here and there.  They always seem to get snapped up quickly.  I suspect that if you emailed and asked her very nicely, she would try to make room for you.  This bag was done using a fairytale print I sent on the outside, and some of my hand-dyed green silk velvet on the inside.  Tonya found the most fabulous brown corduroy with green dots — it works perfectly with both of my fabrics, and included lots of pockets, including one long one that is big enough to hold patterns without mangling them.  In fact, it holds my Rowan pattern book perfectly.  I love this bag because it is big enough to cart along several projects and necessary tools, with enough pockets for keys and such that nothing snags on my yarn.  Smooches Tonya.  I love it!

Further yarnie procrastination was caused by the arrival of a gift box from my Knitty SP9 buddy Ruth, who sent lots of treats for fall weather and this:

Isn’t it sumptuous?  I’ve been thinking about doing EZ’s baby surprise sweater.  This might be just the yarn for it!  I need to swatch.  This is a stunning yarn that I don’t have a single skein of in my stash.  I was so happy to see it!  It is full of potential and possibilities and I can’t wait to decide what to knit with it!

I’m also dyeing yarn today, some for Midday Faire, which stocks this Tuesday and some for Elliebelly later in the week.  The weather is crisp and clear here, and the fall colors are speaking loudly, even in the south.  I’m playing with some silk/merino yarn this morning that would make a beautiful shawl or luxurious socks.  I hope y’all are going to like it as much as I do.  Here’s a little sneak preview of my yarn for this week.  This is Lodestar on Peace Fleece, and it will be available here on Tuesday.

Some patterns have a tendency to rock my world.  This one was so simple, so basic.  Knit for four rows, purl for four rows, utilize the pretty color changes in Noro Kureyon, decrease for the crown, then cast off.  I knew I was going to have to make it the first time I stumbled across the Noro Hat pattern on Saartje’s Blog.

It was a quick knit too, once I got going.  I had several rows on the needles, but went to it in earnest, flying home from Connecticut yesterday.  It was so much fun watching the colors evolve that I sat back down with it this morning, watched a marathon of some previously unheard of show on the Sci Fi channel called Tru Calling (I think — I don’t watch a lot of tv) and finished it up today.

Here it is, just before I took it off the needles and finished the crown.

It sort of resembles a bee skeep.  Ellie opined it would make a lovely skirt, but was happy to run off with the hat,

which was fortunately just enough too big for her that I’m guaranteed that this one will remain mine.  Despite its simplicity, it is enchanting enough to knit that I’ve promised one each to Ellie and Ollie.

If you’re looking for a quick, fun knit, that is sure to make you feel like the queen of the world, this one should be calling your name!  Thank you to the lovely Saartje, whose patterns are always wonderful.

I’ve had a wonderful time in Connecticut (nickname: the Nutmeg state, for those of you who play trivia).  The weather is beautiful, at least by Alabama standards.  My child seems pretty much the same as when I last saw him and really likes school.  The only difference between this picture and how he looked before school,

is that he now has an iMAC implant, instead of his old pc.  It’s hard being 15.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was a cruise up the Connecticut River that the school arranged so the parents would have a chance to meet.  The trip was beautiful, the parents were all interesting and nice, and it was lots of fun.

Teddy was nice enough to point out an old cemetery near his school to me, and we stopped in search of stone angels that I could photograph for Karen O.  No stone angels, but it was a beautiful, historic churchyard, with the leaves just getting ready to turn.

Although there were a lot of beautiful, elaborate tombstones, I was intrigued by this small, simple one, that was part of a row of similar small, apparently unrelated stones.

We spent a really nice evening in a B&B near the school, sitting outside playing gameboy (him) and knitting (predictably me) in the cool, pleasant weather.  I’ve managed to knit up about halfway to where I will start the decreases on the Noni Adventure Bag.  It turned out to be perfect knitting for meetings — just miles of stockinette that could be knit while talking and learning.

I’ve also finished the back on the Rowan Anise sweater.  Here it is, just before I got to the shoulder and neck shaping.

It’s gorgeous, and I adore it.  I’m nervous about the size though.  It looks a little bit small although my gauge is good.  I think I’m going to have to start praying for a blocking miracle.

Tomorrow we fly home, and I can’t get wait to get back to the rest of my family.  It has been a fun trip.  I’m very reassured about Teddy’s schooling (for those of you who remember our struggles from last year for finding a good high school setting for a child with nonverbal learning disorder and the DiGeorge Anomaly) and the choice we made to let him go to boarding school, but now, I’m ready for home.

My friends know that I stash yarn based on this theory:  how much yarn would it take me to get through a bird flu epidemic or other disaster, where I was shut in at home, yarn stores weren’t open, and even *gasp* internet sales were unavailable.  This approach to life pretty much covers a multitude of sins and justifies lots of needle purchases as well (more on that below).

This week, though, I faced a more subtle inquiry.  How much yarn does it take to go away from home?

I’m up in Connecticut to retrieve our #2 son from school.  This is a process that apparently requires me to take him out for sushi and donuts at every meal, while attending teacher conferences and parent meetings in my free time.  It’s a five day trek.  I brought this along:

That would be the Noro Hat, Sea Silk Feather & Fan Scarf, Lizard Ridge, The Adventure Bag, and Rowan’s Anise Sweater.  I thought that would be enough.  (And yes dear, that is why I took the BIG suitcase).

On the plane, I hunkered down with Anise.  The back now looks like this:

The yarn is no end pleasing to knit with and the double seed stitch pattern is fun (and surprisingly easy to keep track of without a four year old on my lap).  On the plane, I sat with a woman and her mother, who had Alzheimers.  The mother sat next to me, and was delightful.  We chatted about my knitting and she really enjoyed touching it and feeling all of the yarn.  Fortunately, three of my projects were in my carry on bag so I was able to bring them all out and she got enjoy the texture and the color.

I also knit the base of the Adventure Bag and picked up the stitches for the sides.  The Bag pattern is written for three different sizes, and I’m doing the medium size.  I’m a little bit sorry I didn’t do the biggest size as I can already tell I’m going to love this bag.  I haven’t knitted to felt in what seems like eons and I’m happy to be doing it again.

If you look carefully, you can tell by looking at the cable on the needles that these are not my usual beloved Addi Turbos.  Instead, this is the first time I’ve knit with my new Knit Picks set, and I’ve got to say, it’s LOVE.  The needles are smooth and fast and easy to put together.  If I can just find a good way to store the set (I’m not overwhelmed by the little notebook it comes with), I’ll be overjoyed.

After flying into Hartford, I got to meet a friend from Sewing Mamas, Deb, and her son at Creative Fibers in Hartford.  The store was really cool — lots of different  yarns from what  I see in the South, along with some  of my perennial favorites.

I felt like it would be wrong not to tithe to the yarn gods, and besides, I was worried I hadn’t brought enough yarn along with me in case of emergencies, like a 10 hour flight delay on the way home.  (You laugh, but I have been there before and did not run out of yarn due to careful planning.)  I finally settled on this:

I owe you a better picture in good lighting, but I just had to share.  The yarn is:

• One skein of Blue Sky Organic Cotton.  The store had a sample of the sweet little baby sweater from One Skein Wonders knit up, and I though it would make a great present for a pregnant friend.
• One skein of buttery soft chunky baby alpaca from Misti Alpaca.  I can’t even begin to describe how soft this yarn is.  The minute I touched it, I wanted to insert my entire body in the skein and  R-E-L-A-X.  It is that soft.  Teddy needs a winter scarf and this will probably be it unless I decide to keep this skein to fondle.  I really should have got two skeins.  Darn, we’re going to have to go back when we drive up to Hartford.
• One skein of Madelinetosh sock yarn.  I have no idea who Madelinetosh is, but I intend to find out.  I kept finding really unusually pretty skeins of sock yarn in the store, and every time I picked one up, it was by this dyer.  This is someone with a real knack for getting color onto yarn.  I had to negotiate with myself to buy just one.

I also got two patterns.  One is a cute little baby sweater (I have lots of pregnant friends) in Koigu by a local designer named Julie Cashin who Deb has taken classes with.  The other is a great felted bowl pattern called Autumn Duo by Carol Bristol Designs.  I’ve been meaning to start a felted bowl and this is just the shape I had in mind, plus it has a cool option for inserting beads near the top that I would not have been clever enough to figure out on my own.

In a few minutes, I’m off to breakfast and then a morning of knitting outdoors in the beautiful Connecticut fall weather teacher conferences.  So far, I’ve seen wild turkeys and a deer in the woods between my hotel and the school.  I’m looking forward to what today brings.