Beginning

Since finishing school and homework, I've started knitting a lot again. Projects finished recently include: a case for my iPod, a pair of fingerless gloves for Sophie, a hat and sweater for the baby of a former coworker, a pair of mittens for myself. Planned: my first sweater! and a pair of mittens as a Christmas present. I've been having issues with the sweater. I found a great pattern - Maude Louise - that I really like. I've been looking for something classic, but still interesting. A first sweater is something important, something you want to be able to wear for a long time, and consequently I've been laboring over patterns and yarns for awhile. Last weekend I went to a yarn store and spent an hour looking through yarns to find the right one - something wool, soft, in a good color, that has the right gauge. I finally found one that I really like - Lana Grossa's Cool Wool Big - in a really pretty navy blue/purple. Unfortunately they didn't have 10 balls and it would take 4-6 weeks to order it. I bought one ball in a burnt orange/red color. I've knitted up a swatch and it's the perfect gauge. But now I can't find anywhere that carries it. I've called all the places that their website lists for Minnesota and Illinois, started on Wisconsin. I have one lead of a place that says they might be able to order it in 7-10 business days which I can live with (and ship it directly to me!). I just want to start this sweater so that I can bring it with me to England for Christmas! I may just give up soon and go for a different yarn but after putting this much effort into it, I want to use the yarn I liked in the first place!

Another project I've got in mind: The Green Autumn Druid Mittens from the Fall 2008 Vogue magazine. They're really pretty and I've been wanting to make them for a long time, and now I have someone in mind for them!

In other news, I thought I was going to be able to mail the end of my Cambridge application today but yet again a problem with a letter of recommendation and I can't.

And finally, it snowed yesterday!

At some point I'll go through and actually take pictures of the projects I've finished...