Recycling

The yarn I'm using for the Endpaper Mitts is reclaimed from two sweaters I picked up for cheap at Goodwill. I've now found another source for recycled yarn: previously knit sweaters.

This is my Mountain Mohair sweater - Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan. It's a beautiful sweater, and I wear it whenever it's cold enough (which is not as often as I would like). The yarn is beautiful soft and slightly fuzzy, and it's held up pretty well over the last 5 years or so. But on my way home yesterday, I looked down and noticed this:

Since the yarn is basically a softly spun single, not a plied yarn, it's not terribly strong. I must have caught the edging on something and it broke the yarn. Now, in and of itself, this is not enough of a reason to frog the sweater. But I've been thinking about knitting something else from this for a while. First of all, there's no shaping to the sweater. It's straight up and down and basically just hangs there when I'm wearing it. And it doesn't do a lot for my body honestly - I'm not exactly svelte, and I think that it would look better on me with a bit more shaping.

I also am not a fan of the seed stitch bands - they are a bit loose and floppy, and don't feel substantial enough. I've decided to frog the sweater and use the yarn for something else. Initially, I was thinking about a top down V neck with set in slightly belled sleeves. But after last night's Mr. Redjeans fiasco (finished ribbing, bound off, tried on and realized that A) clearly the designer did not have my figure in mind when she had us switch to size 7 needles for the ribbing*, but I really don't need to display that much of my tummy, B) it was going to be too short in any event, and C) clearly in my mind I am still in my pre-pregnancy, half-Ironman body, not my post-two kids-still-lactating body - I'm going to have to go up a size), I'm thinking that I may soon be working on Mr. Bluejeans, while Mr. Redjeans gets to wear a set of concrete galoshes.

* this is nicer then saying she was smoking crack because really, the ribbing was going to pull in anyway with the cables. Why have it pull in more with smaller needles?

Mr. Redjeans

In my fevered rebound period after creating the Blue and Purple Monkey costumes, I cast on for two items for myself. One was the Bandwagon, which is now done. The other was Mr. Greenjeans, which I've been working on off and on for the last few weeks. I have rationalized this departure from The List at such a critical time by protesting that we're going to New England for Christmas, and since we've now been in Texas for five years (swoon), I am in sore need of a new sweater.

Sure.

But I'm greatly enjoying this project - mindless enough to be good for downtime, interesting enough not to be boring. The yarn I'm using is Durango from Colorado Yarns. It's mostly acrylic, but is really soft and knits up into an incredibly cuddly squishy fabric which I'm loving. The red tweed helps give it some interest.It's pretty simple - easy TV knitting - except for the cabled section at the bottom of the body and sleeves. I'm about halfway through the cable and rib section of the body, and I'm hoping I don't run out of yarn for the sleeves! I got ten balls of this from Webs at the end of last year (before TGYD07 started of course), so if I run out, I'm kind of out of luck on dyelot and all. Maybe the sleeves will end up being a bit shorter. Or narrower. Or something.

Anyhow, with this on the needles I'm having a hard time attending to the task at hand. Hopefully I'll finish soon so I can get back to The List.