Making Progress

Since my last post, I've made quite a bit of progress on a number of projects!

1)I have indeed gone back to the Cable Comfort Throw, which is now about 75% of the way done! Since it is getting colder outside, it's actually nice to knit with a warm & growning afghan on my lap. And what could be better than Noro?! I had bought 20 balls of the Transitions when I started this project, not being sure how much I would need. I think I'm going to have several left, so I'm already thinking about what to do with the rest. I am not a huge fan of bulky-weight sweaters, but I do have a Noro book that has some pretty ones. My other choice, after seeing lots of projects on Ravelry, is the Lady Eleanor stole, from Scarf Style. On the spur of the moment the other night, I watched some YouTube tutorials about knitting backwards and taught myself in about five minutes. It's a lot easier than I thought! I will have to wait and see how many balls of Transitions I have left to determine what will become of them. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying the afghan. My goal is at least 2 rows per day (as it is not at all portable); I should be done before spring!

2)Instead of the hooded vest that I thought I was going to cast on when I last posted (the gauge didn't work for my Tahki Donegal Tweed--one of the oldest yarns in my stash--and I couldn't figure out how to adjust it so that it wouldn't be huge on me), I opted to cast on the Sunrise Circle Jacket. This is a really fun pattern and lots of people have used the Donegal Tweed. I had to use size 6 needles to get gauge, but I think it will be fine--nice and firm, which is good for a jacket that is really outerwear. I am done the first piece (left sleeve + left front), and partway up the right sleeve. I THINK this will fit perfectly--it is kind of hard to tell with this intriguing construction, but I'm taking the leap of faith and going on!

3)My darling 15-year-old son has requested an argyle vest! I have never done argyle and have done very little intarsia, but I'm going for it. We pored over patterns on Ravelry and the one he liked (Argyll V-Neck) is from a book called Rowan Knitting for Him, which has gorgeous men's patterns. This vest has overall argyle patterning on the front and the back, but several Ravelers have suggested doing the front first and doing the argyle on the front only. I think that's what I'll do. I have to decide whether I duplicate stitch the zigzag lines as some people have recommended, or knit them in. The thought of doing all the duplicate stitch is not very appealing, so I may try to knit them in. We'll see. Ordered KnitPicks Palette--how fun is it to choose from among their 100 colors!--swatched, and I'm on my way!

Hope to have some good progress on all of these wonderful projects soon.