I have thrown out several old knitting/crochet projects today. I don't think I've even ravelled them - except Newgrange, Ms Pettigrew, and Autumn Morning - as they were mostly pre-Ravelry. I chose not to rip out the projects because, really, the yarns used weren't that great and I have way too much yarn already. I chose projects that were ill-fitting, badly-conceived or just not used - and oddly enough D seemed more upset about me throwing out projects than I was. I don't really know why anyone would get upset about me throwing out an itchy rainbow-coloured mohair scarf.Or a hat which makes me look at though I'm growing fungus on top of my head. Looking at Newgrange I was reminded of an old idea I had for a crocheted cowl/scarf, though. I will get back to that idea very, very soon. Promise.

Current project is Patsy from the new Kim Hargreaves book, Touching Elegance. Judging from the online community, I am the only person in the entire universe to like this collection, but I really dig the 1920s/1930s nostalgia and its sombre atmosphere.

The back looked incredibly tiny when I first started but as I progressed from the ribbed section into the "proper" pattern, the sizing started to make sense. It has been a quick knit so far - famous last words! - but I'm already at the armhole shaping and am gearing up for making the fronts. Usually I'd work on a sleeve between doing the two fronts, but seeing as I have monkey arms, I will want to lengthen the sleeves so I need to figure out how much yarn I've got and how much I need to lengthen the sleeves. It'll be easier to figure out once the rest of the cardigan is done.. right?

The yarn is RYC Baby Alpaca DK (I think it's being rebranded as Rowan? All RYC yarns now come with nice Rowan paper ballbands). It's lovely. Actually, it's lovely. It's one of those yarns that look vaguely non-descript in the ball but bloom as soon as you start working with it. It makes a deliciously soft fabric but the softness has some body to it: it is not all fluffiness. I do like my alpaca yarns (I'm always cold & alpaca is warmer than wool) and this is one of the nicest I have used. I just hope that I'm not miscalculating just how much it'll stretch - I am knitting it to a slightly tighter gauge and I do want my cardigan to have a blousy feel. We shall see.

I need a couple of more projects on my needles, as Patsy is now the only thing I'm working on. I have a couple of knitting group sessions coming up, so I'll be looking for a few brainless projects. I also want a lace project on the needles - I started knitting a Laminaria shawl for ms Old Maiden Aunt, but my head was not in the right place (I'll get back to it soon enough, though). Off to search the Ravelry database..

.. but first I need to pull my handknitted cardigans out of the washing machine. I know. This blog post is full of knitting upsets.