A sweater in September

I've decided to take the plunge and create that most knitterly of knitted items: a sweater. Since this is my first one, I tried to pick something that will be simple and fairly easy. The Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts is simple and knit in the round, bottom up with no seaming. I love the idea of no seaming, because that's one of the things that scares me about sweaters. So I've settled on this pattern.


I wanted to go with cheap yarn, because another thing that scares me about sweaters is the sheer cost of all those balls of yarn. So I chose KnitPicks' Andean Silk, a nice blend of alpaca, silk and wool. I'd heard good reviews of it, and several people have made this sweater in it. I picked Lettuce, a pretty, fall-ish shade of green.
It arrived yesterday, so I swatched and cast on. It's nice to work with and hopefully I'll end up with the right size. My swatch was too big, but I'm doing a size that's smaller than I am, so it might work out. I'll just have to see! I'm using some of my handmade stitch markers that match the yarn almost exactly. It's pretty fun. I'd love to get this sweater finished in September, before it gets too cold. I really need a new, nice sweater to wear to work. My office used to be a garage, so it can get pretty cold in there.

I also would love to do the Gatsby sweater from Fall IK. I'd probably do it out of KnitPicks' Merino Style. I can't decide on a color though, they are all lovely! I also love the Sienna Cardigan. Fall is coming...my favorite season. I would love to be wearing my own creations during the chilly season.

In spinning, I have been doing more soysilk, some roving that I bought from Susie (To Knit Perchance to Dream). It is in pretty shades of pink and purple, with some white where the dye didn't catch. It is rather fairy-princess-y, a little much for me, but it appealed to me for some reason. It may become a gift for someone, after being spun into laceweight and knit into a scarf or shawl. It is also good practice for my Peacock silk.


Daniel and I have now told a lot of people about our engagement. Since all of my dad's family were together after my cousin's wedding, I called them and told them the news on the speakerphone. It was great timing for announcing, since not only was there a wedding that day, it was also my great-aunt and uncle's 40th wedding anniversary. Some of my relatives even found out through this blog! Hello, out there! Don't be afraid to say hi!

We have been having fun researching locations and thinking about the style we want. We haven't thought of much at this point, except for the fact that we don't want a huge shindig, seeing as we're both quite shy and private people. We just want a small celebration with our closest friends and family. Luckily we have a long time to plan and don't have to feel too overwhelmed yet!

Ta for now! I hope you are all enjoying these last few days of summer. Despite a few things that could be better, life is certainly good for me here.