you know what?

i have a thrilling new knitting machine and tons of books just waiting for me to play, but it's been 34 degrees and humid for the last couple of days, and the thought of even touching alpaca makes me want to cry.

oh, i'm bad

i was looking at my stash this morning and feeling bad that i haven't posted in an age. bad bad bad.

but!

i just had a happy thought. two happy thoughts, actually.

1: this sweater from bonnie & clyde:



2: i'm getting my knitting machine this weekend!!

ooh!

okay, i've been bad about updating, but i just opened a box from elann, and when i saw the gorgeousness within - enough baby silk (80% alpaca, 20% silk) to make the stripy "a bout de souffle" sweater - well, i don't think i'll have the patience to wait for the knitting machine to get started.

and, i have the perfect pattern to work from:



it's from a 1958 lux soap knitting book, so it's just about the right era and everything. it calls for 2.5 mm and 3 mm needles though - yikes! but considering the yarn is tiny (and gorgeous), tiny needles make sense, i guess... it's just that instructions like "cast on 120 sts" strike fear into my heart.

busy busy busy

it's been a crazy week what with visiting family and all, so i haven't been getting anything done. even my half-done totoro is trapped in my knitting bag in the bedroom which has been given over to my husband's mum. but i do have some new yarn, and i'm thinking i'll make a sweater like this one, only in red & black stripes instead:



as soon as i get my knitting machine here! or maybe i'll get impatient and work it by hand.