Things that Need Buttons
I have a giant button jar, as you can see. It’s so much fun to dump out the jar and sift through my button choices whenever I start or finish a button friendly project. I was discussing buttons with KT and she made some good points about the combination of knitting and buttons. She is of the opinion that the knitting should be the star of the show but I’m not sure I’m on board. I think it depends on the project. Something smaller, like a cowl, some mittens, maybe some felted slippers, can showcase an awesome button. When it comes to sweaters though, she has a point. It’s just too much work to have your knitting upstaged by a flashy button. A button should really compliment a sweater, not show it up.
Yet, among all these buttons I cannot seem to find the perfect button for these projects. They are small, so a loud button is allowed but I just don’t seem to have the perfect one in this cascade of buttons. Why is this? Every time I go to Button Button I make a purchase of the buttons I went for and I always walk out with a few treasures I have discovered. Perhaps I should have chosen the buttons first, but thinking ahead isn’t necessarily my strong suit. Anyhow, I have a small pile of goods to be adorned with buttons and a few project on the go that I can now pick out buttons for. Time for a trip to Button Button!
Projects on the Go
I have had another case of startitis that has come on quite suddenly. Since I am on maternity leave I decided to put myself on a yarn diet. I’m still getting a good amount of knitting done, the baby naps a fair bit and she’s kind of a lone wolf so she doesn’t like to be held all the time. This makes for some free hands and relaxing knit time. The yarn diet goes like this: 2 balls knit for 1 ball acquired. This is a slow but sure way to reduce the stash and my yarn spending habit. For some reason this makes me feel free to start whatever project I want with yarn I have, it’s a strange thing.
First up is my Thermis Cowl. I’ve knit this up twice before, one for my cousin’s birthday and one as a sample at Urban Yarns. Unfortunately the UY version went walking one day. It’s so sad when knitting is stolen. It’s not the yarn I miss as much as the time… This one is being knit in some pretty Tosh DK from Madelinetosh. Tosh of any weight is my newest obsession, it’s fantastic. The colours are so rich.
Next up is the Tea Leaves I’m working on for my Mom. I told her I was knitting it for myself so I could knit it in front of her. She’s a very smart woman but she never picks up on stuff like that. I could probably just tell her what I was getting her for her birthday and she would just forget and be pretty surprised when she opened it. I enjoy this quality in her, it makes life easy sometimes.
I’m also working on a Clapotis for the UY Clapo-tea party May 6th. I haven’t gotten very far but it’s going to have to stay at the top of the pile so I can get it done in time. It’s a pretty simple knit once you’ve established your pattern.
I’ve also cast on for a pretty fair isle cardigan for miss Hunter. I couldn’t resist this sweater when I came across it on the Purlbee blog. I’m knitting it in Blue Sky Alpacas Sport and Melange. I’m not sure this is the sanest choice but I had all but 1 skein of yarn already on hand so I decided to go for it. I’m LOVING this colour combo.
That’s all for now but I’ll let you in on a little secret: this is not all the projects I have on the go…..
