Itchy Fingers

So far I've managed to be reasonably good about my knitting projects--I still only have one technically on the needles, but I'm getting so so impatient to start a new project, what with the new knitty and having bought yarn for the Lace Leaf Pullover.
Re: said yarn, being cheap and lazy, I just wandered over to my local A.C. Moore (my favorite craft store, mostly because of the nice ladies that work there, and my being 500 miles away from my beloved metalliferous) and wandered the aisles looking for an acceptable shade of green. Unfortunately I was absolutely unable to find a shade of green that I liked other than in Vanna's Choice, which as you may or may not know is "the first celebrity-endorsed yarn" or some such, and happens to be *gasp, horror* acrylic. I really tried, you know. I looked at every skein of green yarn in that place--twice, even!--cotton, wool, bamboo, alpaca, and every mixture thereof, but I honestly could not find the perfect green in any other yarn. So Olive it is.
Of course, I was also too lazy to go to an actual LYS.
The yarn, of course, is just a worsted weight rather than the bulky called for in the pattern, but at the moment I'm kind of over uber-bulky sweaters--case in point my Ubernatural which was fun to make and comfortable as all get-out but makes me feel as padded as a polar bear while wearing it.
I swatched the VC (as it will now be called) and got 15x20 to 4" in stockinette on 10.5s (the biggest needles the yarn would "work" on), which is quite a bit off from the 10x14 called for by the pattern. Given the many web reports of problems with shoulder shaping, collar tightness, etc. I'm just going to morph the leaf motifs, ribbed collar/hem, and sleeve patterning with another sweater that matches my gauge-- Knitty's Lite Brite and call it a day. Add in this chart of the leaf motif upside-down and away I'll go.
As soon as I finish my Tubey. If I can hold out!

WIPs, progressing nicely!

Despite my recent book acquisitions, I've been good about not starting anything new (other than doing a little swatching for Teva Durham's Lace Leaf Pullover, shh, don't tell anyone). I've just got two "active" projects, and one's almost finished!

Pattern: Tigger-Like Baby Sweater
Yarn: Jamie Baby "Happy Print" (held doubled throughout) and mystery pink acrylic.
Needles: US size 10 and 10.5
Mods: I adjusted for my (very) different gauge and made the collar in the contrast color rather than main color.
Notes: I liked the Tigger pattern because it's pretty simple and I thought the little pink stripes would be fun--the sweater as a whole reminds me rather of a cupcake. Hopefully if I can get my butt seaming along it'll be in one piece before the intended baby recipient outgrows it!


Pattern: Tubey, from Knitty
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in grey from the stash
Needles: #8 bamboo straights and dpns
Mods planned: Lace panel and ribbing along back/sleeves, not going to increase for belled sleeves. Will start knitting both sleeves from the center of back rather than one side to make lace symmetrical. Body to have lace/cable panels in front, 2x1 rib rather than 3x1 throughout.
Notes: Can you tell I can't start any new project without wanting to throw in lace panels everywhere? It's a disease, I tell you, a disease! Maybe by the time I get to the body I'll be ready for some totally totally mindless knitting and skip out on the lace.

New books, yay!

I received an order from half.com yesterday containing three knitting books. Needless to say, I was rather excited. (I got a great deal on them, too!)
The Knitters Bible - Claire Crompton - Pretty basic techniques/stitches/projects book. I pretty much just got it for the charted stitch patterns. I work so much better from charted patterns than those written out. There's a cute baby sweater in the patterns, but that's about all.
Yarnplay - Lisa Shobhana Mason - Early in the book, the author says "there are two types of knitters: those who are into intense stitch patterns, like cables or lace, and those who are into working with color" and goes on to say she's one of the latter. Being staunchly one of the former camp (I think the most colors I've had in a project is three...and then only with great angst...), I bought this to try to expand my color horizons. The projects I liked are Edie, a cute asymmetrical cardi (pictured in a lovely shade of blue), Lorelei, a tank with fun construction (though will be a challenge to add shaping to, as the bottom is knit sideways in mostly stockinette. methinks some ribbing might help.), and Everything (but the kitchen sink), a sweater that looks like the perfect stashbuster. (Pictures, L)

Domiknitrix - Jennifer Stafford - I've been wanting this book for the longest time and don't know why I never ended up getting it. I love it. While it's a lot more opinionated than most learn-how-to-knit books out there, that's quite a bit of the appeal. I particularly like the "I'd rather knit a seamless sweater than sew a single seam" bit and the emphasis on shaping and fit. The projects seem pretty solid, though I doubt I could do the devil hat any time other than halloween. I like the l'il red riding hoodie (love the details like the elbow patches) and the sweetheart sweater (love the neckline, would replace the intarsia with a nice intricate lace or cable panel--I'm still a monotone kind of gal!). (pictures, L) I absolutely adore the colored panels on the diva halter as well, but just don't agree with halters knit in bulky yarns (my two previous knit halters have seen little to no wear...). I wonder if I could just join the two straps to the back tank-top style rather than connecting them together to form the halter...
Anyway.