Rose Obsession: a new pink cardigan

I had bittersweet feelings when I finished knitting this sweater last weekend. On the one hand it was nice, as usual, to complete a project and have something lovely and new. On the other hand, I know that this will probably be the last sweater I knit for many weeks.
You see, once the weather starts to get warmer, the idea of curling up with balls of soft, warm wool starts to lose its appeal. I don't want to curl up--I want to lay out in the sun. And I don't want wool--I want bathing suits and linen and thin cotton.
Of course, it's not quite time for those aforementioned lighter fabrics. After all, we had a foot of snow just last week! So this pink cardigan is a very good way for me to start wearing my summer dresses...with a little fashionable warmth to tide me through these last cooler days.
The yarn, which is a blend of bamboo and silk, is nice and soft. AND rose-colored. Like the pink petals of flowering trees. I Can't Wait for the flowering trees!
But until they bloom, you'll find me wearing this and dreaming of roses and warmer weather...

...and also feeling just a little bit sad that winter's knitting is coming to an end.

How do you like my latest (and last of the season) sweater? Leave your comments below!

For you knitter's out there--this is a free pattern from Berroco that I found off of Ravelry.com. Send me photos if you decide to knit one up for yourself!

the Splurge

There are a lot of things in life that make "going back" difficult. For instance, when we moved into this house, my husband and I bought a king-size bed. And now we could never possibly go back to sleeping comfortably in a queen. I mean, where would the dogs sleep? How would I stretch out properly? What would I do with all of my cute linens?

Or, as another example, when I purchased my first small bottle of mineral makeup and wore it around town, I knew that I wouldn't be going back to liquid or cream or any other variety of potion. I had found my cosmetic soul mate, and wouldn't be looking back.

So when I decided sometime last year to try out a few "authentic" yarns (aka not acrylic) to see what all the fuss was about, I understood that I was taking a risk.

A risk because I knew that if I discovered that I loved (LOVED) nice yarns, I might have a difficult time going back to the run-of-the-mill (aka cheap) variety.

Needless to say, I was right. Here I am, a year or so later, wearing what is certainly THE SOFTEST SWEATER I have ever owned or worn in my entire life.

Softer than my dog's ears.
Softer than a baby's skin.
Softer than cashmere. (okay--maybe it's as soft as cashmere...)

This yarn--a pale gray color that I think is perfect for spring--definitely debunks the notion that knitting is an affordable alternative to buying mass-produced sweaters from...say...J.Crew. Because not only is it THE SOFTEST SWEATER I have ever owned, it is also the most expensive. It was, in a word, a splurge.

This expense, however, is tempered by the satisfaction I got from knitting this sweater from scratch. And from learning new techniques (like making an I-cord, for instance). And from knowing it will stay with me for a lifetime. All things that I could not have gotten from buying a similar sweater from the store.

In other words, sometimes not going back is worth every penny.

What is your favorite splurge? Share by posting your comment here!

note: for the curious, this is the Faux Wrap Sweater from the fabulous book, Reversible Knitting.