A Bittersweet Mist

I have spent a long time thinking about where my knitting would focus this year and just what I wanted to challenge myself with.  This year I'm thinking smaller, focusing on colourwork and lace.  

To that end, I am setting myself up to start down both those paths.  I started the Briggs and Little Shawl.  While it isn't lace, just simple garter stitch, it is a shawl and since my new office is, by popular vote, a few degrees colder than chilly, the need is great.  It is up first.  Besides, it is fantastic lunch time knitting.  

On the way home from work today, I had the overwhelming  urge to dive into the yarn closet and dig for something.  So I did.

There just isn't anything I like so well as diving into yarn and just go shopping.  I never really thought of it that way till a friend laughingly said she knew I had a lot of yarn, she just didn't realize it was my own store! Since she said that, I do think just the tiniest bit different about the size of the stash and how I approach it when I am looking for something.  I do have a little of almost everything, after all.  

I didn't want to just pick yarn out willy nilly.  I wanted it to be a purposeful dig.  So, with the shawl settled and well begun, I decided it was time for colourwork.  

I had two possible projects.  One that lovely icy blue and white Cascade 220 for a vest and the other, yarn for mittens.  Since part one of the focus is supposed to be on smaller projects, I went for mittens.  

There are so many lovely colourwork mitten patterns.  My bookshelf has some mitten stunners and there are hundreds of patterns available through Ravelry.  There are those wonderful fun Spillyjane patterns (beer mittens, bug mittens...sigh) so many, many more. 

I pulled out the box of Pallette, Knitpicks versatile and formerly inexpensive fingering weight.  It used to be a really great buy, but now, if I have to pay that price, then I am going to spend the smallest bit more and get a more firmly spun yarn.  It still is a good deal, just not one that speaks to me so much anymore.

Anyway out comes the yarn and the choice is 2 colours or many?  Two to start, I think.  I came across a rich deep bown, Bittersweet. Then I saw Mist, a taupe that changed colours depending what I put next to it.  When I held it next to the Bittersweet, the Bittersweet changed colours!

So there you have it. Bittersweet and Mist.  I had visions of fogs and forest and deep woods.  Deep in the Forest Mittens - A Bittersweet Mist  

just begun, the very best place to be, next to almost done.