Sunday downtime

1. I'm getting really tired of red. I have so much red yarn! My current WIP, the downtown cap-sleeve cardigan (rav link), is being worked in Hollyberry colored Merino Style from Knit Picks. Solid red, and each row takes a lot of effort, since it's extremely patterned:



I also don't know if this is going to be something I'm going to want to wear when I'm done with it. Right now, it seems a little twee. But we'll see. The model in the pattern link looks pretty good in the sweater. Hopefully I'll look like that and not like I'm wearing something more appropriate for my mother.

2. I need to re-evaluate my Project Spectrum goals in light of my waning interest in red. I had a couple more things on the list for FIRE, but I'm just not that into them. One was a sweater for my niece that I've been meaning to knit for a couple of years now at least, and I'm not sure I even have enough yarn for it anymore, since she's grown so much. So, here's my list going forward for EARTH and AIR:

Earth:
Spanky's Sweater
Clementine Shawlette
Cache Coeur (made with this amazing Malabrigo I just got)
canteen felted bag

AIR:
shrugs for my sister and her friend Jen
white socks

WATER:
black cotton shrug for me
lenore socks

And then I think I'll be at the point to re-evaluate my list again. I need to keep whittling down my stash. It's getting out of control again, and I don't have enough time to really work on it.



3. Speaking of stash enhancement, yesterday Spanky and I rented a Prius through our Zipcar account, and took it to Montclair, NJ. I stopped by Modern Yarn and picked up some Malabrigo:



I've never worked with Malabrigo before, and people, I am in LOVE. I want to start working with it RIGHT NOW. But really, I'm trying to finish this blasted red sweater first. I'm almost half way from the armhole shaping. Hopefully in another week, I'll be done with the back and will be working on the fronts! And once I finish this sweater, that will be one whole lot of yarn OUT OF THE STASH.

4. A few weeks ago, Entertainment Weekly came out with their "new classics" lists--movies, books, music, etc from the last thirty years or so that (in their opinion) should be considered classics. I had seen probably 2/3 of the films on their list but I was surprised by how few of the books I'd read! So I'm starting at the beginning, and I'm going to read my way through the list. The first book on the list is The Road, a book I'd avoided because of its harshness, but in an effort to be better read, I'm taking up the challenge. I'll let you know how it goes.