My wandering ways (in knitting :-)

After finishing up several smaller gift knits recently, the only thing I had on the needles was the "scarf of miserable yarn." I know I'm going to love using this scarf when it's finished, but working on it is an exercise in discipline. I must use my reading glasses and pay attention; it is not a relaxing or mindless knit.
I've been itching to knit a sweater or cardigan for myself - I've had my eye on this Tubey for quite some time. Then Interweave Press released the Sophisticated Rustic Jacketas a free pattern in their knittingdaily e-newsletter, inspiring me to go on an eBay yarn quest to find some suitable thick-n-thin yarn for it. I did find some for the main color, but it took forever to arrive. While waiting, I asked a couple lists for ideas on how to do vertical stripes without the heavy results of Fair Isle, and side-to-side knitting was suggested as a possibility. Having never heard of this technique, I did a search on Knitty.com and up came Sonnet-- and I instantly thought of the recycled sari silk yarn I have in my stash. I've been wanting to make something with the colorful stuff but the only thing I've seen anyone else make with it is a handbag. The Sonnet "recipe" looked like it would work, so abandoning my thoughts of vertical stripes I did the gauge swatch and jumped in. The first skein went fast.
I eliminated the box stitch in the recipe since this yarn is busy enough without the added pattern. It is also incredibly "trashy" (the yarn)! I've taken to knitting with a towel in my lap to catch all the VM that falls out or I pull out - not just bits of chaff and hay but even small twigs! I can't imagine how so much "stuff" got in this yarn, unless the old saris were just piled on the ground and were spun from there. I hope the resulting cardigan doesn't have too many "pokeys" to be wearable.

That's the knitting news for now from . . .