Cool things (in several senses)

Guess what this is?



Did you guess? If you've seen the Spring 07 Knitty, you'll know. It's a "paw cozy": you put the flexi-leash in the top end (with the button), run the leash part out the hole, stick your hand in the ribbed end (on the left), and voila--warm hands when you walk the dog in the winter! Is that brilliant or what? I think it's brilliant. See the pattern here. It would be even cooler if you made it from yarn spun from your dog's undercoat. Dog undercoat (fleece?) is warmer than wool and water resistant, good things on cold snowy days. Otherwise I might make it in Lopi, since it's light, strong, warm, and water resistant, and wear a glove or glove liner under it. You could make it with stripes or checks or fair isle patterns, or felt it for wind-resistance, or work your dog's name across the back in a different color. And think what amazing Christmas gifts for your friends with dogs! Bet they won't have anything like it.


Actually, as always, there are a bunch of nice patterns in this issue of Knitty. There's a beautiful lace shawl, some interestingly-cabled socks, some pretty handwarmers, a nice little summer tee.


Which leads me to contemplate the change of seasons and what to wear. I gained a ton of weight over winter; I'm not going to be able to wear any of my light spring sweaters. Knit N Style, a magazine I don't usually particularly like, has a nice selection of t-shirts in their spring issue. Thing is, I don't think I have much summer-weight yarn in my stash. I'd love to get some of the pretty summer blend yarns--cotton/linen, cotton/silk, linen/silk.


I do have a big cake of a kind of fine, bumpy, tweedy, dark brown silk that might make a good t-shirt, if there's enough of it. (GOTTA get that yarn meter!)





I've got a lot of Takhi Cotton Classic, but it's in about 6 or 7 different colors--it was a gift, with a particular project in mind, and then I decided I didn't like that yarn for that project, and I've never been able to find or think of a project to use it in. It weighs a ton--it would be okay for a spring sweater, but too heavy for summer. And it's so slick, I suspect you'd have to literally sew, with needle and thread, your ends in. :-P All right, 5 colors; I had thought there was a khaki or tan as well, but apparently not. There should be; it needs a transitional color between that dark brown and the lighter colors.





I have a cone of white dk-weight cotton, which I was going to knit up with a carry-along with little white organdy flags. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time...




There's some rayon boucle, which isn't exactly what you'd call lightweight--it's two different dyelots I got in a Cherry Tree Hill potluck sale that are close enough that with a little planning you could probably use them together, but it doesn't seem like it would make a very comfortable garment. Maybe it would soften up once it was washed, except I think it's supposed to be dry-cleaned. 600 yards, which might make a sleeveless shell, but I don't wear anything sleeveless unless I'm a size 10 and have been working out, which I am not and have not been.





I've got a bunch of matte dk-weight olive green cotton and dk weight olive green chenille. Another gift, and I suspect they were bought with a specific project in mind--and the contrast of textures would be very nice--but alas, no pattern came with it.

I signed up to the knitswap yahoo group, which seems to be more selling than swapping--maybe I should offer this stuff and see if I can get enough money to buy something I might be likely to use.