Inspiration

I'm feeling so inspired by some of new sweater designs that have come out recently! I'm such an obsessed sweater knitter...

Here's one that I'm definitely going to knit: Irish Coffee, by Babycocktails. I'm completely in love with this design--so much so that I ordered the prescribed yarn for it today: Brooklyn Tweed's gorgeous Shelter, in the Button Jar colorway. I tried to link directly to the color, but in case that didn't work, it's the greeny-blue one in the second row, third from left. Click on it, then hover the mouse over the photo to see a close-up. It will be clear to you why I picked it. I'm a sucker for this color, particularly when it's spun up into a heathery-tweedy yarn like Shelter, in which the component colors show up as flecks of contrast against the main color. Gorgeous! I have some Cascade Eco-Plus in almost the exact same color, actually (they call it Lake Chelan Heather), that I'm also planning to knit into a sweater. If that had been the right weight for this design, I'd have used it. Looking at the Shelter yarn, I tried to make myself pick a different color, but I kept coming back to the Button Jar. So I guess eventually I'll have two sweaters this color (or maybe I'll use the Eco-Plus for a blanket instead--I do have 3 skeins of it, 1438 yards--plenty for a blanket in bulky yarn). Anyway, I'm normally nervous about buying yarns online, but one of my fellow Purlygirls brought a skein of Shelter to knitting a couple of weeks ago. I got to smoosh it and pet it, so I know I'll like it. Given that the yarn was made by Jared Flood--a man of impeccable knitterly taste, IMO--I pretty much knew I'd like it anyway, but I feel extra safe since I was able to touch it in person first. (It's somewhat expensive yarn, so that's important.)

A couple of other designs that are really inspiring me right now:

Atelier by Heidi Kirrmaier (Ravelry Link), which I'm thinking of knitting in one of two yarns that I have stashed: 1. Ultra Alpaca Light, in the Cordoba Grape colorway (#4212). I initially bought this to make Connie Chang Chinchio's Sabbatical, but I ran out of steam on that design before finishing the first sleeve--the lace is really complicated. 2. This amazing Beaverslide Sport/Sock yarn in the Swift Fox colorway, which I also already have in my stash. I bought a sweater's quantity a couple of months ago after playing with a small sample that Lauren, the proprietress of Beaverslide, sent to me. Both of these yarns are slightly lighter than the yarn prescribed in the pattern (sport vs. DK), but I could either knit it at pattern gauge and end up with a more drapey fabric, or do some math to figure out stitch counts for a smaller gauge.

Then there's Larch, by Amy Christoffers (Ravelry Link). When I bought the Cordoba Grape Ultra Alpaca Light mentioned above, I also bought a sweater's quantity of the same yarn in the Salt and Pepper colorway. I had no plans for it beyond wanting to make a gray cardigan. I think I have j-u-s-t enough to make this sweater in my size, and I think the design would look lovely in gray. It would be a really nice, versatile wardrobe basic.

I also already have yarn to make Acer (Ravelry Link), another of Amy Christoffers' designs. I bought some Cascade 220 in Nutmeg Heather for this one, and I think I'm going to start that next, actually. I'm pretty sure that I already have some pretty buttons for it in my button tin, which is an extra double-good bonus.

Finally, Cecily Glowik MacDonald published a beautiful new cowl-necked pullover design the other day: Hollyhock. A long, long time ago, I purchased some medium denim-y blue Cascade 220 that was on clearance at the Fiber Gallery. I bought 8 skeins of it, which is more than enough to make a long-sleeved version of this sweater.

So that's what has been inspiring me lately. How about you, dear Reader?