WWIP #4: Swatches, Etc!

Welcome and happy Wednesday! First I want to apologize for being a no-show last Friday for FO day. I spent literally the whole day trying to finish the orange cardigan shown later in this post. And yesterday I spent an unbelievable amount of time swatching for two designs.

This morning I got all the swatches washed and blocked--one big one and seven little guys. Whew. Why so big? Because it's for an Aran design and you have to get all the stitch patterns represented. Why so many little ones? I wanted to try an element of the design with different weights of yarn. I tried worsted, DK, and sport weight. I also wanted to see how it would look in different fibers, so there's a couple of different wools, a superwash wool, an alpaca, a wool/cashmere blend, and a wool/silk blend in the bunch.
What's this? Another swatch?

Fooled ya! It's a candle. Isn't that pretty? This was one of my Mother's Day presents from youngest daughter. I'm not usually one to leave candles unburnt, but I don't see messing with this one. She found it at Anthropologie (of course--the source for multitudinous pretty things!)

Here's the previously mentioned size 8 orange cardigan in Cascade Cotton Rich*. I finished her button/buttonhole bands and collar and wove in all her ends this morning. Now she just needs a blocking and some buttons. I plan to post about buttons Friday along with some FO pics. I learned some really neat tricks for adding buttons and I can't wait to show you. You see I've also gotten a good start on the size 6 cardigan with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in M-100 Supreme Purple. I know better than to promise this as a Friday FO this week. Maybe next?

*I can't find anywhere you can buy this color online, so no linky-doo. :-(

I'll also show you a peek at something that's been taking way too much of my attention lately. I can't help it! These things wake me up at night begging me to knit them. What am I gonna do?

You think I'm NOT going to make something out of these two gorgeous yarns? You're asking too much of me. This Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Corsage and Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 in Orchid wanted to play together and I couldn't say no. Could you?

See you soon, and why don't you give in to those knits. You know you want to. (Enabler I am.)