I so wanted to be able to give you a glowing account of Mr. Greenjeans. I thought I might be nearing the end of the body cable-rib section. It looked really nice. But then I reread the pattern.

I forgot to switch to smaller needles! ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

I remain determined to do this the right way (remember the Cozy V-Neck saga?) so before I even took a picture of my progress, I pulled the needle out and ripped away. There it is, in all it's spaghetti-like glory.

I would consider myself a process knitter, though I'd be remiss if I said I wasn't anxiously awaiting this particular finished product. I understand the value of and really want another shorter sleeved cardigan. Plus I'm going to get together with my girlfriends on February 9 and thus have another occasion on which I might be able to wear a new garment. Frustration abounds, but I'll get through it.

STASH BUSTING ALERT!!!! I realised I have partial single skeins of 5 different colors of TLC Cotton Plus in my stash. This is quite fortuitous considering my goal of making gads of Mason-Dixon Washcloths to give to teachers at the end of the school year. There's a light lemon yellow, turquoise, lavender, red, and black - enough for at least two washcloths of each color. I made one out of the red yesterday (to help relieve the shock of ripping out so much of Greenjeans) and wow is it ever great! I really really love that yarn!

Photos don't do it justice, neither does the fact that it's not blocked, but it really is lovely. Cotton Plus is 51% cotton, 49% acrylic. It has cable construction, is very soft and has a sheen to it. It's labeled as worsted weight, but I think it might just pass for DK. I'll be swatching with this for some of the garments in Debbie Bliss's Family Knits.

I trekked down to Michael's this morning - I couldn't help myself! Patons Classic Merino was on sale for $4 a ball and I had a coupon! I'm such a sucker. First off, I walked past the $1 section and saw the cutest little bars of Mary Engelbreit-wrapped soap. Score! I grabbed 6. They'll be perfect for tying up inside the washcloths whence gifted.

The color selection of Patons Classic Merino disappointed me. I don't know why - I go there often enough that I know full well what their stock range of colors is. I wanted spring-y and it was not there. So I went with an option I've never considered before.

I'm gonna dye a sweater's worth of yarn! Shoot me now or cheer me on!

I bought 6 skeins of Natural Mix - my favorite - and 3 jars of Wilton icing dyes: Moss Green, Pink, and Delphinium Blue.

My gut tells me to go with the D. Blue with a dash of Pink in hopes of getting a mildly lilac-shaded blue. My gut also tells me I'd better test this out first. I went with the Natural Mix because I'm hoping that it's subtleties will remain through the dyeing process. Tonal variations are so much more interesting than one solid color. I have a gigantic canning pot that roughly resembles a 50 gallon drum - I'm sure that will hold 6 balls of yarn.

As for potential projects, I have a few in mind. The Strawberry Lace Wrap Cardigan from Knitting Classic Style by Veronik Avery is one; the Swoon Cable Cardigan from the April '08 Knit 'n Style is another. It's a little garish in the modeled photo, but would be very nice in something less busy and lighter. Oblique is another highly coveted cardigan and might just be perfect since it's lacy and I'll be using wool.

All right, enough stalling. I gotta get back to work.