Lessons

I finished the back of my bolero, and the whole time I knitted on it, something didn't seem quite right. I just kept knitting, thinking that it would be fine when I blocked it, but the fabric frankly was not pretty. The problem with Harmony needles is that they all look the same, so you aren't tipped off by appearance if you change needle size. That's what I had done somehow, which affects the gauge and fit of course.
I wasn't thrilled about reknitting but it was worth it. The fabric is lovely and the gauge is right on. Getting the yarn on correct needles allowed it to open up and I think that the fabric now looks like a desert sunset, which was the name of the color pathway of the roving.
I have been antsy to start some new projects. I have several finished yarns that need to be knit. This is blue face Leicester that I spun earlier this year from some dyeing I did in the spring. I swatched it and started a vest last week. By the time I got this far, it was clear to me that in spite of the gauge appearing correct, the nature of the wool is making this project far too dense and a vest would be unpleasantly heavy. I've never knit BFL for a garment, only a hat. The fabric was starting to feel much like knitted Romney.
I decided it was time to pull out my Vogue magazines and shop for some ideas. I went through them several times over the past couple of days and finally found this vest pattern, but I'll knit it shorter. The swatch looks loosey goosey but the fabric feels very nice. I have boxes of Vogue issues, back to the 1980s. I keep thinking I'll get rid of some to make studio space, but they always come through for me when I need ideas.

I had anticipated a different yarn from that roving. I'm still nuts over purple, gold and green and those are the colors I used. Do you know what makes brown? Blending complimentary colors, which is exactly what I did with purple and gold. My colors would have worked on yarn, but it didn't work on roving. The yarn will look nice knitted, but it's miles from what I had pictured in my mind.
I'm eyeing this vest for my repurposed Merino. The gauge is correct and the stitches will show up nicely in the triple-ply yarn. I just have to figure out how to adjust the pattern to eliminate that skirt. That can only be flattering on Twiggy. It's not flattering on this model! So this is in the wings for now. I have close to another pound of the roving so can also make more yarn if I need to.
I see an Aran-style big sweater for the yarn I'm currently spinning. This pattern will work and I do like the sweater a lot. I will have to finish spinning before I'll know if I have enough yarn. Another project in the wings. I'm so glad to live where it's cold enough to wear wool!