Fair Isle OCD

It isn't enough that I already have 20 WIPs on the needles.  Really, it isn't, because the last few weeks have found me casting on for anything and everything in sight.

First, there was the properly timed and ever useful Insouciant, my third, if anyone is counting, in Habu A-1 2/17 Tsumugi Silk in #48 - purple!

Now that I am looking at it, there are two finished sleeves and the body is coming along nicely, especially, as I modified the pattern to knit-in-the-round and am doing the front and the back at the same time.

I have worn my other one almost completely out and have the fiber for, at least, four more already lined out...

There will be three in the same Habu, but in differnt colors (Hot Pink #38, Ice Green #42, and Blue Green #50).  The medium blue (colorway #3) is Araucania Chaiten 100% silk that has been sadly discontinued.  Instead of using two strands of the silk Habu, this actually swatches to the exact same gauge.  YAY!

Instead of working on the weather appropriate Habu silk and Insouciant, I decided to dive into the Wollmeise stash to make this gorgeous cardigan called Latvian Garden:

While the pattern called for two sizes of needles (US 1 and US 3) and I got gauge with US 3 for the body, it was ambiguous (as in it completely failed to note) as to which was to be used for the sleeve cuff.  Common sense told me to use the US 1 needles, so I cast on and off I went. After a couple of hours I had this:

Gorgeous, no?

The background color is Ebenholtz, the blue for the sleeve is Blue Curacao, and the bits of color in the hemmed cuff include:  Fuschia, Pesto, Ein Klien Venig Verrucht, and Versuchskaninchen.  (Say that five times really fast!)

The only problem?

There is only one set of numbers for the sleeve, indicating that for all sizes the sleeve is the same size, and the cuffed hem was a little snug for me.

So, I thought that, perhaps, the US 3 needles were to be used for the hemmed cuff and the body of the sleeve, as there was no indication in the instructions...and, I wanted to play around a little with the colors in the cuff.  

Round two found me casting on with US 3 needles...

As to the colors, I moved them around a bit and added Kornblume.  

Now, I am thrilled with the colors, but the cuff is too loose. 

Yes, I have been channeling Goldilocks.

So, I have now decided to rip out the second attempt and use US 2 needles for the hemmed cuff and call it a day.

However, I did not do that.  Instead, I went back to the Wollmeise stash and pulled out the gorgeous Compari Piccolo to knit Hepburn, because just like the Latvian Cardigan, late April, early May in South Texas is the perfect time to be contemplating a wool sweater that is knit on size US 1 and US 3 needles with cables...

I really do like how it is knitting up, though.

Well, after taking photos in the Texas heat, it is already up to 86 degrees, I have been inspired to say that I am well and truly going to finish the Insouciant.

What are you working on?  Anything for the spring and summer?