wip :: icelandic star

The herringbone pullover is blocked but I still need to sew the buttons on, maybe this weekend I'll be able to take some photos to share. I have to say it's looking so much better now, I'm always marveled at how much a good blocking can accomplish.

And I started a new project, another pattern I had on my queue since the end of 2009 apparently, and using the yarn I bought in Iceland the year before. What drew me to this project were the colors, I just love this combination of red, blue, grey and golden yellow. The Lett-Lopi yarn seems scratchy but when knitted up it looks wonderful (and feels softer somehow).

I'm knitting the smallest size, which might be a mistake, but the next size up seemed too big. I'm a loose knitter anyway, and I think the yarn might stretch a bit with blocking if needed. I'm not planning any changes, maybe except making it a bit longer, I hate it when my cardigans end up too short. And after a lot of hesitation and reading all project notes on Ravelry I decided to follow the pattern as is (i.e. , knitting it flat)  despite many suggestions that purling colorwork is a nightmare and that it would be easier to knit it in the round and then steeking it. Well, I'm done with the bottom colorwork now and I have to say that the purling rows were almost quite as easy as the knit ones. But I purl the Portuguese way (with the yarn around my neck) so I was able to hold one color on my right hand and the other with my left, which made it fairly straightforward.

And the week after next we're going to Lake Garda in northern Italy. A. has a conference there so we decided to make it into a mini vacation for the whole family. We're visiting Trento, Bolzano, driving around the Dolomites and then spending a few days in Riva del Garda. So any suggestions for good places to eat and any decent yarn shops are very welcome, please :)