Woolly Tones
Swatching does a funny thing to your productivity - you know you're knitting a ton but feel like you have very little output. I really enjoy swatching, though -- it's the best way to really get to know a yarn, and I find that design ideas almost always reveal and shape themselves in a major way during that period. To me, the material makes a design, so swatching is a bit of a brainstorming session. Or maybe like a first date.
I've been doing a lot of swatching these past couple of weeks.
![Hap Swatching](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/3710480606_5a9867c95f.jpg)
The Tweed Baby Blanket got me really hungry for a true Hap Shawl knitting experience with traditional yarns - so when I pulled out my burgeoning Shetland Stash and started pairing color groups, I really got into it. Shetland, with it's unbeatable palette, lets me indulge my love of tonal color relationships. That, and my fixation on natural sheep colors and their endless combinations.
![Shetland Browns](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/3709669941_9042835485.jpg)
There are also mitten designs being worked on - lots of colorowork around here. I just can't ever seem to shake that bug.
And a very special arrival came this week from Portland...
![Shibui Kits](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/3710480824_c31bc015c2.jpg)
A gorgeous treasure trove of Shibui Sock -- sent as a collaboration between the folks at Shibui and my sister-in-law (they're practically neighbors) -- kits and colors chosen by the Baby Mama herself. And let me tell ya, she has great taste -- I'm certainly not complaining about these choices!
![Shibui Oasis](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3710480930_6bbbe341c2.jpg)
I've already started knitting a pair of baby leggings with the golden colorway - I hardly ever knit with real SOCK yarn - so I'm enjoying the change of scenery for these. And they'll be machine-washable too - something I can rarely say about my knitting. Good for new babies (or new parents, rather) for sure.
Tonight I fly to the West Coast - for a little work and a little play. I have a photoshoot in Seattle over the next few days then am taking some time with my family before a quick trip to SoCal for a short but real-and-true VACATION. I've packed knitting that satisfies needs across the board from the simple stockinette longies to fingering weight colorwork. That's what I call travel security.