I Get the Koigu Thing Now

I read a lot of knitting blogs, and listen to several podcasts, including Koigu enthusiasts Lime n Violet, but had never seen the yarn in actual life. Until Sunday. I was the city visiting with E, and we ventured down to Purl in Soho. I have been reading the purl bee blog for about four months now, and I enjoy their patterns that they post, and the yarn that they carry, and was also curious to peek into Purl Patchwork since I've been itching to get a sewing machine. So, into Purl Patchwork we went, and the Amy Butler fabrics caught my eye, and I made a mental note to myself to see about a sewing machine this summer. We left and went the few doors down to Purl itself, and I was immediately enchanted. The whttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifay that Joelle Hoverson has the shop laid out by yarn and color is beautiful. And the swatches that she has laid out on the front table are a great way to feel and see the yarns that she carries. I noticed some books arranged in the front window, and saw the Last Minute Knitted Gifts book that everyone has been raving about for its Chevron Scarf pattern. I picked up the book and read the author's note, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the shop's owner who had written the book. It was delightful then to turn just a bit from where I had been standing and be face to face with the Koigu KPPM selections. I felt compelled to buy the book and the yarn, since I had been coveting the ubiquitous blog scarves.

I now understand the Koigu obsession. The colors are amazing, and the texture and way that it knits up are excellent. I held myself to 4 skeins, enough for the scarf, but definitely am feeling the itch to buy more in order to make some kickin' scarves for Christmas this year. Below are the two colorways that I chose. On the left is #P107 and on the right is #P524d.



I have cast on for the Chevron, and am happy with the two repeats that I have done so far. It's my first time working with two yarns at once, and it seems to be progressing smoothly. This is how the two colorways are coming together.



I will definitely be excited to see how some other color combinations mesh when I go for my next Koigu trip. I've also been impressed with how some folks are doing the scarf in Socks the Rock, so I will see what The Fold booth holds at Rhinebeck this October.

In other knitterly news, the poncho is one skein away from being finished, but since the heat index has climbed, sitting with a lap full of merino wool has been tough. So, as the weather breaks this week, I will return to that project. I did however finish the July KAL with Monthly Dishcloths, and the bright orange (Sugar n Cream Hot Orange) sun will certainly bring some cheeriness to the kitchen sink area.



I've also updated our lists on the sidebar to include some new blogs and to KALs that I have joined. There seem to be some small kinks in the administration of the Shawls and Scarves group, but the girls are ironing things out as the owner of the group is stepping away for a time. I'm anxious to see what they have in store for the July KAL. Finally, the Chevron Scarf KAL group's button has been added. So, between that and the Chevron Flickr group, color combinations and styles abound.