It's all in the perspective

I don't have much progress to report on the Gentleman's Fancy Sock. Since my last post, I've only turned the heel and completed the gusset.

sock = 10 stitches per inch

The photo doesn't accurately represent how drop-dead gorgeous this yarn is. Trust me, it's positively luminous. It's too bad these socks aren't for me.

Lest you think I've been a complete knitting slacker, I'll show you what else I've been working on. Yesterday I finally cast on the back of my new sweater.

sweater = 3.75 stitches per inch

Yes, it's the Urban Aran from Patons' "Street Smart" leaflet. (Here's where I bought my copy.) Ever since I saw Jared's stunning rendition, I've been longing to knit this sweater. Like Jared (and several others), I'll be making this into a zippered cardigan. Since it's knit in chunky yarn, I'll likely treat it more like a jacket than an indoor sweater. I live in Texas, after all.

It's been quite a while since I had two knitting projects going at once, and switching between them has been, well, interesting. When I switch from the sweater to the sock, it feels like I'm using long pins to knit sewing thread. Then when I switch back to the sweater, I feel as if I'm knitting thick rope with a couple of broomsticks.

The contrast reinforces how much I prefer knitting with finer yarns. I'm certainly enjoying knitting the Urban Aran so far, but working with the big yarn and needles makes me feel a bit awkward. All my movements seem exaggerated. On the upside, I can make a lot of progress in a short amount of time.