no knitting

... because it is George's seventh birthday on Thursday and I am tracing an episode from the Bayeux Tapestry (the siege of Dinan) onto a bedsheet as a surprise present. Shockingly, I have underestimated the time required to do so. Also the markers I bought, although a good color match, are far too thick. I'm using Sharpies right now but don't have all the colors I need and am worrying about permanency; I might have to go over them with other markers. Will I get done in time? Stay tuned. Fortunately I know he would be thrilled if I handed it to him as it stands right now -- pretty much the center bit shown here, but with outlines only, no fancy bits.

Of course, I also need to pull together some other presents, bake a cake, and plan and organize his party which fortunately is not until next Sunday as I have quite a few things to do before then. We are having a tournament in the back yard (along the lines of this) which exists mostly in my head at this point, although I've bought some little plastic jewels and glue dots, and have made a giant banner for the front yard. I don't think this is quite enough. But hey, I've got a week! I think that really I will have so much extra time that I could make some hangings for the portable gazebo-cum-pavilion (like this but plain blue) we're going to set up in the yard ....

oh, and I need to get my vegetable garden cleared and planted. But surely I can fit it all in. Right?

Choices

I recently received two skeins of Noro Transitions as an unexpected gift. This is not the sort of yarn I would buy for myself, so I'm pleased to have the chance to try it out. At the same time, I want to knit something satisfactory out of it -- something I will wear or give away with pride & pleasure. I'm not very sure how to do that with a yarn that changes so drastically throughout the skein. The color is the not-so-evocative #8, a pleasant enough mix of marine blue, olive green, teal, grape, lavender, and brown. The colors work pretty well together, but not so well that straight stripes would look good, IMO. So I'm looking for something that will mix it up a little.

The obvious choice seems a scarf. But (heresy) I don't really wear knit scarves, except for my fabulous Orenburg scarf. In Oklahoma's not very harsh winters I like thin scarves with good drape, and that usually means a woven scarf. It certainly doesn't mean a bulky wool scarf. But if I did choose a scarf, I'd be choosing between the ubiquitous multidirectional diagonal scarf or this pretty one, which has a nice star-stitch pattern that breaks up the stripiness.

I also found a few hat patterns. Again, bulky yarn is not my usual choice, but I like the Topi hat from Knitty. Question -- would I wear a wool hat without ear coverage? Maybe I should make this hat in cotton for summer. Maybe I could leave the crown off and just make the stand and brim. Hmm.

Here's another brimmed hat, this one in crochet. But it isn't a free pattern and don't really want to figure it out myself.

Any other ideas? I've thought about a vest, but I don't have nearly enough and I'm not going to buy more. The colors actually go well with the screaming blue of my Ayany yarn. I could mix the leftovers with it, or I could rip out the vest (which is in timeout right now, while I figure out how to deal with gaping armholes) and redesign to include the Transitions. Hmmm.

Clearly this all needs to percolate a little. Has anyone worked with Transitions? How well does it take ripping out?