Temptations

Many thanks for the helpful comments about the Forest Canopy yardage. Kathy in Juneau reminded me about the Triangular Shawl Calculator, which was handy anyway but what was even better was that she reminded me of Rose Kim, whom I lost in the Great Accidental Blog List Loss of January '08 when I accidentally deleted my Sage list, and it's so nice to find her again.

And Spinning Fishwife has given me lots of useful information specifically about the yardage for the FC, not least reminding me it's a two-row cast-off; the chances of my remembering that on my own are non-existent. I often think of buying digital scales, but whenever I'm in front of a set of them in a shop, I find myself delaying the purchase. Oh that I were so wise when I'm in front of a skein of wool. When I get my second skein of Lagoon I should be able to plan the border fairly minutely and not run out - would you put money on it?

But meanwhile I am pining dreadfully. I'm plodding diligently round and round the All Seasons Cotton sweater, but my fingers are itching for lace. I haven't forgotten Drifting Pleats but I know I have too much brain fog to start that just now. It would end in tears, or worse.

So I've identified about four yarns that I could make another Forest Canopy out of, and I've also thought this might finally be a good time to start Icarus. I've always loved this shawl, but not been entirely convinced that I could do it - the Forest Canopy has increased my confidence to the stage where I think I might. And I'm pretty sure I want to finish it off with a few rows in a darker shade, as some people did from necessity, with terrific effect. And maybe some beads? I've done beads by the method where you thread them onto the yarn and wasn't inclined to repeat that with 900 yards of yarn, but today I discovered how you do it with a crochet hook and I might try that. But should I really start a 900-yard shawl just to fill a few days while I wait for the yarn to finish the FC?
This skein of Schaefer Anne has been haunting me for a few years now; it's not enough for Icarus, but it would make a Forest Canopy, or a stole/scarf in the pattern used in the shawl. The designer, Susan Pierce Lawrence, says it's based on the Openwork Diamonds from Barbara Walker's first Treasury, but it looks to me more like the Openwork Leaf. Either way, this yarn has little enough colour that I don't think it would interfere with the stitch pattern.

Dufy said that we don't see form and colour at the same time (well, somebody else may have said it first, but I noticed it when Dufy said it) and I suppose that's why variegated yarns can fight so hard with patterns sometimes, as the eye keeps trying to switch between the two.
I'm quite sure I won't get through this weekend without casting on something lacy, but I don't know yet whether it will be something manageable that I can finish before the rest of the Lagoon arrives or not long after, or whether it will be a larger, all-consuming and somewhat insane enterprise.