Geoff has been working seven days a week the past few weeks, usually until 11pm or later (he does come home for dinner though, so that’s good!). This will thankfully end in the next week as this big project he’s working on comes to a close. While I have missed having him around in the evenings I have discovered a couple of perks (I think of it as making lemonade out of lemons). 1) I get complete control of the remote and 2) I have more time for knitting.
Of course you would think that with all that extra knitting time I could show you a finished Orangina. But though I keep knitting (and knitting and knitting) away on it, I am still not finished! I really do think that something or someone is sneaking in at night and unraveling my work. Seems plausible to me. But I really can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am finished with the front and almost finished with the back. I think I want to block both of them to the measurements I need before joining them and starting the ribbing at the bottom. I swear I saw someone do this somewhere on a blog maybe but can’t seem to find it now. It just makes sense to me to want the lace part to be a little looser than the ribbing and blocking it at the end would stretch the ribbing too much. I’m also seeing that others are going down a needle size or two for the ribbing to make it more fitted. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the details right now but rest assured that I am determined to finish it soon because like the title of this post indicates, I’m planning for autumn.
Finding things to knit for autumn’s cooler weather is the only thing keeping me sane on this last Friday of July with a weekend of Heat Advisories ahead of me. I have three projects on the horizon and while I’d like to wait until Orangina is finished before starting any of them, well… we’ll just have to play that by ear.
The first autumn knit I’ll start is for Geoff. It’s the totally awesome Dr. G’s Memory Vest (by Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops). I’ll knit it with Cascade 220 that I hope to get this weekend.

Next up in my queue is Que Sera (also by Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops – do I love her or what?!). I think I’m going to knit it with the Lamb’s Pride worsted I got in New Orleans a few months ago that’s got bright yellows and oranges in it. I had bought it with the idea of making a cardigan with it and then this pattern popped up not long after. Match made in heaven.

And last but not least is the Echo Flower Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen that I mentioned not too long ago. So gorgeous!

Those should keep me busy for a while.
I will leave you with a tiny finished knit that I whipped up this week (I needed a break and some instant gratification, people!). It’s the Chinese Waves Dishcloth. The slipped stitch pattern is reminiscent of garter stitch but much nicer, I think. Very soft and fluffy. Project info is here on Ravelry.
Have a great weekend and try to stay cool! I think I’ll park myself under a ceiling fan with a tall glass of iced tea and some knitting…