loving knitting

    I have had several good day knitwise. First, I finally finished the underarm seams and all the yarn ends on the top I made with the hemp yarn this past summer (tidbits). Now to get it blocked!     Today I wound a 6oz hank of Classic Elite Inca Alpaca into a ball with the yarn winder and swatched for gauge. I started with US6 (one size smaller than recommended), but I didn't care for the openness of the stitches at 5/inch. Switched to US4, am getting 6/in and like the fabric much better.     One of the many nice gifts I have received from my friend, Rissa, is a computer program that designs sweater patterns. So, I want to get it on my computer and see what kind of sweater I can make. I have 22.5oz of brown (and .5oz of persimmon), which I hope is plenty for a mid-hip length cardigan/jacket.     I'll finish the swatch tonight and then go back to the green alpaca/silk. LC