Pining for a new sweater

It might sound crazy, since spring has arrived in full force in T-dot, but I'm really really itching to knit myself a new sweater. I'm still in the midst of knitting for others, with a small sock project on the side (with my brand new gorgeous hand painted yarn... but more on that later), but I haven't really been immersed in the craft as much as I was previously. Part of it is that I've been riding the boyfriend's Gio E-bike around town instead of taking the TTC, and I think the other part of it is just general apathy. I've been spinning a bit while I watch TV with the boyfriend, but I haven't had the incredible urge to knit for some reason.

I'll be going to a meeting this weekend in Syracuse, NY, and it'll be a 5-hour drive each way, so that's a LOT of knitting time. I'll also be sitting through two days of talks, which is also a LOT of knitting time. I'll of course bring the "knitting for others" and my sock, but all of these projects are in various stages of completion, so I'm thinking I might have to start something new... But decisions, decisions! (I know, I lead a hard life.) Here are my options:

The Lore Hoodie is a pattern from Vampire Knits by Cirilia Rose. It's absolutely gorgeous... Really, it's the pattern that sells the book. I already have the yarn for this, some Diamond Yarn Galway Heather in the Thistle colourway (the same yarn I used for Dad's sweater). I guess I'm a little worried that it'll be too bulky for travelling, but it's also a design I've wanted to knit for a while now. I love the hood and that lacy skirt.

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Next up is Morning Dew by Diana Rozenshteyn. This will definitely be portable enough, and will involve a considerable amount of mindless knitting (great for staying awake during talks!), so it's probably the top choice for travel knitting. Also, it's seamless and top-down, which is my favourite style of sweater (to wear and to make). I've got the perfect yarn for it: an acrylic-mohair blend that was given to me by the boyfriend's mother last summer called "Lanificio di Milano Mohacril". I haven't been able to find it online, so it's probably a vintage yarn (the labels look pretty old). Anyway, the issue would be that I'd already started a crochet project with this yarn, but have since partially frogged it. The yarn was broken in several places because it's so fuzzy, and I still have half of that other project to frog before I start this new one...

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This pattern isn't really a sweater, but it's something else I've been wanting to make for a while. It's the #24 Jumper by Louisa Harding from Vogue Knitting Winter 2010/11. I'm going to use some Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool in a dark grey that I got on sale off of WEBS. I'll likely do the duplicate stitch in Bernat Roving, which I have in their bright pink colourway. It'll also be a fairly bulky project, so maybe not the best for travel, but it looks pretty darn adorable. Wouldn't it go perfectly with a waist-hugging belt? I think it would.

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Finally, I'd love to knit this sweater as a hooded cardigan. It's Sporto by Nikol Lohr from the Winter 2011 issue of Knitty. Since it's a top-down raglan, it'd be super easy to convert into a cardigan just by knitting back and forth instead of in the round. I also have the perfect buttons for it. I'd use the left-over yarn from Dad's sweater, and alternate it in stripes with the left-overs from my beautiful cabled sweater. I'd also like to incorporate some stripes of my handspun to make it extra special. Again, it might be a little bulky for travel, but less so than the Lore Hoodie or Vogue Jumper because it's top-down, so would be relatively small at the beginning. And I just love that hood... so cozy!

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Anyway, those are my choices. Hopefully I'll be able to make a decision before we leave Friday, though I also have to think about preparing my talk, and a million other things... le sigh!