Early fall knitting in MountainTop Vail

Yesterday I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. I couldn't be more excited for crisp mornings that call for extra blankets, long sleeves, scarves, and the onset of the oranges, golds and reds of fall. There are autumn flavors and colors everywhere in my New Hampshire locale and I love it.

Along with the pumpkins comes a new morning routine: pick a scarf/cowl/shawl or hat then pick the outfit to match it. I certainly have no shortage of neckwear to choose from, so for now I'm sticking with the lighter weight designs. It is, after all, still reaching the low 70's in the afternoon.

Earlier this week Sheep Heid by Kate Davies, knit by a friend of CEY in MountainTop Vail, was making its way around the office for the traditional oohs, ahhs and petting. It's a lovely fair isle cap. 

Fair isle – what a wonderful use of the yarn, one that had never occurred to me. Vail is a bamboo/alpaca blend available in eight undyed shades. It's wonderfully lightweight and the natural colors work perfectly with the sheep motifs in the cap. 

So much yarn and so little time is my mantra and Vail is one yarn I haven't had the chance to meet. Sheep Heid would be a quick and satisfying way to meet the yarn.

However, I'm a neck accessory kind of lady and I've found myself smitten with garter stitch stripes (along with the online knitting masses, it would seem!). I finished my Stripie Scarf in no time and have been wanting to cast on a similar project. A knitterly friend recently finished Color Affection, once again in Vail, and also came by to share her FO. Color Affection seems like just the thing to satisfy my craving for garter stripes in a lightweight fall accessory.

So I borrowed both projects up and brought them home to photograph for the blog, which also bought me a little extra time to pick a favorite before casting on. For now, I can say the Sheep Heid is at the top of my queue, but just because it will be a quick knit and there are so many other fall accessories I want to make right away. (If you're like me and also on the hunt for lightweight fall projects, then don't miss the Web-Letter on Tuesday.)

By the way, I even wore handknit mittens for a few moments this morning. It didn't last long, there will be plenty of time for them soon enough. Surely I'm not the only one, are you pretending it's cold enough for handknit accessories too?