March Yarn Along: Hiatus

It's been a while since I've joined up with Ginny's Yarn Along -- not since October, actually. It's been a challenging season of life, to say the least. I have been knitting and reading, but somehow the first Wednesday of the month was just not happening. The strange bit is that I've actually been posting to the blog more than I have been in recent memory (August through October were *just* Yarn Along posts!). But enough rambling on my inconsistencies. 

After finishing up a Lea sweater last month, I cast on a sweater for Little Man. It's been ages since I knit him anything, and I really wanted to try the Thistle sweater by Julie Partie. My one hesitation with this project is the yarn -- I used Brava sport from KnitPicks, which is an acrylic. I haven't used a synthetic yarn since I really started knitting (I did go through a phase of knitting scarves in vibrant eyelash yarns when I was a teenager, bless my heart!), and the internal struggle was intense. Far too intense for such an insignificant decision, to be honest... In the end I decided to give it a try, and 5 skeins of Camel Heather cost me $7 on sale. This sweater will be machine washable and dryable, and was definitely economical. 

But I just don't like it as much as wool or natural fibers. That's not really a surprise, I suppose! I think it will be a very serviceable sweater (and can hopefully be passed down to my younger sons, too), but I think it might be my first and last foray into the world of synthetic fibers. I've learned a bit more about synthetics recently, too, which further dissuades me from using them in future. 

Apart from my "fiber quandary," the sweater is coming along nicely (though relatively boring thus far). It's a great park/movie/audio Bible project, though I may cast on another project soon just to have some variety. The brown is a bit uninspiring after a while!

That "flap" is part of the waistband and will be stitched down with a button --
one of my favorite details about this pattern!

 I suppose I should move on to my current read. It's a charity shop find, and not something that would usually grab my attention. But the littles and I had just been (lightly) researching what happened to the Mona Lisa during WWII, because I was sure it hadn't been seized by the Germans but had no idea where it went during the war. Then I spotted Chasing Mona Lisa on the shelf, and thought I'd give it a try for a dollar. So far, it's not particularly my cup of tea (very action packed, and some "mild" romance), but I'm finding the historical aspect interesting enough to keep reading.