So I finally got a new camera, and I have been amusing myself by taking photos of the cats.

Dionne appears to be less entertained than I.  Oh well though!  I got a Canon and I love it – the picture quality is much nicer than my old camera, and we got a good price on it at a labor day sale!

I’m working on my bobbled cardigan and considering what to make next.  I really want to make one of these 2 sweaters, both from Rowan Vintage Style:

The problem is my yarn choice.  Salina (the first sweater) is knit in felted tweed.  I love felted tweed, but it contains alpaca, which I am very allergic to.  In fact, nearly every nice tweed that I look at, other than traditional rough tweeds, contains alpaca. I know it makes the yarn soft, but even 5% alpaca content totally rules out a yarn for me (knitpicks has a nice new tweed that I really want, but it’s a no go for that reason!)  I don’t want something like Jo Sharp’s tweed, because I’ve used it before and it makes a soft but stiff fabric.  There should be more dk tweeds… Demi (the 2nd sweater) has lots of options because it’s a worsted weight.

Sorry for the rantiness, but I spend a lot of time looking for yarns that don’t contain alpaca or llama.  I’m a little allergic to angora, but it’s tolerable in small doses.  I’m afraid to try other fibers – for instance, camel – because I fear having a bad reaction.  It’s funny that I’m allergic to these animals, but not at all to any house pets.    I am, obviously, a big fan of plain old wool.

I’m also thinking of starting a crochet sweater I have yarn for, or knitting the dress from the new Kim Hargreaves book.  Would I wear a knitted dress?  Perhaps not, but I can always pretend it’s a tunic!