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Dear Jan,

I had time to knit a matching cap for the cashmere mitts I worked up a while back.  Edith was born 4 weeks early so the shower was delayed.  She is doing wonderfully well so we are going to get to meet her in early December.

Details and in review:  My Practical Cashmere set is a heavily revised version of Paulina Chin’s Baby Hat and Mittens set.  Somehow I removed the rib she had between the cables and added more cables all around the mitts. I knit it in Pura Bella Yarns Pure Mongolian Cashmere, which I previously demonstrated will go through machine washing and drying, picking up some additional halo and softness but otherwise without change.  The photo shows the set after this process.

WARNING:  Swatch and test wash/dry first if you try another brand of cashmere.  If the manufacturer got funny and slipped some of another fiber in there, shame on them, but worse is that it could change this marvelous property.  A baby mitt or sock is an excellent swatch to try this on - if it works, just knit up another and you have a gift for the next babe on your list.  If it doesn’t, not much yarn is lost.

As long as we’re admiring practical beauty, here are my beans for the week.  Snowcap beans from Rancho Gordo, my bean dealer.  They cooked up fast and starchy and very mild in flavor, an excellent carrier for other flavors and very toothsome, too.

Hey, with Thanksgiving coming on Thursday, it’s practically the four day weekend already!  Now that is really luxury.

I hope you have a soft and fuzzy week,

Love,

Ellen