On my needles: The facing facts edition

On my needles this week are one project I have grown to love and one about which I have grown ambivalent.  On the right is a Pointy Elf Hat, for me, in the Strawberry Smoothie colorway hand dyed by Woolbearers in Malabrigo Gruesa.  I used this yarn to make everyone in the family such a hat at Christmastime except D and me, so now I am making ours.  The thick-and-thin merino is soft and luxurious to work with and I can't wait to put it on my head.  (Aside:  K gave everyone an "Elf name" on Christmas Day:  Grandma was the Cooking Elf, Grandpa the Sleeping Elf, D was the Computer Elf, Aunt S the Reading Elf, and Uncle A the Stinky Elf!  I, of course, was the Knitting Elf.)

The Shalom Cardigan, on the other hand, is turning out to be a bit of a disappointment.  Despite the many glowing comments I read about Cascade Ecological Wool on Ravelry, I am not entranced with the yarn.  I can see that it will make a good, sturdy, comfortable sweater but I am not falling over myself to knit on it.  I can see clearly that I will never make my end-of-February deadline with this sweater, and I'm having the occasional fleeting thought of frogging the thing and starting over with a chunky alpaca I have stashed away.  For the moment, however, I will persevere.  

If you have not already popped over there, I invite you to take a look at Soulemama's post for today, titled "an EZ set."  She has some whimsical and wise words to say about -- and quotations from -- the inimitable Elizabeth Zimmermann, knitter extraordinaire.