Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

I took a little time over the weekend to swatch. I used size 10.5 (i.e. 6.5 mm) needles. I used two strands of yarn together at the same time. At first, I tried 1x1 ribbing over 20 stitches with a 3x3 Lily Chin ribble in the center. Not bad, but the knit stitches of the ribbing just don't do anything for me. I like cables set against a wavy reverse stockinette stitch background. The problem for me with the ribble technique is that you can't get the purl background. Changing to purl 1, knit 1 for the background doesn't make the purls jump forward and the knits recede backward. You can see on the swatch that I tried it, just to be quite certain. (And as I write this, I'm suddenly wondering if doing the background in garter stitch would have worked.) I do, however, like the thickness and double-sided quality of the ribbles. Especially in this fuzzy yarn, cables need to be big and burly to show. Stitch definition in this fuzzy alpaca? -- see Myopia or Astigmatism. The Lucy ...

What would you do with 975 grams of forty-year-old Italian alpaca? Fortunately for me, one of the regular knitters in the yarn shop (and I'm sorry I've forgotten who) answered, "Knit anything you want." Good answer. But first, you may be wondering where did I find such a find? My husband's step-mom, Karen, graciously passed along to me the knitting supplies that belonged to her mother, Katrina. This was a couple years ago when Katrina (in her mid-90s) was downsizing to an assisted living situation. I received three items: a brown and black coat that needed to be seamed together, a half-knit grey alpaca coat, and some beautiful but slightly scratchy blueberry wool. The coat went to the Atlanta Knitting Guild UFO auction last year, where it was won by someone who is a professional finisher. I know Donna will finish it, wear it, and look fabulous in it. I found the perfect buttons for the blueberry wool, but don't yet know what it wants to be. And then there'...