Mindless Knitting or Boring Knitting?

Sometimes you need a mindless knitting project, one you can knit while waiting in a busy place or while talking to people or at a meeting or training session. Something small and therefore portable. Like a scarf. Now, I need to make 5 gifts for friends who hosted a big luncheon for my DD#1 and her new husband. Gift #1, for the person who gave her house as well as provided a lot of the food (and kept the in-laws over the weekend) is Swallowtail (not mindless but we're coming to that, never fear).
Final thoughts on Spindrift yarn for lace: I'd use it again for 2 reasons. One, it's economical (it took only 4 skeins to make Swallowtail, and the cost was less than $20; can't really beat that); and two, the color range is fantastic. All those heathery shades! If you don't want to spend the bucks on a hand-painted or hand-dyed designer yarn, one of Jamieson's heathers can fill the bill without breaking your bank. And I love the way it softened after a soak in Eucalan, followed by blocking.

Gift #2 for a friend who helped host and shares other interests with us is Frothy, since it's her colors:

Frothy is garter stitch, once called by the great Elizabeth Zimmermann, "nothing but soothing knitting." Boring on it own, but whip it up in this hand-painted bouclé and it has a life of its own. The only attention I have to pay to it is to be sure I pick up both strands since I'm using the yarn doubled, and to be sure to knit into the main filament and not a bouclé loop. Mindless knitting at its best.

Now we have gift #3:

That's Sue Pandorf's Lime pattern, done in Fiesta Yarn's Kokopelli in Cilantro, a wool/mohair blend (really silky). It's basically purl a few rows, then do some YOs/K2tog rows alternating with purl rows. Almost mindless, but not quite. Pretty portable. So why do I find this pattern boring but not Frothy? Wish I knew. Fortunately, I have 36" done on Lime, so even if it's boring, it will be done soon. Do any of you find that mindless knitting is boring knitting? Do you always need a challenging knit?

Gifts #4 and 5 are undecided. For one friend I'd like to do another shawl, perhaps Calais, out of either Dream in Color Starry or Yarn Chef Mulligatawny. For the other, perhaps one of Elizabeth Lovick's scarves in some lovely cream Aran wool.

Stash Diving for Gifts

OK, so it's not bulky mohair; anyway look what I found waaaay at the bottom of the cedar chest:



Cherry Tree Hill Baby Loop Mohair in Gypsy Rose (top), and CTH Baby Loop Mohair dyed by Danette Taylor. Knew those new Addi needles would come in handy. Gauge for these bouclé yarns is 5 sts/in on a size 6. I started this scarf (surprise gift for a good friend) using the CTH yarn doubled on the new Addis.

Over 36" knitted in less than a knitting day (you know, the time alloted to knitting during the course of one's usual day). Pattern is same as I used for the Tahiti scarf:
CO 3 sts, knit a row, inc 1 sts every other row up to 19 sts while working in garter sts. Cont in garter sts until you are sick of knitting, about to run out of yarn (but not quite), or whathaveyou, then dec each end every other row down to 3 sts, bind off. I'll make tassels for the ends 'cause they are so much fun to make. The great thing about yarn like this is that you can knit with it mindlessly, in garter st or similar, and it looks great from the texture and the dying.

Swallowtail is almost done. It too will be a gift. I'll have to make 3 more gifts for friends who hosted a big post-wedding luncheon for DD#1 and new SiL back in March. Think I'll use the Danette Taylor for one of them, but I'll have to find something different to make with it. Scarves/shawls are good because I don't need measurements, so I can truly surprise the recipients. Also, everyone in NJ wears them and needs several to get through the winters. Also, they can be made relatively quickly. What else shall I use from stash? I have 6.5 oz (maybe 400 yds) of some lovely creamy Aran-weight wool that I think will be perfect for this scarf by Elizabeth Lovick. And the Yarn Chef Mulligatawny I bought; I have 2 skeins of that. One for a gift and one for socks for me, perhaps? Sound good to you?