My crochet-a-cardigan-in-a-month plan was going well, but a carpal tunnel flare-up (I think unrelated) is making me go a little slower on the crochet. So it's possible that I will not finish in November. But even if I stopped now, I would have a wearable object. It would be a cropped sleeveless bolero instead of a full length, long sleeve, button up hoody, and I intend to finish properly, but it's a nice place to be.

I want to make a cardi for a costume, Sarah Zellaby from Seanan McGuire's Incryptid (my first, so I'm a bit dithery). I checked with McGuire when she had an Ask Me Anything, and she approved the pattern. In Midnight Blue Line Special, Sarah wears a green skirt, similar to one I already have, and a brown cardigan, similar to Froufrou from the Happy Hooker. Here's the exchange:
https://twitter.com/ghoti/status/439831542853300224/photo/1

Now, I'm looking at yarn choices, and I think my best choices are either Vanna's Choice, which is the practical choice and comes in the colour I was initially thinking of, or http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/yarn.php?id=104 Drops Alpaca Silk which is 77% alpaca, 23% silk and on sale. The only downside is, it doesn't really have a brown.

Which would you go for? I'm leaning Alpaca Silk, either beige as close enough or violet as similar to the author-approved photo.

How old were you when you learnt to knit? Who taught you?

I learnt to knit when I was seven. I started with a scarf for my teddy
bear, garter stitch, and changin colour every 10 or so rows. There were
ten stitches - most of the time - and I would sit down every so often,
knit another few rows, and despair at how uneven my tension was/how many
or few stitches I had, get my mother to fix it, an dput it away for a
while. It took me years to finish the scarf, and even when it was done,
it was only with help from an ufo of my Granny's (I've no idea what
she'd planned to do with it).

Funnily enough, my second project was a perfect doll's skirt, and from
there I went straight into lace and cable. The disparity between my
first several years' struggle and the ease with which I moved on never
ceases to amaze me.

My mother taught me to knit. She told me I could do it, that I could do
lace and cables and whatever I wanted. As a result, I did - she never
told me it was meant to be difficult, so I didn't find it difficult. I
really value that :)

Crochet is different. Apart from some giant granny squares, one for Jon's bed and one for ours which I am half way through, made from knitting scraps, I am teaching myself now. I bought the book 'The Happy Hooker' and that's great. I recently, as previously mentioned, made my first crocheted item from a pattern; pictures of that when I get the model :) Also, I shall make other things with other stitches, and so my crocheting skills will grow.