Kaleidoscoptic

A Grand Opening

2010-04-28T15:18:00.003-04:00

Guess where I was this past weekend-at the Purl Soho opening! I loved the old Purl and now I love this new one. It seems like they have so much more yarn, maybe because now I can see it all. My son went with me and he was very patient while I picked out some Cascade Ultra Pima for a summer scarf and even helped me select a color. I'm usually afraid to knit with cotton because it can be harsh and unyielding but this seems so soft. The colors were great too. We were very lucky and got a great parking spot on the street and I was even luckier and won a raffle prize. I just have to wait until I can get in next weekend to see what it is. They had great macaroons and punch and the whole atmosphere was delightful.

I'm still knitting. I just never remember to take pictures of my finished things. I just finished a yellowish scarf in Lion Brand Cotton/Bamboo that I got at their store, another terrific place to visit in New York. Crochet is starting to look tempting. I may try a summer sweater. I have a ton of wool in my house but now that the weather is changing I just don't feel like making anything too warm. I guess it can all wait until fall. The new summer cottons and unusual cotton blends are just lovely for right now.

Olympic Winner

2010-03-08T08:53:00.006-05:00

I wasn't going to join any Knitting Olympics and passed up all the Ravelry events. I felt I just didn't need any more pressure. I knit all the time anyway. But when the Yarn Harlot announced her competition, I just had to join. I told myself that it didn't matter if I finished anything or not. Participating was the important thing. I wanted to make another cardigan and use up some of my room full of stash anyway and after going through innumerable patterns I finally decided on Nuss, a Berroco pattern, knit in Chaco wool yarn. Well, thanks to two snow days when I stayed in and knit for two complete days, I did finish in time. I just needed 5 more buttons and a good blocking. I would have awarded myself a silver but Stephanie had only gold medals. So here is mine.

Selbu Mittens

2010-01-01T20:31:00.007-05:00

When I ordered "Selbuvotter, Biography of a Knitting Tradition" by Terri Shea I didn't think I would become captivated by Selbu mittens, but I have. I've been using sport weight yarn and most of the ones I've completed have been too large. I've completed NHM #9 in Knitpicks Telemark, NHM #14 and NHM #13 in Rauma 3 ply Strikkegarn that I bought on vacation in Norway. I'm working in Knitpicks Palette now on NHM #7. It is coming out much smaller so now I'm worrying that it will be too small. It is just so much fun following the charts for the stranded designs and seeing, row by row, how lovely they develop. I have many more projects planned but I just can't stop knitting these mittens.

Twins

2009-09-03T14:59:00.003-04:00

Knitting has been suspended to announce the arrival of the most wonderful babies ever, my first grandchildren. Meet the most beautiful twins ever. They arrived last weekend and I have been watching them sleep ever since.

Summer Projects

2009-07-10T17:58:00.006-04:00

The orange scarf is the one I knit during our Norway trip. It is the Baktus scarf by Strikkelise done in Rowan Felted Tweed. I wanted to make a Norwegian pattern while in Norway. It was perfect travel knitting and when I came home I added an edging from Interweave Knits. I think it finishes it off beautifully. On the trip I finished the body of the scarf and read the book I had brought with me and had nothing to do for the flight home. So I bought some Icelandic Lopi lace yarn to start another scarf. I looked up a stitch pattern on the hotel’s internet and was all set. On the plane I pulled everything out and discovered that one of the wooden needles had split. Four hours with nothing to do! But when I got home I started this Haruha scarf made by with the yarn. The Lopi is a little rough but I love the subtle blue and grey colors and the pattern was really fun.
Now I am practicing a new to me technique-stranded knitting. This is my first Selbu mitten. I had some trouble keeping the tension at the ends of my two circular needles. I'll try to knit not as tightly next time. I loved making it.

Our Vacation

2009-06-08T12:01:00.010-04:00

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Norway and Iceland. When my husband asked me where I wanted to go this year I said Spain. He then came up with a trip to Scotland. Somehow, in the way only a 40 year marriage can do it, this was the compromise. It was just so beautiful. We cruised, we ate, we toured and we went to museums and parks. We rode boats and trains and saw fjords, geysers, waterfalls and even wild musk oxen. The boat from Bergen to Trondheim was my favorite. A whole day of sitting and knitting and looking at gorgeous scenery made me feel so relaxed. We were in Trondheim during their Independence Day. You should have seen the terrific costumes everyone was wearing.
We viewed knitted items at folk museums and visited yarn stores. I bought Rauma yarn in Norway to try some stranded mittens and I bought a lot of Icelandic wool to make a vest and who knows what else. We stuffed it in our suitcases, which of course had to be expanded. Thank goodness for expansion zippers on luggage.

When I came back everyone said I looked so relaxed, and I was. We did and saw a lot but there was a lot of down time too. It seemed like there were parks everywhere with lovely benches. All the flowers were blooming and they all had ponds. I would love to go back sometime and take the complete cruise up the coast of Norway. I have to say it was a very expensive trip. But we both really enjoyed it.

Twins!

2009-05-07T15:10:00.003-04:00

We are expecting our first grandchildren and I started knitting last week. Twins-a boy and a girl! First up were two little Baby Surprise Jackets. I‘m making them in DK weight because I thought maybe my daughter-in –law would like them to take the babies home from the hospital but they seem a little large. One is complete except for the finishing and the other is about half finished. I’m using Misti Alpaca Pima Silk Hand Paint. I bought it at the Modern Yarn closing sale. I will really miss that place. I loved going to the movies in Montclair, NJ, having brunch at Raymond’s and stopping at that store. Now they are closing, maybe to relocate sometime in the future I hope.
I liked the cotton and silk yarn so much I bought some for me too and made a Baktus scarf. All this garter stitch is very soothing, but I miss other stitches. I’ll have to make something in stockinette soon. Probably more baby things.

A Lovely Sweater

2009-04-08T09:34:00.005-04:00

I finished the Diminishing Rib Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz from Interweave Knits Spring 2009. Even though I ended up with over three hundred stitches, it was a fast knit. I learned a new cast on and a new bind off. I’m still not sure I did the tubular cast on correctly but it seems to look all right. I was really stymied at first by the tubular bind off and I kept knitting swatches to try it out. Then I realized it is a Kitchener bind off, just on one needle. I love the way it looks. It is stretchy but not loose. Anyway, I think this will be a very versatile sweater. I put two hooks and eyes at the neckline just to finish it off but I haven’t used them so far.
I’m kind of looking around for a new project lately. Nothing appeals to me. I’ve finished a pair of socks. I’ve been crocheting a little and have started a scarf. The problem is that I think I have so many knitting things. I have enough sweaters, vests, hats, scarves, mittens and shawls to keep me clothed for a long time. I’ve made presents for everyone I know, and I rarely see them wearing anything I make, except for the vests my husband wears almost every day. I need to keep my hands busy and I want to make something fun. My husband and I are going to Norway for vacation this year. Maybe I can get some yarn and make some mittens. I never do fair aisle. It might be good to try something new. For the trip I found the Baktus scarf. It is all knit and should be easy to do while traveling and I can use up some of the sock yarn in my stash.

Project Spectrum 2009

2009-03-05T09:49:00.003-05:00

I joined Project Spectrum on Ravelry this year, and then I left the group. There were so many projects that I wanted to knit. I didn’t want to commit to certain colors at certain times. But I just finished this March KAL for the Fingerless Gloves Fanatics group, Swan Maiden Mitts, and look at the color. Green, my favorite, is the assigned color for this month’s Cardinal Directions in Project Spectrum.

I looked on the blog Lolly Knitting Around yesterday and read about her photography /writing challenge. I hardly use my new camera, so here was a wonderful and interesting opportunity. I rejoined. It just sounded so intriguing. This morning I took my camera, went out the front door, faced north and shot this picture. Not too inspiring is it? But that is what I see each morning. Maybe that is why I am not happy living where I do. At lunch I took my camera and walked north past the buildings on the college campus where I work, and got to the forest. Much better. I don’t know if this ivy is a survivor of the winter or a harbinger of spring, but it was so good to see it in the snowy landscape.
Lolly said,
"Determine which way is north from your location - use a compass or a GPS or simply look towards the sky. Grab your camera. Orient yourself to look north - outside may be best for photographic clarity and “interestingness.” Snap a photo of what you see. Post your photo on Flickr, Ravelry, or on your own blog
Feel free to describe what north means to you. Repeat in different locations and in different conditions as many times throughout the months as you like.
What is physically north of you: the city? the mountains? the ocean?
What is mentally north for you: a memory? a sentimental connection?"
Actually North means cold and forbidding to me. I don’t like cold. I never would have chosen green for this month. I would have picked ice blue or silver. Maybe that is too prosaic. I do like the mountains in the North. For many years I visited the White Mountains in New Hampshire in the summer and still love to go and do a little walking there when I can. I also love rocks and stones. I have to think about this a little more and take more North pictures. North of my mother’s house is New York City, which I love. What is north just depends on where you are standing.

A Holiday Present

2009-02-23T13:38:00.006-05:00

My friend Sandy bought these for me as a Holiday gift but I never received a certificate from Signature Needle Arts so that I could order them. She called the company and, voila, here they are. They came all wrapped for Valentine’s Day and it was a perfect time to get them. I haven’t tried them yet but they are easily the most beautiful needles I own. They are size 5 and I see a lacey scarf in the near future. Thanks so much Sandy! I love them. Sandy knit this fabulous scarf and I just had to copy her. I made the "Try This" Slotted Scarf by Sharon Boucher-Turner.
With this new job I don’t have the time I used to for knitting but I am much happier here. We have started a Friday lunch hour knitting group called Knit and Nosh that meets in another building. More people come every week, crocheters too, and we all have a great time.
I have been trying to use up some older stash and I found this great way to use leftover sock yarn and make some baby gifts at the same time. Baby socks take hardly any yarn and are so fast to make. But I feel the time has come to consider a few sweater projects. The new Interweave Knits has some lovely and tempting sweaters. I’ll probably use wool instead of cotton but the gauge seems right and I am gearing up to go.

Snow Day

2009-01-30T18:30:00.005-05:00

Thanks to a snow day this week I managed to finish a few stalled projects. I've been working on this Zipped Vest for months. I frogged it once when I couldn't keep the moss stitch pattern straight and again when the bottom hem started rolling. I restarted it again using seed stitch instead of moss and zipped through it. Finally my husband has a different vest to wear instead of the same one he wears every day. I also finished the baby sweater for a new friend at work. It is a Classic Elite pattern and I enjoyed making it. It was a little tedious sewing the pieces together but I love the little pattern on the front. I'm going to make a hat to go with it. At the Smileys sale I managed to stock up on my favorite yarn in lots of colors. Now I have plenty for gifts and sweaters for me and my family. The weather has been awful this year with lots of ice and snow so maybe I'll have a few more snow days to spend knitting.

New Year, New Projects

2009-01-27T13:11:00.001-05:00

It is a good thing I didn’t make a New Year’s resolution to blog more, because I would have broken it already. It is not that I haven’t been knitting. I just haven’t been doing any exciting knitting. I re-started Veronik Avery’s Zipped Vest for my husband and finally finished the knitting part. Now I just have to sew in a zipper. I finished a few new hats and another Noro Striped Scarf in Silk Garden. My son took the first one I made. I’m working on a few baby gifts. However, I am getting ready to start a new sweater for me. I went to the last Smiley’s sale in Queens and bought a lot of my usual wool yarn, Filatura Lanarota Chaco, in a beautiful dark red and I‘ve been looking over patterns for a month. Nothing has jumped out at me but I am not giving up. Also, I have joined Vest-uary on Ravelry so I’ll probably start a vest next week. I wanted to use up some orange stash yarn but it is a very bright orange and I don’t know if I will ever wear that color. Also it has the gauge of a heavy worsted weight yarn but looks and feels like a bulky yarn so I have been having trouble finding a pattern that will compliment it. Instead, I may use some old Classic Elite Skye Tweed and make a plainer vest, even though it is a very stiff yarn to work with. So I do have plans. Maybe I‘ll have some new knitwear to show everyone soon.

A Snow Day

2008-12-19T16:06:00.006-05:00

We are in the midst of our first real snow of the season. I only worked half a day and then they closed the University. It was a little tricky driving home but most drivers were being careful and now I have all afternoon free. Extra knitting time!
I finished the two row Noro striped scarf. I had to break the Silk Garden a few times when the colors didn't show enough contrast. I thought I was so careful to choose two colorways that didn't repeat each other but they both had some green hidden inside the skein. I love the scarf but it seems a little loosely knit to me. I used a size 7 needle but next time I would try a size six. Oh yes, there may be a next time. I love the color gradations.
My handspun has been looking a little better so I started the one row handspun scarf that the Yarn Harlot made. It is such a soothing pattern. No thinking, just row after row of the same four stitch repeat. I am going to work on it this afternoon so it should be finished by tonight. I bought some beautiful multi-color merino at The Yarn Tree in Brooklyn last weekend. I was getting tired of solid color roving. It is spinning a little thin but maybe I'll start another scarf soon. Scarves and hats are my favorite things to knit.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-12T14:49:00.004-05:00

It has been such a long time since my last post and I have been busy with holiday knitting, but that is really a lame excuse for me. I’ve just gotten involved with some very interesting projects and I didn’t even think about this blog. Except occasionally when I asked myself when I was going to take out my camera again in these dreary fall months to take some blog pictures. I did a knit along for Woolly Wormhead’s Mystery Beret and I just couldn’t stop making them. So far I have finished two for me and two as gifts. I was sick during Thanksgiving and spent four days in bed knitting. A friend loaned me the first season of Pushing Daises on DVD and while I knit I watched it. It is an adorable show and it really helped pass the time. I understand it is being cancelled next year. Too bad!

The hats were just so much fun and went so fast. Here is one of the gifted ones. I also finished another pair of Very Cabley Mittens in Malebrigo for myself. I finished them just in time for cold weather and I love wearing them. Now I have started the Noro Striped Scarf scarf that Brooklyn Tweed and the Yarn Harlot and quite a few others have made in Noro Silk Garden. I'll try to take a picture soon.
I also have been doing a lot of spinning. It is very addictive. Already my yarn is coming out smoother and thinner, but still far from what I want. I read somewhere that practicing 15 minutes a day is a good goal so I spin almost every morning at 6:30 am before I get ready for work.
The big news is that I am changing offices at the University where I work. I’ll be in a different department with totally new duties and I am both apprehensive and excited. I’m so sorry to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I work with now, but it was a promotion with a raise so I just couldn’t say no. I don’t know if I will have as much time for knitting but the challenge of a new job is good for me.

Sunday in New York

2008-11-12T15:24:00.004-05:00

Sunday I went to the special preview for blog, podcast and newsletter subscribers of the new Lion Brand Yarn Studio in Manhattan. Actually we were on our way to Brooklyn for my mother’s birthday and I made my husband stop. It opened at noon and by 11:45 there was already a line of excited and friendly knitters. The store was lovely and sold everything you would need. I loved the wall where you could sample Lion Brand yarn. The store is in a great location with a lot of other shopping nearby. It is always good to see another yarn store opening up.

Stocking Up

2008-11-07T10:17:00.003-05:00

A lot of people I know are becoming grandparents so I decided to stockpile some baby gifts. I’m not finished yet but I have three sweaters so far. Two are Easy Baby Cardigans by Diane Soucy and one is the EZ's Surplice Baby Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann in Vogue Knitting spring/summer 2007. All were fun and fast to make. Notice the NY Mets colors. One baby is going to be a boy and I know his grandfather is a big fan.
I am also doing a lot of spinning. I don’t know if just constant practice will make my yarn look any better, but I am trying to do a little every day. Here is the first that I would actually consider yarn. As you can see, it is very uneven and pretty chunky. I’ve done some more since this and it is still chunky and uneven. The first batch seemed under spun so I think I overcompensated and the new stuff is very tightly spun. I’m going to try to knit something with it. One thing, I love doing it. It is so amazing to see this fluffy stuff become real yarn. I have to try to make it a little thinner though because all this is so bulky. Also, I am going through a lot of roving. I guess I won’t use so much with thinner yarn.

At Last Rhinebeck

2008-10-20T15:05:00.006-04:00

Saturday was Rhinebeck, otherwise known as the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. I couldn’t wait to get to there. My husband and I got on the NY Thruway and made it in about 2 hours, including a rest stop. All the way there we kept trying to guess which other cars were going to the same place. When we arrived we got a terrific parking place, which came in very handy as we made two return trips to the car with packages. We started at The Fold at about 9:15 am and the line for Socks that Rock was already to the back wall of the building. Good thing my DH was happy to stand on lines for me. This time they had mill ends. I bought two skeins of medium weight and one of heavy and I hope they are not too damaged. I just can’t resist a bargain. Next on my list was some supplies for my Ashford wheel and we found a great place that had everything I needed. Then we started strolling around, making up a wish list and admiring the varied offerings, including these angora goats.
It was a beautiful day but a bit chilly and I felt it. I was only wearing my Eastlake sweater, which got a lot of complements by the way. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite things about the day was looking at all the beautiful knitwear others had on. By noon I had to go find the Carolina Homespun booth for Franklin Habit’s book signing. My husband waited on the signing line while I waited on the book purchase line. When I finally got to meet him, Franklin was just the nicest, friendliest and most gracious man ever. He happily signed “It Itches” and then posed for pictures.
After looking in vain for the Ravelry meet-up, lunchtime sent us to the food booths where there was a great food selection. Fortified, we continued our purchases, or should say my purchases because all my husband bought was some terrific Chardonnay. I had read that at 3:00 there was going to be a chopstick knitting contest and decided to give it a try. It was so much fun. I thought I was a fast knitter and managed to knit 35 lines in 15 minutes but the winner did 48! We usually leave early but this time we stayed so we could go to the Ravelry party in Red Hook and I am so glad we did. It was fabulous. We got there early and it was a good thing because we were able to get a parking spot in the lot. We waited on line for a half hour to get in and it was freezing, even with my winter coat over my sweater. We got terrific goody bags and had some wonderful tidbits to eat. The Ravelty and Bob cupcakes were outstanding. Everyone was so nice and we all shared stories of our adventures of the day. We left for home tired and happy. I can’t wait for next year!

The Yarn Harlot in Brooklyn

2008-10-15T13:44:00.011-04:00

Last night I left work early and went with a friend to Park Slope in Brooklyn to hear Stephanie Pearl- McPhee. Everything went so well. We didn’t hit any traffic and were able to find parking around the corner from the Barnes and Noble where she was speaking. We arrived two hours early so we had plenty of time to settle in, hit the Starbucks, buy some books and magazines and knit. We weren’t even the first ones there. At 7:10 she arrived and took pictures of the whole audience with her traveling sock. What a great speaker and a lovely person. She told us all about the tribulations of book publishing and then read us a chapter from her new book.
Questions flew and the then we had a book signing. Brooklyn is so wonderful. There are actually people on the streets after 8:00 pm. I got home earlier than I thought I would and with a great feeling of contentment. What a wonderful evening!

This is a Drops neckwarmer made from some leftover Patons Kroy sock yarn doubled. It is cozy and warm for the coming cold weather.

Fiber Festival Fun

2008-10-06T11:09:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my husband and I drove down to the NJ Sheep and Fiber Festival in Ringoes. It was fun. Compared to Rhinebeck it was tiny but the people were friendly, the sheep were adorable, the dealers had beautiful yarn and I was able to take a spindle spinning class and the teacher, Gaye Lowe from North Country Spinners, was amazing. She had so much patience that I may have actually gotten the park and draft technique. Then we watched some amazing sheep dogs. I thought someone at the Festival would be able to show me how to work my new spinning wheel but there was no one. Yarn is not winding on the bobbin. Maybe someone at Rhinebeck will be able to show me what I am doing wrong.
On the way home we stopped at the outlets at Flemington and then at a Wegmans. We don’t have that supermarket where I live and we both loved it. I don’t think I will have to cook for a week. The take-out counter alone was worth the trip.

I finally finished Eastlake from Norah Gaughan vol. 3. I love it. I adjusted the neck to make it cleaner and, after all the seamless sweaters lately, the seams were a pain. But all in all it was a very satisfying knit. Look at that great front panel.

Success and Failure

2008-09-08T17:35:00.010-04:00

Ready for another excuse for not blogging? Well, I came home from vacation and promptly got sick. After two weeks with a sore throat and choking cough I finally went to a doctor who said I had an upper respiratory infection and put me on antibiotics with horrible side effects. So I haven’t been knitting much.
I did manage to finish the Lady Surprise Sweater and am very happy with it. I debated making the body a little longer but then decided it looked all right the way it was.
Here is a Druid Mitten designed by Jared Flood and found in Vogue Knitting. Maybe it was my illness but I just couldn’t get it right. The yarn, a cone of Harrisville Shetland Tweed I bought in Bath, Maine, kept breaking. I kept making mistakes in the cables. I finished the body and then made a horrible mistake in the slip stitches at the top. So I decided to just stop knitting it. Maybe I’ll try again another time but I am not sure a mitten is worth so much effort. It is very complex and it doesn’t fit me well. It is too long and the palm is too tight. I like the design and I still have the yarn so I still may try again. But I’ll have to remake the entire pair because the completed left one has too many mistakes for me to be happy with it.

I know I said I would not make any more sweaters from Norah Gaughan vol. 3 but I just can’t resist. They are all just so unusual and interesting to knit. So I started Eastlake. It has numerous corrections posted on the Berroco site so maybe the knitters before me got them all. I love the leafy panel and the great shaping. We will have to see how it goes.

Vacation Time

2008-08-25T14:28:00.006-04:00

I’ve been on vacation. I know that is a sorry excuse for not blogging but that is all I have. We went up north and visited Lake Placid, Quebec and Maine. Unfortunately, before we left my right hand started aching so I wasn’t able to knit on the long car rides. I did visit some great yarn stores though. Adirondack Yarn is a lovely store in Lake Placid with the nicest owner. She had a great Fleece Artist kit to make thrummed mittens but since it was our first stop I showed restraint. Now I am sorry. The next store was La Dauphine in Quebec. Another terrific place with a big selection, especially of sock yarn. My plan was to visit Webs on the way home, one that didn’t work out, so I didn’t buy there either. When I got to Halcyon Yarn in Bath, Maine my resolve weakened. What a great place it was. The kind you can just about get lost in. The people there were so helpful. I bought a cone of Shetland wool to make the Jared Flood mittens in Vogue. We did a lot of driving and saw some beautiful places but everywhere we went was extremely crowded. We had trouble parking, getting in to events, getting seats in restaurants. I guess a lot of people are traveling locally for their vacations this year.
Near the end of the trip my hand felt better so I worked on the sweater I had started specifically for this vacation, the February Lady Sweater. I’ve since finished the body and started one sleeve but it looks a little short so I may have to go back and make it longer. It is a dark blue with little flecks of color in my usual Filatura Lanarota Chaco from Smileys.

A Day Well Spent

2008-07-30T08:59:00.008-04:00

Last Saturday I spent the day in Manhattan. My husband and I took a Circle Line tour to see Olafur Eliasson’s New York City Waterfalls in the East River. It was so much fun. We traveled around the whole island. It was great to see the waterfalls so close up. After a nice lunch we walked to the Museum of Modern Art to see the Home Delivery exhibit of pre-fabricated housing. My husband was excited to see pictures of Quonset Huts which he remembered in his neighborhood after WWII. In a parking lot some homes were erected and visitors could walk through them. In the museum they traced the history of pre-fabs and showed some that were actually built and some that were just imaginative designs. From there we took a slight detour on the way back to the bus station to M&J Trimming on Sixth Avenue. I was just not happy with the buttons on Loppem and was able to find some great new ones there. My husband picked these out, and then almost fainted at the price. I bought them anyway. Even though I am still not pleased with the buttonhole placement, I am happier now that I have buttons that blend so well with the sweater.
This week I finished another Bucket Hat, this one in Malabrigo’s Bobby Blue for my sister. I also finished Meida’s Socks from the book Favorite Socks that I have had for a while. The yarn is from Steinbach Wolle and is part cotton so they should be a little cooler to wear. I got it in Seaport Yarn and loved the colors. I also managed to sew up the Rowan sweater Quarry. It isn’t that flattering to wear but it was a quick knit with a fun construction.

Spinning Wheel

2008-07-16T16:43:00.004-04:00

Look what I got! I am so excited. I have been looking at spinning wheels for two years and trying them out whenever I could. This week I spoke to a friend and her friend got a new wheel and she asked me if I wanted the old one. Of course I said yes. It is an Ashford. I know nothing about wheels or spinning but have wanted to learn for so long. Now here is my chance. She also gave me a book but I think I’m going to try to look at some videos on line as soon as I can. There are two places in Brooklyn that I know give lessons. I don’t know any place near me in New Jersey. I’ll be calling Brooklyn soon.

I finished my first Norah Gaughan sweater, called Loppem, from her volume 3 from Berroco. There were a lot of errors in the pattern but I think it came out all right. I worked most things out but I didn’t think about the placement of the button holes while I was knitting and she had them outside the button band. I’ve been trying to reduce my stash so I used some Elizabeth Lavold Classic AL that I got last summer at Webs. It is half merino and half alpaca. I love green. I think I will get a lot of use out of this. There are some other very interesting sweaters in the book but I think now it is better to wait and see if any other corrections are posted.

Starts and Finishes

2008-07-03T09:51:00.009-04:00

I’ve finished two pairs of socks. That’s why I love socks. They are so portable I have lots of opportunities to work on them so they get finished really quickly. I didn’t know these Handsome Devils Socks were in Greenbay Packers colors but they do look good. The Spring Forward socks are from Knitty. These were the fastest socks ever, only taking me one week to knit. Now I’ve really decided to get in gear and finish some holiday presents. I’ve had yarn and patterns waiting for me but kept procrastinating. So I started a Better Bucket hat in Bobby Blue for my sister and a Half-Pipe Hat in leftover Peruvia for my son. I just have to master the Tubular Cast-on and I’ve been practicing it.

I also started Loppem from the new Norah Gaughan, volume 3. I couldn’t wait to get this book with its lovely and unusual patterns so I ordered it directly from Berroco and got it in three days. However, this pattern had so many errors that I ripped it out and decided to wait. Nothing seems to be test knitted anymore. If the public has to test knit something, the pattern should be free. I don’t mind paying for a pattern but I expect it is be as error free as possible. Berroco still hasn’t posted all the corrections called for.
On another of my Friday trips to New York City I visited the Met and MOMA. I loved Jeff Koons Balloon Dog (Yellow) on the roof of the Met and this room called “I only see things when they move” in the exhibit of works by Olafur Eliasson at MOMA. That man on the floor was trying to figure out how it worked, as were most of us. I am so lucky to live so close to the city!

A Friday in New York

2008-06-19T16:28:00.006-04:00

We are now on summer hours at work so we work long hours all week and have Fridays off. I spent last Friday wandering around Manhattan heading towards the Battery Maritime Building where an installation by David Byrne from the Talking Heads was on view. It was totally wonderful. An old organ was wired into the building and playing it made all kinds of sounds. Everyone was smiling and playing. It was hard to drag myself away.
Unfortunately, earlier in the day I broke one of the circular needles from my Handsome Devils Socks and I wanted to knit on the bus going home, so the rest of the day was spent finding a replacement. I had never visited Seaport Yarns before and was very pleasantly surprised. Their yarn selection was outstanding. They had everything. I know because the nice owner gave me a personal tour of the entire store. Although they didn’t have the exact needle I needed they had a serviceable replacement. The owner suggested I stop at the World Financial Center to see the marine-like crocheted and knitted forms on display there and I did. I think it was called Under the Sea or something like that. I had never seen anything like it before.

By Saturday I couldn’t move because I had done so much walking the day before, but I was determined to KIP for Knit in Public Day so my husband drove me to Montclair, New Jersey for a little sidewalk knitting outside Modern Yarn. It was hot and humid but I still had a wonderful time. The hardest part was resisting all the great bargains on the sales table in front of the store. My stash is overflowing the room where I keep it so, even though it was hard, I walked away.

Heat Wave

2008-06-11T10:16:00.003-04:00

I finished all the ribbed pieces for the sweater Quarry but am I seaming them together? No. We have just had a four day heat spell and it was 96 degrees but it felt like at least 105. The air conditioner broke at work and it was horrible. So even though it is suppose to be slightly cooler today I have put sewing them aside, maybe until fall.

I like to have a little collection of pre-knitted baby items all ready for gifting. I just gave my son my last Baby Surprise Jacket as a gift for one of his friends so I’ve started a new one. These Elisabeth Zimmerman creations are perfect for using up stash. This is left over Cotton-Ease from various summer sweaters I’ve made over the years. I like to give these for boys and February Sweaters for girls.

I’ve also finally been tempted again by socks. I decided last year to stop knitting them because I hardly ever wear them. They always make my feet too hot. But this Six Sock Knit-along selection called Handsome Devil Socks was just too intriguing to pass up. It uses a slipped stitch technique that is so much fun. I’m using size 1 needles for the first time and it is taking me a little longer but the socks feel so nice. I’d forgotten how nice it is to knit a small project like this with no heavy wool hanging in your lap in the summer.

Something New

2008-05-27T12:01:00.003-04:00

I finished my Lace Ribbon Scarf and the sides roll in terribly, maybe because it is cotton. When I wear it, every once in a while I take it off and try to smooth it out, but the sides roll right back in when I put in on again. I love this pattern though and the color is so me.
I’ve started a new project but I’m not that optimistic about it. I always buy Rowan books and never make anything from them. So I decided to really make an effort and when I saw Quarry it just looked so simple and elegant. I was surprised to see that it was that it was not a cardigan but a pullover. However, it looked like great mindless knitting. It is just continuous ribbing, perfect for the car or lunchtime at work. There were mixed reviews on Ravelry, but I used some stash burgundy Chaco and decided to give it a try. The seaming might be tricky but I have already finished the back and one front.

Indecision

2008-05-09T11:17:00.006-04:00

Knitting here has slowed down considerably. I just can’t make a decision. I keep buying magazines and looking at web sites but nothing really appeals to me. Do I want a sleeveless summer shell or a cotton cardigan? Do I want to use some wool from my stash or will it be too warm to knit right now? So I am making another Lace Ribbon Scarf, this time in some cotton that I found in my yarn storage room. It is on a cone so it is probably from Silk City, but I don’t remember it at all. Cotton is so rough to knit with but I really like the color and, of course, the pattern rocks. Scarves and socks are perfect for when I can't decide on a project.

I finished Square Cake, a lovely small evening bag from Knitty, because I need it for a wedding. I used stash yarn and that felt good. In fact, I should try to use only yarn from my stash for the summer. I have so much. That means I cannot walk into a yarn store because I have absolutely no willpower and yarn is so yummy and impossible to resist. Anyway, I ordered some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere last year for a baby sweater but I never used it. I combined it with some classy gold thread from Silk City Fibers. I think I got that for free at one of their giveaways with purchase. I am really pleased with the bag. I bought the lining in the garment center in NYC. I just walked into a fabric store near the Port Authority and asked for gold lining fabric and it was $2.00 a yard. What a bargain!

Springtime Knitting

2008-04-25T15:13:00.004-04:00

I’ve spent most of this week trying to decide what to knit next. I finished the Lace Ribbon Scarf and am very pleased with it, but it has gotten too warm to wear it now. I thought I would make another one in cotton but nothing in the right color was in the right gauge and I wanted to use my stash. I looked through magazines, books, Ravelry and web sites for patterns. I really don’t wear summer sweaters and it is too hot already to knit with wool. I have a ton of scarves, socks, mittens and hats. So I decided to make a bag.
At the last wedding I went to I carried a hard metal case clutch bag and it actually shed all over my black skirt. Little flecks of gold were all over everything. I couldn’t even figure out where it was shedding from. Also, it was too small to carry anything after I put in my camera and lip gloss. So I searched all over and found the pattern for Square Cake from Knitty. Instead of using the Tilli Thomas Disco Lights, a yarn with sequins, I found some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere in a soft green in my stash and combined it with a strand from an old cone of metallic gold called Callenzano from Silk City Fibers. The gauge is right and I am making it in the smaller size. Cotton is not as dressy as silk would be but it may pass. If the bag comes out great but it is not sleek enough, I may spring for the Tilli Thomas and make another one. A trip to Montclair where there are two great yarn stores is not too much trouble for me at all. The bag is a fast knit and I don’t need it until the end of June anyway. It may also make a nice holiday gift for someone at work.
A colleague and I bought new tiny digital voice recorders for work. Last weekend I made a few sock covers for them. They were really quick and I was able to use some leftover Socks that Rock. The hardest part was finding D-rings to attach so we can keep them on our key rings.

Two Years, Let's Celebrate

2008-04-15T10:13:00.002-04:00

Today is my two year blogiversary. Hooray! I’ve kept up for two years, although I have been lagging a bit in posting lately. My son helped me start this blog because I wanted to join in swaps and KALs and I needed one to join them. Now I look at this as a way to link with the thousands of other knitters and bloggers around the world. I actually spend more time on Ravelry than on this blog, but I like knowing it is here and I can show my FOs and share some stories and pictures with my friends and family. Two years has been both a long time and the blink of an eye. My life and circumstances haven’t changed that much, which is for the best. I did try a few new knitting techniques and projects. I have, I hope, mastered lace and finished two lovely stoles, even if I have slow down if I don’t want mistakes. I’ve also discovered luxury yarns, for better or worse. Somehow I can’t even touch acrylic anymore and Malabrigo is the yarn of choice. I made a cashmere hat and hope to be able to use more of that in the future. I’ve tried silk blends and even sea silk, but I love to knit with wool the best. I’ll keep trying to find a lightweight summer yarn though. Cotton is usually just too stiff but I intend to try some new blends.
My immediate goal is to try to reduce my stash. I’ve got a lot of basic wool yarn and a few odd balls of interesting Noro and some blends. It is so tempting to buy more, especially since I may visit the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival for the first time and will probably go to Rhinebeck again this year. Also, I have discovered two lovely yarn stores in Montclair, NJ, about a half hour from my home, and they both have great selections of tempting yarn. I have a bad habit of keeping every last little piece of every yarn associated with every project. All these little odds and ends and left over extra skeins have made my house pretty messy. I’ll try to part with some of these soon, just not yet!
So here I am, hopefully for at least a few years more. And here is my latest project, my finished Mr. Greenjeans cardigan from Knitty. It took a backseat for a while due to Malabrigo March and I had to force myself to take it up again but I am glad I did. It is very comfortable and was certainly easy to make, thanks to almost no finishing. Sometimes sweaters made in the round seem like they will take forever but when they are finished it is a pleasure.
I don't want to forget to add a thank you to my husband for most of these lovely pictures, and also for the pride and appreciation he shows at every thing I make. Oh yes, and for driving me to every yarn store and festival I can find.
So here is to a lot more finished objects in the future, and to all of you who read this blog. I don’t know who is out there, but I am sure it is a friend.

March Is Over

2008-04-03T21:15:00.006-04:00

March is over and so is my Malabrigo spree. The idea was to cast on as many items in wonderful Malabrigo yarn as possible. It was a lot of fun making so many great knitted things even if it was getting a little hard cranking them out at the end. Koolhaas was my favorite thing to knit in Malabrigo. I made four of them. A Better Bucket came in second. I made three of those. All together I think there were about 12 projects. I intend to use them as presents but it is going to be hard to give them away.
Now I have to get back to a few left over projects. First is Mr. Greenjeans. This sweater has been ignored in my bedroom for a whole month and I only have one more sleeve to go. I am not too excited about it anymore but I am going to make a big attempt to finish it soon. Also, I had a lot of lovely Kashmir left over after my stole so I cast on for the Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty. It is not complicated but I do have to pay attention to the yarn overs. So far I am enjoying it.

A Lot of Knitting

2008-03-23T21:05:00.005-04:00

I’m knitting a lot lately. I finished Secret of the Stole II, which turned out to be called Savannah. In addition, since March I’ve been knitting every day with Malabrigo yarn. This stuff is the best and I can’t believe how much fun I am having. It is Malabrigo March on Ravelry with contests, KALs, support systems and new patterns and techniques. I’ve even learned some new computer tricks. Mainly I have made mittens, hats and even a neck warmer. These are projects I would never have tried if not for the Ravelry group Malabrigo Junkies. Here are some things I’ve completed: a Foliage hat, two A Better Bucket hats, a Koolhaas hat, Chevalier mittens. I have stopped reading, blogging, going to movies, and even watching much TV. There is more Malabrigo on my needles. I’m looking forward to April, but I think I will miss the Malabrigo March.

Malabrigo March

2008-03-03T12:15:00.003-05:00

Hooray for Malabrigo March. I couldn’t resist joining the Ravelry group. I’ve only used Malabrigo worsted yarn a few times but it is so soft. I went to Modern Yarn last week and bought all this. From left to right they are Pink frost, Vetiver, Stonechat and Sapphire green. I also have a skein of lace weight in Autumn forest that I bought at Windsor Buttons on my trip to Boston last summer . I’m going to try to make the following projects in March: Chevalier Mittens, A Better Bucket Hat, another Koolhaas in green , Easy Flame Lace Shawl by Wendy Bernard in the lace weight, and an Amanda hat. That should keep me busy! There were prizes. How could I resist?

Snow Day

2008-02-22T20:25:00.006-05:00

Today was the first snow day I can remember having in ages. We got eight inches of snow and ice. So I spent the day knitting. I started Mr. Greensleeves from Knitty and then worked on the Secret Stole. Clue 5 is pictured here. I am working on clue 6 now. Only three more clues to go.
Last weekend I finished a Purl Beret for Project Spectrum. I thought it would take a lot longer to knit but I finished it in about two days. I didn’t have enough of the hand-dyed yarn and didn’t know if the red merino would coordinate with it. I am very pleased. It is soft and comfortable and the colors blend well.
I also finished this vest from a Berroco pattern called Badia. I would have liked it a little longer and I think the armholes are a little short because the ribbing doesn't lie flat but I like the front detail and I've already worn it a few times. It was a fast knit too.

Time for Project Spectrum

2008-02-13T14:38:00.006-05:00

I love Project Spectrum and have joined every year. The colors for February and March are fire-orange, red and pink. In Manhattan I saw a display with some perfectly colored scarves. I was home yesterday and finally went through my stash and picked out some Project Spectrum yarn. Here is what I found. I have enough of most of it to make sweaters but I only have one small skein of cashmere which is on the left. I need some simple car type knitting and decided to use the cashmere. I’ve wanted to make the Purl Beret for a while now and I decided to just use the yarn until it is finished and then switch to the merino ball on the other side, maybe adding in some left over Socks That Rock Henpecked for contrast. I’ve joined the Artist’s Card Swap too and have been making artist’s trading cards. This is the first time I have done anything so small and it has been fun. I seem to have fixated on a photograph of multi-color carrots I took a while ago and so I based this series on it. I can’t wait to get my swap partners.

Secret of the Stole

2008-02-04T16:02:00.001-05:00

I'm working on my Secret of the Stole II. I’ve completed two clues so far and love the way it looks. There are a few minor mistakes. One is on the border and the other is a pattern mistake. I was doing the laundry in between knitting and when I came back after loading the machine I accidently repeated a row. Unfortunately that row had some double decreases, which I find very hard to take out. There is a good chance that tinking back will only lead to more problems, so, although I am not happy about it, I think I will have to live with them. I'm hoping they won't be that noticable when the stole is complete. The yarn is a mix of cashmere, silk and merino from Silk City called Kashmir and it is really very soft and pleasant to knit.

New Beginnings

2008-01-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

Things are fine but busy here. I work at a university and the start of the term is always so hectic. I did manage to complete this Koolhaus hat though. I had wanted to make one before the holidays but just didn’t get to it. In Montclair one day I visited Modern Yarn and saw some lovely Malebrigo and couldn’t resist. The hat was a quick and fun knit but the constant cable crossing were a real pain. I love the results though.

I have been using up my Socks that Rock yarn in an effort at stash clearing and this is the last skein. It is a colorway called Dreidel so I was pleased to find a circular sock pattern called Roundabout Socks that reminds me of the turning of a dreidel. I like to have a pair of socks on the needles as car knitting so I’ll have to start a new pair soon. Luckily the Six Sock Knitalong pattern should be out on Friday.
I’ve been working on this Borroco vest pattern named Badia recently and am pleased at how it is coming out. I'm using some Chaco Worsted in a navy blue. I didn’t decrease at the waist and don’t think I will do the cable and lace pattern on the back. Otherwise I am following the pattern as written. I am also working on Secret of the Stole II. More about that next time.

Reading Not Knitting

2008-01-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

There hasn’t been too much knitting around here lately. Why? I’ve been enthralled by the novel World Without End by Ken Follett. I loved Pillars of the Earth when I read it and now this book has charmed me as well. It has over a thousand pages and I finished it last night. It was so well researched and the characters were so realistic. I felt as though I were actually living in a village in medieval England. I did buy some yarn for my next project though. See the new buttons on the blog? I’m going to be a fearless knitter and participate in the Secret of the Stole II. I enjoyed the mystery stole this summer so I am trying again. I went to the monthly sale at Silk City Yarn last Saturday and bought this big spool of a mix of cashwool (whatever that is), cashmere and silk. Hope it works out. I’ve picked out some #4 needles but haven’t swatched yet. The first clue comes out tomorrow. Good thing I finished the novel in time.

Winter Vacation Socks

2008-01-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some socks I recently finished. I used stash medium weight Socks That Rock in Henpecked and Watermelon Tourmaline. I found a lovely pattern on the web by Debra Chinn from earth faire for one pair and I used Ann Budd's Flame Wave pattern from Favorite Socks for the other. They are nice and soft and squishy. I have one more skein of this yarn in Dreydl and I am using it now. I’ve started keeping sock knitting handy for bus or car riding and since I have been going into the city a lot lately it was easy to finish these quickly. I originally bought this yarn for a Chevron Scarf but the colors didn’t work together. I love them as socks.
I’ve also started the Back-To-School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits. I’m using Paton’s Classic Wool that I bought for this project. I don’t like clingy things so I am revising the pattern slightly, making the biggest size on the bottom and eliminating the darts. We will see how it comes out.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T19:18:00.001-05:00

Today is my first day back to work in eleven days. I’ve had a terrific vacation doing local things. I thought I’d get a lot of knitting done, but I didn’t. Not much knitting excitement happened at all. I knit parts of two different sweaters using Classic Elite Skye Tweed and frogged them both. The yarn is so rough that they just didn’t look right. I bought it for a second Cobblestone Pullover but the first one took so long I have been trying to find something else to use it for. I guess it will just have to stay in my stash for a while longer. I completed two pairs of socks and I’ll try to take a picture soon. However, I saw four movies, three shows, one museum and a ton of stores. It was a really nice vacation.

My favorite movie was Juno. My favorite show was Rock and Roll, but I also liked November with Nathan Lane. In Rock and Roll I sat in the first row and got to see Rufus Seawall up close for three hours. He was great and the play was really interesting. The museum was the New Museum, which has only been open for about two weeks in Manhattan. The show was weird and some of the pieces looked just like my assignments as an art major in college but the building was impressive. The outside is terrific but my husband could not get over the fact that the floors are all cracking. At the end of my time off I started the Back-to-School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits in Patons Classic Wool. I’ve had the yarn for months but I didn’t know if I wanted something that clingy. I’m making a larger size in the ribbed part and I‘m going to try to eliminate the darts and I think it will fit me better. Unfortunately, there is probably no way to know until I try it on. I don’t feel like putting all those stitches on a string and then transferring them back to the needle so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Happy and healthy New Year to everyone. I know I don’t update it that often, but I love keeping this blog. I’ve only decided to make one resolution this year and that is to not be pressured into doing anything I don’t want to do. I am tired of worrying about pleasing everyone no matter how I feel. I kept this resolution by not going out on New Year’s Eve. Every year I go to some local restaurant, where there is nothing for a vegetarian like me to eat, because my friends choose it and we all then go to someone’s house and stay up too late so I am tired the whole next day. This year I went out for lunch with my husband, called everyone to wish them well and went to sleep early. Then on New Year’s Day I went to brunch at a restaurant I love and saw an interesting movie. I hate to say no to people so this is a hard resolution to keep but I am really going to think about it and try.

A Gift For Me

2007-12-19T11:55:00.000-05:00

My scarf exchange package came and the scarf is just gorgeous. At first I thought it was beige but then I took it outside for a picture and I saw it is the most beautiful mossy green which is my favorite color. The workmanship is exquisite. The design is just what I would have made for myself. Thank you so much Morag. Morag included a card and calendar from Scotland. They make me want to visit Scotland as soon as possible.
So what to make when you don't know what to make? Socks. I started a pair designed by Debra Chinn in Socks That Rock medium in Henpecked with my favorite Addi #2 needles. So far I am very pleased. Now I can delay picking a sweater to knit because at least my hands are busy. I have loads of sock yarn so I can procrastinate like this for quite a while.
I finished my second pair of Peekaboo mittens from MagKnits February 2007. I think they are so cute and practical. I can complete a pair in two days so I may make a few of these for gifting next year.

Finishing Up

2007-12-10T14:42:00.001-05:00

My gifts are finished and most have been delivered but I am still making mittens, scarves and hats. Am I now addicted to these small projects? At this point I can make a pair of plain mittens in two days, a hat in one day and a scarf in a week. I’ve been looking at books, magazines and the web and can’t find any sweater that appeals to me. I have a lot of yarn in my stash and that may be the problem. If I like a sweater I usually don’t have the right yarn and the sweaters for the yarn I have aren’t exciting me. I’m determined to use my stash so I’m going to have to force myself to pick one soon.

Meanwhile, this scarf is the first time I ever used Malabrigo and even though these are not my colors I just cannot give it up. When I bought this yarn at Brooklyn General someone there told me that they could not get enough of it. Now I understand. It is so soft and look how great the colors worked out. It didn’t pool; it kind of blended. So it will just have to be a present for me.

Here is my Mom enjoying her Nomad Hat.

My sister liked her shrug from a Rowan pattern.

My son is modeling his new Dashing wrist warmers and Karma Cap.

Still Knitting Presents

2007-11-29T09:39:00.001-05:00

I’m still knitting presents. As a matter of fact, my wrist is getting achy so I am taking a day off from knitting even though I still have a few things to finish. Here are three more completed gifts.
I finished another Knitting Needle Knitting Bag for a friend. I love making these but sewing in the lining is a pain. It is more practical lined though. Next is Subway Mittens for my niece from the Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 issue although I am sure I’ve seen them someplace else too. Then is a hat to match Dashing and I’m not going to say who it is for. I saw this hat on Brooklyn Tweed’s site and used his modifications for crown shaping. It is Cap Karma by Smariek. I wish I had used a smaller needle to make the ribbing a little tighter but otherwise I love this hat. I just hope it fits the recipient and they like it. Some people can be so picky.

Two Presents and a Broken Needle

2007-11-18T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've finished two Nomad Hats and Scarves from Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. I used Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky and they were fast and easy to knit, great for gifts. One is for my mother and one is for a friend. They are so warm and comfortable I ordered some more yarn to make one for myself, but after the holidays. Now I'm working on another Knitting Needle Knitting Bag for another friend and Dashing from Knitty, also as a present. I was using two circulars with Reynolds Lite-Lopi for Dashing instead of double pointed needles, which I hate. I just finished one (except for the thumb) and started the second when this needle snapped. It is an old Boyle 16 inch size 7 and I don't even remember when I bought it. Thankfully, I was able to call Knitpicks and order a new one right away. I should still have time to finish these before Chanukah.

Knitting Needle Knitting Bag

2007-11-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make one of these for a holiday gift for a knitting friend but when the Reynolds Lite-Lopi I bought for a vest didn't work out, I doubled it and made one for myself. I had to test out the pattern, right? It is an Interweave Press knittingdaily pattern and is perfect. This was so much fun to make and fast too. I decided to line it so needles won't poke through and fell in love with this old fashioned print that I saw in a terrific fabric store in Brooklyn New York. I think I'll get a lot of use out of this bag.

Cobblestone Pullover

2007-10-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

Here is my handsome son wearing his new Cobblestone Pullover in Skye Tweed. I made a medium. To me it looks a little small and I should have made it a few inches longer but he says it is fine. I’ve decided to start a few holiday presents. Here is the first, a Lace Wrap pattern from the Hub Mills Factory Store that we visited this summer. The yarn is Socks That Rock in the colorway Foo Foo, heavy weight.

My First Yarn Review

2007-10-23T09:09:00.000-04:00

When my son moved to San Francisco a few years ago I immediately checked out what yarn stores were around. At the top of the list was Artfibers. It was located conveniently downtown and the reviews were uniformly fantastic. With my son in tow I found the building, climbed to the second floor and looked around. He was happy to see a nice sitting area where he could snooze while I shopped and I was happy to see neatly labeled shelves filled with unusual and interesting yarn. Most were blends I had never seen anywhere else. I immediately noticed a gorgeous alpaca scarf hanging up. When I asked about it, I was provided with the proper yarn and the complete pattern. Though the scarf is a little worse for wear, I’m still wearing it and I love its softness and warmth. I visited the shop a few more times during San Francisco visits and always found something beautiful to buy so I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from the company saying that they had updated their website, http://www.artfibers.com. They advertised new lower prices and some new yarns. They send swatching samples so I selected some newer yarn, Chutney, Nirvana, Bhutan, Banbusa and Galicia, all with exotic or luxury fibers like cashmere, bamboo and silk, and quickly received them. I happened to have some size 8 needles handy so I just swatched Galicia and what a pleasure it was to knit. It’s 90% silk, 9% superkid mohair and 2% wool. Just look at the color and sheen. Too bad you can’t feel the silky softness. I just loved this yarn and will certainly order some for a little jacket or scarf. I would definitely advise everyone to check them out on the web.

Rhinebeck Was Today

2007-10-20T20:45:00.001-04:00

I just got home from Rhinebeck. What a beautiful day. First, the weather was just glorious. I wore my Crocs because it rained heavily last night but I didn’t really need them. It wasn’t even wet. They showed off my handmade socks though. The sun was shining and there was a little breeze. It was so much fun to walk around and see all the vendors and animals. We left the house at 7 am and got there at around 9. I immediately raced to The Fold booth but I didn’t intend to buy much and I didn’t. I already have Socks That Rock from last year and I haven’t even used it yet. The booth was jammed as usual but I am getting tired of that type of colorful yarn. Shaded solid colors just feel fresher to me. Then my husband and I just walked around exploring. A highlight of the day was the Bloggers’ meet-up. This year I was square and a player for Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo. At first I was shy but then I got into the spirit of things and just went around asking other people if they were on my card. Everyone was really nice and I met so many new knitters. I actually finished a row. I was on a lot of other people’s cards too and I was so surprised to hear that they read this blog. I always feel that I write to myself and some nebulous blogosphere. I am so happy that others are reading this too.
The animals were adorable, as usual. We watched some judging and some shearing. Anyway, I didn’t get much yarn but I did get some mohair roving. We won’t mention the Golding spindle I found at the last minute and couldn’t put down. After, we went to the Morehouse Farm store where they were having a garage sale. Skeins of lace weight yarn that sold for over $8 in the store were only $2 each. They were considered broken but the woman that worked there examined them and said they only had one or two breaks. I’m an expert spit-splicer so I didn’t resist.

Tilted Duster Finished

2007-10-08T20:35:00.001-04:00

This is the first thing I finished from all the yarn I bought at Webs this summer and I love it. It is Tilted Duster from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. I changed the collar somewhat by omitting buttonholes and added a loop and button closing. I usually wear sweaters open anyway. The yarn is Berroco Peruvia in Marron and is very soft and warm. I can’t wait for some cool weather so I can wear it.

I’m now working on Cobblestone Pullover for my son from the same Interweave issue. Someone said it was a quick and easy knit but not for me. I’m using Classic Elite Skye Tweed and it is very rough and it catches on the needles, which makes for slow going. But I like the way it looks and I already told my son I was making it, so now I have to.
Artfibers is sending me some swatching samples to review. It will be my first blog review and I'm looking forward to it.

Saturday Spinning

2007-10-01T12:04:00.001-04:00

What a beautiful day it was on Saturday. I started at the Rembrandt exhibit in the MET and then I spent part of it at Spin Out 2007 in Central Park. The weather was perfect, Cherry Hill Fountain was beautiful and the people, well they were just the best. I had bought a spindle at Rhinebeck two years ago and never learned to use it and I decided that this was my opportunity. Michelle from Jersey City deserves a medal. She was unstinting in her time and effort to teach me the basics. She even gave me a CD spindle. After she showed me several drafting options, I took a seat and practiced for two hours and I’ve been continuing to practice and love it. When that twist travels up, it is magic. Then Karen let me try her wheel. I was so nervous I broke the yarn immediately and then tangled everything up. She was so sweet and didn’t seem to get upset at all when I over spun her beautiful yarn. I don’t quite think I’m ready for a wheel yet, but we will see what happens at Rhinebeck. Meanwhile, I love my spindle.

On Sunday I went to my best friend’s birthday party at fantastic restaurant in Congers, NY and finally was able to give her the scar I made for her. She loved it.

Almost Finished

2007-09-25T15:19:00.000-04:00

Finally, the baby shower. The blanket and bibs I made were a hit.
I’ve actually been knitting all this time, but I haven’t blogged because I don’t have much to show for it. All this time I’ve been working on the Tilted Duster. I can’t understand how some people finish it so quickly. I only have to sew in one more sleeve and then I’ll be finished, so maybe tonight. I didn’t like how the collar looked on me. It was too high and bothered my neck. So I frogged it and left off the button holes and plan to join it with one button and a loop at the bust. I like to wear sweaters open anyway and this will give me more options. I really like it. The yarn is soft and it was fun to make. I guess I like to knit ribbing, although I know a lot do not. Today I started the Cobblestone Pullover for my son. I haven’t gotten too far but I am not that happy with the yarn. Classic Elite Skye Tweed is just not as soft as Peruvia, and I’ve been spoiled. I’ll finish it though. If he doesn’t like it, someone will.

Just Knitting On

2007-09-10T14:57:00.000-04:00

I don’t seem to be finishing much lately. First, I frogged the Chevron Scarf for my friend’s birthday because it was rolling in at the sides too much. Instead I started this diagonal knit scarf. The idea came from the back section in the book Scarf Style and I’m pretty happy with it. If I think about all the gifts I have to knit I get nervous. And yet I just sent my name to join International Scarf Exchange 5.
I have also been knitting the Tilted Duster and somehow every time I work on it my left wrist hurts. Maybe I am just pulling the yarn too tightly. I finished and sewed the fronts and back and, instead of starting the sleeves, because I am a very impatient person I went ahead started the skirt. Sewing was hard because if you tug on the yarn it just splits apart. I love the way it looks so far but I already made one mistake in a tilted section. There was a hole on a M1. Knitting back with over 200 stitches wasn’t going to work so I tried to drop it down and fix it that way. The hole is gone but it is certainly not perfect.
My son chose this color for the Cobblestone Pullover and I am going to start that next but I don’t want too many UFO’s around so I have to finish something first, probably the scarf. So many projects, so little time!

Distracted by Ravelry

2007-08-31T15:07:00.000-04:00

I have almost nothing to say or to show because I got into Ravelry. At first I wasn’t sure it was so great but then I started joining groups and adding books and stash and projects and now I’m in love. I have spent hours on that site and I’m soon going to need a serious intervention or I’ll never get any knitting done. I’ve been forcing myself to work on a present but haven’t gotten too far. I used the Chevron Scarf pattern with RY Soft Lux yarn in Sable, one of the yarns I got at Webs because I knew I’d need this gift. The edges are curling but it is so soft and warm. I hope the recipient likes it.

A Great Vacation

2007-08-25T20:28:00.000-04:00

I’ve been on a lovely vacation trip to New Hampshire and Vermont but before I left I spent a whole day finishing Mystery Stole 3 and the first thing I did when we returned home was to block it. I had so much fun getting the clues and knitting them and really learned a lot about lace knitting. The theme is Swan Lake and I wasn't sure how it would look but now that it is finished I love it. I actually used fingering weight sock yarn because I had a lot of trouble with lace weight and I'm happy that it came out larger and drapes so well. Please excuse my attire but I couldn't wait to try it on.
After all that lace knitting I wanted to give my hands a rest so I crocheted there and back and managed to finish this baby blanket and bib for a gift.
We used Nashua as a base to visit Lowell, Massachusetts, Kittery and Wells Beach, Maine and Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. Then we went to Ludlow, Vermont and drove from there to see the local sights and had a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream tour. What fun! On the way home we managed to stop at Webs where I must say I went a little crazy and bought enough yarn for at least four sweaters, two pairs of socks and a few scarves. Hopefully, you’ll see them in months to come but I am a little overwhelmed thinking about all that knitting. I just have to take one project at a time.

Sockapalooza Rocks

2007-08-09T21:17:00.001-04:00

My Sockapalooza pal Jenifer sent these gorgeous socks for me. My favorite colors are green and brown and she dyed these herself. She included the most dainty and beautiful stitch markers too, sized for different size needles. This was a wonderful surprise. Thank you so much Jenifer! My pal received her socks and liked them too. This was a great exchange.

Listing

2007-08-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

I was number 8 on the list for the new Harry Potter at the local library and I got the book last Thursday. I’m so excited. I’ve been reading it slowly. Wow, it really starts off with a bang. It was hard to put down but I committed myself to knitting the Mystery Stole 3 so I stopped reading and finished clue 5. I don’t know; we’ve been thrown for a curve. The stole turns and uses short rows in a completely different pattern. We’ll just have to see how it looks when finished. Although some on the list have decided to make a duplicate second half and join them, I’ve decided to give it a try as written.
So where am I on Ravelry?
You signed up on June 20, 200.
You are #10271 on the list.
2339 people are ahead of you in line.
12859 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far.
I think I still have a bit of a wait.
This Saturday we went to Lincoln Center to hear the first half of an all Beethoven concert first performed in 1808. It was just wonderful. After we saw part of a puppet show that was a part of Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors. I love going in to New York City.

The Last of July

2007-07-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

I try to write an entry here most weeks but sometimes my life is so boring it's hard to find anything to write. It is very hot and I haven’t been doing too much lately. In August I have a vacation planned and a few birthdays so things should be more interesting. MS3 will be over and the new sock from Six Sock Knitalong will be out. Sockapalooza will happen. I have my partner’s sock all ready but I haven’t heard a word from the person sending one to me so I really hope I get an exchange. My husband and I have been discussing movies to see for two weeks and other than Harry Potter there is nothing I want to see. Maybe there will be some more interesting movies coming out next month too. Meanwhile, I finished my second EZ February sweater and gave it to a co-worker Actually, I left it at her desk because she is already on maternity leave and I won’t see her until she gets back. I hope she likes it. The Chevron Scarf is gone. It just didn’t please me. The stitches were too lumpy and uneven and the contrast wasn’t great. I’m going to try to use the STR for socks instead. So I started this Cropped Cardigan with leaf ties in some Lion Brand Cotton-Ease that I bought a year ago at a Smileys sale. I looked on-line and quite a few people have used this yarn for this cardigan so it should work. Top-down sweaters usually seem to take forever but this seems to be going pretty quickly.

Summer Saturday

2007-07-24T20:26:00.001-04:00

I went to the Museum of Natural History for the first time in years and saw a lot of fantastic dinosaur bones and this great west side NY view.
I’ve been working on clue four of Mystery Stole 3 but needed some bus to NY knitting so I started a Chevron Scarf, this time in STR. I used the colors Watermelon Tourmaline and Henpecked and I like them together but the fabric is bumpy and uneven so I’m hoping it blocks out well.

Weekend Fun

2007-07-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday we went to the Celebrate Brooklyn Yiddishfest in Prospect Park. Four hours of klezmer. Actually it was very lively and more fun than I thought it would be. Fyvush Finkel from the TV show Boston Public and The Klezmatics were there along with many other groups. Most people just listened but you know what I did, I knit. This is the second EZ February sweater this month. The white one just needs buttons. Three women I know are having girls so I have to make one more after this one.
I’m also still working along on the Mystery Stole 3. I’ve finished up through the third clue and have to wait until Friday to continue. It is certainly looking mysterious. I’ve never knit anything this complex before and have to work slowly and mark every row.

It's a Mystery

2007-07-06T21:21:00.001-04:00

I’ve spent this week on Mystery Stole 3 and having dental work. Although I swatched, I wasn’t happy with the Misti Alpaca Lace from the beginning. I loved the color but it just seemed too thin, even with #3 needles. I didn’t like how the edges were coming out. It frayed on the number 14 crochet hook every time I tried to put on a bead. The beads just got lost in the yarn. The whole thing just looked too open and the stitches just didn’t seem formed enough, if you know what I mean. Then, while on painkillers for my tooth, I attempted to knit row 95 and messed up big time. I decided to give up. Why worry about each row? Why not relax this summer with easy projects. I ordered two new books from the Knitpicks sale to inspire me, Fitted Knits and Favorite Socks.
Then I read the Yarn harlot’s blog. I saw she was doing the stole. It seemed like everyone was doing the stole. So I looked in my stash and found some fingering weight sock yarn. I liked it better immediately. The solid knit areas looked substantial while the yarnovers were nice and open. The beads provided contrast and didn’t get lost like in the alpaca. I had a little trouble getting them on the thicker yarn but I used the crochet hook with looped dental floss. So now I am trying again. I saw clue 2 today and it looks good. I’m now one of over 6,000 knitters. If they can do it I can too.

Monkey For Me

2007-06-28T11:59:00.000-04:00

I loved the way Knitty's Monkey socks came out for my Sockapalooza pal so I made myself a pair in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, the Purple Club colorway. They remind me of the hydrangeas in my front yard. I will have to wait until fall to wear them though. It was 101 degrees according to my car thermometer yesterday.
In other knitting news, I've finished the Montego Bay Scarf and I am all ready for Mystery Stole 3 which starts tomorrow. There are over 3000 members in the KAL. It sounds like fun and I can't wait.

Knitting and Summer Events

2007-06-22T11:49:00.000-04:00

Saturday I went to the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. My husband and I didn’t get there until pretty late and the weather started to get threatening so we walked up and down aisles really quickly and tried to take everything in. It was very crowded and seemed more commercial this year. The jewelry was very polished and expensive. There were lots of tee shirts and note cards and a few big companies like Adorn magazine and Etsy. I only saw one place selling yarn. There were a few felted items but nothing special. Maybe we just rushed too much. I liked the location, at the bottom of a former pool. All that peeling paint seemed kind of decadent. We heard thunder and didn’t stay.
By the way, I finished the Boteh Scarf from Interweave Crochet a while ago. It went so quickly and blocking really finished it. I love it.
I joined something else, right after I said I wouldn’t. The Mystery Stole 3 KAL sounded just too intriguing. Last year I bought some Misti Alpaca Lace, I don’t remember why. But I’m going to try to use it for this. Every week we get a new clue and end up with a beautiful stole. How can anyone resist? Here is the swatch we were directed to make. We are also going to use beads, first time for me.

A Winning Package

2007-06-18T20:25:00.000-04:00

I came home tonight to a wonderful treat! I won the first Inspired by Nature KAL contest and Tracey sent me the most astonishing package. It had Fleece Artist Hand dyed 100% cashmere, my first ever cashmere, in the most amazing rich red color. It is 200 meters of the softest yarn I have ever felt and I can’t stop stroking it. Tracey included a lovely little bag to keep it in, some Soak wool wash, and a fantastic card showing a chevron scarf. I loved making one and another scarf is definitely on my must make list. Tracey where did you get that card? I just love it. Thank you so much for everything. This is an inspiring gift. I have never won such a terrific prize.

Inspired Summer Knitting

2007-06-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

Here is my first Inspired by Nature FO. Although I started these socks before I joined the KAL, I think they really reflect the colors of spring flowers. I was lucky to find this yarn on a trip to San Francisco last summer to visit my son and all I time I worked with it I was reminded of these colorful flowers along the walkway to my house.

Last weekend I bought a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk at Windsor Buttons in Boston. I love to buy yarn as a souvenir. I'm thinking of making Montego Bay Scarf by Amy Singer from the new Interweave Knits and I want to use it for the KAL so I looked through some photographs and found these luscious summer fruits. I think it qualifies.

Canada Excursion

2007-06-12T21:54:00.001-04:00

I just got this package from my wonderful Knitter’s Tea Swap partner Jacquie and I am thrilled! Everything in it is so unusual-and from Canada. She sent:
Teas from The Tea Emporium-Imperial Jasmine and Rooibos Anise both of which I have never tried and sound delicious plus a couple of maple tea bags that smell fabulous
A package of tea filters so I can make my own tea bags
A lovely box of Simryn chocolate, yum, yum
Fleece Artist Merino Wool in my favorite colors, which I cannot get where I live at all and which I have always wanted to try
The little Black Book of Tea which not only tells everything anyone would want to know about tea but also has what look like delicious recipes
Knitspiration, an inspirational journal for knitters drawn from the book Inspired Cable Knits by Fiona Ellis which I cannot wait to use to record my ideas and projects. It also has some knitting thoughts, directions for a beautiful yoga mat bag and even yoga poses for knitters in it.
An adorable “sheepy” card
Jacquie has truly sent me an outstanding package. Thank you so much Jacquie. I hope you get your package from me soon and are as happy with it as I am with yours.

Inspiration

2007-06-06T21:07:00.001-04:00

Here is the finished Lion Brand Yarn Cropped Raglan Sweater. Please don't look at the outfit. I know it doesn't match. I used the new Cotton Ease in taupe. I started it right before our Virginia trip for in the car knitting and it worked out well. It’s a top down knit and I just did row after row of stockinette while my husband drove. After I got home the stockinette quickly became old and it seems like it took forever to finish. Really, it was only about two weeks. I think it fits well and it is very comfortable. I lengthened the sleeves and hem. Eventually I would like to make another one, after the memory of stockinette hell fades.

I’ve been having trouble deciding what projects to make lately and today I came across an interesting site. Inspired by Nature KAL suggests you take inspiration from nature for your next project. I could certainly use some inspiration, so I joined. I’m going through my recent photos to see if any of them inspires me. I’ll be passing by Webs this weekend (well, it will only be a little way out of the way) so I can get any yarn I may need. This may be a great way to select my summer knitting.

I also started the June/July Victorian Lace Sock from Six Sock Knitalong. Actually, I have already finished the first sock. I’m glad I used this striped yarn instead of solid because it hides the myriad errors I have made. I am certainly not a lace knitter. It is a simple pattern but I’m always losing my yarnovers. Once I finished my Sockapalooza socks I wanted a pair of Monkey socks for myself, so that will be my next project.

Monkey Off My Back

2007-05-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

I finished the Sockapalooza sock! I made Monkey from Knitty in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colorway Mother Lode. The yarn was soft and wonderful to work with and the colors worked out beautifully. The pattern was interesting-not too easy yet not too confusing. I can't wait to mail them and see my partner's reaction. Now I am going to make a pair for me.
By the way, I saw on someone's blog a pair of sock blockers that they had made from a plastic place mat. I wish I could remember whose it was so I could thank them. I traced a comfortable sock onto paper, transfered it to the mat and cut out the shape twice. It worked great and the socks look so much better blocked.

Shenandoah National Park

2007-05-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

My husband and I just got home from a long weekend vacation in Shenandoah National Park. It was Wildflower Weekend and we went on a beautiful Ranger led wildflower walk. We also did a few easy hikes. We stayed at the lodge at Big Meadow-a little rustic but very authentic. The food was great and the weather was perfect. I brought my sock but it was just too complicated. I needed something mindless for the long drive down and sitting in front of the fire in the great room at the lodge. I started the Cropped Raglan Sweater from Lion Yarn using the new Cotton Ease in taupe. I got a good bit done and it was a perfect project-simple stockinette. We had a terrace and it was great sitting outside and knitting. At dusk lots of deer came to graze right in front of our room. Now I have to force myself to finish the socks for my swap pal. I joined the Knitters Tea Swap and got my pal. Her preferences are a lot like mine so I should have no trouble finding some things she will like. This was one of my favorite swaps last year and I’m so glad I can do it again.

Sample Sale

2007-05-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a sample sale can be as much fun as a yarn sale. Last week I went to a Sportsac sale in Manhattan. They handed out huge plastic bags to fill as you walked in. Needless to say I filled it. Hopefully there is a new knitting bag among all this. Also a good pocketbook to take to work.

I started the Boteh scarf from Interweave Crochet. It is a lot of fun to make. I'm really pleased with the current issue of the magazine. I don't crochet too often but this unusual scarf appealed to me. I may make a few other things. There is a great tote and a few interesting sweaters.

Very Afraid

2007-05-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

First, I haven't yet heard from the person who is knitting my Sockapalooza socks. Should I be afraid, very afraid? I know I am definitely worried. If you haven't emailed your partner don't leave him or her in suspense. Just let them know you exist. I've emailed the person I am knitting for and she has replied.

The next news is that I’ve decided to make Monkey from Knitty for my partner using Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sock in color number 74, Mother Lode. It seems like a lot of us are making it. Here is a picture at three repeats. I’m a little past that now. I’m using two circulars and it is working out well so far. Of course, it is a long time to August and I may decide on something else. But for now I’m having fun with these.

Decisions, Decisions

2007-05-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

I went to my lys yesterday to get sock yarn for my Sockapalooza swap pal and came home with these. The brown and gray is Regia. The others are Lorna's Laces Mother Lode and Purple Club. Okay, the purple is probably for me. I still don't know which yarn or pattern to use. My partner wasn't too specific so I can probably knit any interesting pattern but she did say she likes subdued colors. I may make more than one pair and decide then. It is hard to tell how things will look before they are actually knit up.

Secret Pals

2007-05-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

I finished the scarf for my International Scarf Exchange secret pal and sent it out last Friday and four days later she got it. She wanted it a little wider and I made five repeats instead of three and it came out a little short so I included another scarf made from Morehouse Merino in pink and green shades. I forgot to take a picture of it. I just used a pattern from Barbara Walker and knit until the yarn was used up. I also included some healthy goodies like dried cranberries, chamomile tea, and Scharfenberger chocolate nubs. I was so glad to hear that she received it. This is my second time in this exchange and it is so much fun.
Now I can concentrate on Sockapoolaza 4. I’ve gotten my secret partner and am going to Modern Yarns today after work to find some perfect sock yarn. I’m still not sure which pattern to use but I am leaning towards Monkey Socks from Knitty. I’ve wanted to try them for some time.
Here is a picture for Project Spectrum April/May. Last weekend I went to the MET to see the new Greek and Roman Galleries and then walked in Central Park. This beautiful tree was right near the path.

Blogiversary

2007-04-23T15:51:00.000-04:00

April 15 was the first anniversary of this blog. I started it so I could join swaps and exchanges and I have participated in quite a few. I've also used it to document all my completed objects. I have had so much fun keeping up this blog, planning, writing and taking pictures. I was going to definitely do an anniversary post and then we had a huge rain storm and I forgot completely. Today I read someone else's anniversary post and was reminded. I was going to just skip mine but that wouldn't be right. I guess I'll just have a belated celebration. How to celebrate? I still have to think about it. Maybe in the usual way, by buying yarn. Maybe donating some too.

Spring at Last

2007-04-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

We had terrible weather early last week. I was so happy to see these daffodils at the pond behind the building where I work. Maybe I can get outside more now that the rain stopped and the temperature is a little higher.
I finished the Horcrux socks and they are really comfortable. Trekking XXL is wonderful. It's thick and spongy with muted color changes. The socks were easy and went so quickly. I have seen some made in Harry Potter house colors on Six Sock Knitalong and they look great. I may make a pair like that too. I just have to decide which house I belong to. Every time I take a quiz on the internet I come out belonging to a different house. I may pick Ravenclaw. I think they use blue and silver or bronze.
I've also jumped on the Chevron Scarf bandwagon from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I'm using up some left over red merino that I can't even remember buying and have no idea what I used for with some merino yarn that was a present from KnitPastis called Fallen Leaves. It is a little brighter than the things I usually wear but maybe it is time to go a little brighter!

More Gifts

2007-04-10T14:28:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to finish up some gifts so I can start on the spring projects that I want to make for me with a clear conscience. Here are some more baby gifts, my second Baby Surprise and the Baby Bolero from One Skein. I’m not so sure that the bolero is enough for a gift. It may be better for a teddy bear than a child. It only took one afternoon to make though and it was fun seeing how it came together. Maybe I can combine it with something else. I am getting tired of Baby Surprise sweaters even though this is only my second. Maybe I should just wait a few months before making another. I have been looking on the web for other baby sweaters and I found a few that looked good so I may make one of those next. I need four completed sweaters for gifts. Luckily I don’t need the last one until September.
I am also working on the secret scarf for my scarf exchange pal and that is almost finished. I’m not saying too much in case she finds this blog but I will be mailing it in about a month and then I can show pictures.

I had to knit the April/May sock on the Six Sock Knitalong. It is the Horcrux Sock based on Harry Potter. See the zigzag scar? I’m using the Trekking XXL yarn that I couldn’t resist in Lenox when I went to the yoga and knitting weekend. Really, I think the pattern shows more clearly in solid yarn but I didn’t have any in my stash and I just love these muted colors. There is another pattern for a worsted weight sock and I may try that in a solid. I’ve tried a few house sorting sites on the web to see which Hogwarts house I would fit into and every time I get different results. I’ll just pick the colors I like best.
This Sunday is my one year blogiversary. Who knew how much fun this would be? Look at all the FOs this year. I’m impressed! Now, how shall I celebrate?

It's Here

2007-04-02T21:11:00.000-04:00

My yarn order came today. This is just a part of it. I can't wait to begin using it all up.

And Crochet Too!

2007-04-02T10:34:00.000-04:00

I learned to crochet a long time ago but usually just use it for borders, edgings and trims. But something about this sweater in the Free Friday Patterns email from Berroco just struck me and I had to make it from some stash Patons Merino. I had forgotten how fast crochet can be. It only took me a week to make this. The pattern showed a flowery belt and I thought it would be too much so I just used a hair clip to close it, but I see it looks a little bulky around the waist. So I will crochet the belt as soon as I get a chance.
A while ago while browsing the web I saw that a company called Knit Happens was having a great sale so I ordered a lot of yarn, mostly for making gifts. I am still waiting for it to arrive and then I will start my new April sock pattern from the Six Sock Knitalong (which are Harry Potter socks called Horcrux and look fantastic) and a whole bunch of baby patterns. Also, it is time for the 4th International Scarf Exchange and I ordered yarn for that too. I will certainly be busy soon!

Missing Something

2007-03-18T19:18:00.000-04:00

I finished the Ram's Horn Jacket this weekend while being snowed in by a disgusting snow and ice storm. The only thing is, it is missing the ram's horn. I made it but it just didn't look right. First I started it over about eight times. Then I finally just knit it through. It just looked strange and didn't even fit the neckline. So I made a different collar. I took one from a Berocco pattern. I just picked up the stitches and knit a twisted rib for 10 inches. The jacket is a little big but very comfy and I am happy with it. I used some stash yarn, Plymouth Encore Colorspun. It looks green but is really made with strands of blue, white, yellow and green yarn.
I finally sewed the buttons on my first Baby Surprise sweater so I can post a picture. What can I say; I already have another one on the needles.

My son moved into an apartment in Brooklyn, NY and is near a wonderful lys, Brooklyn General. I walked over last week and was overcome by the selection and ambience in the place. I may even take some spindle spinning lessons there. They had the latest Rowan magazine that I wanted to buy and I couldn't resist this yarn. It has over 200 yards but I don't really think it is enough for a scarf. I may make some mittens or maybe go back to the store for another skein.

Here is a great Project Spectrum photo I took from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade of my favorite city, New York.

No New News

2007-03-09T19:04:00.000-05:00

Not much has been happening on the knitting front. I have been really tired lately, maybe because it has been so horribly cold. I have finished all the pieces of the Ram's Horn Jacket, except for the collar which has me completely stumped. I've started it about six times and frogged each time. This is my latest effort. See how it is twisty and uneven. I'm not even sure what the directions mean. I'll never finish if I can't finish the collar so I will persevere. I am so neurotic about finishing things. I won't let myself start anything else big until this is done and I have other things I want to make.

Last week I was on jury duty and I needed something mindless and in Project Spectrum colors so I started this scarf. I called the court the day before and they told me I could not bring any kind of needles, even bamboo, but I did anyway and there was no problem. I just put this whole project in my handbag and it went through the metal detector with no problem. I would have gone crazy with no knitting.
I have a list of new projects to start so l'd better try that collar again tonight. Then all that is left is sewing together all the pieces, another slow job. Berroco has been having some nice patterns on their site lately. I've been wanting to crochet something for a long time and today they had a pattern for a nice cardigan, Cali. I may use up my brown Paton's Merino on it. Last time I crocheted I did too much and my wrist started hurting. It has been over a year now so it is time to try again. I also liked the vest they called Pike. For that I may have to buy the yarn. I don't have anything in my stash with the correct gauge so I may just order their yarn from Webs.

Pictures At Last

2007-02-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Here are pictures of completed items. Yes, they are all green. Green really is my favorite color. The sweater is Ariann and I love it. The hat is the Sunflower Tam from Knitting Nature. I finished one in orange but love green more. I used Lopi as the pattern specifies and it is a little big but very comfortable.

Here is the new sweater I am working on, the Rams Horn Jacket from Knitting Nature. I know it looks green too, but it really is a tweed of blue and white (for Project Spectrum) combined with green and yellow. I’ve completed the back and am doing the two fronts together. The pattern calls for knitting the button bands last and sewing them on but I am attaching them to the fronts and they seem to look all right. I found the yarn in my stash, Plymouth Encore Colorspun Knitting Worsted Weight. It is 75% acrylic and 25% wool but it feels soft and is machine washable and I am using some very old stash.

Finally Some Finished Objects

2007-02-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

I’ve wanted to take some FO pictures and post them for a while but it has been so frigid outside and so dark inside that I have given up for now and will just tell about them. First, I completed Ariann. I don’t know what it is about this sweater that makes it so much fun to knit and then wear. It is a little smaller than I would have preferred and I think it is because it is hard to block a heavy wool lace sweater and get it really open like a scarf or shawl. But I love it. I am looking forward to making another one in silk with ¾ sleeves for spring. I also finished another Sunflower Tam from Knitting Nature, this one in a color I might just wear, dark green. Also, I finished my first EZ Baby Surprise sweater. I’ve wanted to try this strange knit for a long time and now have a lot of friends whose daughters are having babies so I will need a few gifts. This one is in beige left-over sport weight wool to suit either a boy or girl. It seems to be a newborn size. I will definitely make a few more and probably use worsted weight so it is a little larger. It is another fun project that goes really quickly.
Project Spectrum is on and the colors this time are very seasonal. Wintry blue, white and gray just don’t appeal to me, even though blue seems to be everyone’s favorite color. I’ll have to take some photos with those colors. I do have two skeins of some heather gray and may make another Baby Surprise so I do something for Project Spectrum. Now the next colors are more “me.” I have just started the Ram’s Horn Jacket from Knitting Nature in a mixed yellow, green and blue tweed yarn and I may still be knitting it in April. If not, green is my favorite color so I’ll have no trouble finding something to knit with it. Both Ariann and my new Tam are green. Yellow and green are such nice spring colors. At this point, with winter here with a vengeance, I just can’t wait for spring.

Knitting and Yoga

2007-02-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I went to Kripalu Yoga Institute for the first time. They were having a Joy of Knitting weekend with Karen Allen of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” fame. It was a great weekend. I loved the yoga, the fantastic vegetarian food, the beautiful grounds, relaxing in the solarium and the Dancekinetics classes. The knitting just wasn’t me but it was still fun. Karen does intarsia and knots and weaves in the ends as she goes. It is an interesting technique but something about knotting yarn bothers me and I never actually got the weaving-in technique. Using so many colors was confusing. I guess if you graph out and really plan your knitting it wouldn’t have been so confusing but doing it on the fly on a weekend was hard. All the women and the one man in the class were very nice though and it was lovely to meet, talk to other knitters and see other people’s knitting. There was just enough snow to make the place picturesque and it wasn’t so freezing that I couldn’t go for a wonderful woodsy walk.

Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting

2007-01-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

Today I visited the Museum of Art and Design in New York to see the show Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting. It wasn’t that radical and only slightly subversive and there was a lot more lace than knitting but it was interesting anyway. There were a few garments knit from paper. One was called The Money Dress and was knit from dollar bills cut into 1/8 wide strips. Actually it was a cute sheath dress. A few things were knit to 1/12 scale using medical wire. They were very detailed.
Yesterday I wore an old hat I made and my sister saw it and started her usual plea to me to make one for her. So I gave it to her. I have a lot of hats here, but I really liked that one. It was knit from Noro in brown and orange shades and had bobbles around the brim. I only wish I had taken a picture before I gave it away. I really have to learn to sometimes just say no. I think I will go through all my old patterns and try to find the one for this hat. I have some Noro in blue shades and I want my hat back so now I’ll have to make one for me.
I have been working a lot on Ariann and already joined the sleeves and was knitting the yoke. Then last night at 3:00 in the morning I woke up and realized that all the decreases I had done on Ariann were wrong. I wasn't making the paired increases/decreases so I really wasn't decreasing. I waited until morning and then I counted stitches. After decreasing 27 rows I only decreased two stitches. It is lace and I can't just frog it. I have to unknit it or throw it out. So here I go unknitting and reknitting the raglan shaping again. It has over three hundred stitches. I never fell asleep again so I am exhausted now. I just can’t wait to see it completed.

Lots of Stitches

2007-01-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

The past week I’ve been working a lot on my Reverse Chevron Scarf and Ariann. The deal with the scarf is that you work until it is almost finished and you post a picture on the Yahoo Multidirectional site and then they email you the ending. It is now almost finished because I only have two skeins of Paton’s Classic Wool in Wedgwood and I am almost out. So I posted and received the ending. It seems a little confusing but I will figure it out and then have an FO. It is really an interesting pattern. See the pattern the yarn makes. One chevron goes up and one goes down. I also love the incorporated side edging.

The body of Ariann is finished and I have started the sleeves. This is the first time I have done a sleeve lace pattern including increases in the round on four double-pointed needles. It is a little confusing and I have already made one mistake but ripping back in lace is a nightmare for me. I don’t think it will be too noticeable. I have to concentrate on it so I am saving this to work on at home.
I need a need a new simple carry-along project and I have been eyeing the EZ patterns in The Opinionated Knitter for a while now. I may start the Baby Surprise sweater next. I am going to need a few baby gifts for friend’s daughters soon anyway. In a week and a half I get the new Six Sock Knitalong pattern so I may wait for that. I can also start a simple in-the-round sweater. Or another scarf. I love making scarves. It is a hard decision.

Two Projects At Once

2007-01-14T20:15:00.000-05:00

I've always tried to only have one project going at a time. However, recently I discovered it is better if I have a small project for the car and work and keep larger more complicated ones for home. So I am working on the Reverse Chevron Scarf as a small project and have started Ariann as a larger one to work on at home only. It is definitely taking me more time to finish each thing but this way I have no wasted time. I guess I am slightly compulsive. So now I have two lists of projects that I want to make. Here is the Chevron scarf. It is in Paton's Merino Wool and the colors are making a great pattern. Ariann is in my usual Chaco. It will take me a while to get the pattern really going so I can see how it will look.

In spite of deciding to only knit from my stash, Smileys had a great sale this week so guess where I was on Saturday. They did have some great buys but I restrained myself and only bought enough wool for two sweaters and some pastel green baby cotton for a Baby Surprise Sweater for my friend's daughter.

Starting A New Year

2007-01-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone. I have two knitting calendars this year. I bought the Stitch and Bitch calendar and my sister gave me the 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day as a gift. I am looking forward to an exciting year of knitting and want to try to learn some new techniques. Look what I got from my library. They did an inter-library loan for me. One thing I want to try is the Baby Surprise sweater and now I can. I’m afraid to use wool for a baby so I just have to get some cotton yarn.
After knitting so many gifts and small items like hats and scarves, I decided to start a sweater for me. See this? It is already gone. I bought the current issue of Knitters magazine especially for the nice and simple ribbed sweater and this was stash yarn but I thought it would be too clingy. Not flattering for someone who is battling a holiday weight gain. So it is frogged and the yarn is back in the closet.
I made a pair of Fetching for my niece and my sister asked for a pair so I made them in her favorite color. I guess this is my first finished object in 2007. I also finished my Chain Link Socks, a pattern from the Six Sock Knitalong.
I seem to always have to be knitting something so now I am using some variegated merino wool yarn from Patons for the Reverse Chevrons Scarf from Iris Schrier. Sometimes her directions are a little complicated but this seems to be zipping along and is a lot of fun to make.
I have joined Project Spectrum 2007 and am looking forward to some great projects in the coming months. This time there are two months and more than one color so maybe I can finish something. One month was fun but just not enough time. February/March colors are blue, white and grey. Since I am determined to use up some stash, I have found some grey wool yarn and am planning to make something interesting with it. My favorite part of Project Spectrum was the postcard exchange. Lolly hasn’t mentioned it but I hope she will have it again.

Happy New Year

2006-12-28T15:20:00.000-05:00

I finally finished my husband's vest. It took about two months, longer than I usually take for a whole sweater. Maybe it was because there were so many cables and since they were six stitch cables I used a cable needle instead of trying to do without one. I used Filatura Lanarota wool that I bought in Rhinebeck the year before last. The pattern was from an Irish booth at Stitches East. This was a thank you gift because he took me to those and other knitting events. Luckily it came out at 22 inches long, a standard size, so I was able to buy a zipper and matching thread at the local sewing shop, the Rag Shop. Otherwise I would have had to scout around for a custom zipper.
I also took some time to complete the Sunflower Tam from Knitting Nature for me. I couldn't find the specified yarn so I used Lamb's Pride Bulky, 85 % wool and 15 % mohair, in Autumn Harvest. It was a quick and easy knit and I love it.
So many blogs have year end wrap ups and New Year resolutions but I am just not in the mood to go over all the projects I did last year or think too much ahead. Let's just say I made quite a few socks and finally learned grafting. I also completed my first successful lace shawl thanks to The Amazing Lace. I don't want to forget a great big thank you to Lolly for Project Spectrum which brightened my spring considerably. I do have a few knitting resolutions. One is to document all my new projects in 2007, either in this blog or a notebook. Another is to go through my stash and give away what I won't use and use up the rest. I would also like to try fair-isle knitting and make some of the gorgeous mittens I see on the web, starting with the ones in Knitty. Of course my usual resolution to lose ten pounds, the one I make every year, still stands. This has been an exciting year of knitting for me and I am looking forward to the next one.

Progress report

2006-12-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

I am still slogging away on the vest for my husband, unfortunately without much enthusiasm. I finished the back and am doing both fronts together and am about halfway done with them. This many cables has gotten to be torture and it definitely won’t be finished by Chanukah, which is tonight. Meanwhile he has gained weight. I don’t want to measure him again because this is supposed to be a surprise and I have no intention of ripping and restarting it anyway so I am knitting with my fingers crossed.
To cheer me up I needed some portable knitting so I started Chain Link Socks, the new pattern from Six Sock Knitalong. It took me a while to decide on colors but I had some Opal sock yarn in black and grey from Stitches East and I picked up some Lanett in red in Brooklyn and began. This is a slip stitch pattern that forms chains and I love it. I am trying to only knit the vest at home and limiting the socks to work and the car so I finish both.
This town has a knitting group called Keep You in Stitches which I belong to but never go to. It only meets once a month at the library and usually conflicts with the step class at my gym. But last night I made more of an effort because they were having a demo of mini stocking knitting and I wanted to see if I could learn any new techniques. The best way for me to learn is by seeing something demonstrated. It turned out to be a simple top down sock but I did use double pointed needles instead of my usual two circulars. We all made the little red and white sock on the left. This was only the second time I attended in about a year but the other knitters all seemed very nice and I will have to try to attend more frequently.

Current Events

2006-12-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

I am still working on the cabled vest. I finally finished the back after almost three weeks. All those cables make my hands ache. I am doing both fronts at once but they are slow going too. Actually, I started a scarf this weekend as a travel project while in the car with my husband and did about 8 inches but it started leaning strangely to the left and the bottom looked wider than the top. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of it before it went into the frog pond. It was from gifted yarn from Knitpastis in beautiful fall colors and the pattern was a giveaway at Stitches East taken from the new Victorian Lace Today book. Even though that book is gorgeous I really do not enjoy knitting lace so I doubt if I should buy it. This was the purple easy lace scarf in the book. Now I have to find something else lacey to make and there is only about 410 yards of the yarn.
The new pattern from the Six Sock Knitalong came out on December 1 and it looks like a winner. It is done in a solid color with a chain of slipped stitches in a contrasting color around the leg. I bought some black sock yarn and figured I would pair it with something from my stash but it really doesn’t look great with anything so it may have to wait until I can get to a yarn store. I discovered two yarn stores on the same block in Brooklyn near my mother’s house so I guess I can pick something up when I visit her next week. So no pictures this week but I’ll try to get double the amount for next time.

Endless Cables

2006-11-27T15:43:00.000-05:00

My husband has been so nice taking me to yarn events recently. When he admired a cabled and front zipped vest at Stitches East I bought the pattern when he wasn’t looking. He probably knows he is getting something because I have been measuring him and asking him what colors he likes but I hope he doesn’t know exactly what. I had dark olive green, brown, heathered blue and this red in my stash and asked him which color he preferred. He picked this and I started the vest last week. It is an Irish pattern and is completely cabled. Needless to say, I am totally sick of cables and really thought I would have the back finished by now. I seem to be knitting very tightly so it is even harder to complete. But I will persevere. I want to change the front slightly so there is a channel to stitch in the zipper. I looked up a zipped sweater I had made for myself from an old 2001 Interweave and I think I understand what I did. It seems I made a knit and purl on the front and purl and knit on the back edges. I’ll test it out on a swatch before I get to the fronts. I have a lot of projects I want to make so I am trying to knit this vest quickly. Even though after a while it just makes my hands ache, I am so compulsive that I just can’t put it away for a while. I’m afraid I’ll never finish it. So I will just keep going, knitting as fast as I can. I finished my first pair of Jaywalkers with the yarn that was a gift from KnitPastis. I think they came out great. And finally my first grafted toes! Thank you Knit Doctor at Stitches East for explaining grafting so I finally understood it. Stripes look great in this pattern. I will definitely make another pair, maybe in the Rhinebeck STR.

My Weekend

2006-11-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Saturday I went to yet another yarn sale, this time at Smiley’s in Queens, N.Y. Since I am always early I went into the McDonalds across the street for some free coffee (it was free coffee week) and saw a little girl playing with a Happy Meal figure at the next table. Then I noticed a poster with a picture on it. The figure was wearing a sweater. It was an adorable ribbed sweater in turquoise blue with an I-cord through the neck and waist. I had to have one. As soon as I got home I went to my local McDonalds and got a Happy Meal. I gave my husband the hamburger and apple juice and I ate the apple slices (at least it was somewhat healthy) and I got a figure too. It is from some new movie, Flushed Away. I’ll never see it and I don’t know who the characters are but that sweater on the girl animal figure is really cute.
Last week I joined A Wearable Meathead Hat Knitalong. I couldn’t get the required yarn right away so I picked up some Paton’s UpCountry on the weekend and dashed this off. It only took about three hours so it was a fast, easy and fun knit. The point was to add original decoration on the left side. I don’t know if my decoration is so unusual but I think it looks cool.
By the way, Saturday was the last day of the sale at Smiley’s and there wasn’t much left. Nothing appealed to me and it was just as well. My stash has been growing too much lately as it is.

Baltimore

2006-11-09T16:05:00.000-05:00

Yet another yarn expedition took place last weekend when I traveled to Baltimore for Stitches East. Five hours driving each way and I was able to complete half of a Jaywalker. Why is that sock pattern so much slower than any other one I’ve done? I’m making the smaller size using size 2 circular needles so there aren’t that many stitches. Anyway, by sheer luck we picked a lovely hotel right across the street from the Baltimore Convention Center.
I have to say it was a lot of fun. We were the first ones in the market on Saturday and stayed most of the day. I didn’t do much shopping but I talked to everyone and I learned a lot. The Knitting Doctor showed me how to kitchener and I think I am ready to try it now, maybe on these Jaywalker socks. We saw the fashion show. I made my husband take a knitting lesson. He wasn’t too happy about it but he won the raffle for the new XRX book The Knitter's Handbook. We talked to everyone and even saw some people from Rhinebeck. I met a few knitting stars and was especially happy to talk with Norah Gaughan. I bought some sock yarn but passed up a few things I feel badly about now. I did get a few patterns though. I mostly got a lot of inspiration from booth displays and the beautiful hand knits many were wearing. So it was worth the trip.

Knitting Thoughts

2006-11-07T15:01:00.000-05:00

I’ve been having trouble deciding what to knit lately. I’ve started a few things and then ripped them. Do I want to make a sweater? I made a few swatches. Nothing in my stash has the right gauge. I started Hourglass and the bottom somehow got twisted and out that went. Do I want to make wrist warmers? I actually finished another pair of Fetching but the thumb looks terrible. I don’t know what I did. Nothing appeals to me. I just finished two pairs of socks for Socktoberfest so I don’t want to make any more right now. But I needed something to do, especially on my way to Stitches East in Baltimore, so I started Jaywalkers with some hand dyed yarn I was gifted. Here the sock is starting the trip. I hope Baltimore will inspire me to get started on something!

In other news, my scarf pal sent me this beautiful scarf. The color is so rich and it is soft and light yet warm. Doesn’t it look great? I love it.

Rhinebeck

2006-10-24T16:18:00.000-04:00

Saturday I went to Rhinebeck. Yeah! I woke my husband up at 6:00am and we left by 7:00. We got in slightly early. The Festival wasn’t even open yet and you should have seen the lines at The Fold. My husband waited on line while I made my selections. I got the one thing I came for, Socks That Rock. As a matter of fact, I bought two skeins, Dreidel and Watermelon Tourmaline.
After that, we kind of wandered around trying to avoid the crowds. I’m so sorry I didn’t buy anything else. I didn’t need anything, but the fiber was just so luscious. I saw a few Rhinebeck Bingo players but none that I recognized. It was just as well that I wasn’t a player. I had enough to concentrate on. We spoke to a lot of spinning wheel dealers but I’m not sure I am ready for a wheel. It was just so nice there. The animals were so cute.

I watched the sheep shearing twice.

We had a nice lunch and wandered some more. It kept getting more and more crowded. So we gave up and went home. I was disappointed that I didn’t buy more, so today I ordered some Knitpicks needles to make Jaywalkers with my new Dreidel sock yarn and a few yarn books from Amazon. I’ve wanted Wrap Style for a while and decided to also get Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. I also ordered Spinning the Old Way to see if I could master the spindle I bought last year that I never used. I’m going to Stitches East so I guess I still may have the opportunity to acquire more stash. Right now, I can’t even decide what to make next so I certainly don’t need anything. But more is always better. Right?

Getting Socked Out

2006-10-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

Usually I knit about one pair of socks every two months. It is slow and steady and gives me time to knit other things. However, in honor of Soctoberfest I am making two pair this month. I thought I would make three and really break my record, but I am having trouble completing two. The first pair went quickly. I enjoyed making Fluted Banister Socks by Laura Gallagher in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Vera. Now I am making Pembrokeshire Pathways Socks by Brenda Dayne of Cast-On fame in the Regia I bought in Princeton. I love the way this pattern looks and it is easy enough to knit. I think this yarn just doesn't go with this pattern. The yarn is too horizontal while the pattern is vertical. I know I am going to love these socks. They are a great color that will go with everything. But my fingers are itching for larger needles. I just have to push myself.
I also think I have become sidetracked by Rhinebeck. So many possibilities are there. I just can't wait. Last year was so much fun. I didn't buy much what but I did buy was wonderful. I did a lot of just wandering around. This year I have more of an agenda. First, I want to see what everyone raves about with Socks That Rock. Next, try a few spindles and wheels. Do I really want to go into spinning? I don't know. I'm hoping trying things out will help me decide. Next, check out all the yarns and patterns. I am looking for a simple cardigan pattern, maybe with a cable or two but not in endless stockinette. I haven't seen anything around that appealed to me. Maybe someone will have something interesting there. I also have to see and pet as many animals as possible just because it is so much fun. Oh, and I want to see as many bloggers as possible. I only have one day and may not get to all these things. I may get distracted by all that gorgeous yarn and never leave that section. We will soon see. Only two days to until I go.

Every stash tells a story!

2006-10-10T20:56:00.000-04:00

Here is my sock stash and here are some more of Lolly's Socktoberfest questions.
Do you have certain patterns planned for some of the yarns? Do you buy yarn and then choose a pattern?
I totally buy yarn and then plan patterns. Now that I think about it, except for the times I see a pattern and then search for the perfect yarn for it. When a new sock comes along in the Six Sock Knitalong I first check my stash but then I usually buy a new yarn. If I am in a yarn store I always check out the sock yarn, usually see something to buy and then go looking for patterns. So I guess the answer is yes to both questions.
Does a certain sock yarn you have in your stash take you back to a certain event? (where you were when you bought/received it? what was going on in your life at the time!)
Most sock yarn I buy to use right away. Sometimes something is on sale and I buy it because it is a good buy. Not too often, I am on vacation or in another town, visit a LYS and see something that appeals to me. Usually, this yarn stays in my stash, forever waiting for a perfect pattern and it always makes me remember the place where I got it. Some yarn I receive in exchanges. I always think of the generosity and thoughtfulness of my swap pal when I use this yarn.

Scarf Time

2006-10-09T18:41:00.000-04:00

My scarf exchange partner received her scarf so I can finally show a picture. I designed it myself using a Barbara Walker pattern. She wanted something lacey and autumny so used Jazz from ArtYarns and a leafy pattern. I used the extra yarn for Fetching. I also finished a scarf for myself. I made Danica from Knitty in Patons SWS. The yarn is easy to work with and comes in great colorways. This is a very soft and warm scarf.
Sunday I traveled to Princeton, New Jersey to see Quark Park. Teams of artists and scientist created some pretty magical exhibits. While in Princeton I found a lovely LYS called Pins and Needles where I got some Regia sock yarn at a great price. I'm sorry I didn't get more. Oh well, it is an excuse to visit this lovely town again.

Socktoberfest

2006-10-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

Soctoberfest is a great time to consider how and why I make socks. For years I was afraid to try socks. It was something about all those needles, that strange turning, those tiny stitches that stopped me cold. I must have heard of using two circular needles someplace, maybe on the web. So I went into my LYS and asked the owner if she had ever heard of it. It’s the only way to go, she told me, and proceeded to set me up with two size #2 Addi circulars, some Opal yarn, and her own printed instructions. It was clear as mud until she demonstrated how each needle was knitting onto itself. Then something clicked and I have never done socks any other way. That was about two years ago and I have completed about 12 pairs of socks. I have been branching out a little with different stitch patterns but have always used my two circs. I have tried different types of heels and don’t prefer any one. The socks I am knitting now use the eye of partridge style heel and I like the way that looks.
My socks really hold up over time because I never wear them. I am afraid I will get holes or they will wear out. Also, my feet get awfully hot in them. I have a nice collection sitting on top pf a chest in my bedroom that I look at and admire. That really has to stop. I’ve used and enjoyed many yarns. I have to admit I have used all the colors of Lion Brand sock yarn and found them perfectly fine. I have also used Opal, Trekking, Paton’s Kroy and Lorna’s Laces without noticing that much difference except in weight. I am addicted to self-striping and variegated yarn though. I love to see how the colors change.
I have a goal for Soctoberfest, actually two. I would like to try toe-up socks and grafting. For all my socks I have used a three-needle bind off or gathered toe because I am afraid of grafting. After all that work will I drop all the stitches and never pick them up again? But I have a month to try and I will.

A Nice Surprise

2006-10-02T18:22:00.000-04:00

I received my Knitters Tea Swap package today from my secret swap pal, KnitPastis. It was filled with terrific goodies. She actually dyed this yarn for me herself and in my favorite fall colors. She also included some lovely Paton's Classic Wool for Fuzzy Feet from Knitty and some dishcloth yarn too. There were also some lovely teas and my favorite cookies. I had to take a picture quickly because I couldn't wait to open them. Some scented candles made the whole package smell lovely. Thanks so much KnitPastis. I love everything.

October Projects

2006-10-01T18:57:00.000-04:00

It is October and time for Socktoberfest. I have a few things I should try. I've never done toe up socks and, I hate to admit, I've never grafted toes. I always knit top down and either a three-needle bind off or a gathered toe. But I love doing socks that way so I don't know if I will push myself to try anything new. I did buy some really nice new yarn at The Point in New York yesterday, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Vera. I have no LYS so it is hard to get better yarns and it takes a major trip to get some. I'm planning on casting on tonight for either the Fluted Banister Socks by Laura Gallagher or RPM from Knitty by Aija Goto. I want to make both this month.

I have become hooked on Knitty's Fetching. I'm doing my third pair now.They will be great with a scarf or hat for holiday gifts. I've joined the Lonesome Skein KAL so I will be using up a few loose or extra skeins in my stash. Fetching is perfect for that.
I also want to make another sweater from Knitting Nature this month. I'm not sure which one yet.
October is a great month for knitting and I have plenty of projects to keep me busy.