Arghhh!

I just spent lots of time uploading pictures and writing my next post. It was taking forever to publish. It seemed stuck, which happened once before. And then I lost my DSL connection.

Oh well. Maybe it will miraculously appear like it did the last time. If not, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Very frustrating. (We'll see if this one works.)

I guess it worked afterall. I don't know what happened.

Vegas anyone?

Yesterday I went to knit with the Pasadena SnB group. I always have fun, but this week was especially fun. Why, you ask?



Madge showed up with some major loot! She had placed a group order for Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and was delivering our goods.








Here's mine. The top color is called Highway 30 and the bottom is Sherbert. I have yet to finish a pair of socks other than a toddler sized pair that I made in a sock class. Now that I'm accumulating sock yarn, I guess I better start.







And then there's this! Madge made this beautiful felted pumpkin bowl and raffled it off to the group and I won. I feel my luck is turning around....





And then there were several FOs to share -




Marie made this adorable Pea Pod sweater for her new Grandson.










I wanted to leave with this. The other Marie made the Lady Eleanor Scarf/Wrap using Rowan Tapestry. It's very soft. Perfect for cuddling up in while watching TV.








And I was coveting this too. A lace shawl knitted with Handmaiden Sea Silk. This yarn is really special. It drapes beautifully and it feels like silk.




Two more projects on my wish list. What's on yours?

Tag, your it!

10 Knittery Things you didn't know about me...

I've stolen this idea from Grumperina (with her permission). I'm not sure if I can come up with 10 things, but I'll give it my best shot.

1. I prefer knitting with traditional natural fibers versus novelty yarns. Although, once in awhile, a fluffy or nubbly yarn will intrigue me into using it (like the shrug in the previous post).

2. Overall, I tend to like more muted, earthy colors rather than bright primary ones. Again, there are exceptions from time to time.

3. I am a process knitter. I start many more projects than I finish. I do eventually finish, it's just that I've started 5 other projects before I finish each one. Do the math on that! It could get scary.

4. If a project is a gift for someone, it has a better chance of being finished in a timely manner (i.e, someone's birthday, baby shower, etc.). I honestly think I have only knit two sweaters for myself in the 16 years that I've been knitting. One of them is mohair, which is usually too hot to wear here in SoCal, and the other is from the cursed yarn I spoke of here. There is something wrong about this. Maybe I should make a new rule for myself. For every project I cast on as a gift, I must cast on one for myself. Oy.

5. Rowan is my favorite brand of yarn and has been since I started knitting. If I ever have a daughter I might seriously consider naming her Rowan. Although, it's not bad for a boy's name either. Hmm.

6. Vogue Knitting is my favorite knitting magazine - with Interweave Knits being a close second. I'm usually at my local bookstore the day they are released to the public. Then I read them from cover to cover while drinking a latte or a glass of wine.

7. I love the look and feel of textured fabrics - cables, seed stitch, moss stitch....love it, love it, love it!

8. I like visiting my stash every so often for inspiration. Even if I'm not going to use it to start something new, looking at it and touching it makes me happy!

9. I am very enthusiastic about teaching newbies how to knit. If I know you and you are not a knitter, chances are I've suggested getting together for wine and I'll bring yarn and needles (thinking about it now, mixing wine with learning might not be the best plan). After years and years, I finally convinced my mom to learn and she admits that she enjoys it much more than she thought she would. I encouraged my mother-in-law to take up the hobby again. Several friends haven fallen for the sport. I've been working on my sister. She's been a little resistant and hasn't taken to it....yet.

10. I've met some genuine, cool people via this knitting hobby of mine. There's nothing like bonding over yarn, patterns, UFOs and praising the FOs. If you're reading this, chances are pretty good that you're one of them! : )

Okay, so now it's your turn. I'll be visiting your blogs to find out 10 Knittery Things about you that I didn't know.

Wips

I thought I would share most of my WIPs with you. These are not all of them, mind you. Some are buried deep in the stash bins. I'll get to them someday.

Over the summer I came down with some strange conditions. First there was Wobbly Tote-itis:

I finished one side, but have yet to cast on for the second.

Then came Fingerless Glove-itis:

Same story. These are the Rib-and-Cable Mitts from the spring issue of Interweave Knits. The Wobbly Circle Tote pattern is in the same issue.

On the needles, I have:

A baby hoodie for my nephew Anthony. I hope to be introducing you to him very soon. He is so cute!

A shrug that I need to recalculate. The pattern was very vague. I love this combination of yarn!

And a simple seed stitch scarf I lost interest in once summer came around and other projects began calling my name.

Looking at these projects again is making me want to work on them. I think I'll go knit. I hope to have two FOs to share with you very, very soon!

A Sad Story

I like to think that I learn from my mistakes. That after I realize the error in my ways, I emerge a much wiser person. One who wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Sigh. This is not always the case.

This story begins in 1991 (yikes!). When I set out to make this:

An oversized cardigan from the Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting 1991. I bought a beautiful teal blue cotton. I think it was a Rowan yarn, but it's been so long ago. I was a brand new knitter and this was going to be the first adult sized sweater I would make for myself. I had made a couple of baby sweaters succesfully. I knew what I was doing. Or so I thought.

I swatched, knitted and sewed the sweater together. It was beautiful...in the beginning. I wore it a couple times feeling proud of my accomplishment. I made this sweater. I picked out the color, the pattern - I knit every stitch. I was proud. But then I began to notice that it was stretching. It seemed to be getting bigger. Now let me remind you that I was very new to knitting. I didn't know a thing about blocking. I knew it was very important to swatch in order to get gauge. And I didn't mind swatching. What I didn't know is that I should have washed and blocked my swatch to see how the material would react. So I washed the sweater thinking it would revert back to the size it was supposed to be. Nope. Nada. Nyet. It grew bigger! The sweater was like a mini-muu muu. Unwearable. And so the mini-muu muu sat in the closet for years and years.

Fast forward to 2006. I wanted to start a new project and had a lightbulb moment. Why not rip out the old sweater and reuse the yarn to make a sweater I could actually wear?! Brilliant! Afterall, I love that yarn...the color, the feel. It's a disgrace for it to sit in the dark closet and never be worn. I wanted something simple that would be a casual everyday sweater. So I chose this:

From Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch. It was simple. Casual. Comfy. And should be a breeze to knit up. I was excited! A new project. Old yarn that seemed new again. And so I began ripping and winding, eager to start...

And I swatched to make sure I would get the right gauge.

But I forgot to wash and block my swatch!!!! I didn't think I needed to because the yarn had already been washed in the form of the mini-muu muu. Lack of foresight.

Now I'm blocking and the sweater is 3" too long! It's already a loose-fitting oversized sweater. Now it's a dress. My first reaction was to throw it out and be done with the darn thing. This yarn is cursed! After I calmed down, I admitted that it was my fault and not the yarn's. The yarn had kinks in it from being knit up the first time. It really should have been washed before being knit up a second time. If I had washed and blocked the swatch, I would have realized it was going to grow (again!).

So I made the same mistake twice. And I can't qualify myself as a beginning knitter anymore.

I came up with a solution (because I am not ripping it out and reknitting it). I'm going to rip it out from the bottom until it's the right length and reknit the bottom edge. Hopefully, it won't look funny. Wish me luck! I'll post the finished product when I'm done.

My Knitting Companion

Meet Nikko, my very loyal knitting companion. He'll be 15 next month and he loves, loves, loves to lay beside me when I knit. Sometimes he'll play with the yarn. When he's feeling neglected he'll sit next to me with his paw on my arm until I put my needles down and pet him. But most of the time he just purrs, sleeps and looks very cute.

I've had cats all my life and he's definitely the best handsdown. He's a "people cat" - he loves being with people (strangers included) and loves to be petted a lot!

Here he is after a visit from my friend's two kids.

He's a good sport. Yes, his tooth sticks out. It adds to his character.

Falling behind...

I'm already falling behind my quota of having 10 posts by the 30th. I'll kick it in high gear now.

Today I went to knit with my Pasadena SnB group. They are a great group of women and I always have fun knitting with them. I learn a lot too and often come home inspired to try new things.

Today Mary was working on a beaded purse. There's a picture of it on her blog. I've never knitted with beads before but this project is definitely on my 'to do' list. She's using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. It's so soft!

And then there is Beth:

Who is making the cutest baby blanket for her soon-to-be-born baby boy. I love the stitch pattern and the color combination. The stitch pattern is from one of Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns books - but I'm not sure which one. Another project in my future.

Here's a closeup:


But first I must finish some existing UFOs. I will not start a new project before I finish one that has already been started. I will not start a new project before I finish one that has already been started. I will repeat until the urge goes away or I fall asleep. (The one I started today before I wrote this doesn't count!)

The pressure is on...

Secret Pal 9 (http://secretpal9.blogspot.com/) is starting very soon. I've never participated in a secret pal exchange, but some of my knitting friends have and it looks like a lot of fun. I'm going to do it. One of the rules is that you have your own blog (which I now have)...but there has to be at least 10 posts by Sept. 30th! I betta get busy!

Needless to say, some of my early posts will be short and sweet. There might be some double posts on the same day. A little eye candy here and there. I promise to try to keep it interesting...or entertaining at least.

Admission

My name is Annette and I am addicted to yarn. And knitting. And anything related to the two...magazines, pattern books, classes, yarn stores in any and every city, websites, designers, and people of a kindred spirit who understand this addiction firsthand.

It was the yarn that drew me in. When I was in college I had a summer job around the corner from a yarn store. I passed by the store as I walked to and from work. At first, I simply admired the yarn displayed in the window as I passed by. Then I actually stopped and looked at the display, stealing a peek at the cubbies filled with fiber inside. Eventually, the yarn lured me inside and I began fondling. That was it. I was hooked.

So. Is it (a) a problem that needs to be cured? Or (b) a highly attractive personality trait? I'm a perpetual optimist, so I'm going to go with 'b'.