Confessions of a Yarn Addict

2010 FOs

2011-02-18T19:49:00.001-08:00

Even though the blogging wasn't happening in 2010, the knitting was still going strong.

First there were the Evangeline Mitts in January posted here.

There were no gold medals here during the Knitting Olympics. I didn't finish my Vilai socks by the closing ceremonies, but I did finish!

Project: Viali Socks (Rav link) by Cookie A. (Sock Innovations)
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Tiziano Red
Needles: US size 1
Started: February 12, 2010
Finished: June 20, 2010

I love Cookie A.'s designs. The patterns are interesting and fun to knit, and the socks are beautiful.

I might not have earned a gold medal during the knitting olympics, but there was gold medal-worthy knitting going on.

I made this lace wrap for my dear friend Brooke as a gift for her bat mitzvah. I impressed myself with this one. It's beautiful. And I finished it in three weeks! It totally could have been my olympic project had I started it during the time of the olympics.

Brooke loved it. And it's beautiful on her, even in her track clothes.

Project: Large Rectangle with Center Diamond Pattern (Rav link) by Jane Sowerby (Victorian Lace Today)
Yarn: Wagtail yarns 100% Fine Kid Mohair 2ply
Needles: US size 6 & 7
Started: April 10, 2010
Finished: April 30, 2010
Gifted: May 1, 2010

That's a gold medal in my book.

Over the summer I made yet another Tulip Cardigan as a gift for our friends' baby. This is my fourth Tulip. It's become my "go to" baby gift. I just love all the colors, which makes it pretty and versatile. It will go with so many things.

Project : Tulips Baby Cardigan (Rav link)
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in various colors (I love this yarn!)
Needles: US size 7 & 9
Started: July 2010
Finished: August 2010

I also finished my Ingenue Sweater (Rav link) by Wendy Bernard which I posted about here. It was in hibernation for a very long time before I dug it out and finished it. Now it's finished, but I haven't taken a photo of it yet. It was a little smaller than I like my sweaters to be, but I'm in the process of losing weight and it looks better than it did, so I think I'll be able to take some photos in the near future.

At the end of the year, I had a very special gift to knit up. I chose to make the Dryad Scarf by Jared Flood.

Project: Dryad (Rav link) by Jared Flood
Yarn: Madelinetosh Vintage in Dahlia
Needles: I can't remember - I think US size 7
Started: November 13, 2010
Finished: December 6, 2010

Let me just say that I loved knitting this pattern. I plan to make one for myself sometime this year. The cables kept it interesting enough that it never became boring to knit, which can sometimes happen with scarves. I highly recommend this one!

There was a lot of other knitting that happened in 2010 (and yarn acquisition!), but no FOs yet. Being a process knitter, I'm not overly motivated to finish projects, but I do eventually.

And last but not least, my favorite FO for 2010 is not a knitting related project. Are you ready?

Drumroll please...

We adopted a son! I'd like to introduce you to Jordan Matthew.

Project: To become parents
Methods used: The old-fashioned way, lots and lots of fertility treatments, and finally adoption
Started: January 2006
Succeeded: December 17, 2010!

It has been a loooong journey. We couldn't be happier. We're over the moon in love with our little guy. Every moment leading up to Jordan was wboorth it. Every shot, every disappointment at not becoming pregnant, every year that went by with no success....all worth it. The Dryad Scarf that I knit above was for Jordan's birth mom. She chose us to be parents to her child when her circumstances prevented her from doing so. A handknit scarf doesn't compare to the wonderful gift she has given us, but at least it was made from the heart. We will be forever grateful to her for our son.

2011 is going to be a very good year!

Knitting Olympics 2010!

2010-02-12T17:31:00.001-08:00

Pattern - check
Yarn - check
Needles - check

Only 27 minutes before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. I'm making Vilai Socks by Cookie A (rav link). In seventeen days no less. I'm nervous because (1) I've only made one pair of socks before and they took me six months. Of course I was knitting other things at the same time, but still. (2) I really need to have most of it done before the 24th rather than the 28th, because I'm leaving for Stitches West that day and I don't get a lot of knitting done at Stitches, even though you would think the opposite would be true. Wish me luck!

Let the games begin...

A Whole Lot of Knittin' Going On

2010-02-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting quite a bit, despite my absence from Blogland. My most recent projects have been gift related.

I finished a second Easy Wrap for my dear friend Deani. Deani is my mom's beat friend. They go back to the days when they were nineteen and newlyweds.

Project: Easy Wrap
Yarn: Malabrigo in Azul Profundo
Needles: KnitPicks Options circulars, US size 10
Started: November 10, 2009
Finished: December 27, 2009
Mods: None

I made a pair of Evangeline Mitts for my friend Teresa's birthday. I plan to make another pair for myself. These knit up very quick! I could have finished them in a couple of days if I had being knitting without interruption.

Project: Evangeline
Yarn: Malabrigo in Azul Profundo
Needles: US size 7 dpns
Started: January 12, 2010
Finished: January 20, 2010
Mods: None

I'm currently working on a pair of arm warmers for Jeff to wear when he runs in the morning. No picture yet. I should finish them this weekend, so I'll try to get him to model them.

I also started a little pullover for my nephew Adam. He'll be three in May. I realized that I've made his older brother Anthony, three sweaters. Adam - 0. Adam does get to wear Anthony's after he outgrows them, but it's not the same as having something made specifically with you in mind. So I'm going to fix that and show Adam some knitterly love.

Here's how it looks so far:

This is a pattern in the Sublime book featuring their Bamboo Pearls yarn. I couldn't find a link to the pattern. It's a pullover with a little collar. I'm using Rowan Calmer in a denim blue. It's going to look gorgeous on Adam.

The sweater is currently in timeout. Can you see the mistake? Up by the needles? The three cables on the left compared to the two on the right? It's hard to see, but apparently I forgot what row I was on only for the last three cables, but not on the first two. Go figure. So a little surgery is required before I move forward. sigh

Looking at these three projects, I seem to be in a 'blue' mood lately.

On another note, I'm lucky to be alive. Or, at least not injured.

This is what happens when you get hit by a huge sheet of flying particle board while driving on the freeway. It could have been so much worse. I'm lucky it didn't cause an accident. A new windshield and a few hours later, it was as though it never happened. For the car anyway. I was shaken up for the rest of the day and had a margarita at lunch for medicinal purposes.

Coming up:
Finishing two old UFOs before Stitches West (only 17 days away!)
My self-proclaimed Year of Socks
The Ravelympics! (only 4 days away!)

Happy knitting!

Catchin' Up

2009-12-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

Once again, I find myself dusting off the blog after a long unintentional hiatus. As you can tell, my plan to blog everyday from August 20th through the end of September lasted a mere ten days. Oh well. I enjoyed it while it lasted and I found myself coming up with lots of ideas to blog about. And, I have been missing my confessions here.

A lot of knitting has been going on. My knitting group is doing a GKAL (group knit-along) for the end of the year. We're calling in our mmmmmmMalabrigo Madness GKAL. What that means is we can knit whatever we want using yummy Malabrigo yarn. Sign me up! As always, I had BIG plans. I was going to make two Easy Wraps (Rav link), a pair of Evangeline Mitts (Rav link), a Clapotis (Rav link) and two Grinch-like Christmas Stockings (Rav link). Stop laughing. So far I've finished one Easy Wrap and I'm three quarters of the way done on the second. Our GKAL ends Dec. 31st, so I won't cast on all of the above projects, but I will get to them eventually. I'll be able to cast on one more before Dec. ends. Either the Evangeline Mitts or the Clapotis.

Project: Easy Wrap

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, Chestnut

Needles: KnitPicks Options, US size 8

Start: October 4, 2009

Finish: November 10, 2009

Mods: I used size 8 needles instead of 10 1/2. For some reason when I swatched with even size 9's, the fabric seemed too loose to me. Using the smaller needles I cast on 107 stitches instead of 85. I also had to buy a 5th skein of yarn because I wanted it to be the same length as the store sample I had seen at Twist (my new favorite LYS).

Easy Wrap #2

This time I'm using size 10 needles. When I swatched for this one, the fabric didn't seem all that loose. Weird I know. It must be a mood thing. Anyway. I'm loving this color - Azul Profundo. Just gorgeous! And wait until you see the rockin' button I found for it.

We took a mini vacay last weekend in Santa Barbara. I always want to move there when I visit. I went to school there and it's a very nice way of life. Someday maybe. The real reason for the trip was that Jeff ran in the marathon.

He did awesome! 3:29 and some seconds! He shaved over six minutes off his PR. Amazing.

I'll leave you with this parting shot:

Until next time....

A Day in the Life

2009-09-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Oops! I completely forgot to post yesterday. I almost didn't make it today either, but I would have had a better reason.

My day started out fine. I had an appt. in LA, so I took the opportunity to visit my good friend Traci. We went to Santa Monica to run an errand, so I suggested that we stop at Wild Fiber. When you're that close to a yarn store, you just have to go in. I taught Traci how to knit when she was first pregnant fifteen years ago. She knitted for several years when her kids were little, but then stopped completely. I guess motherhood took over.

We roamed the store admiring and petting the yarn. We were just about to leave when my friend spotted a sample scarf that she really liked. I told her she could easily make that. Ha! She walked out with the yarn and pattern. Hook, line and sinker! Maybe it will stick this time. Just doing my part to spread the joy of knitting.

After we enjoyed a nice lunch, I headed home. Before I got there, I learned my 2 year old nephew was in the hospital, so I headed straight over. Turns out, he has a bad case of the croup. They're keeping him overnight for observation. I hope he is well enough to come home tomorrow. He looks so sad. I'm going back tomorrow. Even though I can't do anything to make him better, I can at least give my sister some moral support.

Get better soon Adam!

Sunday Farmers' Market

2009-08-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do on Sunday morning is go to the farmers' market. Claremont's is a small one, only spanning the length of one block, but there's a good variety of fruits and vegetables.

There are even a few artists that sell their work. Jewelry, pottery, photography, handmade soap, etc.

I especially love these little ceramic jars. They're so delicate and beautifully made. The little figurines on the lids add a touch of whimsy. I always admire them and yet I don't own one. Someday. Part of the problem is choosing which one I want to bring home with me. I just can't choose only one.

This is how I spent my morning. I'm glad I went early. We've been having very hot weather. Yesterday it was 104.

The market always inspires me to buy vegetables I usually don't buy and to try to use the ones I do in new ways. Today I bought figs. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. I bought stuff for salads too, but the figs were the unique ingredient of the day.

After the market, I went to a local cafe for coffee and a pain au chocolate.

The recipe for a perfect Sunday morning.

Interview with Jeff

2009-08-29T18:34:00.001-07:00

I had seen this interview a long time ago on a couple of blogs I read. I always wanted to do it and now I'm finally getting around to it.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Jeff: That it gives you a creative, constructive hobby.

Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?

Jeff: That it distracts from other things you could be doing.

Me: What is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
Jeff: My gray sweater.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Jeff: No. An expensive hobby would be like collecting cars, racing motorcycles or golf. I think men have more expensive hobbies. Knitting isn't a cheap hobby, but it's not expensive. It's average.

Me: Do you have any hobbies?
Jeff: Yes

Me: What are your hobbies?
Jeff: Running and watching NFL Football on TV.

Me: If we compared money spent on hobbies, who would win?
Jeff: What does winning mean? Spending less money or spending more?
Me: Who spends more?
Jeff: I think mine are more expensive.

(Let me explain, because you're probably wondering how just how expensive running and watching football can be, right? Jeff is a serious runner. He runs 2-3 marathons a year. He buys new shoes every two months and we travel to other cities for marathons, so he's figuring in these costs.

As for football, we have NFL Sunday Ticket which is a service Direct TV offers which gives you access to every football game being played each week. He's also in three fantasy football leagues and traveled twice this year for two of the drafts.

I think we're probably even when you factor in my expenses at Stitches. But I'm glad he doesn't think so. wink)

Me: Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you?
Jeff: No

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Jeff: No. I know that you don't like synthetics, but I don't know what your favorite type of yarn is. I don't even know if you have one. I thought it depended on what you were going make with it.

Me: Can you name another blog?
Jeff: Brooklyn Tweed. And then there's also the Yarn Harlot.

Me: Do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?
Jeff: No.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Jeff: No.

Me: Do you read my blog?
Jeff: Yes

Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Jeff: Yes

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn’t knit?
Jeff: Yes

Me: Is there anything you would like to add in closing?
Jeff: I'm happy that you have a hobby that you enjoy. I'm glad that you're into your thing and it makes you happy.

Jeff: What is the importance of a swatch? Is that what you knit first when you start a FO?

And with that, I'm off to explain the importance of swatching and what a FO is.....

Finished!

2009-08-28T23:55:00.001-07:00

Project: Princess Mitts
Yarn: Blue Sky Melange
Needles: Size 5 dpns
Start: 8/27/09
Finish: 8/28/09

I finished these by 2 pm today. Here I thought I would be weaving in the ends in the parking lot before I went into the restaurant. I finished in plenty of time. You can't see the cablework in the picture very well. If you squint you can see it. Kind of. I was very happy with how these came out. They are so soft. I almost didn't want to give them away. The good news is that I can always make myself a pair. :)

My friend loved them. I thought I would get home with plenty of time to post this, but here it is almost midnight. Just in the nick of time.

I'm off to bed now. What will I knit tomorrow? Oh yeah. The soakers. I have to finish them so that I can move on to something more exciting.

One down...

2009-08-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

I decided at the last minute to knit a birthday gift for my friend Lynda, because I'm crazy like that. I thought about what I could actually finish in two days. Fingerless gloves might work. Since I've made several pair of Fetchings, I didn't want to make those. I wanted something different. I've been wanting to make Evangeline for a long time, but because the arms or so long, I was worried I wouldn't finish. They're almost like a pair of socks without the toe and heel. And I'm not very fast at making socks.

So after some stash diving, and then getting distracted by lovely stash that I haven't visited with in awhile, I came up with this.

I found some Blue Skye Melange in this pretty blue, and the Princess Mitts pattern which are about the same size as the Fetchings and, therefore, possible to finish before I leave the house tomorrow at 6pm for Lynda's birthday dinner.

Status: one down.

One to go. It's going to be tight, but I think I can do it. I'm going to call it a night and get up early so the knitting can continue.

So close

2009-08-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so close to finishing my soakers do-over. I thought I would finish them today at my knitting group, but no go. Now I have to put them on the back burner until Saturday.

I've decided to knit a last minute gift for a birthday dinner I'm going to Friday. This Friday. You know what I'll be doing for the next two days. Can she do it? More details to come tomorrow!

Good Customer Service Still Exists

2009-08-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

I know I didn't talk much about Stitches this year. Probably because I had not been blogging much at the time, and then it seemed too late. But one thing I did want to share was the awesome customer service I received from two of the vendors there.

Vendor #1

ImagiKnit (San Francisco)- I was looking for some Malabrigo Chunky in pink to make another Dumpling Bag for my friend Brooke who is a very fun and full-of-life preteen. The ImagiKnit booth had a lot of Malabrigo. I quickly zoned in on a skein of Shocking Pink, but it was in worsted weight. I asked one of the people working the booth if they had it in chunky. He looked, but didn't find any. Now this is where I would expect him to say " I'm sorry, but we must have sold out." Instead, he said, "We probably have some at the store. Let me call and check. If we have it, we can bring it for you tomorrow." And that's just what they did. In the craziness of the market, they went out of their way to get me one skein of Malabrigo Chunky in Shocking Pink. A perfect example that good customer service is alive and well in today's world.

Vendor #2

Purlescence Yarns (Sunnyvale, CA)- My mom offered to buy me a sweater's worth of yarn as an early birthday present. Since using the Dream in Color Classy in the Baby Tulip Cardigans, I had really wanted to make something for myself with this yarn. The color Chinatown Apple was calling my name. Both Webs and Purlescence carried Dream in Color at their booths. Purlescence had more of the Chinatown Apple. As I was looking through the skeins trying to match them the best that I could, one of the employees came up to me and offered to open them from the wrapped skein so that I could compare the colors more accurately. She stood there with her arms out while I opened the skeins and draped them around her arms. I opened every skein they had and picked the ones that matched the closest. Did I mention that this was Saturday afternoon? The busiest day of the market.

I have not yet had the pleasure to visit these two stores. But after the great customer service I received from them at Stitches, I will definitely visit them when I'm in their area and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to friends.

Coffee cake, anyone?

2009-08-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty low key day. I took this Sour Cream Coffee Cake over to my friend Ann's house for a visit this morning. It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Ina never disappoints. I'm a huge fan. I'm convinced we would be the best of friends if we only knew each other.

In the afternoon my dad came over and we worked in the garden for a little while. Three of the tomato plants had fallen over, so we had to put stakes in the ground to give them more support. We also tied up some limbs that were lying on the ground. More tomatoes are becoming ripe! We picked two today. I wish I had taken a picture of the one I sent home with my dad. I bet it weighs 2 lbs.! Close anyway.

Jeff is home this week on vacation, although he's studying for an exam he needs to take for work. At least we get to spend some extra time together. :)

More to come tomorrow...

Babette

2009-08-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am not a crocheter. I remember when I was little, our neighbor who lived across the street taught me how to do the chain stitch, but I think that was it. I remember sitting on the curb, chaining away until I had the longest chain ever. I don't know why she didn't teach me more. As you can imagine, the chain stitch lost it's appeal and I eventually moved on to weaving potholders with a loom kit. Remember those?

I guess fiber arts has always been in my blood even though it didn't really take hold until I was in my early twenties. My grandmother crocheted an afghan for me when I was a preteen. I still have that blanket, and even though it's made with acrylic yarn and the colors have faded, I cherish it to this day.

This summer my knitting group deciced that this would be the "Summer of Crochet." I thought it would be the perfect time to start Babette, which I have slowly been collecting the yarn for the past two years. This is what I have so far. I started out strong and then my crochet mojo (much like my knitting mojo) fizzled. It's okay though. This blanket is intended for my future daughter who we are adopting from China. We're in for a long wait, so I have plenty of time to finish .

I was going for very girlie colors that are bright and cheery. I think it's going to be very pretty. I wonder if I finish it sooner it will make our wait shorter. One can only hope, right?

Like Waiting for Water to Boil

2009-08-22T14:20:00.001-07:00

Actually, it's been worse.

I planted a HUGE crop of heirloom tomatoes this year. Twenty-five plants to be exact. And none of them are ripe yet, except for the yellow cherry tomatoes.

I know I went overboard, but there is a reason for it. I purchased ten different kinds of seeds and I wanted at least one of each. I wasn't sure how many of the seeds would germinate, so I planted four of each kind. Out of forty seeds, thirty-five grew. I gave ten away, which left me with twenty-five. So I have my own little tomato factory growing.

I feel like I've been more than patient, but to be honest, my patience is wearing thin. I want ripe tomatoes. Now. Today I saw a glimmer of hope. See that tomato on the left above? There's a hint of redness. A promise of something good to come. That's a mighty big tomater there.

And then I saw this one:

It's even closer to being ready. I see caprese salads, marinara sauce and stuffed tomatoes in my future. I didn't walk away from the garden completely empty handed.

Still, it's all about the tomatoes for me!

Tips on Gauge

2009-08-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. We can all use some extra help when it comes to the subject of "gauge" in regards to our knitting. It remains an illusive pursuit for many of us. Even when we think we've got it, it can turn on us and stab us in the back. I've read interviews and blogs of veteran knitters who lament on the subject.

There are many factors that effect gauge. Needle size. Yarn choice. Pattern (ribbing, cables or colorwork vs. stockinette). Flat vs. circular. Whether you're at the beginning of a project or in the middle. Knitting in the waiting room of your dentist's office right before you get a root canal versus knitting under a cabana with a tropical ocean view and a pretty drink with an umbrella in it sitting next to you. I could go on and on. You get the picture.

Swatching is an essential part of our knitting. Without it we're knitting blind. We don't know how things will turn out. Heh. We don't know how things will turn out when we do swatch sometimes, but we stand a better chance of getting results that we'll be happy with. I know of knitters who never swatch, those who swatch depending on the project and a few who swatch religiously. Me? I'm a half-assed swatcher. I rarely knit up an entire 4" swatch. Usually, I'll knit half of it and then measure my stitches per inch. It works. Sometimes.

A few months ago I heard two interesting tips on gauge on podcasts that I listen to.

The first one was on the KnitPicks Podcast. It was an interview with a designer. Sorry to say that I can't remember who. I went back and listened to a couple of episodes that I thought it might have been in, but I couldn't find it. Have you ever tried to get gauge and one needle size was too big and then you go down a needle size and it was too small? You feel like Goldilocks. Well. This designer suggested trying one of each size on interchangeable needles. So you would have a size 7 on one end and a size 6 on the other. Brilliant! The gauge should be in the middle of the two. I haven't tried it yet. I could have with Bella's top, but I think I was in such a hurry to get it done that it didn't even cross my mind.

The second tip was on the Knitmore Girls Podcast. They were interviewig designer Cheryl Oberle (episode 51). Cheryl talked anout the "30 stitch gauge swatch" which was developed in a knitting group she belonged to.. She always casts on at least 30 stitches. She then measures the entire width of the swatch. If you cast on more than 30 stitches, you wa,t to measure the width of only 30 stitches. If you change one needle size, the width will change exactly 1/2". This works for all yarn weights from chunky to lace and all stitch patters. She taught this in a class at a yarn store and one of the employees was skeptical, so she tested it in every weight of yarn and reported that it worked. Interesting, no?

Swatching to get gauge will only enhance our knitting by producing more better fitting garments. I'm looking forward to trying out these tips on my next project. And I plan to work on being a better swatcher. I love that I've been knitting for 20 (!) years now and there are still plenty of techniques for me to learn or improve.

How about you? Do you have any special gauge tips to share?

In a funk

2009-08-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I apologize for abandoning you the way I have. It's been not one, not two, but three months since my last post! How could that be? Where did the time go? Please know that even though I haven't been giving you the attention you deserve, I do think about you often. Daily even. I'll read, hear or see something that I want to share with you. But then I don't. The only thing I can attribute such behaviour to is that I feel like I've been in a funk lately. You know the kind, where you're going through the motions but your heart not into any of it? Well, it's time to take some steps to snap myself out of it. And I promise to do better.

You probably won't believe me, but I have been knitting. I just haven't been very excited about any of it. My most recent FO is the Karys top, which I made for my friend Bella's 5th birthday. It looks adorable on her. But then, everything does. She's too cute.

Project: Karys
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton dk, color 13038 (hot pink)
Needles: KnitPicks Options US 5
Start Date: July 14, 2009
Finish Date: August 1, 2009

Mods: Since I used a different yarn, I had trouble getting gauge, so I did a little math and made some adjustments to get as close to the size I wanted as possible. I was getting 5 stitches per inch, instead of 5.5, so I cast on 76 stitches instead of 84. When it came to the width of the garment, I followed the instructions for the smaller size. For length, I followed the pattern.

Finished pattern size:
15 1/4” across the bottom
12” across the mid-section
5 1/2” across the top, shoulder to shoulder
17” long

My finished size:
16” across the bottom
10 3/4” across the mid-section
8 3/4” across the top, shoulder to shoulder
17 1/4” long

The size isn't exactly like the pattern suggests, but it fits! So I'm not bothered by it. The one thing that does bother me is the sleeve situation. I didn't count how many stitches I had picked up on the first sleeve. I thought there couldn't be that big of a difference. Wrong! I picked up a lot more for the second sleeve, resulting in a more ruffled version than its counterpart. sigh Lesson learned. Count how many stitches you pick up so that you have two matching sleeves!

Here's another picture, since my model shots of Bella were washed out by light.

I also made a pair of soakers for a friend who is using cloth diapers on her baby. Alas, they were too small, so I'm reknitting them in a bigger size. Here's a pic of the first version.

In an effort to get my blogging mojo back, I'm going to experiment. Back in May, Clara Parkes posted on her blog everyday. I remember thinking that this is what I need to do in order to make blogging more of a habit. So I'm going to do it. From now until September 30th, I will blog everyday to make up for the lack of attention that I've given you. There, I said it. (yikes) Of course, I don't knit fast enough for it to be all about knitting. But I will try to include as much knitting related content as I can.

So. Until tomorrow....

Edited to add a title to this post. See. I'm rusty.

Birthday Musings

2009-05-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday.

Unlike many who view getting older as depressing and don't want to celebrate, I look forward to mine every year. At some point, many years ago, it might have been in high school, I started celebrating the week of my birthday. Later in my twenties, I decided I would celebrate the whole month. Now this may seem a little over the top, and I don't mean that I have birthday cake and blow out candles every day for the entire month, although that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'd probably be sick of cake after the first week, but maybe not. I do love me some cake. But I digress. My month long celebration is more about being in the birthday spirit.

I see it as an opportunity to consciously celebrate life. My life. It's very easy for all of us to get caught up in day to day routines and responsibilities, taking life for granted. When my birthday comes around, I reflect on the past and wonder about the future. I think about all of the ways in which I am fortunate. And there are many. I feel gratitude for experiencing great joy along with great sadness. For feeling love, friendship, laughter, anger and frustration. Because all of it adds up to the fact that I am alive, right now, at this point in time, in this great big wonderful, and sometimes horrible, world that we live in. It beats the alternative, which is not physically getting younger. That is not possible.

I do not want to be sixteen again. I had some great teenage years, but there were also some growning pains and plenty of heartbreak, not to mention having to be in chemistry at 7:05 am. Nor do I want to revisit my twenties. Yes, I was young and thought I held the world by a string. But those years transitioning into full fledge adulthood had their tough moments that I would rather not relive. No, I think I'll stay right where I'm at.

Many years ago, when I was young and had my whole life ahead of me, I made a decision to embrace getting older. I usually view the glass as half full. It was a good decision.

Today I turned 42. I think it's going to be a very good year. Because along with getting older, I like to think that I'm becoming better. And I still have the rest of my life ahead of me.

A Rainbow of Koigu

2009-05-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jeff asked me if I'm still knitting. What?! He said he's asking because I haven't blogged in over a month. I guess I've been knitting more when he's away than when he's at home. I think I'm going to have to post every week, now that I know he's checking in while he's out of town. Isn't that sweet? I'm a lucky gal. He reads my blog, he asks about my knitting and he never complains about my stash. So honey, this one's for you. : )

See that? That's Koigu. I've been collecting it for two years now to make the Babette Blanket and I have 30 skeins. My knitting group is doing a group knit along, I mean crochet along called "Summer of Crochet". It's the perfect time to start Babette. I'm not much of a crocheter, but I've been practicing and I will be when this is finished.

This blanket will be for our little girl whom we are in the process of adopting from China. Adoption is a long journey and not for the faint of heart. We are still a good three years away from meeting our daughter, unless a miracle happens and the wait shortens. I'm hoping for a miracle, but preparing for the long haul. Whenever it happens, she'll have this beautiful blanket to welcome her home.

Project: Dream in Color Tulip Baby Cardigan #3
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy
Needles: KnitPicks Options US Sizes 7 & 9
Start: April 22, 2009
Finish: May 17, 2009

I made another Tulip in the past few weeks. See. There has been some knitting going on. This makes Tulip #3 and it's for my friend Wendy's new baby girl, Pema, who was born on the 9th of this month. I adore Dream in Color Classy. I don't think I'll ever get bored with it. The colors are like candy.

A little luck came my way and I won a raffle! Orinda had a fundraiser for the Roseville String Ensemble, of which she is a part. She had a drawing for everyone who donated and I won the handspun called "Lame Duck". It's 175 yards of Superwash BFL in DK weight spun and donated by Nuttnbunny. Thank you Orinda and Nuttnbunny! It's beautiful!

And last, but not least, I'm hoping to have an awesome tomato crop this summer. Red ones, yellow ones, purple ones.... I can't wait. Grow little seedlings, grow!

I hope your knitting is treating you well! Until next time....

To be, or not to be...

2009-04-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last year, my knitting group did a group knit along and made the Lenore socks. I cast on and knit about 1.5 inches and that's as far as I got. Since I love wearing my Pomatomus socks, i.e., my only pair of handknit socks, I decided that this year I want to knit more of them. When I took them out of hiding, one of the needles had partially come out and some of the stitches had come undone. This is a lace pattern, so I figured it would be easier to take it out and start again rather than fixing the lost stitches that entailed yarnovers, k2tog, slipping and passing it over. So I did. Now I have about 2.5 inches and I'm stuck. I can't knit anymore.

Do you want to see what can kill your knitting mojo faster than 1970's scratchiest acrylic in the ugliest color you can imagine?

I had wound this skein into a pretty cake. As I was knitting, it was getting harder and harder to pull the yarn from the center. In an effort to pull out the problem so I can fix it, I had to pull half of the middle out. It's a tangled mess. I don't know if my Lenores are meant to be. sigh

I worked on detangling it for awhile, but then I got frustrated. So I cast on Tulip Baby Cardigan #3 for a friend who's having a baby in May.

Oh, I finished Ingenue, but still have to block it. Hopefully I'll have some FO pics soon.

And because I can't resist. Here are my nephews, taken at the park.

Aren't they cute? They're very sweet boys.

I hope you're knitting is making you happy!

I'll raise you two cowls and a dumpling.

2009-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have some FOs that I haven't shared with you. Two were part of the Feel Like a Floozy KAL my knitting group did back in January. Finishing what we cast on with wild abandon wasn't in the rule book, but it is likely that I will eventually finish them all except for one. I frogged the Toasty fingerless gloves. They were knitting up too small. I'm not sure if I'll use the same yarn, or look for something else in my stash. I do want to make myself a pair, but now that spring is here it isn't urgent.

Project: Tamarind Cowl
Yarn: Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Ruby Port
Neddles: KnitPicks Options US Size 7
Start: January 2, 2009
Finish: January 10, 2009
Mods: I only did two repeats of the pattern instead of three because I didn't have enough yarn. I used up the remains of Sundara that I had used for my Shetland Triangle Shawl. I can't think of a better use for it than to be wrapped around my neck. Even though it's shorter than the pattern, it still covers my neck to keep me warm.

Project: Dumpling Bag
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky
Neddles: KnitPicks Options US Size 17
Start: January 7, 2009
Finish: February 22, 2009

Another of my Floozy knits was the Dumpling Bag. This bag is so cute. Why don't I felt more? It's so fun to see the transition from oversized knitted bag to cute little felted dumpling. I knitted this on size 17 needles because I didn't have any needles between size 11-17. The size 11s were too small. I figured if I came out with a bigger dumpling, no problem. But I left it in the wash too long and it's actually a little smaller than the pattern. It's 9.5 x 4.5. The width is comaprable to the pattern, but it came out a lot shorter. Next time I won't leave it in the wash as long. I left it in for 20 minutes, so next time I'll check it at 10. Still, I think it's cute and I'm sending it off to my friend, Teresa, in Florida.

My next dumpling will be pink for Brooke (my friend, Traci's daughter) who will be twelve in May. I'm going to work on improving my dumpling skills. ;)

Project: Tamarind Cowl
Yarn: Malabrigo
Needles: KnitPicks Options US Size 7
Start: March 13, 2009
Finish: March 24, 2009
Notes: My bind-off made this very tight going over the head, so I took it out and bound off again very loosely. It was still kind of tight. Thanks to Mary for teaching me the ssk bind-off (knit two, ssk, knit one, ssk, to the end). It had the perfect amount of stretch to go over the head easily.

Coming home from Stitches with this beautiful Malabrigo, I decided to knit up another Tamarind Cowl as a belated birthday gift for my friend Becky. Becky is one of my very best friends. We've been friends since second grade (I was in second, she was in first). We were girl scouts together, took dancing lessons together, had sleepovers at each others house, etc. As we got older, we went to parties together and tried to alter our I.D.s so that we could buy alcohol underage (unsuccessfully, I might add). People would ask if we were sisters. We look nothing alike, but we spent so much time together that I think we acted alike. We've known all of the boys and men in each other's life and have been there for each other in good times and bad. I have no doubt that we will be friends for the rest of our lives.

And the verdict:

She loves it!

And just for old times....

Here we are in the 80's. Were we stylin' or what?

Love ya Beck!

Still alive and still knitting!

2009-03-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

I started the year out with a bang blogging four times in two weeks, and then...well...and then it fizzled like leftover champagne on New Year's Day. Hope is not lost entirely for me to be a more active blogger. I think I will make it a personal goal to increase my number of posts this year comapred to last year.

Despite my absence, I have been knitting a lot. I finished my Le Slouch hat and the Tamarind Cowl. I hope to post some FO pictures soon.

My current focus is my Ingenue sweater. I love knitting this sweater. I think it's the combination of falling hard for the Brooks Farm yarn I am using (color and knitted fabric) and the elegant simplicity of the pattern. It's not so simple that it's boring, but it's straightforward and it's knitting up quick.

I was cruising along and easily could have had the body done last week, but I set it aside for a few days. I needed to make a decision. Do I keep going and ignore the pooling of color that resulted from the waist shaping? Or do I rip it out and alternate two balls of yarn to prevent pooling? Here's a picture:

Sorry about the low lighting. When I used the flash it washed out the fabric and the pooling didn't stand out as much. Here's a closeup:

Yes, those are live stitches at the bottom. 184 to be exact. I decided this morning to rip back to where the waist shaping started and get rid of the pooling effect. I really love how this sweater is knitting up and I want to love the finished product. It's back on the needles with stitch markers in their proper places, waiting for me to continue on.

I went to Stitches West in February! I had a ton of fun and bought lots of beauties, which I'll post about soon.

Happy knitting!

Holy Crap!

2009-01-14T19:27:00.001-08:00

Today, I learned my tolerance for traffic that is at a dead stop is roughly two and a half hours. I think this is not bad. I know this because that was my breaking point. That's when the headache came on and when I started cursing at people who were honking when there was clearly no place to go. That was when I nearly broke into tears when Jeff called and I was no further to getting home than I was an hour and half prior to that moment. Okay, I'm exagerating. I was a mile closer. Seriously. It took me an hour and a half to drive a mile east. It took me twenty minutes to drive two hundreths of a mile. I was still in a good mood when I decided to time how much progress I was making. This did include trying to find a better route, but there was standstill traffic everywhere I turned.

The first half of the day was lovely. I went to my knitting group, had lunch with Mary and went to Vroman's, one of the few independent bookstores left in our area. Everything went downhill from there. The freeway was shut down due to an overturned tanker. I think it might have been carrying gasoline. So I had to take the streets home from Pasadena to Claremont. Around 25 miles. Traffic everywhere. In the end, it took me three and a half hours to get home. Jeff's in it now from West LA. He's taking a different freeway, but you know what happens when one freeway shuts down, it creates havoc on the others. He called me at 7:30 pm (2 hours into his drive) and told me he thinks he'll be home by 9pm.

At one point, I was listening to my iPod, I texted Mary because I had to vent and I pulled out my knitting. All things one is not supposed to do while driving, but I would argue with an officer of the law if I would have been pulled over that I wasn't driving. I was sitting in my car. Thankfully, there was no way an officer was going to get anywhere near my car to see that I was doing all of those things. The knitting did calm me down a little.

I worked on Le Slouch. I'm just about ready to start my decreases.

I finished my Tamarind Cowl. I hope to take pictures soon to post.

Today is my boy, Cooper's, first birthday. Here he is in his new favorite napping place. Happy birthday Cooper! We love you!

BTW, thanks for listening. I needed that.

2009-01-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

Today I was tempted again by malabrigo. Since I finished my dad's scarf, another skein waiting in front of the line in my stash has been calling out to me. "Pick me, pick me", it pleaded. What was I to do? I missed that buttery fiber running through my fingers.

So, as part of my knitting group's Feel Like a Floozy KAL, I decided to cast-on Gretel. It did not go well. I swatched three times before getting gauge. By then I just wanted to cast-on already. But no. I had to watch the tutorial on the tubular cast-on. Seems pretty straight forward. But then she suggested casting on with a straight needle before transferring the stitches to circulars. I had already pulled out a plethora of circulars and dpns, I didn't want to go digging through my straights.

Plus, I realized I would have to use the Magic Loop method since my dpns aren't long enough for the amount of stitches required. This meant I would have to watch another tutorial because I've never done the Magic Loop before. Forget it. I just wanted to knit. Gretel will have to be for another day. At least I know what size needles to use to get gauge. Maybe a short pair of circulars will work in lieu of the magic loop. I'll have to go needle diving again (another day).

Instead, I cast on Toasty in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.

These look so cozy. We've been having some chilly weather here in SoCal and it seem my hands and arms are always cold when I'm out and about. These should help.

I want to share a great yarn resource with you. Many of you probably already know about it, but for those of you who don't, meet Yarndex. It's an index of yarn information. You can look up a particular yarn and it will give you its weight, fiber content and shades that it comes in. I use it when I want to see if a yarn will work for a specific pattern, get ideas for other yarns I can use, or when I want to see the shade cards. It's a very useful site.

Stay tuned! Will Gretel make it into the Floozy KAL or will she be tossed aside for other enticing knits?

Flooziness - Day 2

2009-01-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

Today I cast on the Tamarind Cowl (rav link) for the Feel Like a Floozy KAL.

I'm using leftover Sundara Aran Silky Merino from my Shetland Triangle Shawl, which I now realize that I never posted the finished product. Partly because some of the photos are blurry and I was hoping to get better ones. I never got around to it, so here it is.

Just squint your eyes to adjust the picture. ;)

Project: Shetland Triangle Shawl
Yarn: Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Ruby Port
Neddles: KnitPicks Options US Size 9
Start: August 10, 2008
Finish: August 31, 2008

I'm really happy with how this came out. I wore it around the house all evening after it was done blocking. I added three extra repeats in the pattern. I wanted it to be a little bigger than others I had seen.

I. Love. This. Yarn. It is gorgeous. If you have the opportunity to buy some, do it! You won't be disappointed.

Feelin' Like a Floozy

2009-01-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

My knitting group is starting the new year off with reckless abandon. We're doing a Feel Like a Floozy KAL. Everday for the first week in January we're going to cast on a new project. Or two, three, etc. It can be anything and we don't have to finish it. Frogging is allowed.

Today I casted on Le Slouch by Wendy Bernard.

I'm using Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. I'm loving the nubbiness of this yarn in seed stitch. I'm planning to finish this one after I buy some longer dpns. I'm squeezing 103 stitches on 4 six inch long needles. I finally put those little rubber thingies on the ends of the needles to keep from losing stitches but I only have two (it was getting quite frustrating).

I wonder what I'm going to feel like knitting tomorrow?!

Wanna join in the fun? Grab some needles and yarn and cast on!

Post-holiday Post

2008-12-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

I made a few holiday gifts this year. Normally I don't. The holidays are busy as it is and I don't like to add pressure to get more done by the 25th. But this year I planned to make two scarves and I started early.

I finished the shifting sands scarf for my bil Brian, but I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Doh. It looked lovely in the Manos del Uruguay and he loved it. Here it is when I started it. Imagine, if you will, it finished and approximately four feet long. That's Milo blurred in the corner. He has a thing for wool.

I also a knit an Irish Hiking Scarf for my dad using Malabrigo. I've had Malabrigo in my stash for awhile now, but this was the first time I've knit with it. Now I understand what all of the fuss is about. It's divine. Smooth as butter. There's Milo again.

Project: Irish Hiking Scarf
Yarn: Malabrigo, Rich Chocolate color 161
Needles: KnitPicks Options size 8
Start: November 12, 2008
Finish: December 20, 2008

Since I finished waaay before Christmas, I decided he also needed some fingerless gloves. So I cast on the Maine Morning Mitts. I went up a needle size than the pattern suggested so that they would be a little bigger for a man's hands. These were knit up in two evenings.

Project: Maine Morning Mitts
Yarn: Noro Kureyon color 178
Needles KnitPicks Options size 8
Start: December 21, 2008
Finish: December 23, 2008

My mom told me today that he's been wearing both the scarf and the mitts. There will likely be a sweater in his future. Maybe next Christmas. Maybe.

I made another pair of Fetchings for my friend Wendy who I saw yesterday. I ran out of yarn at the bind off and still needed to knit the thumb, so I made an emergency trip to the yarn store for another ball. Sadly, I was finishing them in the parking lot right before seeing her, so I did not get a picture.

That's it for this year's holiday knits. It's New Year's Eve and I'm giving some thought to goals for 2009 of the knitting variety and otherwise.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

A Knitter's High

2008-11-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

We were in New York at the beginning of November for a few days. Jeff ran the NY Marathon. I cheered him on from the sidelines with a hot latte in hand.

I completed a marathon of my own kind that week. About a month before I started Linden from Twist Collective. Apparently, our trip to NY was all I needed to motivate me to finish. One month, 9 days later I had a gorgeous sweater to keep me warm in the crisp fall air.

Project: Linden
Yarn: Cascade Pastaza color 0063 (dark brown)
Needles: KnitPicks Options US Size 9
Start: September 20, 2008
Finish: October 29, 2008

We went to Central Park for a little photo shoot. I wore it everyday that we were there. It's perfect for the fall weather and it's soft and super cozy. The pattern used Green Mountain Spinnery Yarn Over, but I had Cascade Pastaza that I had received as a birthday gift and had been waiting for the right pattern to come along. I thought it would work well since the Green Mountain is wool with some mohair and the Pastaza is wool with llama. The llama gives the yarn a light halo similar to mohair.

I couldn't get gauge with Pastaza. I needed 3.5 sts. per inch, but the best I could get without getting too loose of a fabric was 3.75 sts. per inch. So I decided to make the next size up figuring it would come close to the size I wanted. It's a little bigger than I planned, but I have room to layer and since it rarely gets cold here in Southern California, this will serve as a winter coat nicely.

It's been a long time since I've completed a sweater for myself. I wore it proudly. I kept telling Jeff to feel how soft it is. I guess it doesn't matter if the yarn is in the form of a ball, a skein or a sweater. We still want to pet it constantly.

This sign was outside of our hotel in Soho. The irony of it made me giggle everytime I saw it.

Seriously. No honking? In NYC?

Their solution for parking is creative.

Believe it or not, I only visited one yarn store. Purl Soho. It's a very nice little shop, stocked full of great quality yarns. I also visited their fabric shop just a few doors down the street. I would definitely be a regular if I lived in the city. Wanna hear something shocking? I didn't buy any yarn. I know. I almost don't believe it myself. I was going to get some Koigu since they have a very good selection, but they didn't have the color I was looking for. So I bought two of the latest magazines and left yarnless.

What I did bring home was perfume and gourmet chocolate! Talk about indulgences!

This is hilarious!

2008-10-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'll be back soon with a longer post! I have something new on the needles and an FO!

Consultation with a Harlot

2008-08-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a dream. A very vivid dream. I was on a yarn crawl with a group of people I don't know. Apparently I knew them in my dream, but now that I'm awake, they're strangers to me. So we visit a couple of yarn stores. I remember browsing the shelves and petting the yarn. There was lots of laughter and 'oohing' and 'awing', as there always is on a yarn crawl. I don't think I bought anything though, which is not typical of a yarn crawl. Not for me anyway.

Then we went to an event. I can only surmise that it was a knitting event. Most likely, we were going to hear the Yarn Harlot speak, because I found myself backstage with her while she was getting ready to go on. She was wearing a black strapless cocktail dress that had a full skirt, pretty low heels with pointy tips and a deep red lace stole that she knit herself, of course. I could not tell what the pattern was, or the yarn she used for that matter. It was very pretty though. You'll have to take my word for it. Her hair was very fancy in a simple, yet elegant up-do. Now, if you know anything about the Yarn Harlot, you know this is not a look that she would sport. Still, she looked very pretty. Almost ballerina-esque.

I was telling her about my latest dilemma. She told me to talk fast as she sprayed hairspray on her 'do' and inspected herself in the mirror. I have decided that my next sweater project will be Linden from Twist Collective. I was very excited because I already have yarn in my stash that I've been looking for a pattern for. It's Ella Rae Classic in a slate blue/charcoal grey color. Perfect. Or so I thought. I knit my swatch with US size 8 needles. Not even close to gauge. So I tried size 9. Not close enough. I refuse to go up in size because I won't like the fabric. Even the swatch where I used size 9 was too loose for my liking. Hmm. I told her I was thinking of doubling the yarn and swatching with size 7's or 8's to see if I could get gauge. The problem with that is that I would then need to acquire 3 more skeins of yarn in order to have enough. She laughed. Not at me, more like with me, if I were laughing. More like a, 'I've been in your shoes before my friend, learn from my mistakes' kind of laugh. Then she told me to choose a different yarn. Sigh.

Then I woke up, frustrated because I really want to use this yarn in my stash. I think I'll knit another swatch doubling it, just to see if I could get gauge. I also have some Cascade Pastaza in a yummy chocolate brown in my stash. I think I have enough, so I'll swatch with that too.

In the meantime, I'll finish up my Shetland Triangle shawl. I'm on the 10th pattern repeat for the body. I think I'm going to do 11 before starting the border. Milo was assisting me with the photos. Really, he just loves yarn as much as we do.

I also cast on a holiday gift. The Shifting Sands scarf designed by Grumperina. I needed something to knit in a social setting. I attempted the Shetland in public and wound up exactly back where I started that day. This will be for one of my brother-in-laws. I'm using Manos del Uruguay in color 27.

New projects on the needles, old projects that need to be sewed up, it's getting busy around here. But the best kind of busy! What's new on your needles?

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2008-08-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Where did the time go?!

Many things have happened since I last posted. Most notably, I gave notice at work and will be joining the ranks of the unemployed for awhile. This was a difficult decision because I enjoy many aspects of my job. The main reason for this decision is to spend more time with Jeff. He's only home on weekends and since I work in retail, it doesn't allow for us to spend much time together.

Another reason is that we are in the process of adopting a baby from China! This involves a lot of paperwork and organization, which I want to be able to focus on more intently. It will be a couple of years before we get our baby girl, but I'm excited nonetheless.

Speaking of baby girls. My sister had hers July 23rd. Meet my new niece, Ciena Renee.

Isn't she sweet?! I finished her Tulip Baby Cardigan, finally. I couldn't have done it without Madge. Not as quickly anyway. This is the second Tulip kit I've made and I've run out of the border color both times. Aack! The first time I was able to steal from one of the other kits, because I have plenty left over from all of the other colors, but not enough of the border. This time I didn't have that particular color in the other kits. I was telling Madge about my dilemma and that I would have to order a skein of that color. She told me she thought she had that color at home and she wasn't going to use it. Score! Thanks Madge! You saved the day.

Project: Dream in Color Tulip Baby Cardigan #2
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy
Needles: KnitPicks Options US Sizes 7 & 9
Start: End of June 2008
Finish: August 10, 2008

I still love this yarn and plan on making an adult size sweater out of it some day.

I cast on for the Shetland Triangle Shawl. I'll take pictures when I get further along.

I started a food blog called Bun in the Oven. I've been thinking about it for awhile but didn't think I had time for it. Now that I do, I can share my other obsession with the world.

I'll leave you with this photo. As you can imagine, kittens get into everything.

Cooper was sitting with me on the couch and started playing with the tissue box. Well, he put his head into it and couldn't get it out. He kept backing up trying to get it out and he backed himself off of the couch and into the corner. I was laughing hysterically and had to get the camera before I could free him from his situation. I laughed until I cried...at his expense. Poor guy. That was a moment I wished that I had a video camera. Priceless.

Catchin' up

2008-07-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post is long.

BOISE

A few weeks ago I went to Boise, ID to visit Jeff. He's been working there since February. I had never been there and wanted to see what it's like. One day I had the rental car while Jeff was at work. What does a knitter do in a new city with nothing but time on her hands? Yarn crawl, of course. The first stop was Puffy Mondaes, which is actually in Nampa about 20 minutes from Boise.

This is a great shop. It looks like it used to be a house. There are several rooms, including a kitchen where they have dye workshops. The staff is very friendly. Natalie was working that day and we talked about yarn and Ravelry. They have a good variety of yarns, including some I have never heard of before. I couldn't resist the Banana Silk.

It's made from the stalk and leaves of the banana plant. It's very rustic looking. The ply is uneven creating a thick/thin yarn. It comes in beautiful saturated colors, which is what attracted me to it. I had a hard time choosing, but in the end, I went with my favorite. I'm thinking it wants to become a scarf someday.

Next stop was Ewephoria, also in Nampa. A very nice yarn and quilt fabric shop. Since I'm a sucker for all things fiber, I bought this fabric.

Someday I'll use these to line felted bags. Or maybe sew them into bags if I ever learn how to sew (on my list of things to do). I especially like the one on the left.

My last stop was Fuzz in Boise. This was a nice space and the women working there were very nice. I didn't buy anything because they didn't carry anything different than what I can get from my LYSs here at home.

The knitters in the Boise area are in good hands. And if you ever find yourself there, you won't be short of LYSs to visit.

LIFE WITH KITTENS

One day after work I called Jeff to let him know I was on my way home.
Jeff: "Milo got into your knitting bag and scattered your knitting all over the living room."
Me: "Did he unravel it?"
Jeff: "Not all of it."
Me: "Oh sh&t."

Luckily, he only unraveled the ball of yarn attached to the sweater I'm working on and not the sweater itself. Jeff said Milo looked very guilty when he found him lying next to the mess. It's a good thing he's so darn cute!

WIP REPORT

I'm in the home stretch on several projects.

The Noro sweater just needs seaming and then a crocheted border.

I'm almost finished with the last piece of the Cable & Rib Sweater. Then I'll have to sew it together, knit the collar and sew in a zipper.

Tulip Cardigan #2 just needs the border and the sleeves. I have to finish it this week, since my sister's shower is a week from today. Time to hunker down.

Happy 4th to those of you in the U.S. I hope everyone is having a nice weekend and your knitting is close by.

Yarn trip!

2008-06-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

My knitting group had been talking about taking a trip to Solvang for a looong time. Sunday we finally made the trip. Solvang is a small Danish inspired town in Santa Barbara County (Central California). There are bakeries, windmills, Danish restaurants, fudge shops, art galleries and tons of shops. Of course, there's a yarn & fiber store to visit too. Village Spinning & Weaving (in the photo above) was our ultimate destination. My first impression of the store was that they didn't have much of a yarn selection. Almost two hours later, I'd say we found plenty to keep us interested.

I wasn't planning on buying anything. Seriously. I was only going to buy something if it was "special", meaning I hadn't seen it before or it's hard to find. The store has a very good book selection and, being that books are almost as hard to resist for me as yarn is, I wound up buying Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns to add to my collection, and a book called Crocheting School which looks like a great reference book for all kinds of crochet stitches and edgings. I have two projects in my future that require me to learn how to crochet, so I think this book will be valuable.

Then I saw this little sheep ornament. He wanted to come home with me.

Still no yarn for me. I was actually feeling quite proud of myself at this point. We had been in the shop for quite awhile and I was not really tempted by any of the yarn I saw. I was going home yarn-free.

Until I saw this:

A whole display of Louet Euroflax. I don't know how I missed it when I walked in, but I did. Look at all of the colors! I've seen this at one of my LYSs and also at Stitches, but have never seen such a color selection in one place. I've been wanting to buy this yarn ever since I saw Madge using it for her Gothic Leaf Stole. I knew the minute I saw the display that this yarn was going home with me. After much debate and fondling, I settled for the same Aubergine color that produced yarn envy of Madge's stash. I bought four skeins. Enough to make a lace shawl. Now I just have to decide on a pattern. I encouraged Madge to buy some too! She bought a mossy green color called Island Moss. I see a Euroflax KAL in our future.

It's hard to see the color in this pic. I'll try to get a picture of it in natural light in the future. Take my word for it, it's pretty!

Here's a pic of those of us who went.

From L-R: Linda, Mary, Me, Jillian, Pam & Madge

It was a great day! It felt good to spend a whole day with my peeps talking about yarn, knitting and all things related.

I'm posting from Boise, ID. I'm visiting Jeff for a few days. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting here. Have a good week.

Doctor's orders

2008-05-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I was better, I took a turn for the worse. So I high-tailed it back to the doctor yesterday to discuss some serious drugs that will wipe out this infection for good. Armed with new prescriptions, I left the office with instructions to take the next three days off from work and do nothing except rest and take said medicine. I think I can handle that. Three days to rest = three days of knitting. :)

Today I knit another pair of Fetchings. These are for my friend Teressa. I'm teaching her how to knit and I think these will match the purple garter stitch scarf she is working on.

Project: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, color 330014 (purple)

Needles: KnitPicks Options DPNs US size 5

Start: May 29, 2008

End: May 29, 2008

Knocked down but not out

2008-05-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

So April pretty much kicked me in the arse. I had the flu which then turned into bronchitus. I was sick for a total of six weeks. That sucked. I was so miserable that I didn't even want to knit or read my favorite knitting blogs. It was bad people. I only took a couple of days off from work during the worst of it. I kept pushing through, thinking it's going to get better in a few days. It was a loooong few days. I've recovered and am back to my 'normal' self. Sigh. It's been a long time since I've been that sick. I will not be taking my good health for granted anytime soon.

There was some knitting in early April. My good friend Michelle was having a baby boy and I wanted to knit something for the shower.

This is a male version of the Tulip sweater made popular by the Yarn Harlot (scroll down to her June 5th entry) last year. I bought my kits from Threadbear Fiber Arts. The kits aren't on their website anymore, but they might put one together for you if you call. I know there are other yarn stores that sell the kits also.

Project: Dream in Color Tulip Baby Cardigan
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy
Needles: KnitPicks Options US Sizes 7 & 9
Start: End of March 2008
Finish: April 6, 2008

Thoughts: I love this yarn and will definitely be using it for more projects in the future. It's soft and the colors are incredible. Each one is rich and beautiful. Truly a joy to knit with. One thing I was surprised by was the gauge. This is considered a worsted weight yarn with the suggestion of using US size 7 or 8 needles to get gauge. I am a loose knitter and usually have to go down a needle size or two in order to get the required gauge for a project. With this yarn I had to go up to a size 9. That's the first time that ever happened. Hmm. I'm still scratching my head over this. I was not knitting tighter than I normally do, so I think the yarn is a little finer than a worsted. Has anyone else experienced this with Classy?

More recently I made a pair of Fetching for a friend's birthday.

Project: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, color 330012 (a lilac)
Needles; KnitPicks Options DPNs US size 5
Start: May 18, 2008
End: May 18, 2008

Thoughts: This is the fourth pair I've made and I think it makes a nice gift. The pattern is simple, yet interesting. And they can be knit up in a day. Quick & easy. Pretty too.

Other than that, I'm still working on my Noro shrug and I'll be bringing the grey Cable & Rib sweater out of hibernation to finish the last front piece, so her up and add a zipper.

Now I've saved the best for last. April wasn't all bad. I had some major furry therapy.

We got two new kittens! I'd like to introduce you to Cooper & Milo. Cooper is on the left, Milo on the right. This picture was taken by the breeder just before we got them. They're from different litters and even though they're only 11 days apart, Cooper is almost twice the size of Milo.

This is the day we brought them home.

Their first date with the groomer.

And ready for their closeups.

Jeff and I are having a lot of fun with them. It has been 16 years since I've had a kitten. I forgot how energetic and playful they are. It's good to have some furballs in the house again. It doesn't feel right without them. And I've discovered that they like yarn as much as I do! hee hee

Yarn Club Sign-ups Open

2008-04-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sundara's Yarn Club is open for sign-ups! I've been very happy with the yarns and colors I received during the last session. I chose autumn for my color palette the first round. This time I'm choosing spring.

Life has been very busy here with sickness (I'm better now), out-of-town guests, baby showers, bar mitzvahs, kitten sitting, etc... I'll post soon with some knitting content.

Knit on!

The Reveal

2008-03-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

I went to Stitches West last month and had a great time. This was my sixth year in a row and it gets better every year. I went with my mom, my MIL, Grace, and her friend Shirley. It was a fiber filled girls weekend!

I didn't take many pictures. Unfortunately, I was distracted. My mom came down with the flu the day after we arrived. It was bad. Poor mom. She didn't leave our room for the entire weekend! She missed out on everything. I felt so bad for her. There's nothing worse than being sick away from home. So I made sure she had medicine and food when she felt like she could keep it down. I checked on her often. When it was apparent that she wasn't going to feel well enough to go to the market before the weekend was over, she handed me money and asked, "Will you buy me some yarn?" (Mwaa-haa-haa-haa-haa)

Now some of you might remember that my mom missed Stitches last year because she was sick. Next year, she's getting a flu shot! I have to say that the Stitches staff were great about this situation. They gave her credit for her classes and events that she had paid for at the last minute, no problem. Great customer service!

I took two classes this year. Fair Isle Knitting with Fiona Ellis and the Joy of Steeks with Maureen Mason-Jamieson. I took the class with Fiona because I enjoyed the class I took last year with her. She has a great energy about her. I didn't learn anything new in this class though. I had taken a fair isle class last year. I thought this would reinforce what I had learned. The problem was that Fiona knits english style and holds both yarns in her right hand. I knit continental and learned to hold one color in each hand. So I practiced what I had learned last year. Practice is always a good thing. The steeks class was fun and I learned a lot. It was actually fun cutting my knitting...on a swatch, that is. I'm not so sure about a project I had spent a few months of my life knitting and then taking scissors to it. Maureen was a great teacher and very inspiring.

Here's a picture of the Bellman with 4 womens luggage and stuff the day we left.

Now onto the loot!

Koigu, anyone? I've been charmed by the Babette Blanket deisgned by Kathy Merrick. So I decided to start collecting Koigu for the project. Foxy Knits always has a great selection of Koigu solids at Stitches West, so that was on the top of my list. I'm making a girlie blanket for my future little girl (someday). I bought several shades of pink and pastels. I'm going to add two different shades of red (trust me on this), a neutral such as taupe and possibly a shade of purple. Here are some of my favorites from Ravelry: Baizou's Babette, Angie's Babette, Chatoune's Babette... There's more to look at. Twenty pages in fact. So if you have the time, it's fun to look at the different color combinations. Do you want to see a Koigu closeup?!

I thought so. :)

I also bought some alpaca from Honey Lane Farms.

The colorway is called Jelly. I resisted buying this last year, but couldn't resist two years in a row. I'm thinking about making a cardigan with a shawl collar.

Also on my list of things to buy was this design software program.

Cochenille's Garment Designer and Stitch Painter. This has been on my list for the past couple of years and I finally took the plunge. I didn't buy this because I want to start designing. I don't. But sometimes I'll have a specific idea of what I want to make with something in my stash and can't find a pattern that matches my idea. And this will be ideal for very simple sweaters. You just plug in your gauge, pick your silhouette along with details for the neck and sleeves and it gives you a pattern. It will be fun to play with.

Last, but not least, are my impulse buys.

Lace yarn! I'm lured by the lace ever since seeing the garments in person last year from Victorian Lace Today. They are stunning! All of these yarns are from the Yarn Place booth. From left to right we have Gentle in Dark Ruby. This yarn is 5% cashmere and 95% Australian Merino. Next is Heaven, which is 45% Tencel/55% Merino Wool. It's a very bright chartreuse like color. And it's cobweb laceweight! I don't know why, but I was drawn to it the whole weekend, so I bought it on the last day. And last is Touch which is 5% cashmere/10% tencel/85% merino wool. The color is called Wedgewood Blue. Someday, this will be a shawl for Grace. I let her pick out the color and told her the surprise will be when she gets it. Could be this year or next, for a birthday, mother's day or Christmas. All of these yarns are super soft! Maybe I'll focus on knitting lace this summer.

Stitches West did not disappoint this year and my mom has fully recovered. That's all for now. Next time I'll share some WIPs with you.

Oh Noro, how I love thee....

2008-03-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to prove that I'm still here. I cast on Shrugs & Kisses a couple of weeks ago. The yarn is Noro Kureyon color 185. This was a birthday gift from my MIL bought at Stitches West last year. I thought I should at least cast on before leaving for Stitches this year. I love the colors and how they gradually change from one to another. If it weren't for that, I'd be bored to tears of stockinette. I'm eager to finish the body of it so I can move onto the crocheted collar and bottom border. This is what it will look like (I hope):

It's going to have some competition for my attention soon. My knitting group is knitting the Lenore sock pattern and I have yet to cast on. I think I'm the last to cast on actually, so that will be happening very soon. And a dear friend of mine is having a baby in May. I just got notice that there will be a shower in April. I have a month to knit up a gift. Good thing I bought all of those kits for the Dream in Color Tulip sweater!

Stitches or Bust

2008-02-19T23:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your condolences in regards to Nikko. It's been a very emotional week. Our home is not the same without him. I still find myself coming home from work and wanting to look for him like I've always done. It's going to take some time to get used to, but I know it will get better and Jeff and I are focusing on the great memories we have.

I finally have a picture of my nephews sweater!

I put the second picture in to show the cute reverse seams on the shoulder. It's a little big for him, so hopefully it will fit him next year as well. And he likes it!

Pattern: Simple Sweater w/Shoulder Seam Detail from Great Knits for Kids by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Aqua Blue (this isn't the color name - I have to find the label but it's late and I'm tired)

Needles: Knit Picks Options size 6 (I think...I really should write this stuff down before I finish...)

Started: September 2007

Finished: January 2008

This was a super easy pattern to knit. And quick too! I finished the knitting by the end of October but didn't finish sewing it up until January. I love the shoulder seams and the rolled edges. I think Anthony looks my handsome in it. When I gave it to him he wanted to put it on right away. That's all the encouragement I need to make him more handknits!

I'm off to catch some z's. I'm leaving for Stitches West tomorrow. A little yarn therapy should make me feel better.

Sweet Valentine

2008-02-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we lost our Nikko. He was 16.

I was very lucky to spend 16 wonderful years with him. He was extraordinary and will be greatly missed.

My heart is broken.

Yarn Parade! (aka Sundarafest)

2008-02-10T17:35:00.000-08:00

Warning: This post has lots of photos.

As promised, I'm sharing my yarn acquisitions purchased during my recent blog hiatus.

But first, I have another FO to share!

Here, Mary and I show off our matching Shedir hats. That's Mary on the left, me on the right. Thanks Madge for taking the photos! : )

Here's a closeup from the back. I love how it turned out.

Project: Shedir hat
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Plum
Needles: Brysoun 16" circulars size US 3
Start: January 15th
End: January 27th

And now....on with the show....

First up - Jeff and I went to Portland last October for the marathon. While we were there, I had to visit at least one yarn shop. I went to Knit Purl which is a very quaint shop in downtown Portland. They have a good variety of yarns to choose from, a beautiful wall of Koigu, a basement where classes are held and the staff was friendly without being overbearing. I didn't purchase a lot, but I did want to bring home some souvenir yarn. On the left is Artyarns Ultramerino 4 in color 139. The colors remind me of a lagoon. And since the colorway has no name, only a number, I think I'll name it Blue Lagoon. On the right is Shi Bui sock yarn in Rust. This was the first time I had seen Shi Bui in person. It has great sqwoosh-factor. Super soft. I'm thinking I'll make a pair of socks for Jeff with this.

Last year I was a member of Sundara's Petals Collection which has now transformed into the Seasons Yarn Club. The Petals Collection consisted of sock yarn. The Seasons Yarn Club is a variety of yarns and colors based on whichever season you choose. I chose autumn. Above is the second to last package from the Petals Collection. It's 100% Superwash Merino in Poppy. I personally have never seen a poppy this color. It's absolutely gorgeous. It's a deep, dark purple. Almost eggplant, but not quite. I might make the Lenore sock pattern out of this.

And last came Magnolia. It reminds me of cotton candy.

Our next float comes from the Seasons Yarn Club. It's 1,000 yards of silk lace. The color is Copper Over Bamboo. I plan on making a shawl or wrap. I'm just not sure which one. There are so many pretty patterns to choose from!

Next came Mossy, another skein of sock yarn.

And last, but not least, Bronzed Sienna, which has various shades of copper and a little brown mixed in. More socks!

I've been very pleased with the colors and quality of Sundara Yarn. I think I will probably sign up for the club again after this session ends. I'm going to pick a different season so that I'll have a new palette of colors. But it wasn't all Sundara.

Last summer I saw a post on the Yarn Harlot, which for some reason I can't link to the particular post, only the month of June. If interested, scroll down to June 5th. Then I saw this on The Panopticon. After months went by, I had a weak moment and followed this link to ThreadBear. Seriously. I couldn't decide which color combinations I like best. And this is what happened:

I was a little out of control! But this Dream in Color yarn is truly dreamy, let me tell ya. And now they have sock yarn....

Finally, I've been thinking about making Rogue for awhile now. As I was browsing on Ravelry one day, I saw a verison I loved made of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed. That was all the inspiration I needed. : )

Are you still with me? Thanks for hanging out. Until next time...

Ta Da!!!

2008-01-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

I know I said in my last post that I would share yarn acquisitions with you, but the yarny goodness will have to wait. I have something even more exciting! Scroll down and be surprised...

Ladies and gents, may I present Pomatomus! Jeff and I were vacationing last week in Cabo San Lucas so I took them along for a photo shoot. This was taken from the balcony of our room. I was so excited to have finished these socks. I pranced around the house in them like Cinderella at the ball. Why am I so happy? Well...

#1 - It's an indication that I have my knitting mojo back.

#2 - They're my first pair of adult-sized socks.

#3 - I love them and they're pretty!

#4 - The pattern was fun to knit and kept me interested. I never got tired of knitting them. I was only eager to finish them because I couldn't wait to wear them.

#5 - It's a FO! I haven't turned out a FO since last summer (I think). Oh dear.

#6 - The Sock Bug finally bit. Socks are fun. And they feel so much better than store bought socks.

Pattern: Pomatomus Socks by Cookie A.
Yarn: Sundara's Blue Grape Hyacinth colorway
Needles: Knit Pick's Options DPNs US size 2 (2.75mm)
Start: August 2007
Finish: January 2008

I loved working with the Sundara yarn. It has a very nice feel to it while knitting and the finished fabric is soft and squishy. It's a good thing I like the yarn. Once you see my next post, you'll understand why.

I also finished my nephew's sweater. I just need to block it and then I'll have him model it for me.

My knitting group started a KAL for the Shedir hat on January 1st. The pattern can be found on Knitty. It was one of the fall surprises for that issue. I'm one of the last to finish but I'm making good progress and it's still January. I should finish in the next few days.

The stitch marker is from Zero Markers. I tried to get a close up of it, but my camera wouldn't cooperate. It's pink and purple with a fresh water pearl on the bottom. I've bought several sets of markers from this site. I consider it jewelry for my knitting. I'm using Rowan Calmer for the hat and I'm lovin' it. It's super soft. The hat is knitting up much faster since Mary showed me how to cable without a cable needle. Thanks Mary!

So January included a great vacation and lots of knitting. A good start for 2008!

And we're back.....

2008-01-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Well, I've been a little bit absent, haven't I? Seeing that I haven't posted since September, it would take a novella to catch you up on the goings on around here, and quite frankly, it would be a boring read at that. So I'll spare you many of the details and suffice it to say that the holidays kicked me in the ass.

I work in retail, so for me, the holiday madness started in October with grand plans and preparation. And since I work in a cookware store, Thanksgiving is a huge holiday and we get busy earlier than most. By the time Christmas came around, part of me didn't care whether we celebrated or not. We did, of course. But the thought of picking up the phone and calling our family members and saying, "I'm sorry, but Christmas has been canceled over here. You'll have to make other plans. I'll be in hibernation for the day.", did cross my mind. I really felt like a grinch this year, which is so unlike me. I did manage to pull it together, however, and a good time was has by all . And in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't cancel on everyone. Next year I will try to do things differently so that the work demands don't effect my holiday spirit with friends and family. But I'll figure that out later. At this moment, I don't want to think about it.

Let's think about yarn, shall we? There was a little knitting going on here at the yarn addict's. Not a lot, but some.

Pomatomus

I started the second sock for the second time. The first time I had knit the ribbing and the 22 row pattern only to discover I had followed the wrong chart. Doh! That's the thing about knitting. Just when you think you know what you're doing (because you've already knit the pattern once before) it reminds you that you don't, that you need to stay focused. And so, I ripped and started again. I have one more pattern repeat and then I can turn the heel. I'm still enjoying the pattern and I'm eager to finish so that I can finally wear them. The finished sock is super comfy.

Simple Sweater

This is Anthony's birthday sweater. He's the big 2 now!

I started this Sept. 15th, the day the Yarn Harlot visited LA. I didn't blog about it and now it's such old news that I'll just say, if you ever have the opportunity to see her in person, do it. She's fabulously witty, funny and entertaining. Oh yeah, the sweater. I finished the knitting about a month later and began to sew it up. And then I got swept up into the holiday vortex and here it sits. I think I should rename it a Valentine Sweater rather than a birthday one. It's deja vu. I'll still shoot for his birthday to ensure it will be done by V-Day. ; )

The grey cable and rib sweater has been in timeout. I've finished the back, one side of the front and both sleeves. Just one more front to go.

So many near FOs and all I can think about is what project to cast on next.

I'm not going to make any resolutions. Only that I want to be better. A better blogger, better at finishing projects, better time management, etc.

Next post: yarn acquisitions!

Splat

2007-09-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was finishing my shower I noticed I was not alone. Something was flitting about here, there and everywhere. Once it stopped to take a rest I could see that it was the worst kind of intruder of all. Especially in a house full of luscious wooly goodness. It was a moth. I quickly picked up the can of shaving cream (my weapon of choice) and in one swift, deft move reminiscent of Bruce Lee.....I smashed him.

Moths are not welcome here. I must protect my stash no matter what. Even if it means resorting to murder.

If you happen to be a moth reading this post, you have been warned. Now... go tell your friends.

Bitten & Smitten

2007-09-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Wow. Where has the time gone? I haven't posted in over a month! Nothing exciting happening here. Just life - work, appointments, homekeeping, etc. But I didn't mean to let so much time go by between posts. I guess since I've only been knitting a little here and there, I haven't felt like I have much to say lately.

But today I have BIG news!

The sock bug has finally bit! A culmination of inspiration gained from Cookie A.'s sock class and my first skein of Sundara's yarn, not to mention the cool socks my friends have made.

I decided to make Pomatomus designed by Cookie A. and available for free at Knitty. I questioned whether this was a good choice since I have never actually finished an adult sock before. Would I be so overwhelmed by the lace pattern, in addition to the sock construction, only to have an abandoned half-finished sock in the bottom of a bag hidden in my spare closet? I worried. Afterall, this has happened before with a very simple sock pattern I began for Jeff a few years ago. It's still there. In a bag. In a bin. Hidden deep where I won't be reminded of my first sock failure. Still. I know it's there.

Cookie recommended choosing a pattern you love and yarn you'll love knitting with. Good advice to keep the knitting inspiration alive. I thought Sundara's Blue Grape Hyacinth colorway would look great in the Pomatomus pattern.

I started a few weeks ago, but only worked on it a little at a time. It isn't very portable because of the chart and the fact that I have to pay attention. I had this holiday weekend off. Jeff and I didn't make any plans. Temperatures have been in the 100s here lately, so we've been holed up inside with the a/c running. I've had lots of time to work on my sock.

See!

I'm now on the foot which is now almost half done. I've really enjoyed the sock process. When I got to the heel flap I didn't want to put it down until I was done. Then I couldn't wait to start the heel. Then the gusset. Now the excitement is over so I'm racing to get to the toe!

I hope to have one finished Pomatomus to show you soon. I better go. The weekend's almost over. Hope you have had a good one!

Everything's coming up....

2007-07-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers! They've been growing wild in my yard this year. It's the weirdest thing and it's never happened before. And they're in three different areas of the yard. The wind must have blew in some seeds....They're a happy surprise!

Wow, this has to be the most boring blog out there right now. Even I'm yawning. Not much knitting has been happening. I guess the needles are feeling they're due a summer vacation too. I gave in, but I'm about to cut their summer short. It's really almost over anyway. I can feel fall just around the corner!

This was in the last package I received from my secret pal during Secret Pal 10. Did I get lucky or what?! Three skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in color 24 (deep red), a Chick Knits pattern book, a book on The Language of Happiness, New Yorker Cats note cards, a mini spa kit, a hand care kit and a cute little magnet. Who was behine all the wonderful gifts the past few months? Alissa at Lis knits, too. Thanks Alissa!

And finally... even though the knitting content here has been bleak, there has been a little going on. A couple of months ago my coworker discovered she has breast cancer. I wanted to make her something that was both useful and comforting. I chose a hat in her favorite color pink.

Pattern: Dude, where's my hat? from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, color 25009 (a pink-mauvey color)
Needles: Size US 7 dpns - not recommended for a hat unless you have longer needles. My stitches came off the ends several times.
Knitting time: I started on a Saturday and finished the following Friday in three sittings.

Thoughts:
I don't love it. My biggest gripe is that hem line across the top of the brim. The pattern calls for doubling the brim length and then folding it under and stitching it to the inside of the hat. It's not as noticeable in the book since they used Tahki, Donnegal Tweed which makes a sturdier fabric than the alpaca silk I used. But I was going for soft.

Another gripe is that the picture in the book is not knit up 'in pattern'. The pattern calls for purl rows creating a garter edge. The picture is all stockinette. I noticed this before I started, but decided to follow the pattern...until I got to the crown. It also called for purl rows (not in the picture!) and I decided to leave them out.

The picture in the book is very cute. It's just not what the pattern makes. It would be disappointing for someone who is more of a beginner and doesn't know how to make the adjustments so that it looks like the picture.

I need to reblock the brim. Do you see where it flairs out on the sides? Thats because I laid it flat while blocking. How do you block a hat? On a cantalope?

I wouldn't knit this particular pattern again. I liked working with the yarn, but it was the wrong choice for the pattern in order to get the look I was going for. The right choice for softness though, which is more important. I'm going to give it to my friend nonetheless. And then I'm going to knit her a better one! :)

Cookie, Canning & a Contest

2007-07-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

So my toe-up sock with Cookie A. Thursday night was a lot of fun. The perfect way to end a workday. We made a small sample sock so that we would have time to knit all the hard parts, i.e., the toe, the heel, the gusset, the bind-off, etc. For some, this sample sock made perfect baby socks. They could go home and practice further by making a matching sock and have an instant baby gift on their hands. For me....

It would have to be a baby with mighty fat feet. I put the pen in for scale. The sock doesn't look as big in the picture as it really is. I think these would even be too big for a 3 year old. We used worsted weight yarn, size 7 needles. Oh yeah, and I'm a loose knitter (get your mind out of the gutter!). So no matching sock for this lonely sole. (heh) I bound off to pratice the sewn cast off rather than continuing up the leg.

The class accomplished exactly what I wanted.

It was a refresher on making socks. I had taken a top-down sock class a few years ago at Stitches, but never actually made a pair other than the class sample.

It renewed my interest in making socks. I've been thinking about them ever since! Maybe I'll actually make a pair this time.

I met Cookie! She's very down-to-earth, approachable and patient. Things you would want in an instructor. Her designs are amazing. I bought several patterns.

The Thelonious Sock,

Millicent,

and Rhiannon

But first I'll try something a little more simple! I'm glad I took the class. I don't have a preference to top-down vs. toe-up. I think I have to actually make a few pair before having an opinion. I find it interesting that a lot of people prefer toe-up because they don't like doing the kitchener stitch over a few stitches at the end, yet they'll do a sewn cast-off over 64 stitches. They seem very similar to me. Maybe they do a different bind-off. I know there are other benefits to toe-up. You get past the fussier parts at the beginning and you can knit until you run out of yarn. I wonder what my prefernce will be.

My knitting hiatus seems to be ending. What did I do in my free time if I wasn't knitting, you ask?

I've been playing in the kitchen. We have an apricot and plum tree. We've been told the apricot tree is dying, but it put out a good crop this year. I didn't want the fruit to go to waste like it has in the past, so I made preserves. It's been fun! And tasty! I'll definitely do it again.

On a final note, Ali at Skeins Her Way is having another contest. Let her know I sent you. Good luck!

Enough said.

2007-07-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sundara Yarn - Petals Collection

I've been eagerly waiting my first installment of Sundara's Petal Collection. It did not disappoint. The color is Blue Grape Hyacinth and it came with a sock pattern that has little clusters that look like hyacinth blooms.

I couldn't capture the subtle varigation of color very well on camera, but there is quite a lot of purple hues throughout the yarn. I've read such great things about Sundara's yarn on various blogs. Now that I have some for myself, I highly recommend it. It has great skwoosh factor and I love, love, love subtle color varigated yarn. I'm not sure if I'll save this for socks or a baby sweater. It will be awhile before I get to it.

I'm taking a class with Cookie A. this Thursday. Hoping the sock bug will bite!

What grows in your garden?

2007-06-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

My dad and I planted a garden on the side of my house this spring. I've been wanting to do this for the past two years, but something always got in the way of our plans. Not this year! We finally did it. We have tomato plants, yellow squash, cucmbers, radishes, green beans, watermelon (dad's idea - we'll see) and some herbs. It's been a ton of fun watching everything grow and a great project to spend time with my dad on. He's a Mississippi country boy afterall.

Look at that cucumber!

And those radishes-

Yellow bell peppers -

(gasp!) Rowan Felted Tweed (shade 155)!

Rowan Polar (shade 654)!

Filatura Di Crosa Nilo in color 50!

Rowan Calmer (shade 476)!

Sigh. It's a nice fantasy. These are actually some of my finds from the Black Sheep Knittery sale in May. There has been very little knitting going on here lately. Hopefully that will change soon. Here's an update on the grey sweater:

The back, one side of the front and a sleeve are done. It's growing. Very slowly.

Summer Knitting Goals

2007-05-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Did I say that? I did. Nothing like free yarn to motivate a meandering knitter.

Thanks to Valerie at Knitting in Pink I found out about this very cool contest hosted by Ali at Skeins Her Way . The winner will receive 4 hanks of Blue Sky Dyed Cotton in the color of his/her choice and the pattern for the Fitted Tank. Click here so you can join in the fun! But hurry...the contest closes at the end of May. Make sure you let her know that I sent you.

My Summer Knitting Goals:

1. Finish the gray Cable & Rib sweater. Including the zipper!

2. Knit my first pair of adult size socks. No more talking about it, no more fantasizing - just do it.

3. Knit the Myrtle Leaf Shawl from Victorian Lace Today seen below.

4. Last, but not least, finish inputting my stash into the spreadsheet. I'm 1/3 done and I've been entering new yarns that sneak into the house before I put them away in the bins. That's my new rule - must enter yarn in computer before putting it away. That way the amount of yarn needing to be entered doesn't continue to grow and overwhelm me.

I think I'll keep it at that. I have a tendency to make some pretty lofty goals. These are some big projects and I want to remain realistic here. I better get knitting!

This weekend I'll post a WIP report on the gray sweater.

Quick & Easy

2007-05-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to knit up something quick for my new nephew. I recently bought the Itty Bitty Hats book by Susan B. Anderson. There are so many cute patterns in this book. I'm going to have fun making many of them for the little people in my life. I started with the Simple Baby Cap 1:

The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in color 300501. I used size 5 dpns, which is smaller than the recommended size for the pattern & yarn, but I wanted the hat to be on the smaller size so that it will fit him right now. This was a super quick project. Started May 16th - finished May 19th. Done in two sittings. Now I hope it fits!

Have you heard about Raverly? It's going to be an online knit & crochet community where you can organize and share your projects with others. Pretty cool. It isn't up and running yet for the public. They're testing the system to work out any kinks. But you can put your name on the waiting list. They're slowly adding people to the system. Another way to meet fellow yarn addicts around the world!

Special Delivery!

2007-05-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to my new nephew Adam Ryan, born on Mother's Day weighing in at 6 lbs., 2 oz. He was a month early and both he and my sister are doing fine. I went to visit them at the hospital yesterday. He's very tiny and cute. The doctor came in while I was there and said that since he's considered a preemie it's very important to keep him warm at all times. My ears perked up and I realized I better cast on for some baby items. I think I'll make a hat first and then a light weight sweater. We are in SoCal after all and it's the beginning of summer...but doctor's orders!

When I came home the mail had come and there was a package on my doorstep.

My secret pal struck again! Everythink was wrapped just so inside a pretty gift bag. With handmade labels like this one:

Inside there was stash enhancement:

2 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca in color 6275. I've been wanting to try ou this yarn. I keep petting it and squeezing it. It's a nice heathered green with bits of gold. I love it. : )

There was also a pretty handmade card, some skincare products from Crabtree & Evelyn to pamper myself with, some Lemon Dill mix for dip, lemon candies, a photo album, a cat book and a blank card that I can use to send to someone else.

I'd like to send out a sincere thank you to my secret pal!

Knitting R&R

2007-05-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Arizona for three days. Jeff has been working in Chandler (a suburb of Phoenix) of late and I managed to get some extra days off so I could visit him. Since he'll be working during the day, I'll have plenty of time to catch up on some knitting.

I'm taking two projects with me. The gray Cable & Rib sweater and a lace project that I haven't yet cast on. I thought it would be a good time to start the lace project since I won't be distracted. I can give it my full attention. I'll show you my progress when I get back.

I need to finish packing....have to leave in a couple of hours.

Taking Stock

2007-04-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I was off from work today. I had plans to get together with a couple of friends and knit, but I woke up feeling under the weather so I stayed home. Feeling a little better by the afternoon, I started organizing my stash. This has been something I've procrastinated doing for a long time. It seemed so daunting. Today, however, with new acquisitions that needed to be put away, I decided now is as good a time to start as any. So I downloaded the Stash-O-Matic Template (in the sidebar under 'Spreadsheets & Such') from knitting guru Jillian and started inputting data. At first, I was only going to list my newly acquired yarn. I decided to keep going and complete one whole bin.

In that bin I have 182 skeins of yarn with a total of 35,197 yards. That's 20 miles of fiber! (It's a big bin.) I had no idea so much yarn could fit in that thing. I could probably stuff some more in there too now that it's neatly organized.

In addition to making me feel productive, I also had some revelations during this excercise.

1) Fondling yarn for long periods of time is good therapy. I already knew this, but actually doing it was a good reminder. It made me feel better. Okay, maybe not physically, but emotionally. I'm feeling much happier despite my stuffed up head. I'm actually looking forward to going through the other three bins.

2) This is how much sock yarn I have (minus 2 new skeins of Koigu that didn't make it into the picture). Actually, this is just from one bin. I just remembered I have more in the other bins. All this beautiful sock yarn and I still have not cast-on. I'm beginning to think I have a knitting-sock-phobia. (sigh)

3) After giving it much thought, this experience has confirmed that alpaca is my favorite fiber. It's so soft. Now, I admit, I've never knit with 100% cashmere. If I ever do, that might change the way I feel about the subject. At this point in time, I'm an alpaca girl all the way.

So tell me, what's your favorite fiber? If you could only pick one type to knit with for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Podcasts

2007-04-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

I first became aware of podcasts after reading an article about them by Amy Singer in an issue of Interweave Knits awhile back. I went online and searched around for those mentioned. I found the websites and clicked on an episode. At the time, I didn't have an iPod. Sitting and listening in front of the computer for an hour didn't interest me much. Maybe if I had a comfy chair in the room where the computer is where I could knit and listen, it would have been more appealing. But I don't, so my attention moved on to other things. I can sit and read my favorite blogs for long periods of time. I can even listen to music while doing so. But listening to a podcast about knitting and reading a blog about knitting at the same time doesn't work for me. I want to give each my full attention.

I received an iPod for Christmas, so I downloaded some podcasts. I listened to my first episode while working out at the gym. I thought that this would motivate me to work out more if I had something interesting to listen to. Not so much. Not that it wasn't interesting, it just didn't provide the run faster/push yourself harder kind of energy I was looking for. It was more of the when-will-this-be-over-so-I-can-get-home-and-knit kind of energy.

I finally found the perfect venue for listening. During my commute. It sometimes takes me an hour to get to work (30 minutes at the very least). And since I can't knit while I'm driving or at work, this makes me feel like I've spent a little time each day thinking about my knitting and sharing it (indirectly) with those who are talking.

So far, my favorite is Cast On with host Brenda Dayne. There are 46 episodes now and I'm about halfway through. Brenda has a format that she sticks to, sound bytes for different segments,guests who contribute essays or are interviewed and three or four songs interspersed throughout. Sometimes I'll fast-forward through the music if I'm not in the mood for it. The combination of her soothing voice and the sound quality of her equipment makes for a very professional product. Some of the guests who have participated are Nancy Bush, Leigh Radford, and Franklin, whose blog is The Panopticon. My favorite episode is no. 13 titled "On Gauge". In this episode Brenda writes a thought provoking essay in which she uses being on gauge as a metaphor for living. If you listen to only one, this is the one I recommend.

I've also listened to Pointy Sticks and Lime & Violet, however, since I've only listened to one episode of each, I don't think it's fair to give a review at this time. I'll listen to more of each in the future and then share what I think. What I did find interesting is that both episodes had 2 people talking. I don't know if Pointy Sticks always has 2 people...Lime & Violet does obviously. What I found interesting, is that I prefer one person vs. two. When there are two, I feel like I'm listening in on someone else's conversation. When there is one, I feel like that person is talking directly to me. It's more intimate, mor structured and less chaotic. But I will give them a chance. They all have good information, links to sites I might not have known about, yarn that I haven't knit with yet, designers, etc.

All can be downloaded on iTunes. So if you have a commute or just want something interesting to listen to while knitting, try listening to a knitting podcast.

Slow and Steady

2007-04-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

This photo is in honor of the current color theme of Project Spectrum (pink, green, yellow). This is part of my second order from the Knit Happens sale. From l-r: 7 skeins of Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Soul (light pink), 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in Berry, 7 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in Pink. I also bought this:

7 skeins of Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Pansy and 5 skeins in Mocha. The mocha is more gray than brown. I was hoping for more brown. Oh well. This purchase was to enhance my baby knitting stash for the future. I couldn't resist the great prices. My second order was bigger than the first! I bought Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Dk - enough for a sweater. It's currently burried in one of the bins and I'm too lazy to dig it out for a picture, but I like it a lot. I'm planning to make the Cable Trim Pullover (pattern 26) in the Fall 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting. Someday. I'm already working on two sweaters and they're coming along at a snail's pace.

Nonetheless, here's an update.

The back is done on the Debbie Bliss Rib & Cable Jacket and I'm working on the left front. I'm really enjoying the pattern, although I do have to pay attention with the center panel of cable work. I think I'm going to the love the finished product. Here is a closeup of the front.

It's a little blurry, but you get the idea.

And here is my version of Sahara.

I'm done with the waist shaping and ready to start increasing for the hips. I've put it aside at the moment because I feel like I should try it on, but haven't been motivated to transfer all the stitches to waste yarn and back again in order to do so. I can't say that I'm a fan of knitting in the round and/or knitting from the top down. Not yet anyway. Maybe because I've been knitting in pieces for so long, it's simply what I'm used to and comfortable with. But I'm open to trying new things and I won't shy away from a design that I like because the pattern is knit in the round. The verdict is still out until I make a couple of items. I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with the process.

I am liking the subtle striping in the yarn and, of course, I love the color. So I will keep plugging away and I'll be able to wear it in the fall.

Happy spring everyone!

It came! It came!

2007-03-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Secret Pal 10 officially started on March 15th and to my surprise I received a package in the mail last week. So soon! I wasn't expecting it, which made it even more exciting. I couldn't wait to open the box and see what was inside. Once opened, everything was wrapped in pink tissue paper with pretty stickers holding them shut. (I would have/should have taken a picture, but that would have meant waiting to see what was wrapped up.)

My secret pal sent me a card with beautiful peonies on the front, which happen to be a favorite of mine even though I love all flowers. Three balls of Dale of Norway Sisik yarn in a luscious deep shade of red. I think I see a preety scarf in it's future. A set of bamboo dpns. Some earl grey tea and a cute little saucer shaped like a teapot to hold your tea bag. Some Godiva chocolate - yum! A bar of rose scented soap. And last but not least, a whimsical book called Dancing With Cats, which has photos of people dancing with their cats. Who knew?!

Thank you Secret Pal!!! You made my day! I loved everything. : )

I'll leave you with this photo from the book.

For those of you who have furry feline friends (and I know who you are), go on and get your boogie shoes!

Stitches West, pt. 2 - The Loot

2007-03-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the damage. Served up on a cake plate because it's just as yummy and decadent as any dessert. I had to use my flash, but I think I captured the colors pretty well.

Here we have Socks that Rock. My first purchase. On the left is Lucy in lightweight - it's a beautiful colorway of blue, brown & tan. On the right is Ruby Slippers in heavyweight - I couldn't resist the red tones. And then there was the name. I was sold.

Last year at Stitches I didn't know who Blue Moon Fiber was and had never heard of Socks That Rock. I just remember everyone going crazy at the dinners when they would raffle off their yarn. Now I understand what all the fuss is about. It's worth waiting in a long line.

Next up is Black Water Abbey. On the left is Pink Heather, enough to make myself a sweater. On the right is Wheat, enough to make a sweater for the husband.

The yarn is pretty scratchy, but I think it will soften some after washing. The color choices are gorgeous. I think I stood in their booth for an hour trying to pick a color. I wanted all of them. I predict I'll be buying more of their colorways in the future. This would make a great coat with the right pattern.

This is 4 skeins of Brooks Farm Four Play. The color doesn't have a name, just the number PB7. It's darker than the picture suggests. More of a burgundy red. I'm planning to make Wicked with this.

I love Brooks Farm yarns. I've made a scarf with their Primero and I'm currently knitting the Sahara sweater using their Harmony yarn. It's a pleasure to knit with and the colors are scrumptious.

This was in the fashion show and I really liked it. I started looking at Noro at the Webs booth to see if I could find a color I liked. As if that wouldn't happen. ; )

I found this. It's Kureyon in color 185. And it became an early birthday present from my MIL who never knows what to get me. I keep telling her yarn is always a good idea! She's finally caught on.

I love these colors together!

And finally, (you were probably wondering when it was going to end) I was so inspired by Jane Sowerby who spoke during the Opening Day event and showed every single piece from her lovely book, Victorian Lace Today,

that I bought the book and began a crazed search for lace yarn. This was a surprise. While I admire the beauty of lace knitting, I still held the idea that lace was granny-ish. I know. I know. It's a terrible way to think. And I'm ashamed. We don't like it when knitting is referenced to 'old ladies' and we know that there are women and men of all ages and backgrounds who knit. Why should lace be any different. And while I've been intrigued by lace patterns, I just never thought I would actually wear a lace shawl. Well, Miss Sowerby has changed that! Just like the title of her book, she has shown how Victorian Lace can be modernized and truly fashionable.

And so I bought this:

Three cones of Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk from Webs. Colors from left to right are Dark Gray, Dahlia and Black. It's 80% alpaca, 20% silk. Very soft. I can't wait to try it.

Now after reviewing all my new goodies, I want to start knitting them all up! This is why I have Project ADD. I'm lured by the softness and the colors and the patterns...There simply isn't enough time in a day to enjoy all the knitting world has to offer - even if I didn't work. And I need to work so I can afford this addiction I adore.

Happy knitting everyone!

Next, I'll share my favorite purchase from Stitches with you.

Secret Pal 10 Questionnaire

2007-03-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

It time for another Secret Pal exchange! I'm posting this questionnaire for my Secret Pal.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love Rowan and Debbie Bliss yarns. I love alpaca (Blue Skye, Honey Lane Farms), Malabrigo, Socks that Rock from Blue Moon, Sundara yarns, Mountain Colors, Koigu. I like natural fibers - wool, wool/cotton blends, silk, alpaca, etc...

I don't like novelty or acrylic yarns. *Please no acrylic*

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a plastic bin/drawer that I store all of the needles & accessories I'm not currently using.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting for about 15 years now. I took a class at the LYS when I was in college. I would consider my skill level to be a high-level intermediate. There are still some techniques I haven't tried.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

No

5. What's your favorite scent?

I like most citrus scents, vanilla & lavendar (not necessarily together).

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I do, I do! I like chocolate of course. Milk chocolate is my favorite. My very favorite candy are Cadbury Mini-Eggs - it's seasonal - you can only get them around Easter time (now!). I have to restrain myself from eating 10 bags this time every year. So far, so good!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

Just knitting. I'm afraid spinning would take too much time away from knitting, so I won't let myself go there. I like to cook, but haven't had much time lately. I work at Williams-Sonoma, so that passion gets fed almost everyday.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like rock - alternative & classic. I love U2, Pete Yorn, Cold Play, Radio Head. I also like what my husband calls "chick music" - Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant, Jewel, Traci Chapman. Yes, my computer can play MP3s. Plus, I've been enjoying a new Ipod that I got for Christmas.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

My favorite color is red. I also like different shades of apple or lemongrass green. And blue-greens. I really love color, so there's not a color I can't stand. I tend to like more muted or earthy colors versus bright, primary ones. But there's always an exception here and there.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Married, no children, one cat named Nikko.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I wear scarves and hats when the weather is cold, which is seldom here in Southern Cal. I like gloves & mittens. I made several pairs of fingerless gloves this past year, which made nice gifts. I don't wear ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I like knitting sweaters. Baby sweaters are the best because they're quicker to finish and they're super cute. I also like having a smaller project to work on, like a purse, scarf or gloves. I'm going to knit my first pair of socks soon!

13. What are you knitting right now?

I'm knitting Sahara in a varigated red yarn from Brooks Farm and a Debbie Bliss cardigan pattern in gray.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes!!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circular. A friend let me try out her KnitPick Options needles and I fell in love. I bought myself a set and prefer knitting with them over anything else.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yep - I just bought one last month!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Ugh. I'm too embarrassed to say. Let's just say it's years old, but not in the double digits.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Thanksgiving & Christmas. I really like any holiday/reason to celebrate!

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Yarn. Knitting books. Cook books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Barbara Walkers Treasury books (I have the first one), anything by Elizabeth Zimmermann (I only have Knitting Without Tears), Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules. I have subscriptions to Interweave Knits & Knitter's & Vogue Knitting.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I recently took a class on Fair Isle, which was a lot of fun to do. I'm going to make a hat as my first Fair Isle project. I still want to learn how to do steeks. And socks.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I'm a sock yarn buyer! I still haven't made a pair, but that's my goal this year. I keep buying the yarn!

23. When is your birthday?

May 22nd

Stitches West, (Part 1)

2007-03-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

You can create these cards here.

I attended Stitches West for my fourth year in a row. For me, the event gets better and better. This year was special because some of my knit sisters were there!

From left to right: Jillian, Madge, Marie, me (sitting) & Mary. I didn't think Stitches could get any better, but it did! It was much more fun having friends there to meet up with.

We had four days of knitting, shopping, taking classes and talking about yarn. Did I mention shopping? We did some major shopping people. When it comes to yarn, we are enablers at their best. Go check out their blogs and you'll see what I mean. At this point, you'll have to scroll back to Feb. I'm a little behind here in the news. Since my life isn't going to get any less busy in the near future, I'll have to post my experience in snippets.

Next up - photos of my loot!

My Valentine's Date

2007-02-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my nephew's hoodie just in time for V-Day. This is an example of procrastination at it's finest, my friends. This was supposed to be his birthday present last October, but I had knit the hood backwards and had to frog it and figure out what had gone wrong. So I thought I would give it to him for Christmas, but never got around to sewing it together. I had a date with him for Valentine's Day and was determined to get this project done-done-done. I stayed up past midnight the night before finishing it. Honestly, I thought it wasn't going to fit him anymore! His mommy is pregnant with nephew no. 2, so I figured all was not lost. But it fits! It looks smashing, despite the drool.

Pattern - Hooded Sweater by Debbie Bliss Special Knits
Yarn - Annie Blatt No. 4 (100% wool) Color 519 (a brick red)
Needles - US size 7, Bryspun circulars
Modifications - None except for the yarn. The pattern called for DB Cashmerino Aran which I love. But I wanted to do some stash busting and had bought this yarn last summer at the Yarn Lady Bag Sale. This was the second time I've made this sweater and for some reason I couldn't figure out the pattern for the hood. First time...not a problem. Second time, it came out backwards. Weird. I'd make it again. I think it's cute and simple. The only thing I would change is the seam at the top of the hood. If I could find a pattern for a seamless hood, I'd like it better.

I've been trying to refrain from shopping since I'm going to Stitches West next week. But I had bought a skein of Scout's Swag Merino for my secret pal Valerie (go on over and meet her - she loves to knit socks), and I couldn't resist.

The colorway is called Orchids.

My local LYS was having a sale on Malabrigo, so I went yesterday to take a look. I had a gift certificate that was burning a hole in my pocket.

The blue is called Azul Profundo and the brown is Rich Chocolate. These will become scarves for either birthday or Christmas presents for my brothers-in-law.

And this is my new knitting bag:

I felt like having a new bag for my trip to Stitches.

Almost an FO!

2007-01-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

I received my final package from my secret pal. Thank you Pancy! More goodies - yarn, patterns, stationary, lip gloss, body scrub, chocolate, etc!!! You made my first secret pal exchange a lot of fun. : ) I will definitely do it again. A big thank you for making it a fun experience!

I know I've been MIA lately. I have been knitting, just not blogging.

I've finished the back of my Cable & Rib sweater. Before I cast on for the fronts, I decided to spend some time finishing up a smaller project that's been waiting patiently for my attention. I've been so close to finishing for so long....the excitement has been building and I just couldn't wait any longer. My first felting project!

This is the Ruffles to Riches bag from the Pursenalties book. The body of the purse is Noro's Kureyon. I'll list all of the details when it's completely done. I finished the handles and sewed them on, sewed up the bottom and voila:

Next came the scary, I mean exciting part:

Whew! It's over and nobody got hurt. It didn't fall to pieces or get eaten by the washing machine. I do need a pillow case with a zipper or a garment bag though. I put it in a pillowcase and knotted the top, but it kept coming out. Not a big deal except for all the wool in the water. Nothing a mesh strainer from the kitchen can't handle. : )

It's drying now and I think I'm going to love it! All that's left is a trip to the fabric store and to sew up a lining. More pictures to come.

Cable & Rib Jacket

2007-01-13T13:05:00.000-08:00

So I cast on for the Cable & Rib Jacket from Debbie Bliss' book "Wish You Were Here". This is what I have so far:

Here's a closeup:

It's a little fuzzy. As you can see, I haven't taken the time to really get to know my camera. We're acquainted, but it's been strictly business thus far. There's no love connection on my end yet. One of these days I'll take the time to figure out what makes him 'click' and how to get the best photos out of him. But for now, this is it.

I'm really enjoying this pattern so far. The twisted stitches mixed in with the rib pattern keep the knitting interesting. I love the texture of the pattern and the stitch definition of the yarn. I'm using Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton (the pattern calls for DB Cotton Cashmere). I've had this yarn in my stash for two years and have been waiting to find the right pattern for it. I finally found one I'm excited about. The yarn is nice and soft. It's a little splitty though. Only a problem with the twisted stitches and if I drop a stitch. I can deal with it. I'm looking forward to finishing the back and getting to the front panels which involves cables. Woohoo!

This project ventures into a land I've never gone before...zipperland. (gulp!) I'm not going to think about that right now. I'm just going to enjoy the knitting and worry about how the *%@! (heck) I'm going to attach a zipper when I get to it.

In other news...I received a box full of goodies from my Secret Pal! Here's a pic:

There's a pretty shade of blue yarn, cute knitting related note cards, a box of tea, bath confetti and an aromatherapy face mask, a snowman basket with a poofy body scrubbing thingy, cute snowman soapbar, a potholder, yummy candle & candlewarmer and a little first aid kit to boot. Whew! Thanks Secret Pal! I'm going to enjoy using all the fun things you've sent me. :)

Ending on a High

2006-12-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been much knitting going on lately. Somehow it got lost among the flurry of Christmas preparation and celebration, despite my visions of sitting in front of a cozy fire enjoying the lights on the tree, holiday music playing in the background, needles and yarn in hand. I caught a cold the week before Christmas, which turned into bronchitus. Still, Christmas was merry. Shared with family, friends, good food and fun presents. DH gave me an iPod and I finally feel like part of the "in" crowd. I'm excited about not only having all of my favorite music at my fingertips wherever I am, but finally being able to download and listen to Cast On and Knit Cast.

As 2006 draws to a close, I've been reflecting on the year in regards to my knitting life. It has been the best so far! So many positive things happened this past year that enhanced my knitting skills and made knitting even more enjoyable. Let's explore, shall we?

It started in February, when I attended Stitches West with my mom and mother-in-law. I've been to Stitches before, but this was the first time I went with someone else, which made it even more fun. Both are new to knitting, so it's fun for me to share my passion and encourage them to learn and start new projects. And I'm glad they both enjoyed it enough to come with me again in '07!

Around the same time, I started attending an SnB group in my area. This has made a huge difference in my knitting experience, because I have met and become friends with other knitters who are as passionate about knitting and addicted to yarn as I am! I continue to learn from and be inspired by them. We've had some good laughs this past year and even though we no longer meet on a regular basis, I have made some very good knitting friends who I will keep in touch with. Thank you for making my knitting life more enjoyable and this past year more memorable!

I've gone on three yarn crawls, joined three KALS and participated in a Secret Pal exchange, none of which I had ever done before. Oh yeah, and I started this blog, which is connecting me to even more wonderful knitters out there in the world.

2006 has definitely been a high for me and my knitting. I look forward to 2007...as I don't plan on crashing anytime soon! My bronchitus is getting better everyday and I get to bring in the New Year with DH and Nikko (maybe in front of a cozy fire, admiring the lights on the tree before we take it down, listening to holiday music...). Definitely with yarn and needles in hand!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

No time to knit

2006-12-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

In the words of Officer Barbrady from South Park, "Okay people, move along...there's nothing to see here...."

Seriously. With Christmas being 5 days away, there has been no time for knitting chez yarn addict. I'm jonesin' for some yarn and needles! I've even received my state-of-the-art speed-demon Option Needles to cast on Sahara and where are they? In the bag. Taunting me to open them and get started.

I might be able to get a quick fix in before Christmas. I'm really looking forward to the day after. I don't have to work, the festivities will be over and I can knit all day long if I want to!

Thanks Secret Pal!

2006-12-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I received my first package from my Secret Pal. I was very excited to see what was inside.

Here's what I got:

2 skeins of Bernat Galaxy Yarn in a pretty purple with flecks of gold
A cute journal and 2 note pads
A little Ty Jingle Bear
A silicone trivet
A yummy smelling spice candle
Some decorated binder clips
A couple packages of hot chocolate
Mrs. Fields chocolates
And some Altoids

I'll have a good time using all of it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :)

Got Gauge!

2006-12-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

I swatched for the Sahara pattern and my gauge was right on the mark. This almost never happens. I usually have to go down a needle size (or 2) due to being a loose knitter. I was worried about being able to get the right gauge at all with the yarn I wanted to use. The pattern calls for worsted weight and I consider the Harmony from Brooks Farm to be more of a DK. So the fact that I'm a loose knitter and the pattern suggests size 6 needles for a worsted weight yarn worked in my favor. I love it when that happens! : )

Here it is:

I still need to block the swatch to make sure nothing wacky happens to the gauge, but I think it's going to work. I bought this yarn last year at Stitches and I've been waiting for the right pattern to come along. The lace scarf I made a couple of posts back is yarn from the same company. What can I say about the yarn? I'm in love! This yarn is so silky smooth and light. It's like dipping your finger in whipped cream. And I love the subtle variation of color. It goes from a coral red to a darker garnet. I can't wait to see how it knits up in a larger fabric.

This pattern will be my first top-down sweater and the first time I knit a sweater in the round. So it will be a learning experience if nothing else. I have the pattern. I have the yarn. Only things left to do are to block the swatch (today) and get the right needles. I only have bamboo circulars which I refuse to use because the yarn catches on the join...very annoying. I think I'll order a pair of KnitPicks Options. My friend Mary let me try hers once. All I have to say is that you don't know what you're missing until you try these needles. Honestly. I thought I was fine trodding along with my bamboo gear. I have a lot of bamboo. Well, let me tell you....bamboo is to Options like a Ford Focus is to a Ferrari. The former are practical and get you where you want to go, eventually. The latter make it a far more sensory experience. They're fast and sleek. I highly recommend you try them.

In other knitting news...

I finally finished all the pieces to my nephew's hoodie. I'm going to block it today and then sew it up. This was supposed to be part of his birthday present in October. It will now be part of his Christmas present. Photos to come in a week or so.

I'm thinking of making this for my Debbie Bliss KAL using this yarn:

Another attempt to do some stashbusting. Again, I'm concerned about the gauge. This yarn calls for size 3 and the pattern calls for size 5. But hey, maybe my luck will stay with me and it will work perfectly.

Since I've been focusing on using yarn from my stash, don't think I haven't been shopping. Here are some of my latest acquisitions:

Pursenalities by Eva Wiechmann
A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker
and
Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann

I have the yarn for a felted bag I want to make from Pursenalities. And the other two are the beginnings of my collection of their books - both are knitting legends.

I'm off to block before I go to work. Happy Monday!

I'm still here...

2006-11-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Not much happening on the knitting front. Between work and the holidays my knitting time has suffered in a terrible way. Hopefully, I'll have an FO to show you soon...the hoodie for my nephew. But I had to rip out the hood and figure out what I did wrong and fix it. Somehow I knit it backwards. Since I want little Anthony to be able to see and breathe, I thought I should fix it. Funny thing is, I did it right the first time I made this pattern. Go figure.

I'm trying to decide which sweater to start next. I'm waiting for this pattern to become available. I have a pretty varigated red yarn I'd like to use, but I'm not sure I can match the gauge. I'm going to swatch and see. I'd also love to make this for DH. But I don't have the yarn for it yet. I love reading Jared's blog and I think he's an amazing knitter. Take a peak at some of his FOs. I also want to make the Urban Aran sweater...someday.

So I'm in indecision mode. Not a lot of knitting time, not sure what to start next....

Look, it's a FO!

2006-11-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Well I've finally come up for air and after having a few days off, I feel like my normal self again.

Ta da! I'm pleased to present my first lace scarf -

The pattern is the Cocoon Lace Scarf by Fiber Trends. The yarn is from Brooks Farm. I bought it at Stitches West last year. I love this yarn! I think it's Duet (a wool/kid mohair blend), but I don't know what I did with the label. It's super soft and light...feels very cozy wrapped around my neck. It's actually been finished for awhile except for the blocking. I discovered I don't like the process of blocking lace. It can be very time consuming. This project wasn't as bad as some that I've read about, but I wove the blocking wires through every stitch along both edges. The result of the blocking is magical though and worth the time. So lace is definitely in my future, which means the blocking is also.

Here it is once more:

A special thanks to Knitdevil Madge for playing photographer with me yesterday. And for helping me untangle the "yarn barf" that exploded from a ball of yarn I was working with. It felt good to be knitting with my friends again, since I haven't been for a few weeks.

I've caught the KAL bug!

First I joined the Red Sweater KAL. Since my favorite color is red and I happen to be working on a red hoodie for my nephew, it seemed like a good idea to me. I plan on starting a red sweater for myself soon with some Harmony yarn from Brooks Farm which I also bought at Stitches West. Brooks Farm was my favorite "find" at the market! I'd like to suggest that my friend Mary join this KAL, since I know she bought some red yarn to make a slouchy cardigan and she loves to join KALs. Anyone else want to join?!

Then I joined a Debbie Bliss KAL. I love Debbie Bliss' designs, especially her designs for children. It also happens that the red hoodie for the nephew is a Debbie Bliss pattern. It's a win win! Once I'm finished with it, I might consider making one of her designs for myself also. The good news is that there is no deadline for either KAL.

I'm seriously considering joining Sundara's Petal Collection Club. I did some lurking around and saw some of the past colorways that were sent to participants and I liked them. Plus, I like the idea of getting a surprise in the mail.

Tomorrow I'm signing up for Stitches West! I'm very excited because this year I'll have friends from my SnB group joining in on the fun!

Good news/Bad news

2006-10-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

(It's a mixed bag really)

Good:

I accepted a position on the management team at work. I really like the company and I love the product which makes it easy to sell.

Bad:

It's full time, which means less time for knitting and less time getting together with my SnB sisters. : (

Good:

It does mean more money for buying yarn though! It's also at the store in the Santa Anita Mall, which means it's closer to Pasadena (come by and visit me!). So I can join the group on days that I have off and when I'm scheduled for the night shift. And I plan on it being temporary - just until DH and I have a baby - hopefully only a year or so away (less would be good).

Bad:

It's a little crazy to take on right at the cusp of the holiday season. The store makes half of it's annual sales in December alone! So if I seem dazed and confused and look like I'm running on fumes - just send me some yarny eye candy for rejuvenation.

Good:

I'll repeat - more money to buy yarn! Yay!

Since I don't have any knitting news, I'll leave you with a picture. The bougainvilla in my backyard loves this time of year:

I'll try to have some knitting news up soon. Have a good week everyone!

Will Power

2006-10-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was fun and eventful. Saturday was my nephew Anthony's 1st birthday party. Let me introduce you....

As you can see, he wasn't shy about digging into his cake! He went wild and needed a bath afterward before continuing on with the festivites. I did not finish the hoodie in time - still working on it. But I brought him the new Tickle Me Elmo, which I'm sure he'll enjoy more than the sweater. This toy is hilarious! I think the adults liked it even more than the kids. It was a fun day for a very special little guy.

On Sunday, my amazing husband ran the Long Beach Marathon. This is his third marathon this year! Makes me tired just thinking about it. I'm his personal cheerleader. I have to say that standing on the sidelines watching all the runners cross the finish line is very inspiring. Makes me want to join in the fun...almost. I better start with a 5k and work my way up from there. Here he is after the event -

Here's where the will power came in. My will power anyway. After I got DH settled back at the hotel to rest for awhile, I thought I would take the opportunity to visit Alamitos Bay Yarn Company, the local yarn store. I had never been there before and had heard good things about it. The entrance alone is charming.

And who do you think I ran into?!

It's Marie from Pasadena SnB! This is the second time we've run into each other at a yarn store out of our area. The first time was at Velona in Anaheim. Clearly we don't mind a little road trip when it involves yarn.

Alamitos Bay Yarn Company did not disappoint. The store was warm and cozy, the yarn beautifully displayed and the staff was very friendly. I will definitely go back. There are several restaurants in the area to have lunch - next time I'll make a day of it and bring a friend.

So here's what I bought:

It's allhemp6 (100% hemp) in Brick. I bought enough to make this market bag. Jillian made one over the summer in a pretty purple and I've wanted to make one ever since.

I also bought the Dale of Norway pattern book. It's book number 171.

I want to make the sweater on the cover someday. And I bought some yarn for my secret pal, which was my excuse to visit the store in the first place.

(Big sigh) I didn't buy the Rowan Tapestry to make the Lady E wrap. Or the Dale of Norway Svale to make the sweater on the cover above. Or the beautiful Mountain Colors Bearfoot sock yarn in beautiful reds. Or the Lamb's Pride for various felted projects I would like to make (the store had a great selection of colors by the way). I could have done some major damage to the bank account, but I showed some restraint. But I'll be back.

A Fun Link

2006-10-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

You Are Pecan Pie Soda

Sweet, but totally nuts

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

SP9 Contest #1

2006-10-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

My Secret Pal 9 host asked us to post this list so our secret pals can learn more about us. It's hard to list just one answer for many of these, but I'll try!

Actor - Sean Penn - I think he is the best actor of his generation.
Actress - Meryl Streep - I love everything she's in.
Animal - Cat
Band - Pete Yorn at the moment
Book - The last book I read that I loved was The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - it's a love story with some fantasy mixed in - beautifully written.
Bubble Bath - I'm not picky...any excuse to take a bubble bath is good for me.
Candy - Milk chocolate
Color - Red
Flower - Peonies
Food - Pizza! - I like all toppings, but pepperoni is my favorite.
Lip Balm - Kiehl's (it heals chapped lips in a jiffy)
Lotion - Bath & Body Works Orange Ginger Aromatherapy
Movie - When Harry Met Sally (the perfect romantic comedy IMO-I can watch it over and over - it never gets old)
Song - It's a Beautiful Day by U2 (one of my faves - there are too many to just have one)
TV Show - Will & Grace, Sopranos
Vacation Spot - Booneville, Ca and New York City - two extreme opposites! Dream vacation - Paris!

Moooooo

2006-10-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

By request, I'm posting a picture of a sweater I made for my nephew this past year.

Details:
Pattern - Cow Cardigan in Kids' Country Knits by Debbie Bliss
Yarn - Rowan Wool/Cotton
Size - 3-6 months
Needles - US 2 (I think - it calls for US 3 and I usually have to go down a size to make gauge. It's been awhile and I didn't take notes.)
Modifications - Only with the cows. I made some of them almost fully black and brown. In the pattern, all the cows look the same.

This is the second time I've made this sweater and it comes out super cute. You can't tell in the picture very well, but some cows are black and some dark brown. The buttons are little tractors except for the top (a cow) and bottom (a rooster). I've made several patterns from this book. The patterns are for newborns through age 5. I know I will make more in the future (including the cow sweater!).

Secret Pal 9 Questionnaire

2006-10-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like wools and wool blends, alpaca, some cotton - more traditional yarns. Most Rowan and Debbie Bliss yarns, Koigu, Mountain Colors, Blue Skye...I don't like many novelty yarns. No acrylic.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I use a plastic storage box that pulls out like a drawer. I bought it at Target and it's worked well so far, except that it's nor very portable. I just pull what I need and keep those items in my knitting bag.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting for about 16 years now. I took a class at a yarn store when I was in college. In the beginning, there would be times when I didn't knit for a couple of years here and there, but I've been pretty consistent for the past ten years and I plan on knitting forever (as long as I am able). I consider myself to be an intermediate/advanced knitter. There is still a lot I can learn. I just learned to do cables a year ago, which are very easy, I just never learned. And then there are socks - I made a baby pair in a class, but I haven't finished an adult size pair yet. But I plan to soon!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No - I keep it all in my head.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I love candles and bath products. I like a variety of scents - citrus scents (orange ginger, grapefruit, lemon), lemongrass, lavendar, flowers, vanilla - pretty much anything goes except for food smells like chocolate chip cookies (I'd rather that scent was coming from the oven!).

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes! I have a weakness for homemade cookies and ice cream. I don't eat much candy, but I love chocolate, especially milk chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I've done a little scrapbooking - I like all the paper products and stickers. I love to cook and bake - I'm always trying a new recipe that I saw on Food Network. I don't spin. I won't let myself take on another fiber related hobby. I'm happy to just knit.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like rock and alternative rock. I think U2 is the best band of all time. Even the Beatles (who I also love) didn't have the career span that U2 has had. Pete Yorn is a favorite. Also Radio Head, Cold Play, the Killers - I could go on and on. And yes, I can play MP3s on my computer.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
My favorite color is red. When it comes to yarn I like earthy tones rather than bright primary colors. I'm drawn to blue/green colors a lot, like teal, indigo blue, sea green. I really like all colors, just not bright ones. I also like neutrals - black, white, cream, taupe.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married, no children yet but we're trying. I have a male cat named Nikko who's going to be 15 this month.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I like them all. There isn't a huge need for them here in Southern California, but we do have chilly nights and mornings in the winter. And my husband and I like to travel, so I like to wear them if the weather permits.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Sweaters. I especially like to make baby sweaters because they knit up so quickly and they're so darn cute. Lately I've been making a lot of fingerless gloves and a couple of scarves.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A baby hoodie for my one year old nephew, a felted tote bag - I have a small collection of UFOs, and I'm trying to decide which sweater I want to cast on for myself next.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like both - it depends on the project. Sweaters are usually easier with circulars because of their size and bulk. I use a lot of bamboo, but I'm beginning to lean toward Addis or something similar - again it depends on the project. I don't like the metals dpns because they're slippery and fall out leaving loose stitches behind.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No. Can you believe I'm still winding my yarn by hand? I use the cardboard tube that's in the middle of the roll of paper towels. It works, it's just slow. I intend to buy a winder and swift, but I always buy yarn instead.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
About 8 years! Its a cardigan designed by Annabelle Fox. It has intarsia flowers along the bottom border and then a leaf lace pattern on the top. I got stuck on the pattern and put it away for a long, long time.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving and Christmas. And my birthday. :)

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Not really. I keep all my knitting magazines and have several pattern books. I like antique dishes - china, depression glass, especially little sugar and creamer sets, but I only have a couple so it's not really a collection.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I'd like to have the Treasury of Knitiing books by Barbara Walker, Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, anything by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I don't have any subscriptions to magazines - I buy Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits regularly.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to learn Fair Isle and conquer making socks.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I'm a wannabe at this point. I haven't quite taken the plunge and committed to finishing a pair. But I keep buying sock yarn! So I will be some day. My foot measurements are 9 1/2 inches long and 8 1/2 inches around the ball of the foot. I wear a size 8 shoe.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
May 22nd

Yarn Crawlin' on the Westside

2006-10-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday a group of us from the Pasadena knitting group met up with 3 gals from West LA and did a yarn crawl in West LA and Santa Monica. I had been looking forward to this for weeks, since the first yarn crawl we did in the Valley was such a great time and the second one in OC was cut short for me. It did not disappoint. What's more fun than spending a day with friends (some old, some new) who share the addiction, um, I mean passion for fiber, visiting yarn store after yarn store?! Anyone? Anyone? I can't think of anything either.

So here goes it. I admit I was very lazy with the camera that day and now regret not taking a group photo at least. I have since, however, taken photos of my stash enhancement.

The first store we went to was A Mano. This was by far our favorite stop. Super friendly staff, great selection of yarn and competitive prices. The staff invited us to come back and hang out with them, knit and have lunch. I bought three skeins of Noro Kureyon in color 164 (green, gold, cream) to make a felted purse. The red yarn at the top is Cherry Tree Hill that was 40% off. I'm going to make myself a pair of socks...someday. (I have yet to make a pair of socks even though I continue to buy sock yarn.) And the orange and brown skein on the right are Cascade 220 from which I plan to make these felted pumpkins from last year's Knitty.

Our second stop was L'Atelier in Santa Monica. This store used to be a favorite of mine in the late 90s when I lived in the area. Over time, they started favoring novelty yarns which is not my taste, and I began venturing out and found other stores I liked better. Basically there are two options in this store - novelty - or their version of traditional....cashmere....which I absolutely love, but is simply not an option for me at 30-60 dollars for one ball! Needless to say, I did not buy any yarn here. I did buy the Holiday issue of Vogue and a Tahki (I kept pronouncing it "tacky") pattern book. The staff was very friendly - moreso than I remember them being in the past, and the manager stopped a couple of us to ask what we liked and didn't like about the store. She wanted us to be honest and we were. If they were to increase their inventory to include reasonable priced traditional yarns, I would visit the store from time to time.

Our third stop was Jennifer Knits in Brentwood. This was my second favorite store. The owner and staff were super friendly and they have a very nice, but pricey, inventory. The downside is that none of the prices were marked, so we had to ask each time we wanted to know how much something cost. Or look it up on the price list, which didn't work for me. See the pretty yarn in the picture? It's Prism 100% Angora. I carried it around with me the whole time I was in the store, like it was a pet bunny or something. I really liked it but I kept wondering what I would make with it. I didn't want to buy it, if I wasn't going to really make something. I can always figure out what to do with the different wools in my stash, but angora is different. I need to have something in mind. I looked this up on the price list - Angora 100% - 10.25 - Sold! Then the owner gave me a pattern for a ruffled scarf - perfect. Then I went to checkout and that was not the price my friends. It was much more. I could have told her I didn't want it, that I had thought it was only 10.25 per skein. But I had been carrying it around for an hour and had fallin for it already. I think this is the method to their 'no price' madness.

And finally, we went to Wildfiber. This is a very nice store - the space is nice, the inventory is good, the prices are fair. The service and staff are not. The owner was very snotty to me and another member of our group. It wasn't so much what she said as the way she said it. I bought the Noro Cash Iroha as a contrasting color to go with the other Noro I had purchased. But I won' go back. There are too many other options in our area. I would rather shop online than give her any more of my business. I think the owner is a little 'high on the hog' from all the publicity on her book that recently came out. She obviously doesn't need or want my business.

I had a great day and next time I'm on the Westside, I'll visit A Mano for sure. But there are other stores closer to me that have good prices and good service.

Beth's Baby Shower

2006-10-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Pasadena SnB had a baby shower for Beth. The theme was knitted items, since that's what we do together, and do it well. Here's the best part. We had it in a yarn store! What fun is that?! A private party in a yarn store. Heaven, my friends. We had it at Unraveled, thanks to Fay Lynn (who organized the event), Christine (who owns the store and allowed us to use it) and Sandy (who was Fay Lynn's right hand woman).

Here are most of us who were there:

From left to right: Jan, Marie, Joan, Beth, Fay Lynn, me, Mary and Jillian

You cant' read it in the picture, but Beth was wearing the sign that was on the door which said "Closed - Private Party".

Here is the basket of gifts (so cute!):

Beth with a crocheted Bear made by Joan

A profile with the cake

And finally-

An FO just in time for the event (barely). I was sewing it up the morning of - but it's finished! This is the Baby Hoodie from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss. I made it in size 12-24 months. I used a washable wool - an italian brand that I bought at the Yarn Lady Bag Sale. The sweater came out so cute. I'm now making another one for my nephew's first birthday.

I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to Fay Lynn and Sandy for a wonderful party!!!

Arghhh!

2006-09-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-09-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-09-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-09-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-09-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

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'.