What I'm Knitting

Now that I've had a cortisone injection, I'm working my way back up to knitting a normal amount again. (Normal = a lot.)

First, I'm nearly done with the Penelope Blouse by Oat Couture. It's coming along great, I just have to finish the lace edging on one armhole and it's finished.

Two things. First, I'm knitting on that edging rather than knitting separately and sewing on. The latter leaves a real possibility there might be too much lace, or too little, when I reach the end of sewing. And second, I hate weaving in ends!

Second, as you can see in the picture, the neckline rolls, due to being stockinette with no ribbing. I'm not positive I like that. I know it's fashionable, but heck, I'm not. I considered doing the same lace edging around the neck, but realized it would flop down as it's about an inch. I don't want to choose a different edging that might work better but wouldn't match the rest of the sweater. So I may just leave it as is.

I hope to have it done in time to take on vacation. Hubby says, "You're going to wear a sweater in the summer? You're crazy. It'll be too hot."

I said, "But it's cotton. That's a summer fabric."

He said, "Cotton, schmotton, it's as heavy as a sweater."

So we left it at that. I guess only time will tell!

As if I don't have enough shawl yarn on hand, or shawls begun, I ordered two more shawl kits from Knit Picks this week.

First, the Seasons Shawl Kit in the spring and summer colors. The shawl has a rainbow of colors, which makes it casual rather than dressy, and it should go with any color I choose to wear. I especially like the graceful scalloped edging.

Second is the Baltic Lace Kit. It includes enough yarn for two shawls: the 60" x 50" Karukell Shawl, and either the 8½"x 60" Catkin Scarf or the 20" x 60" Catkin Stole. Both are Estonian patterns, the Catkin a bit simpler and more straightforward, but I don't think I'll have trouble with either one.

Then, as if all that weren't enough, while at my knitting group at my LYS, I picked up a copy of Socks From the Toe Up from Wendy Knits. I've knit a number of pairs of socks from the top down, but I've always wanted to try toe up. Great instructions and lots of lovely patterns; I especially like the Butterfly Socks with a delicate lace pattern.

There! I think that will keep me busy. What are YOU working on?

That Spill

Too funny not to share!

Mother's Day Sheep & Wool

As usual, I went with my two daughters to the annual New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival. This year we went on Saturday instead of Sunday for a change. It was pouring rain...sigh. But we still had a great time and came home with lots of goodies. Here's what I picked up.

First, this lovely turned wood shawl pin, created by Cynthia Ellis at Wood by C. She had a display of the most gorgeous shawl pins, crochet hooks, knitting needles, pens, thimbles, seam rippers, and just about every kind of little gadget and gizmo you could imagine, all beautifully turned and dyed. This shawl pin is smooth as glass and will make a perfect accent to my hand-knit shawls.

Next is two 600-yard skeins of "All Wool Lace Twist" lace yarn from Ball and Skein in the shade called "Lupine." It's absolutely gorgeous, subtly changing shades of purple and will make a gorgeous shawl. They had so much beautiful lace yarn, it was tough to narrow it down! I bought some of their Arequipa alpaca and silk lace yarn last year, so this year I'm giving their 100% wool a try. Now I just have to find the perfect pattern.

Then came four 300-yard skeins of "Little Breeze," which is silk and merino lace-weight yarn from A Touch of Twist. The colourway is called "Channel." Not sure what that means. But it's a stunning fuchsia shade, which is my absolute favorite color. (I was the kid who always wanted the "magenta" crayon out of the crayon box.) Again, it will make a wonderful shawl, light and warm and colorful!

Last but not least is a huge, 1400-yard hank of 50% merino, 50% tencel gorgeous purple yarn from Ellen's Half Pint Farm. It's not labeled as to weight, but it looks like either heavy lace yarn or perhaps sock/fingering weight. The color is a solid purple, but the tencel gives it a beautiful sheen that makes it look subtly variegated.

My two daughters each bought yarn and other goodies, including pattern books, kits, and a "learn to spin with a spindle" kit, each one choosing colors that suited her best. They know I always head straight for the pinks and purples. ;-) We had a lovely time, despite being constantly wet. We stopped for a late lunch on the way home, then had a celebratory dinner at home with Dan/Dad/Grandpa and the grandchildren. All in all, a marvelous day, despite being duck weather!

Hope That Yarn Wasn't Expensive....

because Kitty here sure intends to have it for lunch!



Source: LOL Cats

A Bigger Purse...Or Is It?

For the past year or two, this purse has been my usual winter purse. I like the shape, and the colors were something I envisioned in my sleep. (Not for a purse, though...for a sweater. But since they're not my usual colors, I chickened out in real life and went for something smaller and less of an investment in time and money.)

But I've had trouble finding things in the purse. It could be because it's not large enough overall; or it could be because the top is smaller than the bottom. In any case, I decided a new purse was in order. I found a pattern I liked and chose the yarn, and naturally couldn't resist casting on for the Mitred Stripes Felted Bag right away.

So here's the finished bag, and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. It used two different yarns, Malabrigo and Noro Kureyon, neither of which had I tried before. I was surprised how scratchy Kureyon was, given all the raves I'd heard about it. It wasn't fun to knit with texture-wise, but I did like the colors. They blended nicely with the Malabrigo, which was soft and luscious-feeling in the hands.

The purse felted nicely, both yarns felting to the same degree. When it was dry, I added the buttons and then measured it against the older purse. Much to my dismay, it was a bit smaller at the bottom, though a bit larger at the top. "Oh well," I sighed, "It can't be any worse than the one I'm using." So I pulled all my necessities out of the old purse and put them in the new one.

To my surprise, while they fit about as tightly as in the old purse, they are much more accessible and easily grabbed. I suppose it's because the top of the purse is a bit wider. In any case, it feels a little more convenient, and I love the colors and design much more than the older one. Is it true love, or just the lure of the new?

In any case, I'm happy. How about you? Do you fall in love with each new project and shunt aside the old, or do you save your love for only the fortunate few?

Yarnirvana

One picture speaks a thousand words. Or skeins...

Gearing Up For Winter

Lately I've been on a winter knitting kick. Could have something to do with all the snow we got on Sunday! Of course, it all melted on Monday when the temperatures returned to the more seasonal 50s. But that, and the cold days we had the week before, encouraged me to make some small, warm items.

First, I whipped up a pair of wristers. Or fingerless mitts? At any rate, I had one skein of yarn and that seemed a perfect thing to use it on. They came out a bit large, so next time I'd either use smaller needles or cast on fewer stitches. But they are soft and comfortable, and I've tested them out while typing and yup, I can type while wearing them. Hooray!

The pattern was "Chunky Piano Mitts" by Michele Bernstein, and you can find the pattern here on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chunky-piano-mitts or here on her blog: http://pdxknitterati.com/patterns/chunky-piano-mitts/

The yarn I used was Kona Bay Knitting Yarn Party. It's a 12-ply bulky yarn that's 100% nylon, in an eyelash type. It's very soft and was fun to work with, but frogging would definitely be a pain.

Next, I made a pair of slippers. I wanted something that I could complete with one skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease, again because that one skein was all I had in my stash. I came across the pattern for Two Needle Slippers by Dagny Lilley here: http://web.archive.org/web/20080101104155/http://www.theirishewe.com/mt-static/2006/04/two_needle_slippers.shtml and they seemed like just the thing.

Once I completed the first slipper, I tried it on. Fit well on my foot, but the garter stitch cuff was much too loose. I knitted the second slipper and made the cuff out of K2P2 ribbing instead of garter stitch. That worked better, so I frogged the cuff on the first one and reknit it in ribbing. However, they still slipped off my heels when wearing them, so as a final touch, I added a crocheted tie on each one. That seems to have done the trick.

Now, I'm back to working on my Applegate Shirt (pattern from Oat Couture) and hope to get it finished shortly. I'm on the second sleeve, then just have the placket and neck to knit, and of course the sewing.

What are YOU working on to keep you warm this winter?

How To Enhance Your Sock Yarn Stash

I've come across a great way to greatly enhance your sock yarn stash--the "Sock Yarn Knitting Exchange." (But it's also open to crocheters.)

First, you receive a letter with two names and addresses on it. You send a 100 gr. ball of sock yarn (or two 50-gr. balls--enough to make one pair of socks) to the first person. Then you send out a new copy of the letter to six knitting (or crocheting) friends with the first name and address removed, the second name and address in first place, and your name and address in second place.

In short order, you should receive enough yarn to make 36 pairs of socks! Cool, huh? And just as much fun will be seeing who, and where, the yarn comes from.

Now, I know these things often don't pan out exactly as expected. Somewhere along the line, someone usually drops the ball. (Of yarn.) But I figure if you even receive only one ball of sock yarn, you've broken even. Anything more than that is a bonus.

As it happens, though, I don't know a lot of knitters here. So I'm throwing this open to all of you in yarn cyberspace. If any of you would like to participate in this sock yarn exchange, please e-mail me at elizabeth@elizabethdelisi.com and I'll get your address and send you the info. BTW, this is only open to those in the US and Canada, because of the difficulties of mailing elsewhere.

Hope to see lots of you participate!

Where Has All The Summer Gone?

Gosh, it seems like summer came slowly and left quickly. We had about three weeks where it was hot enough to use the window AC unit for a few hours each day, and now it feels like fall is unpacking before summer is up. Not that I mind, as I really don't care for the heat anyway.

Plus, when it cools off, it means I can go back to work on all those lovely wool shawls and sweaters and gloves and socks!

While it was hot, I worked on small cotton things like this cute little sweater for my new niece, due in November. I searched extensively to find a pattern I liked and finally came up with this one. And best of all, it's free here: http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/WebLetter/33/Issue33.php Free is a price that works for me. ;-) I love the buttons I found at my LYS; they have little pink sheep on them and they say, "Little Lamb."

Then I made a set of kitchen things for my mom's upcoming birthday. There's something soothing about knitting on kitchen things. They're not fancy, they aren't made from expensive yarn, and they'll be used to scrub and dry dirty dishes and pots. But they're down to earth and really, really useful. The recipient of a sweater made from expensive alpaca and silk might not like the style and so might not wear it; but what's not to like about kitchen towels and washcloths? Plus, they're boldly machine washable and I like that. I was tempted to use the blue variegated cotton, but then realized I was choosing MY preferred colors, not my mom's. Her kitchen is painted yellow, so I found this lovely yellow yarn and went with that. I think they came out nicely, despite some color pooling. Another good thing about kitchen sets; if the color pools, so what?

And finally, I did a lot of this with the hottest days of summer. That's my cat Burt, lounging in my office window on one of the hottest days this season. I saw a cartoon once about cats that's so true; you can use a sleeping cat as a thermometer! The more tightly they're curled up, the colder it is; the longer they stretch out, the hotter. So clearly, this was a pretty hot day. ;-)

Hope your summer, and your summer knitting, has gone well and you're ready to leap into fall!

Mermaid Lace Shawl

As promised, here is the info on my Mermaid lace shawl. First, you can see me modeling it, just ignore the "model" and enjoy the shawl. Max, the dog, snuck into the picture with me. But he's not interested in having his picture taken, just wanted to watch the squirrel raiding the bird feeder right outside the glass door. Yup, like the dogs in "Up," all you have to do is yell "squirrel!" to drive him nuts. Then he barks his brains out and drives US nuts. The squirrel ignores him, of course! And me, unless I open the door, and then he only scampers a few feet away. Anyway, back to the shawl...


So here you see the shawl blocking. It really stretched quite a bit, which made it lovely and large enough. Dan called it the "bat cape" because of how it looked on the bed! Hah. Luckily, Burt the cat has learned it's worth one of his nine lives if he disturbs something blocking on the bed. He hasn't gotten so smart about clean laundry I may happen to leave on the bed, though.

And here is a close-up of the stitches. You may or may not be able to see, there was a problem with the second, i.e. closest to the hem, lace pattern. Actually, both lace charts in the book for this shawl were wrong. The first one has been fixed and errata posted on the website. The second, not yet. It's supposed to be an 11-stitch pattern, but only rows 1 and 2 show 11 stitches, the rest show 10. So clearly, a stitch had to be added somewhere. Unfortunately, where I chose to add one, it gave the pattern a little "jog" to the side. By the time I discovered it, I had no intention of ripping it out and starting over. I don't think it'll be very noticeable.

For those of you who want the corrected pattern, you can keep watching the Mermaid shawl website for the official correction. But in the meantime, here's what worked for me in a swatch I did, with much help from my LYS owner. On the first row of the chart, add a YO at the start of the row. On the second row of the chart, do not m1 in the first, or last, YO of the row. Then follow the chart as is for the rest of the rows, and you should be good.

And if I ever decide to make this shawl again, I'll be set!

Should the FDA regulate yarn?

I'm thinking the answer is "yes" as yarn is my drug of choice! But then again, never mind. Don't want them trying to put me in a 12-step "quit buying yarn" program...

I'm way behind in posting, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy with therapeutic stash enhancement! Just stroking a new skein of yarn puts me in a happier frame of mind. What about you?

First there was the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival. Came away with some great bargains:
This is a lovely shawl pin. I had chosen a different one, but before I even left the building, it began to bend where the pin is soldered onto the decorative top. So I returned it and exchanged it. It works really well for large or heavy shawls, but wouldn't want to use it on a fine lace-weight shawl.










This is a gorgeous lilac/iris color. It's called Iris. It's Jaggerspun Zephyr lace weight yarn, in a long skein of 1160 yards. I love that...it means I can make a large lace shawl without having to start a new skein and work in ends in the middle of it. It's so soft...I frequently give it a stroke just to feel how soft it is!










Here's a kit I picked up with "beaded rayon yarn" that's bumpy, not actually beaded. It's peacock-colored...blue, green, and purple. Lovely. Came with beads to make a beaded scarf. It also includes the pattern. But I'm thinking of making the "Denim Bag" from Knitting With Beads instead, since I have one scarf and another one to make (see below) and I'm not much of a scarf person.

Next came a visit to the Patternworks Tent Sale with my sister and two lovely ladies from her knitting group. I picked up quite a few bargains. This Filatura di Crosa "Multicolor" mohair yarn will make a gorgeous shawl, I'm sure.











This interesting button will probably go on a chunky car-length sweater I'm going to make. Someday. In the meantime, it can reside in my glass button jar and stare out at me and try to send me ESP messages saying: "Use me!"





This is a kit to make an Alexandria Tote Bag. The pattern is from Patternworks, as is the yarn...Meredith Bay, Bretton, and Sunapee, all named for New Hampshire locations. There are three color choices for the bag; I chose the "pastel" option. Should be fun.




Picked up a couple of books: "Reversible Knits" by Iris Schreier, and "Knitting on the Edge" by Nicky Epstein. Both of them look like fun and I can definitely see myself maybe never knitting an "ordinary" ribbing band on a sweater again, thanks to Nicky's gorgeous edging patterns!










Picked this up for my daughter's birthday. She knits and crochets, but so far feels more confident with crochet. (Though she's working on two lovely knitted shrugs and doing a fabulous job.) She also loves purses, so I think she'll have fun with this.











Next, went to Webs (yarn.com) with my daughter on her vacation. Spent three hours there! And because of what I'd already bought in the preceding month, I was (barely) able to limit myself to this gorgeous "Silk Cloud" yarn and complimentary Cotton Bam Boo yarn to make the Lace Scarf in the recent issue of Interweave Knits. I can't believe I walked out of Webs with just these two, but if it could only be two, these were perfect.

Last stop in the month-long yarn extravaganza was The Knitting Knook in Keene, New Hampshire, with my two daughters. I really had no budget left, so just came away with this lovely sock yarn. The color changes are muted and subtle, so I think it will work well for one of the patterns in Cookie A's "Sock Innovation" book. Can't wait to try one!


And my gosh, that's taken me half an hour to post, so I think I'll quit now. Next time I'll post about the Mermaid Shawl that's blocking on the bed even as I type...

More Mania

I'm still feeling the knitting restlessness I wrote about last time. I'm working actively on, to a greater or lesser degree, four or five projects. The newest ones I've started are a pair of socks, and a shawl made out of this rayon chenille yarn I bought last year on the Wool Arts Tour:

I started the shawl at least three times, trying to find a pattern that works well with the yarn. Here's the one I finally decided on: Eyelet Lace Shawl. It seems to be working well. I'm not sure about the fringe, though. I've made this shawl twice before, with regular worsted-weight yarn, and the fringe worked fine. But with boucle...not sure. I might try a knitted-on ruffled edging.

That scares me a little, though. While I consider myself an experienced knitter, having been knitting for 48 years or so, I don't mess with patterns much. Oh, I tend to add inches to a sweater front/back to make it long enough for me, but I rarely change the pattern details. The first time I tried something like that was when I changed the way the edging was knitted on the Autumn Entrelac Shawl. It came out well, but it was scary.

I'm in perpetual awe of those of you who can take a pattern, pull it apart, and change it to suit yourselves. Is it experience that allows you to do this, or self-confidence, or something else? Inquiring minds want to know!

Knitting Restlessness

I've been knitting like crazy lately but keep changing my mind what I want to work on. Finished a felted purse and I'm using it, though I'm not 100% happy with how it turned out. The instructions were confusing and I ripped it out four times before finishing it. The side you can see in this picture looks fine, but on the other side, there is no real "right" side as both sides show lines where new yarn was joined. If that makes sense. So I don't think the instructions were written correctly. Oh well, live and learn.


Then, I made a carrying case for my cell phone. I figured it was a small project that I wouldn't get bored with. In fact, I almost gave up in frustration as knitting the tight cable pattern with worsted yarn on size 3 needles was nearly impossible. But I persevered, and the heavy cabled fabric will make for good protection of the keypad on the phone. The only issue with this pattern was that the heavily cabled fabric pulls in, so the flap, that's done in straight stockinette, is a bit wider than the case itself. Doing the whole case in stockinette, or doing the flap in the cable pattern, would fix it, I think.

I also knitted up a quick scarf made from some gorgeous angora yarn I bought while on the fall Wool Arts Tour here in New Hampshire. The pattern was simple, and came free with the skein of yarn. I've worn it a few times on the very coldest days. I'm not really a scarf person, but stroking the yarn a few times made me think that perhaps I could wear THIS scarf with no trouble! And I was right...

Now I'm working on the Komon kimono, but the large rectangle is getting boring, so I've also started the "Graceful" shawl from "Shawls and Scarves: The Best of Knitter's Magazine." It's self-fringing and although it's just garter stitch, you change yarns every row, so at least it won't make me yawn. I do tend to be a "work on six projects at once" kinda gal. I wonder if I have knitting ADD?

Do you like to stick to one project till it's finished, and if so, why? Or are you restless like me and can't wait to finish one project before casting on for the next?

Final Project of 2008

Ta da! My final finished project of 2008, and I'm so happy it's done. This is the Eastlake Sweater, pattern by Norah Gaughan. I made it in Crystal Palace Yarns Crème yarn, which is 60% wool and 40% silk, in color # 2013. I loved working with this yarn...so soft and smooth, easy to knit with. Unfortunately, it's either discontinued or else my yarn store is not going to carry it. Hmm. Will have to raid the sale shelves.


Here's a detail of the leaf panel. Gorgeous, isn't it? I don't have a picture of me wearing the sweater, but the style is actually quite flattering. I made the size 50, which based on comments of others, had a risk of being too big. But as it turns out, the bustline of the sweater fits nicely, so does the neck, and the flaring A-shape of the sweater skims gracefully over my tummy without leaving any telltale bulges. :-) So, I'm happy. I do notice some pilling developing under the arms, where it rubs on itself. We'll see if that continues or if it's only temporary, until it gets worn in.

Now I'm in that "I don't know what to make next" slump. I am working on a small cell phone case, but that's like an appetizer. I need to decide what the next main course will be. I do have lots of stash yarn...most of it lace-weight, so would end up being any number of shawls. And I do have yarn for a kimono, another long sleeved sweater, two short sleeved sweaters, and a coat. Ah, the plethora of choices awaiting me! And me one of those people who hang up and have to reboot the system if there are too many choices...

What's your first project of 2009 going to be?

Autumn Entrelac Extravaganza

I finally finished my Autumn Entrelac Shawl. I did it in the M04, Grape and Rose colorway. Hard to tell just what color it IS from the photos, as they vary widely, though shot at the same time, in the same place, with the same camera. Here's a link to the yarn, though the color isn't exactly as it looks there, either. It's more of a burgundy with lighter and darker subtle variations.

Here's a close up of the stitches, but keep in mind the color is much darker than this picture indicates. This wasn't my first entrelac project, but the only other thing I'd tried before was a dishcloth. So this was definitely the largest! Once I got the hang of the pattern, it went quickly and with a minimum of fuss. I was unable, in my tiny bedroom, to get far enough back from the shawl to get the whole thing into the photo, and I don't possess a dress form to artfully drape it over, so you'll just have to imagine what the whole thing looks like.

I made a couple of changes to the pattern. First, I was lucky enough to see a finished sample shawl in person in my LYS (The Woolery) and more than that, to try it on. I decided I'd like mine a little wider at the top, and since you start at the top and work down to the point, that meant measuring and taking an educated guess how many more triangles to knit on the first row. I did 28 instead of the 25 called for and it came out perfectly for me.

Second, I didn't like the idea of knitting the edging separately and then joining it to the shawl in the last row. Why, you may ask? Because I'd heard from others making this shawl that they had trouble, the edging came out to be too short, and they had to frog it and start over. Since I was increasing the size of the shawl, it would be an even more difficult task to figure out how long to make it. I could have measured, swatched, multiplied, then cast on and hoped it was right. But I took the easy road. Well, the somewhat easier road. I decided to pick up the stitches all along the border and, in effect, knit the border backward. It worked out quite well, I had plenty of stitches to go around, and it ended up with a nice ruffle to it.

The original pattern calls for ten balls of the Jojoland Rhythm yarn. I used ten on the shawl, and three more on the edging. So be warned: if you do what I did, you'll need 30% more yarn! But it's worth it. I have a lovely, comfy, warm shawl to keep me toasty throughout the winter, and just in time. Lows in the 20s tonight. Yikes!

Anklets Finally Done

At last, I finished my Girl's Best Friend Anklets:



They came out pretty well, I think. But they were troublesome to knit. For some reason, I had a lot of trouble with the lace cuffs. The first time I started them, I got about an inch into it and had the wrong number of stitches, and NO idea how that happened. So I had to frog and start again. Here's a picture of the offending cuff, finally finished:



You'd think--at least, I did--that having gotten past the trouble point, and completing one cuff successfully, the cuff on the second sock would be easier...but, no. I had to take it out also and start over.

But at last they're done! And awaiting the first chilly day of autumn to premiere in all their glory on a foot near me. ;-) Or, two of them!

I'm in a rut now as far as knitting goes. Can't seem to decide what I want to work on. I have several projects started...okay, more than several. A bunch. I pick one up, work a few rows, then put it down. Repeat process with several other projects. Sigh. Whine. Try halfheartedly to convince myself that what I need is to cast on yet ANOTHER project, but I know that will just give me one more thing to leave lying around, unfinished.

It's not that I've lost interest in the projects. Or at least, not most of them. A couple of them may need to go to the frog pond. ;-) But most of them I truly want to finish...I just can't seem to overcome the inertia to work on them. Is it the pattern? The yarn? The heat of summer? The doldrums?

Have you ever gotten into a slump like this? What did you do to pull yourself out of it? All suggestions welcomed!

Fireworks, Food and Fun

I had a lovely time celebrating the Fourth of July with my family. Hope all you Americans out there had a great time as well. We had a barbecue the evening of July 3, with hamburgers and hot dogs, and veggie burgers and veggie dogs for the vegetarians. Also potato salad, French fries, fruit salad, and of course mud cake and ice cream. Yum! Put the grandkids down for a brief nap while the grownups watched a movie. Then we got them up for fireworks at 11:30 p.m. (Yeah, it's kinda late, but it's the tradition here.) We live in a great spot where we can just sit on the porch swing and watch the fireworks. Perfect!

After the lovely fireworks show, we walked down to Main Street for the Pots 'N Pans Parade at midnight, another tradition. First, all the church bells in town ring for about ten minutes. Then, everyone starts beating on pots and pans as the parade begin. A few floats and lots of antique cars rumble by. Then the real noise: probably twenty fire engines and rescue units from this and surrounding towns, all with their sirens going at full blast. What a cacophony of sound! No way could you sleep through it.

On the Fourth, after everyone was up, we had a nice breakfast and then drove down to Concord, Massachusetts, to see the Old North Bridge, where the first shot of the American Revolution was fired, "the shot heard round the world." Seemed appropriate for the day. Got to hear an enthusiastic park ranger give a talk about how that battle came about, toured the museum, then home for a nice dinner.

How was YOUR holiday?

Naturally, those fireworks in all their glory got me thinking about not only liberty, but also yarn. ;-) Hey, the colors inspire me! A good friend of mine, Jen, brought me a homemade drop-spindle made with an old CD, a dowel rod and a hook. She also brought me some gorgeous apricot-colored roving, and taught me how to spin. Well, got me started, anyway. I can't claim the lumpy product I'm turning out qualifies me as an expert! But it's fun and something I've always wanted to learn. Thanks, Jen!

I'm also working on a pair of socks I've put off starting for a long time. Let's see if I can post a picture of what they'll look like when finished:

Here's the link to buy the pattern, if you like them as much as I do, from Knitpicks. Hey, for $1.29 for the downloaded pattern, you can't beat 'em. I had to start them twice as the first time I was occupied with other things and somehow ended up with the wrong number of stitches in mid-cuff, and I'll be darned if I could find out what I'd done wrong. So I frogged and started over.

Interesting thing about the pattern: you knit the lacy cuff, then turn the work inside out and knit in stockinette until the stockinette extends about an inch beyond the cuff, then do the heel. IOW, you'll fold down that lacy cuff when you wear it, so the fabric is doubled there. But I'm thinking the next time I make these socks, I might want to make the cuff and just keep knitting for another inch *without* turning inside out, then go for the heel. That way I'll have a single layer around my ankle rather than a double. Good experiment, anyway.

So, how was your Fourth (if you celebrate it), and what colorful projects are you working on?

New Hampshire Sheel & Wool Festival 2008

Had a lovely time at the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival yesterday, and wanted to share my few but carefully selected purchases.


First came these buttons. They're handpainted in South Africa, and just lovely. I don't have a project in mind for them yet, but somehow they called to me and I couldn't leave without them. They could go with something pink, which is definitely me. ;-) But if I decide to be a bit more dignified (and boring), they could go on something cream-colored, or black. I've found myself drawn toward interesting buttons lately, which reminds me of the wooden button cask my grandmother used to have. Many times my sister and I made necklaces of buttons, being entertained for endless hours. I think it's time to start my own button collection!

My next purchase was a lovely shawl pin, purchased from The Elegant Ewe's booth (from Concord, NH). It's a beautiful pink shell pin that can be worn as a square, or a diamond. I like the diamond idea better[,] but it could go either way. It's a lightweight pin so will work well on delicate shawls. I never thought about the weight of a shawl pin when I acquired my first one, only to get it home and find it was too heavy for some of my lightest-weight shawls. So this one is a welcome addition to my collection.


Also from The Elegant Ewe I purchased this beautiful glass shawl pin, black and silver, very classy. I've never been a gold woman, give me silver (or white gold) all the way. Don't wear gold jewelry, so I don't really want gold on a shawl pin, either. Only problem: this shawl pin came with a wooden stick. Well, the brown wood just didn't look right with the black and silver pin--like mixing gold and silver. I asked if there were a different stick to use, and they graciously swapped it out for a black one from one of the pink shell shawl pins, so that made me a very happy camper! And definitely a future repeat customer.


And finally, the yarn. :-) I was really looking for lace yarn this year. I searched high and low, and was disappointed to find very little of it in evidence. I don't know if it was just in short supply this year, or if previous years didn't have much either as this is the first time I deliberately searched it out. Finally, when I was nearly ready to give up and go home, I found this gorgeous 80% alpaca, 20% silk lace yarn from Ball and Skein. I bought two skeins in the "blues" colorway, enough to make the shawl I was shopping for, from the "Victorian Lace Today" book.

Anyone else go to the Festival? What did you buy? Inquiring minds want to know!

Needle, Needle, Who's Got The Needle?

I was just chatting with a friend about knitting needles, and how no matter how many of them you own, you never seem to have the size you need when you're about to start a project. For me, that's often because I'm a startophobic...i.e., I start multiple projects and have many going at one time. So while I may own needles in the correct size, the odds are they're already engaged in an ongoing WIP (that's work-in-progress, a writing term but I think it works for knitting also).

Until recently, size (and perhaps length) was my only concern with knitting needles. I had a bunch of needles from when I was a child (too many years ago to recount), and they were almost all aluminum. Susan Bates and Boye, mostly, I think. With a pair or two of colorful plastic ones thrown in for good measure. That was all there was back then, so you didn't have much choice. And while recently I've heard praise for different types of wooden needles, other varieties of plastics, various metals and even glass, I figured, heck, aluminum works fine for me.

But then I started a lace shawl, and found I kept dropping stitches when trying to do K2tog or even K3tog. The needles were just too darned slippery, and the tips weren't quite sharp enough. Also, the taper was too short and wide. I whined to my LYS owner about this and she suggested I try out Bryspun Needles. She even let me try them in the shop for an hour or so before making the purchase decision. (Yeah, she's terrific.)

I love them! The yarn doesn't slip off the needles when I don't want it to, but moves easily enough when necessary. The taper is long, the point is sharp enough, and I especially love the concave surface of the taper...an extra help to keep that stitch from dropping.

The website says they're good for arthritic hands because they're flexible. I can't swear to that, but I can say I haven't had hand pain while knitting since I started using them, so it's entirely possible.

They're lightweight, look like ivory even though they're plastic, and very reasonably priced. What more could you ask for? Next I'm going to try their circulars, and then the dps. I bet I'll like them, too.

Someday, I also plan to spring for some Signature Needle Arts knitting needles. Okay, they look like they're aluminum. ;-) But you can custom order them with various lengths, different decorative caps, and most importantly, three types of tips, including stiletto. So they're also on my wish list!

Do you have a favorite brand or type of knitting needle? What is there about it that you like? Or do you have needles you can't stand? Enquiring minds want to know!

Scarf City

Lately I've been working on scarves, scarves, scarves. My daughter had to have her thyroid removed, and since she's only 21, naturally she's concerned about the scar.

So first I made this one.
This is the Biggle Scarf by Louise Fabian Vouk. I made it using Plymouth Royal Bamboo yarn. My first time using bamboo and I loved it. So soft and silky.

Next came the Hattie's Rose Garden scarf by Christy M. Roosien. I did the drop stitch variation and here's how it came out.

This was made with Jaeger Trinity silk and cotton yarn. I have another skein of this in a cream color that I plan to make an additional, different scarf with. I have several patterns in mind to choose from. I hope this yarn washes up soft as it's a tiny bit scratchy right out of the skein.

Then I decided to make the Angular Scarf by Silke Hupka, using Sockotta sock yarn I had in my stash. Not Helen's favorite color combination, perhaps, but I think she'll get some use out of it. What do you think of it so far?

And finally (or first? Since I began it first but then put it aside for scarves made from more summery yarns) is a lace scarf that's a variation of Wisp Scarf by Cheryl Niamath. I made it narrower and had the lace and garter stitch patterns run vertically instead of horizontally.

I'll finish that one last, since although thin, it's made with Madil Yarns Kid Seta mohair.

So that's what I'm up to lately! How about you?