Hooray! I finally have some photos to show!!!
This is the wrist-warmer part to the mittens that I'm making. I'm working on the pop-tops right now, so I'll put a picture of those up when they're done. I'm using the purple Koigu tht I bought along with the blue variagated stuff.
When the pattern says you only need one skein of Koigu, they really mean it. I pretty much have none left, and I even frogged my swatch to get it that far!
I totally forgot to take a picture of the cowl that I finished! I was in such a rush to finish it for my mom that it totally slipped my mind...boo. It was a bit wrinkly when I first finished, but after a little bit of ironing, it turned out quite nicely. Except that it winds up a bit too wide. I think if I were going to make it again, I'd drop about 5 to 10 stitches and make it about 5 inches longer. That way, you could pull it over your head and still have your neck covered. I washed my dad's scarf too, so it did get a lot softer. But yeah..the alpaca knits up REALLY nicely. I bought 3 skeins of it, but only used 2. I'm gonna return the last ball and exchange it for 2 balls of the Mission Falls Superwash Merino, because I really like how that knits up too.
I'll put pictures of the Koigu mitts that I'm making up soon. Probably when I get back from Ottawa, or something like that ^__^
Well, I have pretty much finished my Christmas knitting (with the exception of my sister's remaining sock, which may or may not be finished in time....), so now it's time to start planning the future projects for ME ME ME. There is the Felted Tweed sweater that I plan to start after the new year (after I finish my mohair striped sweater, which requires some expert help from Toronto), and now I have acquired the yarn for another project that I have been coveting. Behold, my yarns for the lovely Charlotte's Web:
I have been wanting to knit this shawl forever, but I never had enough Koigu to choose from in person, and I didn't want to order online only to be disappointed in the colours. But then I was in Woolcott a couple of weeks ago to buy some needles, and I saw that they had a whole new shipment of Koigu in, so I picked out a couple of skeins, then one thing led to another, and an hour later I finally left the store with these goodies. Yummy Koigu! I'll probably start this after the new year too. I still need to decide on the order of colours, and it'll take me at least that long. =P
I'm feeling a little guilty about not being able to post pictures lately, so here is a random picture of all the books I've bought in the past month. It's been a little out of control. If I had a cat I would take a picture of that.
I'm all bubbly with excitement because my copy of Folk Bags arrived today! Hooray! I've looked through it and already found, like, 6 different bags that I want to make. O_o Oh well...guess my list of projects just keeps expanding. I'll have to put it after all the other stuff I was planning on doing...
There are definitely some bags that I would never make though. I mean, who needs a saddle bag these days, right? and there are some bags that I probably would never make for myself, like this Bolivian Doll Bag. It looks like a doll with a strap attached to it, but the bag part is the doll's dress. But something like that might make a good gift for a kid, or something. It involves a lot of finishing...so I dunno. I'm a lazy ass when it comes to finishing stuff.
When you're in town, take a flip through to see if there's anything that appeals to you. We can do a pattern swap, or something ^_^
OK, this will be a short entry, but on Saturday afternoon I was walking into the bank and this woman was coming out the door, and she was totally wearing a multidirectional scarf. I even recognized the colourway, Kureyon 126 (only because I had been coveting it, I swear!). I was also wearing my rainbow multidirectional scarf at the time, but it was all wound around my neck and tucked into my jacket and therefore unrecognizable as such. I was really tempted to shout after the woman that I liked her scarf, but decided that would probably make me look a little crazy. =)
Oh, and have you seen the new Knitty? Lots of cute stuff, nothing that totally leaps out at me right away, though the penguin is really cute, as is the leftovers vest, except I'm not really a vest girl. And what's up with the uterus? I mean, I'm all for embracing one's womanhood, but sheesh. =)
So, I went and bought yarn for that cowl in 'Last Minute Knitted Gifts'. I'm gonna make it for my mom for Christmas. Headed to Lettuce Knit to check out what to get. Since I can't afford cashmere, I decided to ask for something that would knit up nice and soft and was the right weight/gauge. I ended up with some oatmeal coloured alpaca which I think is from Blue Sky Alpaca. At first I was a little worried that it would be too fuzzy, and be a bit itchy...but I started knitting the cowl up and WOW is it ever soft! On the bad side, it seems to be leaving a whole bunch of fuzz all over the place. Is that normal?
I'll try to put pictures of the yarn up soon...
Okay...so I was doing some shopping online for my brother and Jamie. Headed to the Indigo.ca site and picked out what I wanted to get them...but I just couldn't resist getting a little something for me too. Argh...I'm such a sucker...I went and bought Folk Bags: 30 Knitting Patterns and Tales from Around the World. And it's not like I really need more bags or anything, and considering I have more guy friends that girl friends, I don't know how many people would actually want one of these creations...*sigh* Oh well....I think it'll still be a fun book.
I actually found out about this book from the Interweave.com site. Talk about impulse buying....*shakes head* okay...I really gotta stop buying pattern books. I honestly cannot make everything that I have a pattern for in this lifetime!
*grumble grumble* stupid iRewards card fooling me into thinking that it's okay considering I'm getting a discount...stupid me for thinking that the book really wasn't all that much compared to what I spent on everyone else...
Ooohh....My turn, my turn...that just looked like too much fun to pass up.
------ BEGIN KNITTER'S GEEKCODE BLOCK ------
Version 1.1
KER Exp SPM+ Steel- Wood Bam+ AddiT Den++
Syn@ Nov Cot+ Wool+>++ Lux>++ Stash Scale+
Fin Ent? Int Flat Circ+ DPN Swatch- KIP+ Blog
FO+ WIP+(++) GaugeW+
------ END KNITTER'S GEEKCODE BLOCK -------
I was just a smidge bored at work today, so I decided to kill some time deciphering the knitter's geek code. This bloggy thing can be a fun distraction, next thing you know I will start posting all sorts of random wacky things. Hopefully not, though. Anyway, this is me, as far as I can tell:
-----BEGIN KNITTER'S GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 1.1
KCR+ Exp SPM+ Bam+ Wood Steel-- AddiT- Wool+ Lux+ Syn(+) Stash(+) Scale(+) Fin Ent? Int Lace+ Flat+ DPN+ Swatch KIP(-) Blog EZ? FO+ WIP GaugeF+W+ AltCr?>+
------END KNITTER'S GEEK CODE BLOCK------
Well, I did the fun knitting quiz, and for my results, see below. I thought it would be kind of pointless to cut and paste the exact same thing in again. So it appears we are sort-of knitting kindred spirits. =)
Yes, I know this is a lame post.... I'll try to have pictures of something next time. =)
I'm not sure if this is true or not, but it was fun...
You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.
You are through those knitting growing pains and
feeling more adventurous. You can follow a
standard pattern if it's not too complicated
and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've
started to experiment with different fibers and
you might be eyeing a book with a cool
technique you've never tried. Perhaps you
prefer to stick to other people's patterns but
you are trying to challenge yourself more.
Regardless of your preference, you are
continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as
well you should since your non-knitting friends
are probably dropping some serious hints, these
days.
http://marniemaclean.com
What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
After looking at all the results, I kinda thought that maybe I should be a Knitting Apprentice....
Guess what I got in the mail today (yes, USPS delivers on Saturdays, too)? More yarn! This was a mom-approved purchase off eBay, she helped me pick out the colour. The seller was having a free shipping day, the yarn was $2 cheaper per skein versus the prices here, and I was planning on making the sweater anyway, so why the heck not? This is Rowan Felted Tweed in the colour Crush, and I have 6 balls to make Salina from Rowan Vintage Style. I think I will start her after Christmas.
I also have to show you some very fun needles, these are the new Daisy needles from Crystal Palace. Fun plastic needles in larger sizes, each size is a different colour. I don't really have much use for straight needles, but how could I possibly resist these fun PINK ones?? These are 7 mm needles, US 10 3/4, a size I've never seen before, maybe I'll use them to make a scarf or something one day. They are just too awesome. And inexpensive. =)
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Andrea! =)
Happy American Turkey Day! Look what I finished:
Silk Garden hat & scarf in colour 87. I love love love the colours in this yarn. I want more! The scarf is a multidirectional scarf, and the hat is done in garter stitch (with a bit of ribbing at the bottom) to match the scarf pattern. It was a major pain in the arse to do all that purling using dpns, but worth it in the end, I think.
So it's not like I'm looking for new projects or yarn or anything, but if you could make a sweater for just over $20 (USD), wouldn't you? Or alternatively, if you could buy enough yarn for a hypothetical sweater for just over $20, wouldn't you?
I say this because on elann.com there is some peruvian wool on sale for $2.25 USD a skein. And there also just happens to be a pattern for a Ribby Cardi that calls for this yarn. And to make a sweater in my size, it takes 10 skeins. Do the math. On top of that, there are about a billion colours available, each one prettier than the last. And there will probably be a Ribby Cardi knit-along somewhere on the web soon, for moral support and inspiration. Even if one didn't want to knit the cardi (though it's pretty cute), one could just buy a bunch of yarn and wait for the right project(s) to come along. Worsted weight wool, good for so many things! Cascade 220 is also peruvian wool, so I imagine they should be similar to each other in texture.
On the other hand, I have too many projects lined up already in my head, and innumerable future yarn purchases to go along with those projects.
Que pensez-vous? Should I succumb to the good yarn deal? Should I even acknowledge the fact that there is also yummy Filatura di Crosa Zara and Zara Plus for sale? Should I tell you that since Elann is a Canadian company they will also display prices in Canadian dollars, and the current price for the peruvian wool is a measly $2.70 CAD per skein?
During a little mini-break from some data analysis, I discovered another project that I want to do. I'm not sure if I'm going to go through with it yet though. It's the Tasha bag from knitty. But I kinda want to add a flap over the top of it...plus I think I want it a little bigger than the 9"x10" that the pattern gives you. And on top of that, I have no idea if I'm going to have to line the bag.
Opinions?
Okay...this is going to be a pretty lame post, but what the heck! After reading that you got your Silk Garden on eBay, I decided to check it out too. So much beautiful yarn out there!!! I particularly got hung up on yarnela's store. I just LOVE Noro yarn, and she (I'm assuming it's a she, but I guess one really can't tell these days) has so much of it for sale!!! Argh...eBay is SO evil....
Jamie caught me browsing eBay for yarn and just looked at me and said "But you already have so much good yarn!" *sigh* I know...but I always want more...But I was good, and didn't put in any bids or anything...I'll wait until I manage to deplete my stash a bit more. Finish my Christmas knitting, finish those mittens, my set of rose coloured winter gear, and my Kyoto sweater...and then I'll think about buying new yarn...
Okay...there...I've said it....now you have to hold me to it, okay?
In the spirit of blowing more money, behold the latest addition to the yarn stash! Silk Garden in the very lovely, very rainbow-y colour 87. Isn't it pretty? I'm such a sucker for rainbow-coloured things. I think that is probably the greatest appeal of yarn shopping for me, looking at all the pretty colours sitting together in the store. That probably also explains why I like to accumulate handpainted sock yarn. Le sigh.
I have already started knitting with this stuff, it is rather too bright for me to make a sweater out of, so a hat and scarf it is. Oh, I should mention this yarn was from eBay, so slightly less pricey than usual. =)
The Kathmandu Aran mittens are also finished, here is a crappy photo. The yarn knits up much stiffer and tweedier than I had anticipated, which was a little annoying, but I just gave them a little soak so we'll see if they get any softer. The mittens are also slightly big; I wonder if this yarn felts at all?
I know I'm supposed to be trying to save money to pay for all that grown-up stuff, like the mortgage, but I just can't seem to help myself when it comes to knitting. Since I haven't been posting any photos recently, I thought I'd do that.
This is some Koigu Kersti that I bought about 1.5 months ago. I'm planning to make the 'Sacred and Profane' Mittens from Knit Wit (you'll see when you get your book ^_^). They're best described as convertible mittens. The variagated part is going to be the bottom half, and the solid purple is going to be the top part. However, due to the massive amounts of Christmas knitting that I'm doing, they haven't really progressed farther than this...
Then, I went to Lettuce Knit with my good friend Elaine. She wanted to check out stuff to see if she wanted to get anything. I told her that I really didn't need anything, but wouldn't mind checking things out. She was supposed to remind me not to buy anything. And then it happened...we spotted the 50% off table. At first, I resisted...but after we started walking away from the store I changed my mind and caved. So, I bought these 6 balls of yarn for $27+tax, which is a good deal...but I broke my usual rule of project first, yarn second.
[P.S. Elaine ended up being a 'bad' influence! She helped convince me that I could surely find something to make from it, be it a tank top, or nice scarf. Plus it was the last set of those particular colours, so I felt even more compelled to buy it. o_O Man...I suck....]
Lastly, I bought a new book today. Can you tell that I'm starting to feel the Christmas pressure?
So, all these goodies should definitely keep me busy for the next while!
I hereby declare myself mentally unprepared for winter this year. It is creepy to be working in the lab in the light of the setting sun, then to look over at the clock only to realize "hey, it's only 3:30!" And then today the temps dropped down to just above freezing, and I'm still wearing my fall jacket. Ooops. At least I wore a hat. So in order to prevent my fingers from falling off in the near future, I finally made a start on my Kathmandu Aran mittens. Remember those 2 skeins I bought about a month ago? Here is a closeup of the yarn knitted up, I love the little blue and brown flecks. You can see that the yarn is a little slubby, too. It's really nice to knit with (duh, merino, silk and cashmere??). This is colour 135.
Pics of finished mittens soon, hopefully!
This afternoon I was in Newbury Yarns, showing off an FO and browsing for gift yarn (I am now ALL DONE buying holiday yarn, hooray), when this punk-y looking kid wanders in with his punk-y looking friend. I assumed that their girlfriends or something would follow them in, because isn't that what usually happens, women drag their male companions into a yarn store and make them wait and wait and wait while they pick out yarn? But no, one of the guys wanders purposefully over to a shelf, picks out a skein of Colinette, then asks Aldrich how much the yarn is, and does she have size 13 needles? Turns out this kid is part of a boys knitting group, and is making a scarf for his MOM for Christmas. Awww....how sweet is that?
Wow, it's been a while since anyone has posted! Probably because we are both too busy working on secret Christmas presents and such. =) Anyway, I started a little something for myself on election night, mostly to calm my nerves and give me something to do other than stare at the TV and will the numbers to go the other way. I'm only showing a closeup because I've already knit up one of these things as a gift, and I don't want to give anything away. But I think you can see how the Cherry Tree Hill glitter alpaca knits up, it's very pretty. Can you see the bits of gold glitter?
The only annoying thing about this yarn is that it turned my hands and needles blue. Most of the blue on the needles came off with a little wipedown. My other needles are still red. Sometimes I wish I could knit with metal needles so I wouldn't have this staining problem. Or, that I weren't so anal about these things.
Okay...so this entry only has a teeny little bit to do with knitting, but I just want to complain....tonight, when I was planning to take things easy, I won't be able to do any knitting...grr...I went to give blood today. I thought, 'Yeah, after giving blood, I won't want to do anything particularly strenuous, so I'll just sit at home and knit'. But noooo....I had to have my worst blood donor experience ever....my entire left arm is completely useless right now...I'm not even using it to type right now. They kept adusting, and re-adjusting the damn needle, and now I have a wicked bruise and a good deal of pain at my elbow. And you know how much I'm needle-phobic too....gawd....and the kicker was that they had to stop the donation early, so I didn't even get to make a useful contribution after my trouble. The nurse tried to reassure me that they probably got enough for it to be useful for something, but I have a feeling that she just said that to make me feel better. I think it was a combination of them missing the vein and my low blood pressure that caused my problems. I noticed I was the only one they asked to keep squeezing that wadded up paper ball....ugh...
[not going to use capital letters anymore cuz it's just too much trouble to press and hold shift with one hand]
but in other news, i'm goin to a conference in montreal next week. 5 hour train ride = knitting!!! youpiee!!! je peu trichoter!!! hopefully i'll make all kinds of progress on my xmas gifts. less than 2 months, and I still have 3 projects to finish....yikes!
A while ago my sister requested that I make her a pair of handknit socks. I finally started them earlier this week, using some Lorna's Laces in the Tuscany colourway. I think I can post pictures of these because they aren't a surprise, she pre-approved the yarn ahead of time. But, they will still be considered a birthday/Christmas present. =)
Sometimes when I knit I experience some minor RSI in my right wrist, which is why I normally wear a support glove on that side. But after starting this sock, my left wrist started to hurt too. Yesterday during the day I was experiencing some interesting pangs of pain. It's ok now, and I'm hoping that I just needed to get used to knitting a tight gauge on teeny tiny needles (US1) again. I've never had particularly strong wrists. Have you ever experienced any knitting-related RSI?
OK, since there is literally nothing in the way of WIPs that I can post about, I figured I'd take some pictures of recently purchased yarn. Neither has been definitely earmarked for a specific project in particular (though I have some ideas), they were just too yummy to resist. =)
First, off eBay, some Silk Garden (3 skeins) in the discontinued colour 36. Note the beautiful pink!
I dropped by Newbury Yarns yesterday because I was in the neighborhood. They have a lot more yarn now, and parts of the store are taking on a bit of that yarn store clutter. =) I found some Cherry Tree Hill Glitter Alpaca in yummy colours:
You can't see it in the photo, but there is some gold glitter in the yarn. 99% alpaca, 1% glitter. =P
I went to my first ever Stitch 'n Bitch last night at Lettuce Knit. It was a lot of fun, and I totally didn't notice the time going by! Lots of really nice people with cool projects. I discovered that you can't really bring anything too complicated though. With all the chatting going on, it's easy to get distracted and make mistakes. The store has a bunch of Koigu kersti that I want to get to make the mittens from the Knit Wit book. I might just go back there on the weekend and pick some up...haven't decided on what colours to get though. As if I didn't have enough yarn at home already! LOL!!!
When I get home, I'll take some pictures of the multidirectional scarf that I'm making for my dad. I'm pretty sure he's not going to stumble on this site any time soon ^_^ I've also started the Voodoo wrist warmers with that pink mohair stuff, so I'll take a picture of that too. Now that I've started knitting with it, I'm pretty sure that it won't be too itchy to wear.
Well, there is currently an explosion of yarn in my room, but I can't talk about any of it because it's all for presents! Things are progressing pretty well so far, but my floor is an unholy mess of bags and I can't wait to get all this yarn knitted up and given away so I can buy new stuff! =P I did do some stash enhancement on Monday, Windsor Button was having a 20% off all yarn sale, so I picked up some Lamb's Pride worsted for a little experiment to be detailed later, and some of the new Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran in a creamy colour for some tweedy mittens.
Um....and that's all I have for now. Sorry for the very boring entry. Hopefully I'll start knitting poast-able things again soon.
Oh, and check this out. Very interesting things-to-knit, no? =)
Hooray! I've finished the kitty hat! I decided not to put the pom poms on there because my friend doesn't strike me as the pom pom type. Credit goes to Jamie for helping me take pictures of it.
I found that this hat is actually a bit to big for my head. Not width wide, but lengthwise. I think the next time I make it, I'll do less of the stocking stitch. After making this one, I think that the mohair should be okay with the ears. I forgot that you had to sew two ears together to make one.
wow... this hat makes my head look big...
Yeah...I know..."What? Karen was thinking?"... but I really needed to figure out what to do with all that pinky-rose mohair stuff that I have. And I think I've got it! I've decided to give away the red kitty hat that I'm making. I have a friend that is going back to Japan to live, so I think I'll give it to her. Then, I'm going to make a whole set of stuff for myself with the mohair. I'm going to try to make a kitty hat out of it, some wrist warmers, and a scarf. I'm not sure what kind of pattern I want to use on the scarf, but I'm thinking of something with big needles, and maybe a bit lacy. What do you think? Do you think the kitty ears will stand up okay? Is mohair too itchy for a scarf? Ahhhhh! I'm thinking again!!! Just when I thought I had everything decided....*sigh*
Comments welcomed!!!
Okay...I just got home from the book party for Amy Singer's new book 'Knit Wits'. And I have to say that I had a really fun time. The book is absolutely fab. The designs are so cute (hello, ice cream tub cozy and yoga mat holder?) and I just want to make one of everything in the book!! A lot of the designers were there and I got them to autograph their patterns. They had all sorts of wicked door prizes too (knitting pattern-a-day calendar...dangerous...), but being the unlucky chump that I am, I didn't win anything. But I did get to chat with a lot of amazingly creative and super nice knitsters, and make some new friends. And here's a little something special for you, Adrienne...
I also bought some Noro Shinano to make a scarf for my dad for Christmas. I'm going to give that pattern you gave me a try. Hopefully I won't screw it up too badly. I'll post a pic when I get further into it.
Speaking of screwing up, here's a picture of the first ear flap to my kitty hat. Can you tell me if you think it looks weird? I thought I was having issues when I was making it, but I'm so spacey right now that it kinda looks okay right now. I don't know...I must be going insane or something. But I figure that I should probably seek some advice now before I get too far on that foot-long I-cord.
So, I too have started my kitty hat, but I'm not nearly as far as Adrienne. I'm a little concerned that it may not fit, but I guess I'll figure that out when I've got them onto dpns. And if my head is too big, I'm sure there's someone out there who will be able to wear it. Oddly enough, it looks like my size 10 needles are about right. Weird, huh?
I love knitting on the round in stocking stitch...it's so nice and brainless! Hooray for brainless-ness! But at the same time, I love the way seed stitch looks. Guess I get a taste of both worlds here, huh?
Yesterday was the official Kitty Hat-along kickoff! Here is my ball of yarn all wound up:
I didn't have 16-inch US8 needles, so I had to cast on using dpns. Pain in the butt, but manageable. I managed to get to the decreases, and stopped once I got to 56 stitches left on the needles. Here is the hat on my head, yay, it seems to fit so far!
So on Monday night I decided to start seaming up my Vintage Knits sweater-with-mohair-stripes. I have been putting off the blocking/seaming part for ages, because I am a total seaming novice and didn't want to screw it up big-time. But the suspense was starting to kill me so I figured I might as well bite the bullet and do it. And if it turns out crappy-looking....well, the entire sweater was a learning experience, one can't be perfect all the time, right? =P
Anyway. I seamed the right shoulder, then picked up stitches to knit the neckband, knit the neckband, seamed the left shoulder, seamed the sides....it took HOURS. I think I managed to watch maybe 30 seconds of the game (not including replays). Then I seamed the sleeves. I don't know what possessed me to knit my first sweater using such teeny tiny yarn, it made seaming a nightmare because it was hard to see where to stick the needle. But I really loved knitting with the 4-ply soft, so I guess that makes up for it.
Here are some photos so far, first of the body of the sweater, then of one of the sleeves more or less where it should be set into the armhole.
The next thing is to sew the sleeves into the armholes and weave in the billion ends, but I'm going to hold off on that for a little while because I'm tired of staring intently at tiny yarn. Also, I frogged and reknit the neckband because the ribbing looked too loose the first time around....but it looked exactly the same after the second time too....so I guess I will just have to live with it. Argh!
I started another Christmas project, but it is top-secret! Although I will say that I knit and frogged and changed my mind 4 times, so this has been a rather frustrating time, knitting-wise. But I am all better now, I hope! =)
So, I have just realized that I currently have two major knitting projects going. The first is a Christmas present, so I can't show it. Actually, I finished the first of that series and am now on the second. The other thing I have going is that lacy shawl. I've been making pitifully slow progress on it because I find the kidsilk a little tricky sometimes. Plus, I really need to concentrate; the pattern is pretty intricate, so I can't just sit and do it while watching TV. I've already made a ton of mistakes, but oh well. Hopefully they won't be too noticeable. Here's a sample pic of it.
Not all that impressive, but I think the finished product will be nice. Sorry 'bout the blurry photo.
The kitty hat knit along? I'm ready to start too. Wanna set a 'cast on date'? How about early next week? That'll give me a chance to get some more of that shawl done before I abandon it for a while XD
This afternoon I decided to check out Newbury Yarns, a new yarn store in Boston, located on Newbury Street (go figure!). I was actually in the area last weekend and was wondering where it was, but I totally missed it since it is located in the back of a building. So armed with the address this time, I thought I'd go check it out. =)
It's a cute little store, brightly lit with big windows, very neat and uncluttered, and they have a ton of pretty yarns. I didn't buy any (yay yarn diet!), but I did pick up a Vogue Knitting Quick Reference book, and some Eucalan woolwash, which is supposed to be fabulous for washing handknits. Since I was the only person in the store at the time I spent a long while talking with Aldrich, the owner, she is one of the nicest LYS ladies I've ever met. The store is organized mainly by colour instead of by weight/fiber, which took some getting used to, but it really looks fantastic and it's great for inspiration cuz you are immediately drawn by all the different colours. I have a feeling the current organization will be difficult to maintain once she starts having lots of customers pawing and pulling out the yarn haphazardly, though.
The store has only been open for 2 months, so she doesn't have all her yarns in yet, nor are there any price lists posted around the store (!!), but it looks like it will be a great place to shop. A lot of her handpainted yarns are taken from her personal stash right now, and she's got a ton of sweaters that she designed on a shelf in a corner. We were talking a bit about the cost of good quality yarn, and she pointed to 2 cubby-things filled with yarn and was like "this is $2,000!" Holy crap. If you think about how much all the inventory in a yarn store must be worth, it boggles the mind.
Anyway, I will definitely be heading back there in the future. They had the Noro knits book that you bought, Karen, and I was OH SO VERY TEMPTED to pick it up too. But I knew that if I bought it I would start looking at yarn, which would not be a good thing. =)
Okay, so the title was a bit sensationalized. But I did manage to get my knitting needles onto the airplane. The katia yarn that I picked knits up really nicely. The washcloth is actually pretty soft. Here's a pic of it.
I'd forgotten how quickly little stuff like that knits up! It's really nice and gratifying to finish a project. Oh, and I know what you mean about the dye from the yarn staining bamboo needles. The size 7 bamboo circulars that I used to make the washcloth are tinted this aqua colour from a sweater that I'm still in the middle of making.
I was reading the pattern for that cool Noro scarf you sent me (http://www.yarn-shop.co.uk/free-patterns/noro-scarf.php) and found that are there some instructions that I don't really understand. The short row section is where I start to get confused. Do you bind off the first triangle that you make, and pick up the row 1 stitch? And what do they mean when they say "turn"? Is it just flipping your work so you're on the other side now? And maybe I'm understanding things wrong, but SSK seems to be a lot like k2tog. *shrugs* Yeah...feeling a little stupid for not being able to understand the pattern.
Also, I finished up the trip knitting that I did. It's just a simple little dishcloth. I'll post a pic up really soon.
In my opinion, one of the few good things about fall (and the start of cold weather) is the beginning of football season. So in honour of the very first Monday Night Football (my favourite!) of the 2004 season, I decided to start blocking my Vintage Knits mohair-striped sweater. For the front and back, I pinned the edges to a towel (which was lying on top of a small rug), and spritzed the pieces to death with cold water from a spray bottle:
Getting the pieces to stay in place was a little tricky at first, mostly because I was using small safety pins and it was hard for them to puncture the rug, and I was also trying to stretch them a bit, but once they got damp enough it got much easier. Most of the knitting got relatively damp but you can see the wetter spots in the picture. Then my spray bottle died because it is evil and cheap, so I decided to wet-block the sleeves by dunking them in cool water and carefully squeezing the water out. Those got pinned onto another (rather ugly) towel:
They are still very slightly damp right now, so I'll probably wait another day or two before unpinning them and trying to seam them together. Oh, and knit a neckband, too. I gotta admit I'm a little (ok, a lot) nervous about the seaming.
And since I couldn't resist, a little mysterious closeup picture of something, because I wanted to show the pretty colours:
OK, this looks really bad, my falling off the yarn diet the very day after I "officially" announce it. But in actuality the yarn diet has been going on in my head since Sept. 1st, so maybe it's not that bad? Anyway, I have a good explanation for it. And if the explanation isn't good enough, I then refer you to the Bad-Ass Knitter's manifesto. So there. =P
Anyway, today was Boston's Knit Out & Crochet 2004, a gathering of knitters and knitting-related things on Boston Common. Luckily for them it was a really gorgeous day! So I went to check it out, and walked by all the exhibitors, and when I passed by the Windsor Button table, I overheard the lady telling someone that not only was the store open today (they usually close on Sundays), but that all their yarn was also 10% off. And this place is only a 2 minute walk away from the Common, so I figured that I'd pop in and maybe get inspired for Christmas presents. I had a pretty good idea of what sorts of yarn they sold, so figured it would be relatively easy to avoid temptation.
But, what I didn't count on was that they would have bags of yummy Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk sitting in a basket, just waiting to be picked up and fondled. Wait a sec, they didn't carry Debbie Bliss the last time I was there.... And since I was planning on buying a pile of the yarn for myself anyway after the yarn diet period was up, I figured hey, why not get some now and save the 10%? So I present to you the latest addition to my stash:
They will become a cabled scarf and headscarf. I'm thinking a simple cable down the middle of the scarf, with either a ribbed or seed stitch border. The headscarf will likely be this one from Knitty (btw, the fall issue is out!).
OK, now back to the yarn diet. I have been trying to make some dents in the stash, I started a Christmas present today, but I can't post pictures! Boo.
I've spent a lot of time in the car over the past week, what better time to catch up on some knitting? I drove with my parents and sister down to NYC for Labour Day weekend, and our departmental retreat was this past Thursday-Friday way up in northern New Hampshire, I think in total that makes about 10-11 hours in the car (but I was driving for some of that). So I finally have some FOs to show! First of all, I finished the second Koigu sock: 
The toe grafting on the second pair of socks went much more smoothly. I want to learn how to knit socks toe-up, maybe with the next pair. These ones are a little loose, even though I pretty much got gauge with the US2 dpns. They are still fun and warm, though Also, a fuzzy stripey scarf using Schachenmayr Brazilia Fantasy Color yarn. I'm usually not a huge fan of eyelash yarn, but this was pretty fun to knit with. And it's self-striping, so it does all the work for you! I cast on 24 stitches using US11 needles, and knit a 4x4 rib pattern until I ran out of yarn. Yarn and pattern both courtesy of The Knitting Garden. The only annoying thing is that the red dye from the yarn stained my bamboo needles a bit, so now they are slightly pink. Grrr. 
I have 2 hats which could be worn with the scarf, an orange one (pictured below, please ignore the shiny forehead and cheesy smile) and a red one. Except the scarf is all polyester so it probably won't be adequate for super-cold days, which means I will have to make another coordinating scarf using warmer materials. Oh drat, does that mean I need to buy more yarn? =P
One more thing before I wrap up this never-ending entry. I'm putting myself on a yarn diet until at least the end of September and maybe into mid-October, with the exception of Christmas present yarns. A girl can't live on yarn alone, I need new clothes for fall/winter, and my poor grad student stipend can't support multiple shopping habits. Boo.
