I Love Sparkly Things

Unfortunately I'm having a problem keeping track of my projects. I started this Artful Yarn shrug--it's brown silk mohair with beads and sequins, but I can't find it! Have to make my way through the piles of summer clothes set aside for the semi-annual closet turnover to try to uncover it as well as my pearls (yes, I'm on a roll--in a downward direction!).

So in the meantime, I started a bolero using Trendsetter Aura. I thought it was a beige color but it ends up being gray. I like it a lot and it's going fairly quickly. However, I only have three skeins and will need more. I haven't checked to see if the color is available--oh I like living on the edge. I'm going to need a metallic yarn in light worsted weight for the trim.

It's Fall

And where has September gone? I can't really say I've been excessively busy so I have no good excuse for not posting. To catch you up, I mailed the last package to my SP 12 recipient. I'm not sure she liked the last package--she never alerted me that she received it but did mention it on her blog. This time I gave her a hand-dyed purple nubby skein that would make a nice scarf, a skein of ombre sock yarn--I forget the name of it but I was intrigued because the fiber is impregnated with some kind of lotion that rubs off on the knitter's hands to moisturize them and then also moisturizes the feet of the wearer of the socks--so clever! I also put in a tiny skein of novelty yarn--it's beaded and purple. The yarn is rounded out with a purple tape measure, needle sizer pendant and some NYC souvenirs. I hope she likes it as much as I liked my SP 12 packages.

Actually, I LOVED my packages--every single one of them. The last package had some beautiful ombre fingering weight yarn and three (yes, I said THREE!) skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere--oh so beautiful. I swear I went and washed my face so I could rub them on my cheek--they are so soft and fluffy--I love them! There were also other goodies in the package, like a really nice knitting journal and some KnitPick needles and chocolate--a wonderful bar of Godiva chocolate that I ate on the spot and something very unusual--its called Brix. At first I thought it was a bar of soap because it comes packaged elegantly in a box. On closer inspection I realized that it is a bar of chocolate specially formulated to enhance the flavor of red wine. Now that is a wonderful idea, don't you agree? Thank you, Barb (sipknitter)!

Since I cannot ever work on just one thing, I have made some progress on my Rowan Cocoon pullover, the Tahki Bianca/Blue Sky Suri Merino cardigan and that (darned) Log Cabin blanket. I have also started a Snuggle for the Sit and Knit NY group, a hat for Hat Attack 2 and a neck warmer for the Sit and Knit NY exchange.

I love the neckwarmer--I had gotten the pattern in Dallas, TX a while ago and have some yarn to make it with, but never got the chance (or was motivated--I think I was daunted by the cables and ruffles involved). The woman I was assigned wanted cables so I found the pattern, bought some Frog Tree merino at Modern Yarn in Montclair, NJ and cast on. The cable is actually a "mock" cable so it was pretty quick to knit the main body. The first ruffle is knit on the bottom and then a second ruffle is knit along the cast on edge. I finished the first ruffle last night and picked up the stitches for the second ruffle and started working the increase rows early this AM. I'm a little confused because I picked up the 130 stitches on the RS but you're supposed to start on the RS--my fault for not understanding the instructions. So I had made it through four rows of the second ruffle and wanted to finish the last three and bind off at lunchtime today, but realized that I was making the ruffle backwards! So I ripped it back--luckily I just went down to the first row and didn't have to go through the pick up exercise again (that was a little tricky!). So I'm now where I thought I was this morning. Hopefully I can finish it this evening. The exchange meeting isn't until early October, but I do want to wash it and block it nicely. I'm debating whether to crochet on loops for buttons or not.

I have taken two classes at the Skein Attraction in Teaneck, NJ recently. The first one was to make a scarf with a reversible cable in Touch Me. I struggled a bit with the pattern on either side of the cable and realized I was working too loosely. Touch Me has a tendency to worm and even though I'm going to felt the scarf, it would be obvious. So that had to be frogged.

I did much better at the Charlotte's Web class. This is lace knitting using Koigu. I had originally bought yarn in blue colorways and tried making it on my own with limited success. I opted for new colors in an autumnal (browny-beige-greenish) colorway and with the wonderful instructions from Adina at Skein, was able to "get" it. I don't always pay close enough attention and have to do a lot of counting and tinking to ensure I have the right number of stitches but I am in love with it. The colors are gorgeous, if I do say so myself, and this is going to be a work of art (again, if I do say so myself).

The other things I'm excited about the new spiral hat I'm making myself with Kureyon and novelty yarn and the cardigan I'm going to make in Suri Merino in a gray colorway called Fog. I am toying with the idea of cat buttons--I have several that are rather small and each has a mouse dangling from it. I guess I have lots of time to decide since I haven't cast on yet.

And finally, I am dead. I received the death blow from my assassin in Hat Attack 2 yesterday. I have to say though that I am delighted. She knit it in brown and white which are excellent colors for me and the hat is large enough for me to wear (unlike the weapon I got in Hat Attack 1). Unfortunately for my assassin, redhead1968, I haven't made much progress on my hat so I'm mailing it off to her today so she can finish it and "off" my target. I have to say, I didn't mind getting killed when I got the hat!

More SP 12 Questions

The first question was something about your proudest knitting moment. For me, this was when I was showing my mother a spiral hat I knit with Kureyon and novelty yarns. She said "Your grandmother would be so proud of you."

The second question was about the best thing you ever received in the mail. This is a hard one. I love love love getting packages of yarn and chocolate and books and make up. I also like getting postcards and letters from people traveling, especially my nieces and nephews. I'm going to have to think about this some more.

Postscript

The first photo is the beginning of the hat for my younger niece--it's made of Kureyon which is a bit scratchy for a child but we'll see if she likes it. I selected this colorway because it's got a lot of pinks in it. She's a big big fan of pink. She has told me that red is the darkest pink. I'm not sure I agree but don't see the value of arguing that one!

We're all excited because my older niece just got engaged. What kind of knitting does one do for a bride? I'll have to do some research.

Meanwhile, I found a Rowan pattern book for Cocoon. I have two colorways in my stash and love working with it, however, the first project was going to be a lace knit lap throw and I couldn't get past the first 20 rows and the second one was going to be a cabled sweater but I got stuck on the "meandering" part of the meandering cable. There are plenty of really nice patterns inside and they are sized appropriately for me. You have to love that. I'm not sure which manufacturer I love more--Rowan or Blue Sky Alpaca. Luckily I don't have to choose!

Fall is Coming

I've been pondering the state of my wardrobe for the fall as well as the many, many WIPs I have stashed around the house. Inspired by a review of my knitting books, I pulled out some old old old Takhi Bianca yarn originally intended for a sweater for me. This was back in the day when I didn't understand the value of gauge and ended up with something ginormous and promptly frogged it and have been saving the yarn for something new. Sally Melville has a pattern called "not your mother's suit jacket" (or coat) in her Purl book and I've begun knitting away.

The pattern calls for a super bulky yarn mixed with a bulky yarn knit on a size 13 needle at 7 stitches to 4". Bianca is technically super bulky and I swatched it on 13s and 15s by itself and got about 9 stitches to 4" on both. Not sure how that is possible but off to the LYS I went. I went to Modern Yarn in Montclair, NJ. They are open Sundays, have very cool yarn organized nicely and the owners are very nice and helpful. I finally chose Blue Sky Alpaca Suri Merino to mix in--it's 60% baby suri and 40% merino. The color is called "fog"--a very pale gray. It's super soft and a little fuzzy (but not so much that I am picking pieces of it out of my mouth--I hate working with that kind of yarn). Anyway, it's luxurious--it actually says "Opulent meets orthodox."

I started knitting last night. You can't really see the suri knit it because it blends with the black, white and gray of the Bianca. You see a very faint haze right now--I'm wondering if that increases over time. In either event I love it. I'm winding up with a very stiff fabric. I'm making size Large which should be big on me, but I believe if it doesn't work out for me, it is beautiful enough for a gift. Look at the progress I made in one night! I have to admit my hands got sore but I love that there's so much progress. That's about 42 rows. I'm still on the first ball of suri and started the 4th ball of Bianca.

Truth be told, I ordered more suri in "Dusk" which is a charcoal gray, for a sweater for me. More on that another time. I also picked up some red and green Cascade for a holiday pillow I saw online and a ball of Kureyon for a hat I saw online that I'm trying to size for my niece.

Now for my confession. I did not finish a single item that I intended to complete during the Ravelympics. Not one. Never even looked at them. Had the best intentions. Planned and planned and planned to do it. Oh well. There's always 2012. I hear Michael Phelps will be there.

SP 12 Question 10

This week's question is: What Olympic event would best describe you knitting/knitting style? Is there a Stop 'n Start event? I actually signed up for the Ravelympics in the WIP Wrestling category and have not touched a single project that I registered in the event. I have, however, started a brand new project using Blue Sky Organic Cotton for a cardigan for me--I need to look up the pattern--I got a slew of new knitting magazines last weekend and have been salivating over the different styles.

And I made some progress on my Rowan Handknit DK top from BGK--it's a tank top. I'm very proud to announce I used short row shaping for the first time. I watched Cat Bordhi's video instructions on YouTube a few times before I went off on my own to do it. I think it turned out pretty well. Now I just have to keep going...it's going to be time for woolens before I'm done!

I have the best SP in the world!

Seriously. I do. My August package arrived from Bram and it is spectacular! She remembered my birthday is this month and I think she went through my profile and found wonderful wonderful treats to honor each of my preferences. There's a book on dreams, a relaxation CD and scented candle plus some Chanel No. 5 (my favorite!), chocolate biscuits (it took a lot of willpower to not open the package last night), a 2009 datebook, a bookmark (I'm a big reader) and some clean linen scented potpourri. The yarn she sent is magnificent--some Malabrigo--that's something I have always wanted to try--I'm going to make a hat with it because the color matches my coats. It looked like Manos to me but is so so much softer--I kept rubbing it against my face (is that weird?). And then there is some baby alpaca called Fable--I had never seen it before. It too is oh so soft and I love the color. I'm thinking I should make a scarf with it--the color will bring out the color of my eyes.

I love it, Bram. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Finder's Keepers

I brought an aran scarf back from Ireland for my brother. My cat Lucy has adopted it for herself so I'm not sure it is ever going to make it to him. She's actually very shy and well behaved so it was a surprise that she kept pulling it down and wrapping herself in it--I couldn't catch a shot of that but I assure you, it's hilarious.

New SP Question

This week's question is about whether we have ever entered our knitting (or anything else) in the fair and/or would we ever consider it? No, I've never entered anything of mine in a competition for judging. I would however consider it. As you can see, I'm rather pokey in terms of trying to get a project done, but these days, my work is fairly nice. Perhaps not Stitches Fashion Show nice, but nice.

Aran Sweaters

These are awe-inspiring purchases from Ireland. I bought them in a store called Standun in Spiddal in the west--it's outside Galway City on the coast road to Connemara. As previously posted, the prices were great and the sweaters beautiful.

I got the scarf for my brother and the sweaters are for each of my nieces and nephews. There was a very helpful sales woman at the store, which was lucky because the sizes are exactly true because they are handknit sweaters. I think only one of these had the name of the knitter on the tag--how cool is that?

Recent Projects

I made good headway on a felted bag while in Ireland. People were so impressed with the project because of the ombre pattern--I'm using Manos for this. The actual production is monkey work--straight knit on circs which is why I brought the project--it was easy to pick up on the plane and bus.

I also made a little bit of progress on the Rowan ribbon shell. There's a close up of the Artful Yarn ribbon so you can see the colorway.

SP 12 Question 8

What is your favorite supper for a hot summer evening? This is a hard one. Ideally it would be a bowl of steamers enjoyed with a pint of cold beer on the patio of a seafood restaurant off the ocean. From a practical perspective, it is probably grilled steak and vegetables on my patio--I'm in a heavily wooded area and although its very shady, I get the late afternoon sun out there and the light is beautiful. It's pretty quiet around where I live and the river is in my backyard, so I still enjoy the water element.

In knitting news, I'm working on a shell for me (there's a surprise, huh?). The predominant yarn is Rowan Cotton Ribbon although I'm mixing in some ArtYarn fibers--they're all in the same colorway but different weights of silk--ribbon, plain silk and then silk with beads. I just cast on using my own measurements and we'll see what happens. I need to find another needle though--I'm using #6 ebony circulars and one of the joins isn't smooth enough--I keep having to tug which interrupts the rhythm once I get going. I'll photograph it later today.

I also have photos of my trip to Ireland last week. I searched far and wide for Irish wool and let me tell you, it was not easy. Apparently, most of their lamb and a lot of their fleece are exported and there are few mills left. I did get several skeins of brown worsted in a town called Doolin, where Irish is the main language. And I did find a nice kit for making an Aran sweater in a store called Standum in Spiddal--however, the kit was almost 40 Euros and a handknit sweater was almost 40 Euros, so I opted for the sweater rather than the yarn. I bought one each for my nieces and nephews and am now trying to design a sweater for myself. My last name is English in orgin and I'm trying to figure out what the elements of our family crest represent so I can find corresponding cable patterns to develop a pattern for our own.

SP Question #7

What is(are) your favorite place(s) to knit? At the beach (notice a theme?) or in the living room in an upright chair. A nice comfy couch is always nice too. What supplies (besides yarn & needles) make the setting perfect for knitting? For me, a good glass of red wine in a Waterford double old-fashioned tumbler--less chance of spills that way.

SP 12--Question 6

I seem to have missed question 4 (1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”? 2) What yarn do you never want to be without? so my count on questions is wrong.

My answers to question 4 are Cascade Venezia--I swatched some one the Stitch and Bitch cruise at the yarn tasting and just loved it. I haven't seen it in any LYS but will have to look it up to see who stocks it in my area. Not that I need to add to the stash!

It's hard to choose one yarn I wouldn't want to be without--I have so many favorites. Sincerely. It may be a toss up between Zara, Pure Merino and Cocoon.

So my previous post on question 4 should actually be labelled question 5 and now I will address question 6: What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation? This is a hard one. It can't be too bulky or cumbersome to pack or to work on in transit (although I'm not known for being conservative in this regard). I generally will pack two projects--one small and portable like a baby sweater or a scarf and one larger project, like a sweater or top for me. My biggest fear is finishing the project before I return home and have nothing to work on during travel time, so I tend to overpack. I'll be honest though--I never seem to work on things that diligently when traveling or on vacation.

SP 12--Question 4

My preference for a vacation spot has always been a beach location. I'd love to visit Nice and Capri and several European spots, but at the end of the day, I like going to Cape May, NJ.

My niece, however, thinks the beach surf is too "risky" and prefers the pool. That's her, registering her complaint.

Life is Hard, Yard by Yard

I'm in physical therapy for my knee three times a week. I signed up for Aquacise at my community pool twice a week--this is not the elegant synchronized swimming I seemed to have imagined it is. And the pool is open late two nights a week so I have plenty of time to get there. That's an awful lot of working out for me. PT and Aquacise are kicking my butt. Need to ice my knee and my foot (separate problem) every evening.

I'm also in organization mode--well honestly, I hired someone else to organize me. She's a wonderful young woman who is working toward her MBA. She's energetic, enthusiastic and she has not uttered the words "you don't need any more yarn." (That's a keeper!) She actually found the patterns for several of my WIPs. So I can resume knitting on them.

Even better, she found the cable for my camera. I'll be uploading some updated photos soon. It was an eye opening experience for me to update my Ravelry pages--I have three times as many projects in progress than I have different kinds of yarn in my stash. Amazing, really.

Things are a bit uncertain at work so I haven't been focused on my knitting. Well, hopefully I can change that soon, right?

Right?

That's Indie, BTW, guarding the beginning of a lap throw made of Rowan Biggy Print.

My Secret Pal 12 Package!!!

I went out to run errands--much to my surprise, a lot of businesses are closed today for the July 4th holiday--my drycleaner and my nail salon. I had to get some good sneakers for physical therapy and wanted to also find shoes that were decent enough to wear on business--this is a big procedure because I need to get a bigger size to accommodate new orthotics--the right foot swells and is tight and the left foot is usually too loose.

So, I was a little depressed coming home but there was a package by the front door. It was from Bram, my Secret Pal 12 person. She sent me some of the most beautiful yarn I've ever seen. There's a skein of Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere in a soft pink and a skein of Baby Llama from Elsebeth Lavold in a creamy white. Both are so soft and luxurious, I'm sure I'm going to love knitting them up into something beautiful. And there is a skein of No Two Snowflakes merino wool in fingering weight--it's a hand-dyed yarn is very soft pinky peachy melony color--so so beautiful!!!!! Bram also sent some Addi Turbos--I'm going to use the No Two Snowflakes to make a lacy scarf for myself--it's so pretty. I'm also going to enjoy the Chocolate Truffles she sent from Utah.

So very kind! A big thanks to Bram.

What a Nice Surprise

I was contacted by three people on Ravelry because I put some yarn up for trade or sale but I ended up just sending the yarn to them. I've got so much yarn to knit through and didn't see myself using these particular yarns any time soon and was glad to be able to give them to people who would use them. Well, guess what. One of them sent ME a lovely package filled with Rowanspun 4-ply along with extra goodies like Blackberry jam, tea and chocolates. It was totally unnecessary but such a nice surprise!

On the Way to Cape May!!!!!!

Actually, I'm home. Spent a lovely long weekend in Cape May, NJ. It's a Victorian seaside resort--apparently the oldest in the USA. The weather was beautiful and I went to the beach with my younger niece and nephew--both are characters in their own ways. My niece and I visited the Fiber Arts Shop (http://www.yarnsrus.net/) in town and we bought just a couple of things--some carded novelty yarns--I can make at least two spiral hats for Christmas presents. I also bought a Berrocco pattern book--they had a really pretty sample of a pullover knit in Seduce and Lumina but they didn't have enough of any one color combination for my size.

My niece found Hello Kitty buttons. We bought all of them and then looked for a pink cardigan--yes, I know it's cheating, but it seems to me it will be much quicker to buy a sweater and just replace the buttons.

I'm participating in Secret Pal 12 and we had fun buying gifts for my pal. I'm going to do a holiday theme and started with "seaside holiday." I got her some "beachy" colored sock yarn--it came with a pattern--and some needles. We found earrings in a similar colorway that looked like beach glass, saltwater taffy and a mermaid doll kit...very adorable. I hope she likes them!

Still plugging away on the Log Cabin blanket.

So Slow

I've misplaced the cable from camera to computer so I've lax about posting, but now I'm behind on the Secret Pal 12 weekly questions. So, in answer to question 2, I looked forward to reading all summer...preferably at the beach.

And for question 3, (What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?), I firmly believe a stash is an ongoing process and there's no way or even a need to quantify the amount. I know this is a vague answer, but I think the beauty of the stash is adding to it, sorting through it, touching it and all those wistful plans we make around it.