Hip, Hip, Crochet!

I apparently crocheted as a child--I have a dollhouse size blanket and pillow to prove it. I've been trying to pick it up and it doesn't appear hard but I guess you need to practice. I'm feeling like I need someone to work with me on it. To that end, I've picked up a couple of books--Hip to Crochet (I have Hip to Knit and like it), 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet--which looks fun--and the adorable Creepy Cute Crochet--this is beyond my skill set so far but I'm hopeful.

I was going to crochet a tank top from Plymouth's new yarn Sprout, but that first row is very difficult, regardless of the project or the yarn so I've set it aside (although I fully intend to knit the Sprout using the tank top pattern in Hip to Knit). I have some ribbon in my stash that I'll try to crochet when it's warmer and I don't have Spring cleaning on my mind.

It was a gorgeous day today and I used it to deep clean. I put everything that was not stored away into the guest room, which brought to mind my grandparents, who had a bedroom that they used for storage when I was young that they called the "spare room." My guest room is looking pretty similar these days (and this is NOT a good thing).

I'm on a kick to finish the many many projects I have going. I mad

e a list and have enough projects for two to three years--no exaggeration. I just can't seem to prioritize anything. I had taken the Stella Shrug to The Skein Attraction yesterday for advice on how long to make it--the patterns calls for 57 inches from cuff to cuff. I'll need make it 64 inches wide to have it at the wrist, so I need another skein of Kidsilk Haze which is delaying progress on that.

But I finished knitting a bag from Manos del Uruguay and Touch Me this morning--I have to take it to my sister's to felt--she has a washer with a disinfectant setting that felts beautifully. If I ever find the charger for my camera, I'll post a photo of it.

I Won! I Won! I Won!

I went to Shirley Paden's book signing at Lion Brand Studios last night. What a lovely woman.

The ladies on either side of my couldn't praise her teaching skills highly enough. There's no space in her Master Class this coming Sunday but I'm definitely planning on finding classes that she teaches.

Interesting talk and inspiring environment--I couldn't help drifting off as I planned colorways from the thousands of skeins of yarn on the walls.

And, as an added bonus, I won lighted knitting needles--I've always wanted them specifically for use in movie theaters (got to keep these hands busy). This comes at a great time. Both my parents won door prizes at the Cape May Knitting Retreat, so we have a trifecta for the week.

Cape May Finds

There was, of course, no way to resist buying some special items at Fiber Arts. The first purchase was this beautiful bulky yarn called Handspun Bouquet from Pagewood Farms. One skein is 50 yards/5.5 ounces and it's recommended to knit on size 15-19 needles. Eight stitches and I don't know how many rows will produce a nice scarf. Can't wait.

The second item is a kit from Knit One Crochet Two. There are two skeins of cotton--one fuchsia and one mango--and that's enough to make two "fishy" bath mitts. The kit includes a bar of homemade soap that smells great. This will be a filler project but for evenings because there's a pattern to follow.

Lastly, I found these tubes of beads. I want to make the Gleam Evening Wrap from Silky Little Knits and have more than enough Kidsilk Haze for it, but I need 1700 beads. I couldn't tell how many beads are in a tube at the craft stores or online and when I was pricing them out, it got extremely costly so I was delighted when I saw a bin with several tubes of beads at the Fiber Arts shop. Voila! Two tubes of 1000 beads each. Now if I can just talk someone into helping me string these! ; )

Stella Shrug
This is the Kidsilk Haze shrug I'm knitting from Silky Little Knits. It's knit cuff to cuff in the round, flat then round again. The grey at the top is the back and knit flat. The fabric made from knitting Kidsilk Haze doubled is absolutely heavenly--so soft and delicious--like a cloud. I can't believe how much I love it. It's a little difficult to fix mistakes but so worth the effort!

Been So Long

Yes, yes, I know, I've been remiss about keeping up with the blog. But between work, vacation, work, knitting retreat, I haven't had much time.

I've been focused on a good inventory of my WIPs and the projects waiting in my stash so I can get a handle on what I have and what I need to get done. I donated three large boxes of yarn recently and still don't have room to store everything (I refuse to go beyond one room!).

We had a wonderful time at the Fiber Arts Knitting Retreat in Cape May, NJ this past weekend. Despite a rocky start with the blizzard-like conditions and a three-hour shoveling episode, once on the road, travel was easy. I'm listening to Pat Conroy's South of Broad and the miles flew by....

We stayed at Congress Hall, which is the nicest hotel in Cape May (IMHO) and we were greeted by some yarn ladies. There was a banquet and fashion show on Friday night, classes on Saturday and some events on Sunday too. First class, Margie taught us Crochet for Knitters (not my strong suit...yet), then Jim taught Button Making--that was a whole lot of fun. Finally Afton taught Knit One Below (the brioche stitch) after lunch. I did a lot of frogging but finally got it.

There was a trolley tour of the town scheduled in the evening, but we walked around town then went back for cocktails in The Brown Room and dinner at The Blue Pig Tavern.

The one thing that could have been better for me would be availability of coffee at an early hour. The coffee shop didn't open until 7:00 and room service and the dining room didn't start until 7:30--I'm an early riser under most circumstances, so I put on my coat and ventured outside the hotel looking for coffee. Unfortunately there's not a lot of options in February, so after admiring the ocean for a few windy moments, I went back to the hotel and got a cup at Tommy's Folly.

We were pretty much on our own Sunday, so we had breakfast at the Blue Pig then went to the Cape May Day Spa for hand reflexology. What a delight that was! We also wandered around town and of course shopped for pretty little things here and there. We could have visited an alpaca farm which was part of the retreat, but the weather looked rough and we ended the trip with a visit to the Fiber Arts store. I'll have to photograph what I bought so I can show you.

Progress report on my needles: I'm working on a shrug from Silky Little Knits by Alison Crowthers Smith. I'm using Rowan's Kidsilk Haze doubled in five colors. You knit 20 rows with AA, then 20 with AB, then 20 with BB and so on. It's knit cuff to cuff, sleeves in the round and back flat. I'm on the back right now. As part of my organizational attempts, I hope to have this project down this weekend, so I can finish the Prism Stuff Shrug next week. I'll let you know how that goes...

Home Again

I'm back from my knitting adventure on the high seas. Lots to tell but not enough time now. I started my Ravelympics sweater this past Saturday and have half a sleeve done. Need to rip a bit now but I'm loving it!

I'll tell more about my trip later.

Knitting While I Work

I'm in Chicago for almost a week on business. I've been actually too busy to do much knitting but I was able to make some progress on my Prism Stuff Bolero. I started the neck shaping and am moving along on the back. Need 7" then can add stitches for the left side. I'd like to get that done because I'll be traveling tomorrow and will need a project to occupy my mind...I hear there will be snow in the tri-state area, so I'm preparing myself mentally for delays.

Only five more days until I set sail with the knitters.

Woe, Woe

I have been cruising along with my Noro Top-Down V-Neck Sweater and was excited to work on the neck and button bands. The first band went fine. I picked up the same exact number of stitches in the same exact way (pick up three, skip 1) but it was about 3 inches longer than the first.

So I frogged it and started again. It's still about 1-1/2" too long. I don't know what's happening? Do buttonholes through it off? I am flummoxed.

I'm Sailing Away

I have been working 20 hour days this week and there was nothing but madness last week. At around 3 AM one night, I decided I needed to go away and made a list of potential destinations. Atlantis is a favorite of mine and they don't seem to charge a penalty for single occupants. Club Med can be reasonable if you take advantage of the last minute deals but there's no guarantee that a destination I'm interested in is available and there is a penalty (they call it a "single supplement"). And I also considered that traveling alone to these places truly means being alone.

I had found a knitting cruise through a couple of links to http://www.greatballsofyarn.com/. Voila! A seven day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to the Carribean (San Juan, PR; St. Kitts and St. Martin) aboard the Celebrity Solstice with a group of knitters and classes led by Barry Klein from Trendsetters Yarn and Chris Bylsma. I've taken classes with both and learned so much so this was a no brainer, even though I haven't seen a bit of information on the classes. Based on my "back of the envelope calculations", the cruise was cost $1000 more than my next option when I totaled in taxis to and from airport, cat care and, ahem, liquor.

Around 4 am one day this week I decided that didn't matter--great destinations, great people and I will be out of cell and email range for 7 days (I can get cell service in Puerto Rico but I'm not telling anyone that).

Despite being exhausted when I got home last night, I did the very important inventory of appropriate footwear and found a nice pair of black pumps for evening wear that I did not know I had. I really don't remember when or where I bought them; it apparently wasn't for a particular occasion because they've never been worn.

I got a roundtrip flight on JetBlue through Expedia and selected my seats today. I splurged on the extra $$ for the seat with more legroom--I am a decadent girl!

I also signed up for two excursions--both beach days in St. Kitts and St. Martin. Not sure what I'll do in Puerto Rico--I've already toured the city and the old fort--I guess it will depend on the weather. Next, need to look into the specialty dining options and beverage packages next.

I have to assess my current knitting projects--I've been working on two Noro sweaters for myself but I have three sleeveless shells from last summer that need fronts (I run out of steam after I complete a back) and two sleeveless shells that need to be finished. One is made from Tessa's Silk Merino and the armholes are way too deep, so the top needs to be frogged to the armhole. The other is a tank made from Rowan Cotton. It's the first garment where I used short rows so it should fit nicely.

I'm waiting for some Mission Falls wool to come in to my LYS (The Skein Attraction, Teaneck, NJ and highly recommended) because it is supposed to be the basis of my Ravelympic sweater. The Ravelympics kick off toward the end of the cruise week so I'll have to have some of the project with me. I can also bring a WIP that I can register to be my "event". Prior to that, I thought I might work on socks for my niece and nephew, who insisted I knit socks for them despite that fact that I told them I don't knit socks. I've made one sock in my knitting career and that worked out well because I fractured my foot in cold weather and needed a nice cozy sock to protect my foot in the orthopedic (and oh so comfy) sandal-esque shoe I had to wear.

Need to go to The Skein Attraction to pick up 8" needles for gauntlets and the sleeves of a top down sweater. Soooo close to done.

I vow to finish the Mission Falls striped sweater this weekend.

Pretty and Warm

Finally finished the Prism scarf--it was a kit; two skeins of Symphony and one skein of an angora. Really pretty. Not too long (I'm sure it will grow). And wide enough to double around my neck. Since we're having artic weather, that's a VERY good thing.

I have been investigating the Great Balls of Yarn cruise in February...oh could use the warm weather. Can I be that lucky?

A Piece of Pi

Clearly I am not good at focusing my energy on one thing at a time. I unearthed some Koigu KPPPM destined for a sweater with the Noro Kureyon I'm using for the Catwalk sweater and found several more skeins packed away with the holiday knitting from last year. The dye code is 315--cream, taupe and greys--very neutral and subtle. So I started a Pi shawl. After a few false starts with other Koigu colorways, I think I'm going to start with the traditional Pi. The only yarn overs will be the increases. I started on size 3 needles last night and finished five sets of increases (I'm up to 144 and working on the 24 rounds) but had to change to size 4 because I didn't have a larger needles in 3. It's very Zen working straight stockinette in the round. I'm trying not to think about how to finish it off....

I have two other Pi shawls that I need to rip out--they were practice Pis--one is in pink KPPPM and the other in blue KPPPM. There is a third that I started in some delicious Karabella silk merino DK--I think I need to frog half of what I have done...ribbit ribbit.

Top Down Appeal

I was only introduced to top down sweaters in the last year and I am a big fan. Not only do these patterns eliminate the need for seaming and require little finishing, the seem to move a whole LOT faster. Plus, with minimal to no shaping, the knitting is kind of mindless, which is a welcome relief sometimes. Here's my Noro top down--it's growing quickly!!! The picture is a lot brighter than it appears to me in real life--the darker stripes are more dominant. I think there's about 4-5 more inches to go, then I start on the sleeves and the neck and front bands. Have to think about what buttons to use.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide what project to work on for the 2010 Ravelympics. One month one week and two days until the Winter Olympics begin. I am considering the WIP Wrestling event--that would be smartest....but...I have the new Vogue Knitting and there is a cardigan I love--Tanis Gray's XOX Raglan Cardigan. I have some natural colored cashmere I've been saving for a long time as well as some gray suri merino. But...I've always wanted to make the DNA Sweater from Simply Brilliant Knits. It's made with Mission Falls 1824 wool and I've ordered the yarn from The Skein Attractions. Decisions, decisions.

Today I'm going to inventory the smaller projects I have in progress. I need to balance the projects that require thinking/tracking/shaping with straight knitting for bus rides to and from work.

Happy New Year!

I enjoyed a lovely New Year's Eve with my family. We had dinner at Legal Seafoods and played Sketchy and reviewed the monumental events of our lives in 2009. Now we have a brand new year--365 days and a blank slate to do whatever we want and live however we want.

I'm making simple resolutions this year. I'm not tweezing my eyebrows for 6 months in the hope they will fill in. I will try to take better care of myself (okay, that one's not so simple but I'm using the "schedule time with yourself" technique). And I will not feel guilty about abandoned WIPs or the size of my stash. In fact, I'm going to start being honest about whether I will go back to the WIPs and I am going to donate a whole bunch of yarn.

I would like to finish at least one project a month. For January, I'm hoping it's my top down Mission Falls 1824 striped sweater. I just have the sleeves and front bands left.

But I've started a Knitting Pure and Simple Neckdown Cardigan (#221) for my sister. I had some Koigu KPPPM, Frog Tree Alpaca and Kidsilk Haze that I'm knitting up around these heart-shaped buttons. If she doesn't like this, I also have Neat Stuff and Symphony in "Shadow" (grey) from Prism for a shrug, Brown Sheep Wool in a bright pink and some Wedgewood blue Encore and dark blue Kidsilk Haze that I've swatched--very pretty too.

And I'm working on two Noro sweaters for myself--the Kureyon I posted about before and a top down in Silk Garden. So much fiber, so little time!

Well, here's to 2010--best wishes that you all are happy, healthy, wealthy and wise in this new year!

Holiday Knitting

I never seem to be able to get ahead of holiday knitting. I bought more festive holiday-ish yarn with the intention of supplying loved ones with scarves by Thanksgiving that they could wear throughout the holiday season. When productivity on that idea slowed to nil, I changed my idea to hats. But can't seem to get the assembly line momentum going. I have been bouncing back and forth on knitting projects for myself. The newest addition comes from the second edition of the Noro Catwalk patterns. It calls for Silk Garden Lite--I'm using Kureyon and my friends at The Skein Attraction helped me choose the appropriate size. They ordered yarn in a different colorway for me but I couldn't wait so I started knitting with Kureyon #149. I ordered additional yarn from someone on eBay. That turned into something scary--the lot of 9 skeins should have been around $72 plus S&H. They ended up multiplying $72 x 9--I nearly fainted when I got the PayPal receipt! Luckily I was only charged the appropriate price. I've already finished the left front. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the other Kureyon.

Work Work Work

It keeps me in fiber and nice shoes, but it also keeps me too busy to knit as much as I'd like. I think I've finally found things I like to do most--I was warned away from bulkier yarns because of the bulk they add, but I am a loose knitter and I will simply not finish a worsted weight project knit on #6 needles or, Heaven forbid, a DK weight project unless it's for a child. I'm also a lot better at top down, minimal finishing pieces than I am at knitting all the pieces individually.

I finished the Plymouth Mulberry Merino shrug for my sister's MIL and am now concentrating on a couple of treats for me. I saw an adorable baby sweater at The Skein Attraction knit in Mission Falls 1820 and have started a top down striped cardigan for myself. I learned to add stitches on the ends of my work in the middle of the project--woo hoo--shout out to Carol who showed me how.

I'm also making a pink Mulberry Merino shrug for myself--knitted doubled and it will be trimmed with Cha Cha from Trendsetter. It's supposed to ruffle--can't wait to see that. While I was at Skein, one of the ladies was finishing a pretty fall sweater--the pattern is called Nimbus and it's from Berrocco. I think she used Peruvia as called for but I am doubling a new Colinette worsted weight and also knitting in some Kidsilk Haze. There's not much of an aura from it but it transforms the ombre yarn, which is grays and browns and a little umber/orange.

I'm also trying a new boucle from Plymouth--I've always wanted to knit a "Chanel"-like jacket for myself but was confounded by the loops of boucles in the past. This is pretty easy so far--I'm also working it doubled so I'm getting a nice fabric from it. It will have to be finished at the LYS though--I'm having troubling "reading" the work and I'll never be able to pick up stitches for the edgings.

Finally, I dug out a project from last year--it was going to be a shawl alternating 2 rows of Touch Me with four rows of Tilli Tomas Disco Lights knit in a seafoam-esque pattern. I was on #5s but the Touch Me still wormed. So I frogged it and swatched the Touch Me on smaller needles. I'm down to a size 2 (they suggest 8s or 10s on the band!) and the fabric looks great but I'm waiting to see if the worms pop out later. Now the dilemma is whether to start the shawl again, or make something else. Such problems! : )

I Cannot Resist

I love Debbie Bliss. Her patterns, her yarn and now her new magazine. There are so many projects I would love to knit... Started the Moss Stitch Jacket last night. You heard me.

Stopped at The Skein Attraction in Teaneck for needles and stitch markers. I started the Kim Hargreaves Tender sweater on Saturday but the points of my Addi Turbo Lace needles are scratched and I needed new ones. I also have misplaced my tool bag and cannot find small stitch markers and need them for the Koigu Pi Shawl.

Skein had just received a shipment of new yarn which included some Blizzard from Plymouth. I've worked with it before and grabbed 20 skeins in a faded red, almost tomato color and cast on last night. I got 13 rows done last night and added another 3 this morning before leaving for work. It's a bit fuzzy and I'm hoping it won't pill. Otherwise I'm loving it.

I couldn't be more proud

My niece learned to finger knit at Girl Scout Camp and on Saturday night, I helped her braid three super long strands together to make a scarf.

We spent some time together yesterday and I taught her a rhyme (left to right, around the back, through the window, off jumps Jack), then I gave her needles and some Zara and she picked it up right away. She's thinking of being a Gingerbread person for Halloween and will need a pink scarf. She was a little disappointed with some of the stitches but I convinced her that they should be considered design elements!

On the Road Again

Still traveling and making very little progress on my CPH--which is an AUGUST KAL with the ample knitters' group on Yahoo. Oh well. I do have the back done.

I had delusions of knitting on the plane to Chicago and Miami and then to Dallas and then San Diego, but no such luck. I'm feeling like I need to be on a strict knitting regimen to work through this. Some of the ladies zipped on through theirs! How do they do that?

Meanwhile, I've purchased some Koigu and have started another Pi Shawl using it. I've not done anything fancy with the stitches and it is zipping along. I started on size 4 needles but realized that was going to take forever so began again with 8's.

I discovered Kim Hargreaves while buying the Koigu at Patricia's Yarns in Hoboken (love Margo and her enthusiasm!). I bought her pattern books "Nectar" and "Breeze" and have been trying to find "Precious" because of the designs I've seen. Oh so pretty. And I think I can use many of these patterns to stash bust. I have some really nice cashmere and a big lot of alpaca crying to be used. But of course I'm drawn to "Tender" which is made with Kidsilk Haze. I'd need 7 skeins for me and wouldn't you know I have 5. I do have some Suri Merino that I'd like to see if I can substitute--it won't be as airy but maybe I can use needles larger than #2! I have these cute cat and mouse buttons that I could use.

Summer Reading, Some Are Not

There's nothing like a warm sunny day and a good book, although my ideal scenario would be a shady spot at the pool with a book on tape and my latest knitting project.

I have given up on the idea of a customized Pi shawl for the niece who is getting married and am focusing on finishing the Tilli Tomas shrug for her. I'm almost done with the second sleeve and took the body to The Skein Attraction for some help. The neckline on each side was different; turns out I used armhole shaping to make the neckline on one of them. Ooops! Any way, it's coming along nicely.

The other niece demanded (oh yes, she did) a rainbow sweater like the one I made for a family friend's daughter. We could only get two skeins of Kudo in the colorway she wanted (EXACTLY like the other one) and here's hoping I have enough left over from Project 1 to successfully complete Project 2. Meanwhile, I told her that I would not get to her new sweater right away (this is the girl I made the two pink shrugs for!) and she replied "What am I going to do with a sweater in the summer?"

Meanwhile, she found a pattern book for little characters called Pocket Pals--they are 3" tall. These are made on #1 needles with DK weight yarn. I knitted one last night; need to add the detail and hair--her hair is curly so this is going to be a challenge--fun, but definitely a challenge.

Finally (honestly there is much more to add but I haven't taken pictures)--I am doing to do a KAL in August--the Central Park Hoodie. I'll be honest, I've been looking at it for a while although I don't think I want a hood per se. I decided to use Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran--I had twelve skeins at home for a project I didn't get very far on and thought this would be a good stash buster (stop laughing). However, I needed 25 skeins total. It was my good luck that the ladies at The Skein Attraction found the extra yarn on site and--wait for it--it's the same dyelot. How lucky is that? The photo shows my chosen color--Noisette. I'm using #6 Addi Turbo lace needles...people who made it say that it's lots of fun, so I can't wait to start.

I'm trying to finish Purple Passion (Giotto and Banyan shell) while on the bus these days. So pretty! The colors match so well.

On My Way to Cape May

On Thursday.  Can't wait.  I have assemble several "almost" done projects to work on for a long weekend at the shore.  

I have to finish Hannah's Rainbow Shrug (she's expecting it this weekend; I promised).

I also have the Tilli Tomas Shrug for my niece who is getting married in August.

And I have a third shrug that I am making with Wild Stuff Half and assorted other yarns (of course, my intention was to work with leftover yarns but "had" to purchase new skeins to make it beautiful).  

And then there are three shells for me!

I found my camera and will post photos shortly!