Happy Holidays!!

I'm obviously overdue for an update. My last post was Halloween so it's definitely time for Domo and the pumpkins to exit. But I don't want to talk about Christmas. I'm woefully unprepared for the holiday this year so the less said the better. We're getting some serious snow today in the Philadelphia area and I can't even get my shopping finished. I might be one of those crazy people you see on the news in the mall on Christmas Eve.
So, with 2010 right around the corner I thought I'd take advantage of this snow day at home to say hello and share my knitting plans for the new year. After knitting Fountain Pen, my first lace weight shawl over the summer, I caught the lace bug. Through the fall, I knit several of those smaller shawls like Traveling Woman , Ishbel and 198 Yards of Heaven (all rav links).
I recently finished the Dane Shawl by Jane Tanner, knit in J. Knits Superwash Me Sock yarn. The colorway is called Michigan. I'm very happy with it and my new shawl pin. But please let me know, am I wearing it wrong?? Stick pin up or down? Is there a right way?



So guess what I'll be knitting in the new year? More shawls. Hopefully 10 shawls because I joined the ravelry group 10 Shawls in 2010. The group was started by Pillen, an awesome knitter from Vestfold, Norway. She came up with the idea to challenge yourself to knit 10 shawls over the course of the year. Here's what she wrote on the group home page.

"The minimum requirement of meterage is 250 meter (ca 273 yards) for 8 of these shawls, whereas 2 must use at least 500 meters (ca 546 yards) of yarn.

There are no upper limits to meterage if you want to knit 10 big shawls :) Any shapes will do - and you can even be your own designer!

The plunge starts at January 1st and ends 31st of December 2010. NO WIPS count!
In the very beginning of January 2011, there will be a prize draw (picked at random of course) amongst those who have completed the 10 shawls following the criteria.

There will also be monthly prizes! :) "

Sounded like fun to me!! I already had several shawl patterns in my queue and now that I've joined the group my queue has exploded. I think I’m going to start with Swallowtail, but of course, I reserve the right to change my mind any time between now and midnight January 1st. And I’m sure that over the course of the year a new shawl pattern might catch my eye (ummm... Bitterroot and Citron) but here's my list of potential shawls to knit for the challenge.

Swallowtail
Ishbel
Cedar Leaf Shawlette
Aeolian Shawl
Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl
Mountain Peaks Shawl
Gail (aka Nightsongs)
Percy Shawl
Springtime Bandit
Aestlight
Luna Moth
Heartland Lace Shawl
Centrique
Butterfly Forest Shawl
Saroyan
Laminaria
Agatha
Night Blooms Shawl
La Cumparsita
Go Fly a Kite Shawl
Ethereal Fichu
Echo Flower Shawl
Woodland Shawl
Rueschenstola

So you should see some finished lace shawls on my project page on ravelry and here on the blog in 2010. And if you think you'd like to knit some shawls too, why don't you join us?

Happy Halloween!

Stay safe and have fun!

Finishing Feels Fabulous!

This has been a week of finishing! I've had several projects on the needles that I've been cycling between and I got to the point with each of them that it was time to just settle in and finish. I reached my "tipping point". Some had been on the needles longer than others but they all got their share of dedicated knitting time.

First off the needles was my newest project. In this case I think I have the KAL to thank for the quick turn around time. I caught the beginning of the September KAL on the ravelry Beginning Lace Knitters group for the Traveling Woman shawl by Liz Abinante. I'd had my eye on this shawlette and had been considering knitting it this fall so it seemed like a sign. August 31st found me casting on.

I thoroughly enjoyed knitting it. The yarn was yummy. The color was a treat to my eyes. The details are here on my ravelry page. And it was great to be part of the KAL and see everyone's yarn choices, progress and the finished shawls. In fact, the KAL is still going strong so if you've been considering knitting TW, stop by and visit the group. I joined earlier in the summer when I cast on my "first" lace weight shawl. I've found the Beginner Lace Knitters group to be a really sweet, supportive group of lace knitters who seem to welcome and enjoy helping newbie lace knitters (like me).

That lace project also came off the needles last night! I've been working away on it all summer. I'm a little apprehensive about blocking it. Can I mess it up at this point?? I hope not. So more about that when I have some nice pictures post blocking. And now, I must get off the computer and back to Liesl. I've just picked up the stitches for the second sleeve so that should be done very shortly too!

And all this finishing.... means I can cast on some new projects.

Happy Knitting!

It's What's for Dinner...

Squash!! I love summer squash so I was very happy to come home tonight and find this perfect yellow squash as I was on my way in the back door. It's been many years since I've had a garden. But my daughter had a couple extra squash plants that wouldn't fit in her smallish, first vegetable garden so she sent them home with me. I popped them in at the end of a sidewalk border right by my deck and now... I have dinner! Just steamed with butter (tonight I settled for Smart Balance), salt and pepper = yum!!

I also have another recent FO to share. The yarn, Knitting Fever Jumbo Merino, was an impulse purchase that I was sure was destined to remain in my stash because I foolishly only bought 2 balls. A grand total of 66 yards! I was going to try Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Unoriginal Hat but after looking at various projects on ravelry I was certain I'd run short. It was really bugging me that I'd bought this yarn that I was really drawn to - loved the earthy colors and softness - yet I bought it without a plan and couldn't find a pattern to use with it. So last weekend I just decided to knit a rectangle with a cable down the center and see if I could get enough length to make a neckwarmer. I made a buttonhole and one end and then knit down to the very end. And after blocking and giving it a little tugging it looks like it might work!


And a project currently on my needles is Liesl!

You might recognize this yarn. It was last seen as Vienne, (my ravelry project) which ended up in the frog pond. Who knew that frogging a whole sweater that had been washed and blocked with the ends woven in (really well I might add) would be such a chore. Took me a whole evening. And then more time washing and rewinding the yarn. But now I have the pleasure of knitting with this lovely yarn again and I'm optimistic that this project will be a success!!

Happy Knitting and thanks for all the nice warm wishes on the new little grandbaby!

Why it's a Finished Object or Two!!

Apparently I'm never going to be a regular blogger. I have trouble with commitment. Ask those who know me. Daily or even weekly is more than I can commit to. But this weekend I got a couple of projects finished, which always feels so good. So I thought I'd post a quick update. And now that something's come off the needles, something else can go on. Like Liesl and Ishbel and Selbu Modern and .....!

This is a little out of season... a winter scarf that stalled on the needles when spring arrived and then spent the summer patiently waiting it's turn again. I don't know what prompted me to pick it up this week. It's been quite warm and sticky here in the Philadelphia area but I dug it out of the "zzz" basket and would not rest until it was done. I knit until I ran out of yarn.


Pattern: Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf
Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool Chunky 2 skeins / 262 yards
Needle: US 10 / 6.0 mm
I've used this pattern before. It's a (usually) quick, easy knit. Unisex. And I think it works well with variegated yarn and would work equally well with a nice solid color. It may become my 'go to' scarf pattern.

I also finished my granddaughter Devin's school sweater. I don't think I ever blogged about it. It started out as a navy blue cardigan, per uniform regulations, but I did fancy it up a bit with some feather and fan. Hope that's acceptable for school standards. I'll take some photos and update my ravelry page next week.

And there's one more FO in my life I should share.....



Born on August 13th. I'm smitten. He's beautiful. Now I have 5 grandchildren to fill my heart. And knit for.

Hello!

Hi! How are you all doing? I'm doing well myself. Sorry gals but I lost my knitting and knitting blogging mojo for a while. I don't knit as fast as some of you, and I always felt I had to blog a novella every time. But Suzy Girl was kind enough to point out, that a few words here and there are all that is needed. A weekly hello would suffice. And she is so right.

So without further ado, here are two little book marks I knitted up recently:

First one was for a book blogger friend of mine Marcia from The Printed Page.

And the second is for me:

Not sure how well these will work, but I had this beautiful left over sock yarn I wanted to use. What else could I have done with it? That sock yarn log cabin blanket is never going to get made. Lets face it.

So that's it for now. I'll see you all next week. Happy Knitting!

P.S.

Barbara, I know I said Sunday for my post, but since Susan posted I decided to wait until Monday. Thanks for giving me another friendly kick.

Buttons!!

Well, I tackled a long overdue chore yesterday and got my button sewing done so I finally have some projects that are now officially OTN and FO. I don't know why I procrastinated so long on getting these buttons sewn on. Once I got started it didn't take that long. But in my defense, I had a hard time finding really cute buttons. Who knew cute buttons were so hard to find.

So anyway, here's how I spent Saturday afternoon.....

Sewing on plain, tiny blue buttons for the Little Boy Blue Sweater for my grandbaby.

Pattern: DROPS b17-23 (used this for the sweater and hat)
Yarn: Brooklyn Handspun Soft Spun - Superwash Sock Yarn
Needles:Size 1, 3, 4, us
I couldn't find a top down pattern for the sock weight yarn so I ended up using this pattern from Drops Design. This was knit from the bottom up, a first for me. Drops has a ton of free patterns on their website.. a great resource but I didn't like the decrease technique in the yoke area. It's a newborn size so I don't expect he'll get to wear it too often. His next sweater will be a top down and I will find cute buttons.

Still sewing... this time little pink buttons for a coworker who is expecting a baby girl.

Pattern: Easy Baby Cardigan by Diane Soucy (the Knitting Pure and Simple lady)
Yarn: Berrocco Comfort
Needles:Size 7us
This is a really nice quick and easy pattern. The buttons are little flower shapes but you can't really tell that from the picture.

And finally... buttons for a collection of bibs knit for my daughter. I started these early in her pregnancy. I was itching to knit for the baby but at that point we hadn't found out the baby was a boy. The colors are awfully bright and I probably wouldn't have chosen them if I had waited and known "he" was a "he". But if they catch food dribbles then I guess they've served their purpose.

Pattern: Baby Bib O' Love by Kay Gardiner and Anne Shayne from Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Lion Cotton-Ease
Needles: Size us 6

And to complete my baby knitting... the sheep hat is done. In fact, I made two. I had enough yarn to make little thumb-less mittens and a second hat for a friend of my daughter's who is also having a baby boy.

Pattern: Baby Sheep Hat by Melissa Burt
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare - Superwash Merino DK Weight dyed with Wilton's food colorings.
Needles: Size 6 us
The original pattern was made with 64 stitches, which seemed a bit small, so I reworked the hat a couple of times and finally settled on adding 20 stitches to the original chart, keeping the same number of sheep, for a final cast on of 84 stitches and used a 2x2 rib rather than the rolled brim.

Now we just have to wait for baby to make his arrival.

Happy Knitting!

Rock Star in the House

Today I drove out to Lancaster County with my son and grandson to take a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas could probably take over the world if he wanted to. He's the best thing since sliced bread. He is a rock star. Kids love him, parents love him.. even Grandmom loves Thomas.

My grandson is a huge train enthusiast. He loves them all... steam engines, diesels, passenger, freight... you name it. He's fascinated by all things trains. And he's a big Thomas fan.

So when we found out that the Strasburg Railroad was hosting a "Day Out with Thomas" event we couldn't pass up the opportunity even though the weather forecast for today was a bit hit or miss. We got rained on once and had to take cover in one of the food tents, but all in all it was a terrific day.

Lancaster is an interesting area, known best I guess, for it's large Amish population. It had been several years since I had been out that way and I'd forgotten how pretty it is in the summer. Thomas pulled beautiful restored railway cars through some picturesque farmland (that's tobacco growing) and some interesting crossroads (buggy rides by an enterprising Amish gentleman).






So I don't expect to get too much knitting done this weekend but the little guy had fun so there's always tomorrow.
Now, if I can just find the time to sew on some buttons I may have a few FO's to share next time.

Happy Knitting!

Hey Baby!!

Hello and "Happy End of May" from Winston Cooper and me. June 1st tomorrow! I can't believe the time has just slipped away. Hopefully Jenny Girl and I will be blogging more often soon. But in the meantime I thought I'd do a quick update.

It's been a busy spring, we've both been busy with work and life in general, but there has been knitting. And I know Jen is enjoying her book blog, so if you like to read as well, go visit her over there.

My main knitting focus this spring has been baby knits. I have a new grandbaby on the way so it's been all baby all the time for me.

Every baby needs a blanket.



Pattern: Baby Blocks by Ann Norling (it's from one of the Debbie Macomber books)
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare - Superwash Merino Worsted Weight
Amount: 6 skeins
Needles: Size 8 us

And a warm sweater, hat and socks... even one born in August??




Pattern: DROPS b17-23 (used this for the sweater and hat)
Yarn: Brooklyn Handspun Soft Spun - Superwash Sock Yarn
Needles:Size 1, 3, 4, us
I picked this sock yarn up last year at MDSW and assumed it would become socks but I decided to use it for the baby. The soon to be parents had some fun times kicking around Brooklyn with friends while dating and engaged so it seemed like it was meant to be their baby boy's sweater.

And of course, a baby sheep hat! I love this pattern and was so glad DD did too.



Pattern: Baby Sheep Hat by Melissa Burt
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare - Superwash Merino DK Weight dyed with Wilton's and the black will be Knit Picks Swish DK in coal.
Needles: Size 6 us

Now, SIL, he hasn't seen it yet. He might not want his son running around in a baby sheep hat but he does like the Converse booties, so I'm planning on making those as well.

And on a personal knitting note, sadly, Vienne has been finished but will never be worn. I'll be frogging it and re-purposing the yarn. After blocking, the V is much too deep and wide for me. It slips off my shoulders!! Ughhh!!


Happy Knitting!!

Jenny's pink Mr Greenjeans

I fell in love with Susan's version (Rav link) of Mr. Greenjeans , so being the copycat that I am, I just had to make one for myself. This baby has been percolating on the needles since the beginning of December. Here is a close up of the cable section:

The yarn is Moda Dea Silk-n-Wool blend (Rav link) and size 8 needles. The yarn is very nice to work with, and the pattern is super easy to follow. Top down construction and no seams. Yea! I did not change needle sizes on the bottom cable section as per the pattern. The cables pull in enough, without using a smaller needle. All I have left is both sleeves and the ribbing, which I'm doing now. Obviously this picture was taken a while ago.

Now if only I didn't have to work for a living and could knit all day.....

TTFN!

Bonsoir Mes Amis

I know, it's corny but I couldn't think of another way to start this post about my current WIP. It's Vienne, a free sweater pattern by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes which is available on the Knitting Daily site. Kristeen has a new book out, called French Girl Knits. So it seemed appropriate to dust off my high school french.

This started out as a KAL, but I'm not going to point fingers (or knitting needles) at any fellow knitters who left me knitting all by myself. I don't mind being abandoned. But now our plan for the three of us to wear our matching, spring sweaters on the same day and parade around the Drexel campus will never be.

I'm using Plymouth Royal Silk Merino in a kind of pale robin's egg blue. It's a really nice yarn. I got it on sale at Webs. Very nice to knit with.


This sweater uses an interesting technique, new to me. It's knit from the top down but starts out with a provisional cast. The left shoulder is knit from the top of the shoulder down, (front and back) and then the right shoulder is done the same way, with stitches for the sleeve cap picked up. There's a nice little lace pattern to keep it interesting. The two sides are then joined and it's knit in the round for the lower body.

I've made a little bit more progress since this photo was taken (by moi). The body is just about done and I'm ready to start the sleeves.


And as much as I want to sit and knit sleeves, I just got back from Borders. I bought Kristeen's book. It's a very pretty book, lot's of very pretty, french girl patterns. I also bought Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits. I'll be curled up on the sofa in 'new knitting book' heaven. The sleeves might have to wait for tomorrow. That is, if I can get Winston to move over and share the sofa.

Knitting my way toward Spring

Even though we got dumped on earlier in the week, it's March, and that means thoughts are turning toward Spring. After all, the Philadelphia Flower Show is in town this week and that's a sure sign of Spring. And this weekend, the weather forecast... 60's Saturday and Sunday!!! See ya' later snow!

So before winter slinks away (I hope I'm not putting a jinx on us Philly for one last blast) I thought I'd share a couple of recent cold weather FO's. I really enjoy knitting winter paraphernalia. I made several hats, some mittens, cowls and gloves and still have some projects in my queue that I'd like to knit but they'll have to wait for next year.

I knit two and half pair of gloves this winter. The last pair I finished are the Knotty Gloves (ravelry link). It's a well written pattern with some nice cable work at the wrist. My photo of the finished gloves doesn't really capture the detail as well as the second photo of them in progress.




Needle: US 2
Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks 4 Ply
Amount: A little less than 2 skeins
Colorway: Flax

I'm determined to knit more gloves for next winter. A small portable project - great for train knitting. And I like the various possibilities of patterns and colors. Like socks for your hands. This pair isn't exactly perfect but I enjoy wearing them.

My recently finished Cozy Cropped Cardi...
Pattern: Cropped Raglan Sweater by Lion (ravelry link)
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia in the Blue Nile colorway
Amount: 5 skeins - 870 yds. down to the last couple of yards
Needles: US 8



I love the Peruvia... it blocked really nice and soft. It's a very cozy little cardi and I'm going to wear it often until the weather forces me to put it away.

So what kind of projects will Spring bring? I've got a "springy" sweater on the needles. I'll try to get a real honest to goodness WIP post up about that next time. I'm planning on a lace KAL for some summer knitting. And socks are always good for warm weather knitting. You don't think I'm getting ahead of myself do you?? It is March after all.

Wee bit of catch up

This is what my sweetie gave me for Valentine's Day this year:

He does listen to me when I talk about knitting. "Hey, don't you need one of those swift thingies? Happy Valentine's Day baby."

Not that we celebrate Heart Day. We both worked in the restaurant business, many moons ago, and lost our taste for the holiday. It is one of the worst day's to go out for dinner. I rather have a surprise waiting for me some random Tuesday or something. To me, that's being romantic. Or after being married for quite some time, "I dusted, vacuumed, and washed dishes today, baby." That's always good to hear :)

In other knitting related news, not too much going on. I am working on my version of Mr. Greenjeans (Rav Link). I'll try and post some pics by the weekend. Very easy pattern, knit in the round, so no seams...yea!

I am almost finished one sock of a pair using some yarn I won from The High Fiber Diet podcast and the pattern tessellating lace (Rav link). This is my lunch time project at work. Easy, mindless, allows me to chat and knit.

On a somewhat disappointed, bordering on angry knitting note, I had started Vienne (Rav link) along with Cattywampus and Suzy girl. However after frogging and CO three times, I am not looking forward to a 4th. Now I know I can be bit dense from time to time, but when I knit at night after work, I don't need to think that much. A little thinking is fine, but not bang my head against the wall and still not get it thinking. Cattywampus is not feeling it either. Suzy girl on the other hand is moving right along. Hers is very pretty and soft. I think the finished product will be gorgeous.

Well that's all for now. I think that's enough anyway.

Take care and TTFN!

In honor of Homer

Homer was my father-in-law and passed away yesterday morning in the hospital, after a very long stay. Homer, although not his real name, it describes him perfectly. He really did love his family, in his own messed up way. Although his actions may not have always been perfect, he had the best of intentions. No body is perfect. So this is in his honor:

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,that if I followed you, you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Mary Stevenson, 1936

Thank you in advance for your kind thoughts and wishes. And please, if there is anyone in your life who smokes, please encourage them to quit. I used to smoke and for a great many years, so I know how hard it is to quit. It is no joke. But watching someone die from lung cancer isn't fun either. I'm not a "reformer" or anything, and I do believe in a person's right to smoke, but this experience I guess brought it home for me. Just ask people to at least consider it.

Thank you and take care!

Daddy has a hat

You may remember that before vacation I talked about making my Dad a scarf. I did. Nothing special, 2x2 rib and used red heart acrylic held double so it would knit up quickly and be extra warm. Dad needs easy care yarn. Well he loved it, and I asked if he would like a hat to match. He said sure, but could I put a Phillies P on it. Why not? I'm fearless. Low and behold....



I was a little concerned about the fit. I measured his head, but me and measuring don't always get along, so I was still nervous. Plus the acrylic yarn I was using was not that forgiving. But it turned out pretty well don't you think? Here are the specifics:

Pattern: Pastaza Skull cap (Ravelry) with some mods. I co 96 stitches and then had to fudge the crown but it worked out and swirled.
Yarn: Red Heart red and white
Needle size: 8 circs and dpns
Size: Men's large
I used graft paper for the P which was pretty easy. I may consider doing a Flyers hat next. Hmmm...


(BTW, Dad was tired, hence the half closed eyes)
TTFN!

We received an award....

We received this award from the Recovering Actor who has two blogs you should definitely check out: My Inner Monoblog and The Actor's Knitmare She is funny and honest, and also from the area.

This is a “meme” award, so it gets passed on. The rules for passing it on are:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Award up to ten other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

Okay so now I have to pick some blogs. Hmmm...sorry people but this is tough, because I read a lot of blogs, both knitting and book related. Hence, not a lot of knitting posts. Too busy reading.

So here goes:

Gnat from BarknKnit

Nell from Chicken Knits

Bea from Baa Baa Blacksheep

Heather from Sunset Knitter

Marg from Reading Adventures

Dustina from The Mountaineer Knitter

Sarah from Reading the Past

Toni from a Circle of Books

Dar from Peeking Between the Pages

There are a ton of great blogs out there. These are just a few. Check them out when you have a chance.

P.S.

I think the store you are thinking of is Rosie's Yarn Cellar on Locust street, between 20th and 21st.

Wind, Knit... Repeat

I've learned a lesson. Last Sunday I wound up two skeins of Araucania Nature Wool Chunky with my new ball winder. Which I love by the way!! This yarn had been sitting in my stash waiting for DD#2 to claim it.


I bought this pretty blue-purple hand dyed yarn with the intention of tempting her to get serious about learning to knit. She works a pretty high pressure job and I've often suggested that knitting would be a great down-time hobby for her... not to mention she'd knit her own socks and hats. But so far she hasn't progressed much beyond a half completed wash cloth.

So while digging through my stash looking for some yarn suitable for a scarf to "match" a recently completed hat, I decided 1) the Araucania would fit the bill and 2) DD#2 is not knitting this yarn any time soon so I should.

Now a slight digression, the Yarn Harlot had a great post this week about "matching" winter knitware on her blog (see excuse 7 if you haven't read it). Stephanie always hits the nail right on the head and is able to so clearly articulate the knitter's dilemma I struggle with. To match or not to match.

It's cold here in Philadelphia, really cold. January cold. And I, like many other cold climate knitters (and my fellow blog partner) have been busy knitting hats, mittens and neckwarmers for the family and me. In a perfect world my hat, scarf and mittens/gloves would coordinate nicely but not necessarily match. That's not a hard and fast rule. I did make a Foliage hat last winter and had yarn left over so I made a Foliage scarf to match. But whenever I wear it, I feel a little like a flash back from the 80's in my matching set. And I recently made my granddaughter, Ashley a hat (Utopia if you want to ravel it) that I think is a good match for the Bella mittens I made her. Same yarn, cables so it looks like a set. On the other hand, some of the hats and scarves I wear as sets, well they definitely don't match. In fact, I must admit they really don't even coordinate that well together. For example, my go-to scarf when I wear my Koolhaas hat is my Sheep Shop One Row Scarf . That combination is what I consider a fashion statement.... that say's "I don't care". The problem, as Stephanie so clearly explains, is that my collection of winter wear are all "different knitting adventures". For me that means knit at different times and for different reasons and not always planned in advance. How do you approach your winter knitware ensembles?? Do you work at matching them or are you just thankful to be warm?

In addition, this winter I've been intent on knitting yarn from my stash rather than go out and buy something new (blame the economic mess on me). So my latest completed hat, the one that prompted my winding the Araucania is another such project. A spur of the moment.. it's going to be really cold this week.. I need another hat project.

Pattern: Winter Femme Hat
Yarn: Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool (left over from my Greenjeans sweater)
Color: Pansy
Needles: us 7

I love the pattern, it was a quick, enjoyable knit. And the Shepherd's Wool is so soft and such a pleasure to touch and knit with. Now that I have the hat, I needed a scarf to wear with it. Not a cable scarf, that would be too matchy, right? A basic scarf out of the Araucania. I could make it work, right? The purpley color in the yarn is very close to the color of the hat. Pansy purple. Compliments or matches close enough in my world. I started the Yarn Harlot One Row scarf.

But for the second time I ignored the advice I've read about working with hand-dyed yarn and didn't alternate my skeins. I knit away this week and thought I'd soon have a completed scarf to wear with my orphan hat.

But after attaching and knitting 4-5 inches of my second skein I could clearly see where the second skein started. And it wasn't because I had a tail hanging, I felted the ends together. The second skein was clearly darker. Distinctly darker. I had to admit defeat, frog and rewind. After all, I do have some fashion principles.

Lesson learned. Alternate your skeins of hand dyed yarn. Or just go buy a hat and scarf that match.

First FO for 2009 Yea!

Like the majority of the country, the weather has been brutally cold here in Philly. Like single digit cold, and we haven't had that in several years. Therefore a nice toasty hat was in order.

Pattern: Robin's Egg Blue Hat from i dream of knitting

Yarn:Malabrigo chunky in Stonechat which I won over a year ago from Cinnamon Girl at Happyhand Work

Needle size: 10.5

Size: women's medium

Love, love, love the yarn and the pattern too. It is super easy and took less than a week. Maybe three days? I have never knit with malabrigo before, and I must say it was awesome. And the colors of this yarn are just beautiful. I know after a while malabrigo pills and stuff, but to have a worsted weight sweater out of this colorway, would be a good thing.

Hmmm....I see a future project.

I like the swirly thing the crown does. Cool!

Stay warm and happy knitting! TTFN!

Spa set

One of my co-workers recently bought a house, and I thought after all her hard work, she would appreciate some good thoughts her way while relaxing. So I made her this little spa set:

Two wash cloths and a back scrubber type thing.

Yarn: Sugar and Cream in Cool Breeze ombre

Needle Size: 8

Patterns: Butterfly lace dishcloth, (left) Eyelet and bead dishcloth,(right) and the back scrubbber was from Knit Noel (quick Christmas knits)

I was happy to make it for her, because she did truly appreciate it. She used to knit, but can't anymore because her hands are bad. She knows what it takes to make something. However, working with the cotton did bother my hands after a while. Plus the k2tog or p2tog-b are not the easiest things to do with cotton. So I was happy to finish.

No washcloths for a while though.

TTFN!