blue lace fiesta

Sweater Success

2011-11-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

My first truly wearable sweater, finished just in time for the cooler weather! I have rarely if ever worn other sweaters I've made because they were too itchy or too heavy for me. But this one is soft, lightweight, and cozy, and I've already worn it several times!

Pattern: Abigail Cardi by Cecily Glowik MacDonald
Yarn: Quince and Co. Tern in Barnacle, 5 skeins
Needles: 3.0 mm

The sweater grew some when I blocked it. I was able to reshape it to close to the original size, but it's a little bit large for me. Overall though, I'm pleased with how it turned out, and am even thinking about buying more Quince and Co. yarn for another cardigan (probably Lark to make Tinder by Jared Flood). I love all the Quince and Co. yarns I've tried so far.

More pics and notes on my Ravelry project page.

High Five

2011-05-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Red - now that's a color you don't see much of on this blog.

Project Spectrum 5 has given me the much-needed nudge to finish photographing my red Wine and Roses Mitts. And my fifth blogiversary (today!) is giving me the nudge to post.

I actually made these last year, so I don't remember all the details off the top of my head, but I know I made some modifications in the number of repeats so that these would fit my small hands. They turned out just the right size. I used O-Wool Classic 2-Ply. I really liked this yarn - it's wooly, but not itchy.

The robin cross stitch is something I made years ago, but I thought it was a nice prop to use (photographing my own hands is tricky).

The Haul

2011-02-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

The weekend before last, my mom and I went to Stitches West. Since I no longer attend a regular knitting or spinning group, and haven't been to a Spindles and Flyers guild meeting recently, it was great to see so many people I hadn't seen for some time.

Here are this year's purchases.

Malabrigo Rios in Purple Mystery.

Madelinetosh Pashmina in Duchess, to make a cardigan (Atelier).

Pigeonroof Studios Super Sock in Raspberry. My mom bought this so I can make her a pair of fingerless gloves and a scarf.

Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two Sock in Tychian Purple. I've never bought Pigeonroof yarn before, only fiber, so I'm really excited to try these. I love how deep the color is!

Non-yarn purchases included some fat quarters from A Verb for Keeping Warm and stitch markers from Miss Purl.

First up to be knitted is the Malabrigo Rios. Malabrigo March is just around the corner, and I'll be making a Crooked Paths hat.

I'm off to swatch!

Four

2010-05-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

It's my fourth blogiversary!

It's been months since I last blogged, so here's a quick wrap up of things I've done so far this year (click the images for more details on Flickr).

1) Went shopping at Stitches West.

2) Made a Ripley in Malabrigo Twist during Malabrigo March. I thought I wouldn't get much use out of this until next fall/winter, but we've still been having chilly and rainy days here.

3) Wove a scarf/wrap in Habu A-1 2/17 tsumugi. This was my first time weaving with silk, and while my warp tension wasn't quite even on the loom, I can't tell in the finished scarf. I really like the depth that using different colors for the warp and weft gave the fabric.

4) Wound up my A Verb for Keeping Warm Wishing. Now I need to pick a pattern. Any suggestions? (A lace shawl or scarf, of course!)

Nine Things I Did In 2009

2009-12-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

but didn't blog about until now. In roughly chronological order:

1) Spun (from the fold) some Pigeonroof Studios Romney in Twist. The colors and the fiber made this such a pleasure to spin.

2) Finished a pair of toe-up knee socks (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Edgewater, 2 skeins). I really like how these turned out, but need to add elastic to the cuff so they stay up better.

3) Made an apron for my mom, based off the generic craft store-type apron she already had. I followed Amy Karol/angry chicken's No Swearing All by Machine Bias Tape Tutorial. Highly recommended - I barely touched my seam ripper.

4) Did some sample knitting for Melissa Leapman! This is a detail on the Springtime Hoodie, knit in Kollage Temptation in Lagoon.

5) Knit most of a Veste Everest (using Black Water Abbey Yarns 2-ply worsted weight in Moss). I finished the front and the back (sorry, no photo of that) and seamed it up, but haven't gotten around to doing the neck and arm bands.

6) Intended to work through my stashed sock yarn, but didn't make much progress. I started a pair of Jaywalkers (no photo of this either), and have been knitting these on and off for the past 6 months or so. There's always next year...

7) Spun 2 oz of A Verb for Keeping Warm 50/50 Silk/Merino in No. 9. I got approximately 400 yards of laceweight/light fingering weight yarn. I really, really love how this turned out.

8) Went to Stash's moving sale. I got four skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in Eden (a purple, and, for the record, I'm really into purple this year). I'm still not sure what I'm going to make with it. Maybe a vest?

9) Learned that unwarping a direct warp is time consuming and a potential recipe for tangles. (I only wanted to use one skein for the warp, and it was narrower than I wanted. I knew I'd prefer my scarf to be a little shorter than to have it too narrow.) Somehow it all worked out in the end, and I managed to get the warp off without needing to cut the yarn at all. Now I have a nearly complete Koigu scarf - just a few more inches to go!

Wishing you a happy new year!

New Things

2009-08-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Lots of new things happening here since I last posted. One reason I haven't been knitting (or blogging) much lately is because I started a new job!

Another new thing? I learned how to weave! Last month, I took a beginning rigid heddle workshop at Knit One One, taught by Brooke (of Tactile). I really enjoyed it.

Our project for the workshop was a plain weave scarf. I used a little over two skeins of Hand Jive Nature's Palette fingering weight (color NP 124 - orchid).

It's more tightly beaten at the beginning than the end, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

My most recent new thing is a rigid heddle loom (15 inch Schacht Flip) which arrived last week. Off to rummage through my stash for yarn for my next weaving project!

Three

2009-05-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

It's my third blogiversary! Let's celebrate with a lacy triangle.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Paris Night (52), less than 1 skein
Needles US 4 (3.5 mm)

I really enjoyed knitting this (and wearing it too)! While I originally was making this for a Malabrigo March knitalong, I thought the greys fit in well with the North and stone grouping for Project Spectrum.

During the same time I was working on Ishbel, I read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. The heroine, Catherine, is fascinated with Gothic novels, so I took inspiration from this and found some Gothic-influenced architecture for a photo shoot.

Have a great weekend!

New Yarns, New Project

2009-03-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

Another Stitches has come and gone. I went on Friday with some friends from Ravelry, and ran into several more while I was there. It was nice to see so many familiar faces, especially considering that two years ago I didn't really know any other knitters in person. Ravelry has certainly changed that.

As for the shopping at Stitches, I pretty much stuck to my plans. Here's what I got:

(I rather like how all the colors go together.)

From left to right we have:

50/50 Silk/Merino fiber in No. 9 from A Verb for Keeping Warm. I know I said I wanted to try something other than merino or merino blends, but this was too pretty to pass up! I think it would be great as a laceweight.

Malabrigo Lace in Paris Night. Actually, I didn't buy this yarn at Stitches. As if going to Stitches wasn't enough yarn shopping for one day, R and I stopped by my LYS (Stash) afterwards. There had been some of the laceweight at Stitches, but I wasn't crazy about the colors, so I figured I was better off checking out my LYS, since they had just received a shipment of Malabrigo (both lace and worsted).

Malabrigo Dos in Indiecita. If you knew the password, the nice folks at the Malabrigo booth gave you a skein of yarn to try! I can't wait to knit this up, probably as a pair of fingerless mitts.

Toots LeBlanc BFL/pygora laceweight in Chocolate. This was the only thing I bought that wasn't on my list, but I figured it was okay because (1) I skipped purchasing something else on my list and (2) I walked the rest of the market first in case I saw something else I would rather have. Toots LeBlanc was my favorite new find (thanks to Stash and Burn); I love that their yarns and fibers are left their natural color.

Black Water Abbey worsted weight in Moss. I'm planning to make a vest with this yarn, and the color is a nice fit for the first color/theme grouping of Project Spectrum: Cardinal Directions, which starts today.

But before I begin my vest, I'm casting on for Malabrigo March! I started working on Ishbel this morning (using Malabrigo Lace in Paris Night).

My progress is a little slow since I keep stopping to pet the oh-so-soft Malabrigo. Mmmmmmm.

Anticipation

2009-02-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's time for Stitches West again! I'm headed there tomorrow (Friday) with some fellow Ravelers. We're "only" going to the market, which is pretty overwhelming by itself. So much to see and touch!

Last year I found it helpful to make a fairly specific list and budget (including a list of what not to buy), so I've done the same this year. It keeps me focused and I'm much less likely to make impulse purchases. When I put my list together, I kept some upcoming knitalongs in mind.

March is just around the corner, which means another Malabrigo March! I'll be on the lookout for some Malabrigo Lace tomorrow to make Ishbel (for this KAL [Rav link]).

I'm also planning to get yarn for a Veste Everest at Black Water Abbey. It'll be too late for Vest-uary (Rav link), but there is an ongoing KAL thread for this pattern in the Interweave Knitters group on Ravelry. And, depending on what color I choose, it could work for Project Spectrum 4.

Quite honestly, all of the colors are gorgeous, but I keep wavering between Old Purple and Moss. I think either one would look good in this pattern. Old Purple was one of the colors I was instantly drawn towards; Moss would fit in nicely for the first color/theme set of Project Spectrum (North, Green, Stones/Gems/Rocks, Winter, Earth). Hopefully, seeing them in the skein will help me decide.

I'll also be stopping by some of the fiber vendors tomorrow, including A Verb for Keeping Warm, Pigeonroof Studios, and Tactile. Most my spinning lately has been with merino or merino blends, so I'd like to branch out and try something new.

If you see me at Stitches, please say hi! Most likely I'll be wearing my Ene's Scarf.

Ends and Beginnings

2009-01-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Last May, I started a pair of Endpaper Mitts. I don't remember when I finished knitting them, but they've been sitting in the ends-to-be-woven-in pile for too long! Now the ends are secure and tidy, and the mitts are blocked and ready to wear.

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Teal (20) and Sandstone (50), less than one skein of each
Needles: US 0 (2mm)

For me, colorwork takes a lot more effort than most knitting, but I'm glad I persisted! I really liked how these turned out, even though the pattern is slightly obscured by the tweedy nature of the yarn.

I still had a decent amount of yarn left when I finished, so I made myself a hat (which happens to be my first FO of this year).

Pattern: Wesley by Kate Gagnon
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Teal (20) and Sandstone (50); Rowan Felted Tweed in Watery (152). These were leftovers from other projects; I would guess I used less than 1/4 to 1/3 skein of each for this hat.
Needles: 2.5mm (brim) and 3mm (body)

This pattern is a great way to knit up leftovers. Because the yarns I used are thinner than what the pattern calls for, I used the stitch counts for the "lots of slouch" size to get a hat closer to the "little slouch" size.

I really like the slipped stitches in this pattern; they give the fabric a nice texture, without being difficult to knit.

It's very satisfying to use up old yarns, and I definitely have plans for more stashbusting this year! In particular, I'd like to knit up my sock yarn, especially after reading about the Personal Sock Club on Ravelry. The idea is that you create packages of sock yarn with a pattern, and then surprise yourself with a new one each month (or whenever). I've set aside yarn for five pairs of socks, and will possibly add a sixth one (I might frog a pair that is a bit wide). But before I can start those, I have to finish the pair that is on the needles. I'm now up to the cuffs, so they should be done soon!

Looking Back: 2008

2008-12-31T11:36:00.000-08:00

At the end of 2007, I had little intention of getting back into spinning. The few skeins of yarn I had made were rather disappointing, not to mention time-consuming. But earlier this year, a couple of my knitting friends learned how to spin, and I started to browse the posts on the Ravelry Spindlers group. Pretty soon, I was ready to give spinning another try, and bought new fiber and spindles.

1. Lily Spindle, 2. Golding RingSpindle, 3. Soft Handspun, 4. Big Plans: Spindling for a sweater

I'm so much happier with my spinning now. Good tools, trying different techniques, and practice make a big difference. Plus, I love being able to support some fabulous local independent dyers - A Verb for Keeping Warm, Tactile Fiber Arts, and Pigeonroof Studios.

Of course, the knitting has continued. Here are some of my favorite projects from 2008.

1. Mini Lace Triangle, 2. Lace Ribbon Scarf, 3. Trellis Scarf II, 4. Stripey Socks, 5. Koolhaas Hat, 6. Butterfly Moebius, 7. Ene's Scarf, 8. Squishy Handspun Scarf, 9. Amanda Hat

Malabrigo, my handspun, and lace seemed to be recurring themes in this year's knitting. I also turned to some simple knits (a garter stitch scarf and stockinette stitch socks), which I found surprisingly satisfying, considering that I usually like some lace or cables in my projects.

This year was also filled with a number of fiber-related events, which I attended with some members of my knitting group and other Ravelers. This year we went to Stitches West, Color, and Lambtown, and made a trip to Carolina Homespun and Artfibers. (If you hadn't heard, Artfibers is closing their San Francisco store at the end of January, but will continue selling their yarns online. They recently sent out an email saying they will open an East Bay location in April 2009.)

1. Alpacas at Lambtown, 2. Color Marketplace, 3. Artfibers, 4. Ravelry Goodies from Stitches

It's been a busy year! Hope you had a good 2008, and wishing you a happy 2009!

Trellis the Second

2008-12-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

It's pretty rare that I knit the same pattern twice, but earlier this year my grandma asked me to knit her a Trellis Scarf. She liked mine, and wanted hers to be a darker blue.

Over the past few months, I had been making some progress on her scarf, but the approach of Christmas gave me the extra push to finish. And here it is!

Pattern: Trellis Scarf by Evelyn Clark, from Interweave Knits Spring 2006
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk in Aegean, less than 1 skein
Needles: Addi Natura US 1 1/2 (2.5 mm)

The only major modification I made to the pattern was altering the ending border. The pattern ends with a straight edge, which you block to points. However, this wasn't symmetrical enough for me, so I added in some make ones and decreases to the original chart.

Ending border on the left, beginning on the right.

I hope she likes it!

Happy holidays, everyone!

From Sockapalooza to Socktober

2008-10-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Remember these?

I started this pair of socks for Sockapalooza 4 (eventually switching to another color and pattern), picked them back up this year for Sheptember, and finally finished them a couple of days ago for Socktoberfest. It feels good to get these off the needles!

Pattern: Roza's Socks by Grumperina, from Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Baltic Sea. (I've adjusted the pictures in this post to get a reasonable representation of the color, but this is the most accurate one I got.)
Needles: US 1 1/2 (2.5 mm) Addi Natura for the leg, US 0 (2.0 mm) Addi Turbo for the heel flap and foot.

Unfortunately, the leg ended up a bit wide, so the socks are falling down on me. I normally handwash my socks and lay them flat to dry, but I might send these through the dryer to try to shrink them up. While these aren't the best fitting socks I've made, I'm glad that this yarn and pattern combination didn't create any horrible pooling.

I'm planning to cast on for another pair of socks soon, after I get some other projects finished (I'm in a rare phase of finish-it-up-itis). More Lorna's Laces, this time in Edgewater.

I've never completed a pair of toe-up socks, and I think it's time for me to do so! I usually like to knit socks with some sort of stitch pattern, but this time I'll be going with plain vanilla stockinette stitch. I'm aiming for a taller-than-usual pair of socks, so I may throw in some calf shaping if necessary.

Have a happy Halloween!

Splash of Blue

2008-09-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

September is almost over, and Project Spectrum 3 is coming to a close. I really enjoyed this version with the "elemental" groupings of colors.

It was especially easy for me to find things to make for the current Water group, because the color triad includes blue, one of my favorites.

Though I started quite a few things, my only FO from the Water element was a box bag. I made the same modifications as I did on my first box bag (tabs on the ends and covered seams), and I also decided to make the handle a bit narrower.

I started a few knitting projects. Two of them are scarves (a Lace Ribbon Scarf [picture] and a Trellis Scarf [picture]), but at the moment my favorite WIP is a Butterfly Moebius (from The Knitter's Book of Yarn). There's something so satisfying about knitting with your own handspun. (The fiber, naturally dyed merino, was from Tactile.)

I'm also enjoying using this stitch marker. I had a "thing" for ladybugs when I was little, so it makes me smile.

In other news, this past weekend I joined my local spinning guild, Spindles and Flyers. I think it will be a great opportunity to learn more about spinning, but it may also tempt me into weaving! (Not that I haven't considered it before.)

Blues

2008-08-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Water element of Project Spectrum 3, I have a number of things for blue projects.

From left to right, top to bottom:

Manos Silk Blend (color 3064) for a Lace Ribbon Scarf. I'm a third of the way through the scarf, and I'm already contemplating a little cardigan made out of this yummy yarn.

A Verb for Keeping Warm Organic Merino (in Softspoken). This will probably end up as a two ply, perhaps for a scarf.

Batting, thread, and fabric for the Quilted Coasters from Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. The coasters have been pieced together, but I'm stalling on the quilting because I'm having trouble finding a walking foot for my sewing machine. I might try machine quilting without a walking foot, or I could do it by hand.

Cascade Yarns Heritage (color 9848). I went looking for the most recent Vogue Knitting, and ended up with this skein of sock yarn instead! I don't have a pattern picked out yet, so I'd love to hear your suggestions.

(And on a completely unrelated note, the Lorna's Laceaholics group on Ravelry is putting on Sheptember, a month to celebrate LL yarns. I'm using it as a chance to finish these up and perhaps do some stashbusting.)

Perfect Fifth

2008-07-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ene's Scarf (my fifth project from Scarf Style) is blocked...

...and ready to wear.

Pattern: Ene's Scarf by Nancy Bush from Scarf Style
Size: 53" across top, 26.75" from top edge to bottom point, blocked
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Purple Mystery (30), less than 2 skeins
Needles: 3.25 mm (US 3) Addi Natura

I did a cable cast on with a single strand, rather than a knit cast on with two strands as given in the instructions. As I was knitting my shawl, I was afraid my cast on was slightly too tight, but post-blocking I'm pleased with the result. Nice, gentle points along the edge.

I really love this yarn - it's so soft and comes in gorgeous colors. However, because it is handpainted and one skein seemed bit more blue than the other, I decided to alternate the skeins every two rows. A little cumbersome, but I think the result is worth it. Unfortunately, my pictures don't quite capture the true richness and subtle variegations of color.

Can't wait for some cooler weather so I can wear this!

Flying High

2008-06-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

I had been eyeing the Golding RingSpindles after hearing so many good things about them on Ravelry and seeing the beautiful photos on their website. When my parents gave me some money to get myself a graduation gift, it didn't take me long to decide to get one of these spindles. And here it is!

The details:
Whorl: 2 1/2" walnut
Style: Vintage Ring Austrian Enamel
Shaft: walnut 5/16" x 8 3/4"
Weight: 1.4 oz

The customer service was outstanding. Tom was very quick to respond to my emails, and I received my customized spindle about a week after my initial inquiries.

There were a number of enamel rings I could have chosen from, but this one stood out since it is reminiscent of blue and white pottery, which I love. And I couldn't resist those little birds!

The maker of the enamel bangle is a bit of a mystery. Tom sent me a photo of the trademark, but I haven't been able to find anything more about it yet. Do you recognize it, by any chance? I'd love to know where the ring came from.

While I'm tempted to buy more fiber to go with my new spindle, I'll try to stick to the stash for now. After all, doesn't the spindle go nicely with the naturally dyed merino I have from Tactile Fiber Arts?

I think spinning this will be one of my projects for the Air element of Project Spectrum. While blue isn't part of the official color triad, spinning seems very airy, as do the birds on the spindle!

Turning Two

2008-05-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's my second blogiversary! Despite the name of this blog, I haven't written about very many of my blue lace projects. So, let me introduce you to one of my most recent FOs, a Mini Lace Triangle.

Pattern: I used the Flower and Medallion motifs from Evelyn Clark's Knitting Lace Triangles. Although I have knit several Evelyn Clark patterns before, this was my first time using this book. The instructions were clear and I loved building my own triangle from the given lace patterns and transitions.
Size: 22” across top, 10.5” from top edge to bottom point.
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Jewel Blue, 10g sample from the Malabrigo booth at Stitches West.
Needles: 3.25 mm (US 3) Addi Natura.

I enjoyed knitting with the Malabrigo Lace so much that I bought some more - two skeins in Purple Mystery. Last night I cast on for Ene's Shawl by Nancy Bush (from Scarf Style).

Malabrigo has tons of great colorways, but I really love the depth of this one; it's a very dark purple leaning towards blue. So, maybe this can count as more blue lace?

~~~

I'd like to close this post by saying thanks to all of my readers! I always love to hear from you, whether in the comments, via e-mail, or on Ravelry, where you can find me as bluelacefiesta. Happy knitting!

Recto-Verso

2008-05-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

Over a year after abandoning my stranded mitten (yes, in the singular), I think I'm ready to give colorwork another shot. This time, I'll be making a pair of Endpaper Mitts. It's a semi stash-busting project, since one yarn is from the stash and one is new. I had a skein of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in teal (color 20) is leftover from my Tangled Yoke Cardigan, but nothing to go with it, so off to the yarn store I went. At first I was looking at dark and medium browns, but the woman working there suggested something lighter for more contrast. Eventually, I decided on the Silky Wool in sandstone (color 50). Perfect for the Earth element of PS3!

I made a two-sided swatch, to see how the different color combinations look.

Side 1:

Side 2:

I'm probably going to go with side 2, but I'm still debating about the color for the cuff. Which side and cuff do you think looks better?

Up, Down, Spin Around

2008-04-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying watching the play of variegated yarns and up-and-down stitch patterns in my current works-in-progress.

Chevron Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts in Schaefer Anne

Jaywalker (Ravelry link) by Grumperina in Malabrigo Sock

I've also been thinking a lot about spinning lately, and went to Color: A Fiber Festival on Saturday. The location was beautiful...

... and so was the fiber!

I came home with four ounces of Naturally Dyed Merino from Tactile Fiber Arts.

I also bought some Polwarth from A Verb for Keeping Warm (dark grey, 4 oz).

I've spun up a little of the polwarth and made a small swatch.

It's wonderfully soft, and I'm looking forward to spinning up the rest.

Shifting Elements

2008-03-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

March is coming to a close and April is about to begin, which means Project Spectrum: Elements is changing from Fire to Earth. I've been playing with both elements.

Here is a fiery FO that was for both PS3 and Malabrigo March (Ravelry link).

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Geranio (44), one skein.
Pattern: The Amanda Hat (pdf) by Gina House. I used the same modifications as I did for my first Amanda Hat.
Needles: US 8 (5 mm) for body of hat, US 7 (4.5 mm) for decreases.

With the leftovers, I'm making Evangeline (fingerless gloves) from MagKnits. I hope I have enough yarn!

I'm carrying around this project in my new box bag. It's the perfect size for small knitting projects (7 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 3.5 inches tall).

I chose brown and green fabrics for the Earth element of PS3.

I used Drago[knit]fly's box bag tutorial, with a couple of modifications. After reading around on some blogs, I decided to add tabs to help make zipping and unzipping the bag easier.

I also concealed the raw edges with the extra brown fabric. I love how the inside of the bag turned out.

Making this bag was a bit more time-consuming than I had anticipated, since I ended up ripping and redoing a number of the seams (my sewing skills are a bit rusty), but it was worth it!

mmmMalabrigo March

2008-03-01T11:29:00.001-08:00

Over on Ravelry, the Malabrigo Junkies group is celebrating Malabrigo March. There are a bunch of knitalongs and contests going on, so it's going to be an exciting month! I'm co-leading two of the KALs with sweetfigs - one for Koolhaas (KAL here) and one for the Amanda Hat (pdf) (KAL here).

In preparation for the KALs, I was working on an Amanda Hat this week.

Pattern: Amanda Hat (pdf) by Gina House
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Violetas (68), one skein
Needles: US 8 (5 mm), and US 7 (4.5 mm) for the decreases

The first time I worked through the pattern as written. However, the top ended up being a bit puckered and the hat was a bit too long. So I frogged back some, eliminating the last two rounds of the lace pattern. I worked the garter rounds, and then switched to smaller needles for the decreases. I also added an additional round of decreases (k2tog all the way around) before cinching off the top. The modified top ended up much smoother for me, and like how it turned out. I really enjoyed knitting this hat, and especially love how the combination of variegation and lace pattern worked out.

Time to cast on for more mmmMalabrigo hats!

Out West

2008-02-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I went to Stitches West with a group of Ravelers. We had a great time, and came home with lots of goodies.

The market was overwhelming, as usual, but I managed to restrain myself from spending too much. In fact, except for the tee-shirt I bought, everything I purchased had been on my list.

I bought three skeins of Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted, in Violetas, Geranio, and Continental.

Some of the sponsor booths were handing out free samples, so I got a mini skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn and one of Malabrigo lace weight.

Since I'm part of the group Malabrigo Junkies on Ravelry, I also received a test skein of Malabrigo's hopefully-soon-to-be-released sock yarn. Any pattern suggestions? I have a hard time picking patterns for variegated yarns, although these colors look great in the skein.

My non-yarn purchases included Evelyn A. Clark's Knitting Lace Triangles and a set of zero stitch markers.

Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without stopping by the Ravelry booth. It was great to meet Jess and Casey, and to see all of the Ravelry pins people were wearing around the market. I played along in the passport game, and ended up buying a tee-shirt and a set of buttons.

Stitches may be over, but now I can knit up my new yarn. I've already started an Amanda Hat (pdf) with the Malabrigo in Violetas.

I'm enjoying it so far!

Hugs and Kisses

2008-02-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pattern: Besotted Scarf by Adrian Bizilia (Hello Yarn)
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Amoroso (157), 2 skeins
Needles: Addi Natura US 6 (4.0 mm)

This scarf was a fun and fairly quick knit. Not surprisingly, I loved working with the Malabrigo, and I really enjoy the squishiness of the cables. To help blend the variations in color between the two skeins of yarn, I alternated between them every two rows. The pattern suggests slipping the the edge stitches, but I just knitted or purled them instead.

The finished dimensions are 5 1/2 inches wide by 55 inches long (unblocked), and there's only a few yards of yarn left. The scarf is a little on the short side, but then again, so am I! ;)

I might not have considered this colorway if it wasn't for Project Specturm, but I'm glad I did. It turns out I like warm colors more than I thought! I'll try to incorporate more warm colors into my future knits. Next up are some fiery dishcloths; I'm envisioning a striped chevron pattern.

An Explosion of Color

2008-01-29T22:36:00.000-08:00

I'm getting a little bit of a head start on Project Spectrum: Elements. The first element we're focusing on is Fire, using orange, red, and pink. With this in mind, I recently purchased two skeins Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Amoroso (157). I usually stick with cool colors, so this is rather adventuresome for me.

After some deliberation of what would be a good pattern to use, I decided to start a Besotted Scarf, which seemed appropriate for a colorway called "amoroso."

The weather has been grey and wet, but I don't mind when I'm inside knitting this cheerful scarf!

Kool Hat, Warm Hands

2008-01-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

One skein.

Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Vetiver (607)

Two finished objects.

Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood. The pattern was originally from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007, but can also be purchased here. I only worked 3.5 vertical repeats of the lattice pattern, and therefore had to adjust the placement of the decreases. In addition, I worked some of the decreases differently, because I wanted them to be twisted at the base. So, for the [sl 1, k2tog, psso] decreases, I slipped the first stitch purlwise rather than the usual knitwise, and for the ssk decreases I used k2tog tbl. A fun pattern and a quick knit!

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Vetiver (607). This was my first time using Malabrigo, and it certainly won't be my last! It's so soft and is a pleasure to knit with (and wear).

Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) for the ribbing, US 7 (4.5 mm) for the lattice pattern.

With the leftover yarn from my Koolhaas hat, I made some fingerless gloves.

Pattern: What pattern? I made up the pattern as I went along, with Grumperina's posts on a brioche neck warmer and hat being the stitch pattern inspiration, and the hand/wrist warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts being the basis for the general construction. The fingerless gloves I made are brioche rib worked in the round, with a few rows worked back and forth to create a thumb opening.

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm).

Now I know why they call it mmmmMalabrigo!

2007 Resolution Review

2007-12-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

As 2007 comes to a close, it's time to review how I did on fulfilling the resolutions I made at the beginning of the year.

Join (or form) a knitting group. Check! Thanks to Ravelry, I was able to find knitters in my area and start a group with them. So far, our group includes Desiknitter and Molly, and blogless knitters Rebecca, Jessica, and Jill. It's so wonderful to have you all to talk about knitting (and other things) in person!

Work on projects for which I have bought the yarn but have not yet cast on. Possibly wishful thinking on my part. I did start a Quidditch Sock (currently singular) with the designated yarn, but for now it is in hibernation. I really didn't get to using much of my older stash yarn; a lot of the projects I worked on were from yarn I purchased this year. Still, I've added on a number of skeins to my stash, and they might not be going anywhere anytime soon.

Try some new knitting techniques, including intarsia, 2 socks on 2 circs, toe-up socks, and steeking. Of those four techniques I only tried toe-up (the previously mentioned unfinished Quidditch Sock, which turned into a sort of hybrid since I ended up picking out the toe and worked it the other way). I didn't try two socks on two circs, but I did make two socks at the same time on one circular (magic loop) for Carrie's socks.

Try other fiber-related activities, such as spinning on a wheel, weaving, and needle felting. Nope.

Knit a sweater that I will actually wear. Surprisingly, yes. I only started to seriously dream about knitting a sweater this year after joining Ravelry, where I heard about NaKniSweMo and saw lots of lovely Tangled Yoke Cardigans. So, after some debating and an odd sign from my printer, I got the yarn. I managed to finish in about a month and a half. (More pictures and a complete blog post soonish!) Much more wearable than my past two sweaters!

Design something and submit it to an online knitting magazine. I haven't gotten around to this yet. I do have a design in mind that I've been working on here and there, so hopefully I'll have something sometime in 2008. I'm not sure if I'll submit it anywhere or just put a free pattern here on my blog.

Knit something to enter to my county fair. No, but I was out of the country during the time of the fair itself, if that makes any difference.

Weave in ends within a week of binding off a project. Another "wishful thinking" resolution. However, something I discovered this past year is that I'm more likely to weave in the ends in a timely manner for projects that I'm more excited about.

Spin more often. Didn't happen. In fact, it was only the other day that I finished plying the spindle of singles that I've been working on now and then since the beginning of the year. I'm not sure how much I really care for spinning, at least on a spindle; I haven't tried spinning on a wheel yet. I probably just need more practice, but right now I find spinning to be very labor intensive, and for me it really isn't something that I can easily just pick up and work on a little bit here and there like I can with my knitting.

Knit in public more often. I think so, although I haven't measured the number of hours per week or anything like that. These days, I almost always have something to work on when I ride BART, which isn't everyday, but at least a few times a month. Of course, there's also the hour or so that I spend each week knitting in public with my knitting group.

Use more yarns that aren't blue. (Project Spectrum 2.0 should help with this.) I feel like I used hardly any blue yarn this year! In fact, quite a few of my projects have been green. Fairly recent green FOs include Midwest Moonlight, Koolhaas, Tangled Yoke Cardigan, and Friday Harbor Socks.

Try some different fibers and brands of yarn. I sure did! I tried Handmaiden Sea Silk, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Colinette Jitterbug and Malabrigo Merino Worsted. I enjoyed working with each of these yarns, but the Malabrigo may have been my favorite. I love the subtle variegation and the incredible softness!

Looking back, perhaps I could have done better on my resolutions, but I am glad that I did reach some of my goals!

For me, four of the most memorable things from 2007 are:
The swap: Sockapalooza 4
The trip: traveling to Portugal
The book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The website: Ravelry

What will you remember about 2007?

Happy new year!

Coming Together

2007-11-21T21:18:00.001-08:00

My Tangled Yoke Cardigan is starting to come together. I've finished the body and sleeves...

...and have joined them together to start the yoke.

Hopefully I'll be able to make some good progress over the next few days with the Thanksgiving holiday. And speaking of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share this picture, since the color makes me think of cranberry sauce. Yum!

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway 2ns (manzanita).

I'm looking forward to eating lots of cranberry sauce and other tasty food this weekend. But more importantly, I'm looking forward to seeing my relatives as my family comes together to celebrate.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halftime Show

2007-11-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

November is just about halfway over. That means I should be about halfway through my Tangled Yoke Cardigan (from Interweave Knits Fall 2007), which is my project for National Knit a Sweater Month (NaKniSweMo). It's hard for me to judge how close to I am to the halfway point, since I haven't been keeping track of the stitch count. I've completed the body, and should be able to finish the first sleeve tonight.

I still need to knit sleeve number two, the yoke (and neckband), and the buttonbands. So far I've used a little over two and a half skeins, which leaves me with about 4 and a half more. I should have some extra yarn, since I made the sleeves a bit narrower at the cuff, but it seems like I still have a ways to go!

Socktoberfest is here again

2007-10-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Socktoberfest!

This month I'll be working on a pair of Friday Harbor socks (from Knitting on the Road), and I have a couple of other pairs that I started a while back that I should try to finish up. I'm also planning to use Socktoberfest to blog about those socks that I've knitted but never got around to posting.

To celebrate the start of Socktoberfest, I made up some buttons today using Picnik, a neat photo editing site. I may have gotten a little carried away. Here they are:

Enjoy!

My printer is trying to tell me something

2007-09-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, I just turned on my printer so I could print the Friday Harbor errata from Knitting on the Road. Before I even clicked "Print", my printer started to print something. Weird, I thought. And what did it print? The Yarndex page for the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. I must have accidentally sent it to the printer the other day, but for some reason it didn't print until today.

So, why was I looking at the Silky Wool? I've been eyeing the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. The pattern calls for Rowan Felted Tweed, but I found it a bit rough to work with when I used it to make a pair of Knucks, so if (when?) I make the cardigan, I'd probably use a different yarn. There's quite a few people on Ravelry who have used or are using the Silky Wool, so it seems like it could be a good sub.

I've been telling myself I really shouldn't go and buy yarn for a sweater right now, since I have plenty of yarn to keep me occupied for a while. However, my printer seems to have other ideas. Surely buying a skein to swatch with wouldn't hurt?

Worth the Wait

2007-09-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Even though my sockpal sent out my socks on time, they took a while to get here. Thankfully, the package was delivered safe and sound on Tuesday. And it was definitely worth the wait!

My super ~~secret~~ sockpal, Theresia, lives in Germany.

She made me two pairs of socks.

Here is my pair of footies, made with hand dyed yarn from here. I love the colors.

And here is my pair of River Rapids Socks (pdf). (The color is more accurate in the second and third pictures).

They are so cozy!

The yarn is very interesting to look at--each ply is a different color (white, lavender, periwinkle, a reddish purple, and a very dark purple).

Both pairs fit well and I'm sure I'll use them often!

Theresia also sent me lots of other goodies: Opal dpns, a point protector / needle holder, beaded stitch markers, a sock booklet, soaps, a flower pin, hand and nail cream, and chocolate (yum!). She is very talented--except for the needles, the hand cream, and the chocolate, she made everything herself! And I love how she included little notes explaining what she sent me.

Here's the needle holder in action. I love the button she picked out!

Thank you so much Theresia! You are so thoughtful and I love everything you sent me!

(And many thanks to Alison for hosting Sockapalooza 4!)

Where have I been?

2007-09-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

I think it's time for me to update you properly, don't you?

The main reason for my absence from this blog was that I was studying abroad in Portugal for six weeks (late June to early August). I didn't take my laptop with me, so my computer time was quite limited, thus, only one very brief post. I saw a lot on my trip, including some fiber and textile related things which I'll have to share with you. Unfortunately, I'm not as quick about these things as Lolly is, who has written several wonderful posts about her recent adventures in Peru, but you can see some of the pictures I took over on Flickr.

I mostly blame my trip for my lack of knitting progress between late June to early August--there was so much packed into each day that I barely had the time or energy to knit! I did manage to knit up a Hufflepuff house hat (pdf), although I worked it flat and still need to seam it. I also started the "Stripes and torchon lace" shawl from Victorian Lace Today, but I haven't gotten very far on that yet.

About a week after I got back home, my family and I went to Monterey, California. While we were in the area, we also stopped in Carmel and Pacific Grove, where I went yarn shopping at Knitting By The Sea and Monarch Knitting and Quilts, respectively. Two very nice yarn shops which carried some yarns that I've seen before as well as some that were new to me. Here's what I bought, along with what I'm thinking about making.

Here's what I got, going from left to right.

From Monarch Knitting and Quilts I bought

YarnArt Wool, 2 skeins in colorway 9641. I've been wanting to knit some socks that are about knee-length, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money on them. This yarn was relatively inexpensive, so I bought two skeins. Maybe I'll use one of Cookie A's patterns.

From Knitting By The Sea I purchased

Araucania Pomaire, two skeins in color 6. I'm currently working on a scarf with this; you can see some pictures below.

Schaefer Anne, one skein. I'll most likely use it for a lacy scarf, especially since I don't like mohair in my socks.

Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarters, one skein in Sagebrush. This calls for some kind of warm woolly socks! Possibly Friday Harbor Socks, but that means I need to get Knitting on the Road first.

As I mentioned, I'm working on a scarf with the Pomaire. I'm making Midwest Moonlight from Scarf Style, which is definitely one of my most used knitting books--this is the fourth scarf I've made from it! I had actually started this scarf in a silk yarn before, but I felt that it wasn't properly showing off the lovely texture of the pattern. I'm much happier with how this version is turning out.

Instead of working three repeats, I'm only working two, since I don't want the scarf to be overly wide and I only bought two skeins of the yarn. I hope it will be long enough!

In Sockapalooza 4 news, last month Carrie received the socks I knit for her. I'm pleased that they fit and that she likes them so well! You can read her post here.

My super secret sockpal sent off my socks at the beginning of August, but they still haven't gotten here. I've contacted her to let her know that they haven't come, and she has told me that she will try to track them down once she returns home from vacation. I hope that they aren't lost and that they arrive soon! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

P.S. - I'm now on Ravelry, where I'm bluelacefiesta. I haven't explored everything yet or entered all of my stash, projects, etc., but it looks like it will be a great resource and a good way for me to keep track of what I have, as well as to see what other knitters are working on. Hope to see you there!

Incoming

2007-08-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

My super secret sockpal tells me that my socks are in the mail! :)

Sock Pal, I'll be sending your socks out soon, probably on Tuesday!

For You, Sock Pal

2007-06-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I finished my pal's socks!

Pattern: Merino Lace Socks by Anne Woodbury. Published in Favorite Socks and Interweave Knits Summer 2003. The most major change I made was how I worked the heel flap. Rather than continue the lace patterns down the heel flap, I worked the typical heel with slipped stitches (Row 1: *slip 1, knit 1,* repeat across, Row 2: slip 1, purl across). I really enjoyed this pattern, and would love to make myself a pair someday!

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in color 14ns (denim), 2 skeins. As always, this yarn was a pleasure to work with.

Needles: Addi Turbo US 0 (2 mm), 40 inch circular (magic loop method). This was the first (finished) pair of socks where I worked the two simultaneously.

To finish off the look, I made up a label. I used the pictures of the custom labels that Grumperina made for her pal's socks for Sockapaloooza as the basis of what kind information to include.

Sock Pal, you'll have to wait until August for your socks, but I hope you'll enjoy them!

Tuesday Sock Watcher: Seeing Red

2007-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've seen a lot of red Sockapalooza socks this past week, which happens to be perfect for Project Spectrum. Here are a few of them, along with a non-red pair.

Bertha is working on River Rapids Socks (pdf) for her pal. I love how she's photographed them.

Jenn has finished the first sock for her pal in a beautiful hand dyed yarn. And her nail polish matches too.

Cindy is knitting a pair socks that have quite a demanding social life! Who knew socks like to gamble?

Devonshire is working on Uptown Boot Socks from Favorite Socks in Lorna's Laces in Red Rover for her pal. They're looking great!

Too much red? Let's cool down by going to the beach with Alotta.knitting who is knitting a pair of Snowflake Socks. I love the yarn she's chosen.

***

Author's Note: I'm going to be quite busy and have limited internet access during the remaining weeks of Sockapalooza, so this is my last Tuesday Sock Watcher post. Hopefully, I'll be able to do a post sometime in August after people have received their socks. I hope that you've enjoyed sock-watching with me, and that others will continue with their own sock watcher posts. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday Sock Watcher: Nature Walk

2007-06-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

This week, let's explore some of the wilderness of Sockapalooza 4.

First off, let's start near the ocean. Can you hear the crash of the waves? Robyn is working on Tidal Wave Socks in Tofutsies, while Irisine is working on the second Waving Lace Sock for her pal.

Next, let's see what's going on in the jungle. I think I see some Monkeys! Yarn mom of 8 is working on pair with Amethyst Fleece Artist Sea Wool.

Let's take a moment to stop and smell the flowers with Becky C., who is making Bayerische Socks out of Lorna's Laces in Violet.

Pandas, anyone? Saffron is knitting the Scrolls pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks out of Crystal Palace Panda Cotton in Lacquer Red.

Finally, let's stop in Alaska, where we can see a knitting Alligator! She has finished the first sock for her pal, using the Charade (pdf) pattern.

What kind of habitat would your sock pal's socks belong in? Tell me and I'll include you in my next sock watcher post!

Tuesday Sock Watcher: More Color

2007-06-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Sockapalooza is seeing all of the different colored yarns everyone is using--I don't think I've seen two of the same yet! Here are some colorful Sockapalooza updates from this past week.

Pinks and Reds

Emily is knitting some red cabled socks for her pal, which fit in nicely with the new set of Project Spectrum colors.

Carol has finished the first Go With the Flow sock for her pal in a fabulous pink yarn.

Grumperina models the beginnings of the first sock for her pal, knit with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in cranberry and peach.

Blues and Greens

Rose Red is working on the Traveler's Stockings from Knitting on the Road in a variegated yarn which has mostly blues with some purples and pinks.

Christine is almost done with the first sock for her pal, Meida's Socks from Favorite Socks in Lorna's Laces in China Blue. So pretty!

Elizabeth May has finished one sock for her pal in a pretty blue and green yarn.

Purples

Rachel is working on Queen of Cups with Claudia's Hand Painted in Last Night's Wine, a dark purple.

Browns

Allie is all set to start her sock pal's socks in Fearless Fibers' Thoroughbred colorway.

What about you?

What color yarn have you chosen for your pal's socks? Tell me what you're working on for your pal, and I'll include you in my next Tuesday Sock Watcher post!

Tuesday Sock Watcher: At All Stages

2007-05-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that we've been Sockapaloozing for almost a month now? Everyone is at different stages in the sock-knitting process, from choosing a pattern to weaving in ends. But we all have something in common, we're busy thinking about our pals!

Before casting on

Amy has received some blue yarn for her sock pal.

Mrs. Hipp is going to use Sockapalooza as an opportunity to learn some new things about pattern and technique.

Mirzu is trying to decide between three sock patterns.

Work in progress

Helga is knitting a pair of colorwork socks in blues and greens.

Hippezippe is knitting some "poisonous" socks for her pal.

Mithranstar is designing and knitting some lacy socks.

Deborah is knitting the Smokin' Socks pattern out of Silkie Socks That Rock.

Finished object

Grace has finished three pairs of socks, including the ones for her pal.

Rosemary has finished her pal's socks, RPM in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock.

What stage are you at?

Let me know how far along you are on planning or knitting your pal's socks, and I'll include you in my next Tuesday Sock Watcher post!

One Year

2007-05-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's my first blogiversary! That's right, I made my first post here one year ago. It's hard to believe that I've had this blog a whole year now. And what better way to celebrate one year of Blue Lace Fiesta than to cast on for some blue lacy socks for my sock pal?

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks (ribbed cuff variation) from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Denim

I know I haven't been the best at posting regularly, although I do aim for at least once a month. Thankfully, Sockapalooa Four and the knit pligg are encouraging me to post more often.

Getting a blog has taught me a lot about, well, blogging. I've gained a new appreciation for bloggers, especially those who post almost daily. Now that I have my own blog, I realize how time consuming blogging is, between writing posts, adding links and pictures, and reading through the comments. But even though blogging is a lot of work, it's also a lot of fun, and I have absolutely no regrets about starting this blog.

Owning my own blog has also made me a better commenter. I used to only lurk on blogs (see the sidebar for some of my regular reads), but now I leave comments. Not all the time, but a lot more than I used to.

Finally, I'd like to say thank you. To whoever reads this blog and to all of you who have left comments or e-mailed me. To my family, for all of their enthusiasm about my knitting and this blog, despite being non-knitters, for the most part. And to my fellow knit bloggers, who continue to inspire me with their wonderful posts! I definitely wouldn't be the knitter I am today without reading all of your blogs, which have introduced me to new yarns, new patterns, and even more great knit blogs.

If you're reading this, I'd love to hear from you! Happy blogging and happy knitting!

Tuesday Sock Watcher: Color

2007-05-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sockapalooza socks come in all sorts of different sizes, patterns, and, of course, colors. Here's some from this week.

Reds

ReluctantMANGO is knitting some red hot socks with a crosshatch lace pattern for her pal.

Courtney is going to knit some Saucy (pdf) socks for her pal out of Fleece Artist Merino in Brick.

Lauren can start her pal's socks now that she's freed up her needles. But now she is wondering if the yarn she's chosen is too bright. What do you think?

Greens

Jagienka is knitting some Teosinte socks for her pal out of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock in Jade.

Kathinka has finished the first Kew sock for her pal.

Emily is making some Go With the Flow socks for her pal.

Browns

Heather is knitting Roza's Socks for her pal.

Variegated

Knitty_kat is knitting the Friday Harbor pattern from Knitting on the Road.

Stacie is planning to knit Monkey socks for her pal, but first she has to order some yarn. Help her decide which color to get.

Colorwork

YTT is working on a toe-up pair of socks with a nifty slip-stitch sole.

Soapturtle is making some unique stranded socks for her pal.

What color are your pal's socks?

As always, if you'd like to be included in my next Tuesday Sock Watcher post, please let me know by either e-mailing me at bluelacefiesta AT yahoo DOT com or leaving a comment here. Thanks!

Possibilities

2007-05-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Baltic Sea that I showed you the other day has been through a lot. I wound up one skein, and then I started the Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark, one of my favorite designers. I was really enjoying the pattern, but the pooling, not so much. So I set that aside, wound up the other skein. and cast on for Roza's Socks by Grumperina. Looking at some of the suggestions given to Alli, who was also having pooling problems, I decided to try knitting from both ends of the ball. Didn't like it. It was tangly, and I was getting grumpy, even though the colors were working better. So I tried knitting with only one of the ends for several rounds and I liked the result well enough--it seems that the different stitch count and pattern made enough of a difference. Since I wanted to knit both socks at the same time, I frogged the mismatched WIPs, unkinked the yarn, and cast on again the next day.

Roza's Socks are a lot of fun--I'll definitely have to incorporate more brioche in future knitting projects. This is the first time I've done two socks at once, and besides some very minor tangling, I'm enjoying it very much. It's nice to not have to bother counting rounds, or worry about my gauge changing like it often does on the second sock.

I know I said the Baltic Sea was for my sock pal's socks, but now I'm not so sure. I really liked the colors in the skein, and I still do when it's knitted up, but they aren't quite what I expected. I was hoping it would be more green, but overall it's rather grayish-brown. Since I'm not quite convinced that these are the "right" socks for my pal, I went and got more yarn last Wednesday, this time from Article Pract, rather than the usual Stash.

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (what else?) in Denim.

I think my pal will probably like this color better, and I won't have to worry about pooling. Now I have to pick a pattern. Right now I'm looking at patterns in Favorite Socks, most likely either the Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark or the Merino Lace Socks by Anne Woodbury (more blue lace!). What do you think? I'm open to other suggestions too, but the sooner, the better, since I'd like to cast on in the next few days. Once I have a bit knit up, I'll decide which pair is better suited to my pal, and which pair I'll keep for myself (not like I need more socks!).

And while we're on the topic of socks, here's a pair I recently finished.

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A. I pretty much followed the pattern as written, except I only did five repeats on the leg, fewer rows on the heel flap, and did a slightly different toe (decrease as written to 32 stitches, work decrease round only until 16 stitches are left, graft).

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Copperbeach (Colorway 67), one skein. I really enjoyed working with this yarn--its tightly spun but very soft. However, I would love to see it come with more yardage. The second sock is slightly smaller and pooled differently--I must have knit it at a tighter gauge since I was worried about running out of yarn. I probably didn't need to worry though, because I did have some left over. But if you have longer feet than I do (US shoe size 6), you may want to make a shorter cuff / leg or buy a second skein.

Needles: Addi Turbo US 0 (2 mm), 40 inch circular (magic loop method). I had originally started these on Addi Natura US 1 (2.5 mm) needles, but decided that the socks would have been looser than I like for my narrow feet, and so I went to Stash and got the Addi Turbos. When I bought them I made sure to look at the tips and pick the most pointy looking ones, since Grumperina always calls them Blunti Stumpos. I can see why she does; some of them were unbelievably blunt, and looked like they had barely been sharpened (or whatever it is that they do to make needles pointy). But the pair I bought was fine, and I liked them surprisingly well considering that I usually prefer bamboo needles.

A few more pictures for you!

Tuesday Thursday Sock Watcher: Study Session

2007-05-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

In addition to studying for my finals (which are now over, yay!), I've been studying what fellow Sockapaloozers have been working on for their pals. Here's a "cheat sheet" for Week Two of Sockapalooza Four.

Identify the Pattern

Jen has started her pal's first sock. What pattern is it?

Can you identify what pattern Regenia is using for her pal's socks? Her contest is over, but the answer is here.

Multiple Choice

Carrie has chosen some Cherry Tree Hill yarn. Which pattern will she choose to use?
a) Monkey
b) Embossed Leaves
c) Hedra
d) Pomatomus

Matching

Gina has dyed some yarn and started the Friday Harbour socks from Knitting on the Road for her pal.

Laurie is knitting Go With the Flow socks out of Koigu for her pal.

Fill in the Blank

Yarnthulhu has some Fleece Artist Sea Wool. Now she needs to pick a pattern.

Shireen has some Claudia Hand Painted Yarn for her sock pal's socks.

Shannah is going to knit the Razor Shell socks (pdf) or possibly the Lacy Scallop socks (pdf) for her pal and gives us some links to her favorite sock pattern sites.

Christina has turned the heel of her pal's socks.

Danielle has finished the her first May Day sock. Make sure to click the picture and see it close up!

Danielle has finished her pal's first sock (Go With the Flow) and cast on the second.

Free Response

Julie has designed her own pattern, Jacobean, for her pal's socks, and is now working on the second one.

Extra Credit

Want to be in my next Tuesday Sock Watcher post? Tell me what your working on for your pal!

Tuesday Sock Watcher: Getting Started

2007-05-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, we're only about a week into Sockapalooza Four and so much has happened. We've overwhelmed Blogger, so Alison and her tech guys have set up a Sockapalooza Pligg. Lots of great links are being submitted.

And of course, the participants are busy getting started--buying yarn, picking a pattern, and even casting on. Here's a sampling of what happened this past week.

Yarn Over Here

Saffron shows off some projects she's been working on and the colorful Claudia Hand Painted Yarn she's chosen for her pal.

Lilachica has picked out some pink and purple Colinette Jitterbug for her pal.

Jayne has dyed up some yarn for her pal and asks for pattern suggestions.

Mathgirl has a skein of Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Seastorm for her pal's socks.

Pattern Picking

Lana is planning to knit her pal two pairs of socks (Snowflake Lace Socks and Bayerische Socks) and discusses what yarns she's thinking about using.

Yarn and Pattern--Check!

Yarn Addict has found a creative way to photograph the fiery Shaefer Anne she has for her pal. She's planning to knit River Rapids (pdf).

Jess is also considering River Rapids, but with Koigu.

Alligator is going to make her pal a pair of Monkey socks out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Vera. (Check out her cute sweater too.)

KnitterlyJess is also going to knit a pair of Monkey socks, with Socks that Rock in Lapis.

Cast On

Another pair of Monkeys! Sarah is busy working on her pal's socks.

Carrie is going toe-up, knitting the Barvarian Rockstar pattern out of some beautiful blue Sundara yarn.

Colette is already on the gusset of her pal's Almost Argyle socks.

Cindy has started a pair of Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks for her pal out of ShibuiKnits sock yarn.

Tune in Next Week...

If you would like to be included in my next Tuesday Sock Watcher post, please leave a comment or send an e-mail to bluelacefiesta AT yahoo DOT com (put "Tuesday Sock Watcher" as the subject) and tell me what you're working on for your pal. Thanks!

First Impressions

2007-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard, the Sockapalooza Four blog has been having problems because there are so many members. So Alison and her tech guys have started a Sockapalooza Pligg system for us to use. As much as I want to love it, I don't right now. I haven't used it much yet, but I'm willing to give it a try. I may just need some time to adjust; for instance, I hated the new Interweave Knits layout at first, but now I'm okay with it.

I'm still figuring out how to navigate Pligg. But the bigger issue I have with the site is the voting thing. True, it doesn't look like the posts with less votes will be totally ignored, and it will help identify the more interesting posts (although that, of course, is subjective). However, having a clearly noticeable number next to the link saying how many people have voted for that post just doesn't seem all that friendly to me.

On a brighter note, it looks like there other options to come, based on what Alison has written in the comments on this post.

Also, I'm glad that Lexy Girl has started a Sockapalooooza Flickr group. I think it will be a good way for everyone to share there pictures.

What do you think?

Hello Sockapaloozers!

2007-05-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the San Francisco Bay Area (California)! My name is Jennifer and I'm thrilled to be participating in Sockapalooza Four. It's my first exchange, and I can already tell it's going to be great!

Yesterday, my super secret sockpal sent me the most awesome color-changing e-postcard. I could look at it all day long! Thanks, sockpal! (I'd like to e-mail you, but I don't know if the address you used anonymous or not, and I'm afraid of accidentally finding out who you are. So if you could tell me the best way to contact you, that would be great!)

I've also been exchanging a few e-mails with my giftee. I'm enjoying getting to know her. I've got some yarn for her socks,

but I'm still in the pattern-picking stage.

If you haven't contacted your pal, I encourage you to do so! It's quite fun. :)

Happy socking!

P.S.--If you'd like to be included in my upcoming Tuesday Sock Watcher post, please leave a comment or e-mail me at bluelacefiesta AT yahoo DOT com (put "Tuesday Sock Watcher" as the subject) and let me know what you're working on for your pal. I'll put everything together in a post either here or on the Sockapalooza Four blog, and link to it on Pligg. Thanks!

Distracted

2007-05-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

I should be working on a paper or maybe catching up on reading, but I've been distracted. (Okay, fine, you could also say I'm procrastinating.) But before I tell you why I'm so distracted, I have a public service announcement (of sorts) to make.

Al is organizing a Knitters Against AIDS team for AIDS Walk SF. So, if you'll be in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday, July 15, 2007, please check it out. (P.S. You don't have to be a knitter to join.)

So, what have I been thinking about lately? Socks, mostly because of Sockapalooza 4. (Are you reading this, Sock Pal? If so, welcome!) 1006 participants from 26 countries--that's a lot of socks. I've also been thinking about what kind of socks I might make for my Pal, and even have some yarn picked out. However, I'm not ready to cast on quite yet, because I'm (impatiently) waiting for my copy of Favorite Socks to be shipped.

In terms of actual knitting, I've more or less finished up a pair of Monkey socks. I just need to weave in the ends and block them. I'm also pleased to report that after a brief hiatus and a little bit of frogging, my Thelonious socks are back on track. Pictures of both, soonish, I think.

It's April?

2007-04-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

A lot happened in March, but it sure went by fast. Here are a few highlights.

March 6: Alison gave birth to a baby girl!
March 6-14: The Yarn Harlot was quite busy.
March 7: Spring Knitty!
March 12: Eunny Jang is the new editor of Interweave Knits.
March 13: Cookie A. launched her website, where you can buy her awesome sock patterns.
March 15: A segment of Marketplace was about knitting.
March 22: Representing, in two parts.
March 23: Al celebrated her 100th post.
March 27: Sockapalooza 4 is coming!

A New Project

2007-02-28T22:01:00.000-08:00

Socks, of course.

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

When I was in elementary school, we used to sing this song in January:

New Year's resolutions,
New Year's resolutions,
I'll sing mine, you sing yours,
New Year's resolutions.

And then, as the song suggests, we would sing our own resolutions (do my chores, eat my peas...or whatever else we could come up with). Needless to say, I've never cared much for making resolutions.

Rather than make the futile New Year's resolution to go on a yarn diet (I've tried it; it doesn't work for me), I'm joining the Yarn Life 2007 Crafting Challenge.

So, in no particular order, I present to you my fiber-related goals for this year.

Type A: Concrete goals.

Join (or form) a knitting group.
Work on projects for which I have bought the yarn but have not yet cast on.
Try some new knitting techniques, including intarsia, 2 socks on 2 circs, toe-up socks, and steeking.
Try other fiber-related activities, such as spinning on a wheel, weaving, and needle felting.
Knit a sweater that I will actually wear.
Design something and submit it to an online knitting magazine.
Knit something to enter to my county fair.

Type B: Periodic goals. None at the moment.

Type C: Ongoing goals.

Weave in ends within a week of binding off a project.
Spin more often.
Knit in public more often.
Use more yarns that aren't blue. (Project Spectrum 2.0 should help with this.)
Try some different fibers and brands of yarn.

Goal C1 isn't doing so well at the moment.

But I am working on goal C2.

And let's not forget about Stranded: The Colorwork Challenge.

Time Flies

2006-12-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

Now that my finals are over, I finally have some time to post! Can't show you what I'm knitting now (hint: Christmas gifts), but I can tell you that I joined two knitalongs.

Who Wouldn't Love a Handknitted Gift?! I haven't posted there yet, but I will once I finish my the two gifts I'm knitting. (No peeking, Mom and Dad!)

Stranded: The Colorwork Challenge. I'm really excited about this one, since I really admire colorwork but haven't done much myself. My project will be the Nordic Mittens (Interweave Knits Winter 2004). I started these awhile back, but the cuff is huge (maybe Hagrid could use some mittens?), so I'm going to frog and restart them, casting on fewer stitches.

And if I'm going to be stranded in Norway, I might as well go see what the Norwegian Seaman's Church in San Francisco is all about. My Norwegian class is going as a sort of fieldtrip/end of the semester celebration. (Is it bad that I'm hoping to see some stranded colorwork sweaters and such? I don't really expect to, but you never know...)

Back to my knitting...

Giving Thanks

2006-11-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Newsworthy

2006-11-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

A rather disjointed post, I'm afraid.

First, Grumperina has a contest!

I recently learned that online social networking isn't just for people. For instance, scarves want to meet new scarves! My Backyard Leaves scarf finds Grumperina's version to be rather attractive.

(Please supervise your scarves when they use the internet.)

Second, Kat with a K brings us a new online magazine, Yarn Life, in which I have an article.

Third, I managed to snap this picture today while on BART. I hope I didn't scare the muggle sitting there!

Socking: A History

2006-10-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

Lolly has asked us Soctoberists to answer some questions. So, let's get to it!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? Or in a class?
I taught myself in the summer of 2005, with the help of a Knitty article called Socks 101.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
*Looks down at feet* Broadripples.

They've held up fine, but then again I haven't worn this particular pair that much. (I don't wear orange that often.)

What would you have done differently?
Smaller needles, I think. They're a little bit loose for my small feet.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
My favorite sock yarn is definitely Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. (My yarn buying tendencies confirm this: I've bought 8 skeins of it over the past year and a half or so.) Beautiful colors and so soft. If you made me knit with one yarn for the rest of my life, it would probably be this. Trekking has some great colors too, but after a trip through the wash the pair I made developed a bit of a halo. I also enjoyed working with Mountain Colors Bearfoot, but I wouldn't use it again for socks--too much mohair. (It gets all gross and semi-felted.) I don't know if it's typical for this yarn, but it bleeds a lot when I wash it (thankfully, the color doesn't fade).

Do you like to crochet your socks? Or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
No crochet here; all my socks are knitted. I've made some socks on DPNs and some using the Magic Loop method. If it weren't for the laddering and fear of losing a needle, I'd probably make all my socks with DPNs, since the extra cord length in the Magic Loop can be a bit fussy. I'll have to try two circulars next.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? Or short-row?)
I'm a heel-flapping kind of girl. I like all the different steps: slipping stitches, turning the heel, picking up stitches, and decreasing on the gusset. I've used short-row heels on two pairs of socks, but it wasn't quite the same.

How many pairs have you made?
Well, let's count.

That's eight pairs, plus a pair of ankle socks I made for my mom. So nine pairs total, and I'm working on the tenth.

And you?

31 Days of Socks

2006-10-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Socktoberfest!

To celebrate, I cast on for some Jaywalkers:

I only have one skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in pond blue, so these will be ankle socks.

I also plan to wear handknitted socks every day in October.

Here's Sunday's:

(Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark for Interweave Knits Winter 2004)

And here's today's:

(Pomatomus by Cookie A.)

Ramblings

2006-09-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

I found the preview for the Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts special issue to be somewhat disappointing. I already own seven of the patterns that will be in there, since a lot of them are from old IK magazines or from their books. Really Interweave, I expected more from you. I'll still buy it, for the Floral Felted Bag pattern, but Melanie Falick's Handknit Holidays will remain my favorite source for holiday-themed patterns.

On a more cheerful note, I signed up for Socktoberfest! Sounds fun, doesn't it? (Button from here, I just changed the colors.)

And, some shawl progress...

The Harlot, Hollis, and a whole lot of knitters

2006-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

My mom, my sister, and I went to see the Yarn Harlot on Saturday. We arrived in Los Altos about an hour before Full Thread Ahead would open, so I cast on for my second pair of Knucks while we were waiting. I was happily knitting away, when a muggle walked by and muttered to her companion, "What's with all the knitters?" (But since I wasn't supposed to hear that, I didn't try to explain.)

After getting our "zone" assignments, we grabbed some lunch before returning to FTA. (I must say, Hollis and her staff are great! They were very energetic and well organized.) I knew I wanted to buy some yarn, but was having some trouble deciding. I finally settled on some of Garnstudio's Camelia, in a dark blue. Quite honestly, the Norwegian on the label convinced me to buy it. I think it'll be good practice for my norskkurs (Norwegian class).

Thankfully, my mom and sister had grabbed some good seats in the fourth row while I was inside buying my yarn. Look at all those knitters...

Since we still had about an hour before Stephanie would speak, I cast on for the Swallowtail Shawl with my new ~~garn~~ yarn (more blue lace!). The provisional cast on was trickier than it should have been, but I had forgotten to bring a crochet hook and some smooth waste yarn. So I made do with my fingers and a bit of Rowan Felted Tweed.

Hollis gave away lots of great prizes, and then it was time for Stephanie to talk.

I shall only say this: I loved it.

Then, I got to meet Stephanie in person. She is so sweet. Hollis was about to take this picture when I suddenly remembered--the sock!--and quickly grabbed it.

And then I went home to work some more on my shawl.

Sneak peek

2006-09-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time meeting Stephanie and the sock on Saturday. Details coming on Wednesday, after I've taken a quiz and turned in two essays.

Is it Saturday yet?

2006-09-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

My mom and I are going to see the Yarn Harlot on Saturday at Full Thread Ahead! I'm so excited! I'm still having trouble believing that they'll be shutting down part of the street so that we 400+ knitters can listen to Stephanie. (Four hundred!?!) I'm a little worried that I won't be able to meet the Harlot (and the sock) in person, because my mom (who doesn't quite understand what the fuss is about) wants us to leave there by 7:30. We'll just have to get there early and I'll hope for the best!

Before that, though, I need to decide what to take along to knit. At the moment, I don't have any works in progress that would be ideal--I'm almost done with my Embossed Leaves Socks and a Ninepatch Dishrag. My two other (rather neglected) projects are both scarves, which could be a bit cumbersome to take along.

So...should I start a second pair of Knucks?

Or maybe some ankle socks?

Buy some yarn there?

Do all of the above?

Right now I'm leaning towards the Knucks, but I wouldn't be surprised if I bought some yarn there and started some socks or a shawl. (I'll have to remember to take some patterns with me....) We'll see...

Knitters rule!

2006-08-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Well, my birthday has come and gone, but I got lots of additions to my knitting library, including Knitting Rules! I'm about halfway through, and would highly recommend it. There's lots of useful information (including how to identify different yarns and the importance of swatching), along with Stephanie's great sense of humor and knack at telling stories.

I also received A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Knitting Vintage Socks, and Mason-Dixon Knitting. I haven't really looked at them in great depth yet, but I have a feeling I'll get good use out of them.

The Yarn Harlot has an update on the fruit and veggie hats for WIC. Over 500 hats were sent in! (That's a lot of knitting.) This picture that she posted made my day...

...because I think one of the hats I made is there!

Baaa!

2006-08-09T21:39:00.000-07:00

My family and I did go to Lambtown after all. When we got there, we wandered around a bit and looked at a few sheep (I love when they bleat--its such a funny sound) before heading into the Fiber Fair area. My sister, who refuses to take up knitting, actually bought some stuff there! She got interested in needle felting, so she got a kit and some wool to start out. I bought some spinning stuff--a "variety pack" of merino and merino blends (1 ounce each of five different shades of purple) from The Dizzy Ewe (no website); a niddy noddy and a mid-whorl drop spindle (both by Magpie WoodWorks) from Carolina Homespun; and some Bluefaced Leicester from Chameleon Colorworks. (Random side note: Blue Lace Fiesta is sort of a play on Bluefaced Leicester.)

Last weekend, I went to Stash's bag sale. I saw a few things I liked, but I decided I had spent a bit already between Skein Lane's closing sale and Lambtown, so I only bought one ball of Rowan Felted Tweed in watery (sadly, not on sale), which will be for my next pair of Knucks. I really want to cast on for these, but I'm trying to restrain myself, until I make a bit more progress on what I'm currently knitting. (My two scarves don't seem to be going anywhere, although my Embossed Leaves Socks are coming along nicely--I'm about to pick up the gusset stitches on the first sock.) I will almost certainly cave in and start something new on my birthday, as a sort of present to myself.

And...only one month until the Yarn Harlot comes to California! I'm so excited! (I must better prepare my mom...I don't think she realizes how many knitters will be there.)

For the love of yarn

2006-07-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what we knitters will do to get our yarn, especially if it is on sale. When I first got to Skein Lane this afternoon, I was shocked by how long the line was--out the door and a little ways down the block. (I've never seen a yarn store so busy!) I hate to admit that I was a little disappointed that the yarns were only 20% off, since at their summer sale last year I got 30% off (if I'm remembering correctly). I had told myself I would only buy something if it was at least 30% off, but I figured 20% was still quite good, so I begun my search for the yarns I listed in yesterday's post. Sadly, I didn't find any Kid Silk Haze. There was one lone ball of JaggerSpun Zephyr, but it was pink, and I'm not really a pink person. I did find some Southwest Trading Company Bamboo yarn in the Electric Blue colorway. (I do hope it holds out okay, one ball was snagging a little already.) I also ended up buying three skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock--two in brick and one in pond blue. (The brick will become the Embossed Leaves Socks from Winter 2005 Interweave Knits, and the blue some sort of ankle socks.) I skipped on the Manos del Uruguay, maybe another time, if they discount it further.

Once I finally decided what I was going to buy, I got into line, which ended about halfway down the block. Then I waited, and waited. And waited. Two hours, more or less, partially because it was really busy, partially because they do things the old-fashioned way: hand written receipts and a calculator. (Note to self: I should always bring my knitting with me.) I did consider putting my yarn back, but I stuck it out, along with everybody else. (A guy working there said the line remained pretty constant throughout the day--I would guess there were at least 20 people in line at one time--that's a lot of people.) It was kind of exciting, in a nerdy knitter way, to see someone knitting some Knucks while she was waiting in line! I also heard some people talking about the new Knitpicks needles and another group talking about Artfibers.

In other news, I have a feeling I won't be going to Dixon this weekend. Ah well. At least I've got some yarn to distract me.

Beware of yarn sales

2006-07-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

A little less than a year ago, I went to Skein Lane for the first time, because it was my birthday and they were having an awesome sale. Now, the owner is retiring and the store is closing. I'm kind of sad, it's a nice big store and they had some great sales. I'm most likely going to go crazy tomorrow and buy ~~everything~~ quite a few skeins, when their closing/retirement sale starts. I have no idea how much they're going to mark down their items, so I'm trying not to be overly optimistic, but there will be some sort of prize contest, which I'm excited about.

In order to have some idea of what I ~~will~~ might buy tomorrow, I've been working on a yarn list for the various projects I want to make. I think I've narrowed it down to five projects, almost all with the original yarn called for:

1. Birch from Rowan Magazine 34. Three balls of Rowan Kid Silk Haze. I hate how the mohair gets all over everything, but it's such a gorgeous yarn that I try not to mind too much.

2. Paisley Lace Shawl from Spring 2005 Interweave Knits. Two 2 ounce balls of JaggerSpun Zephyr. Because I love Evelyn A. Clark patterns and I wouldn't mind having another shawl.

3. Lotus Blossom Tank from Summer 2006 Interweave Knits. Two balls of Southwest Trading Company Bamboo. I've never tried this yarn before, so I'm curious as to how it will knit up. (And do we see a lace theme?)

4. Socks. No specific pattern yet. Probably Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock, which comes in such great colorways. Maybe enough for two pairs.

5. Floral Tree Skirt from Handknit Holidays. Twenty-two skeins of Manos del Uruguay. Yeah, that's a lot of yarn. I don't plan on buying all 22 tomorrow--I'll have to see what colors they even have in stock. I won't be making this right away, but I might as well buy the yarn if it's a good price, right?

And, you know, there might be some impulse buys. Possibly non-yarn items, like books or needles.

But wait! That's not all. I want to go to Lambtown this weekend to get more spinning supplies, but my mom and sister don't seem very interested, so we'll see. I actually think my dad might be the one most willing to go, since he grew up in Dixon, where the event is held. (Random side note: the farm that my grandparents bought there used to be sheep pasture.) Then Stash, my usual yarn store, is going to have a bag sale at the beginning of August on discontinued yarns and yarns they won't be carrying anymore. So, I just might happen to buy more yarn there, because it may be my last chance to buy it locally. I really want a digital camera too, mostly so I can take pictures of my knitting and prove that I'm actually using all this yarn.

The number three

2006-07-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have three works in progress. My preferred project at the moment are some Knucks. I love love love this pattern. I'm not sure if I'll embroider the ones I'm knitting now, but I think I'll be making more than one pair! I even signed up for the knit along! I'm also knitting some blue lace (Evelyn A. Clark's Trellis Scarf) and a diagonal garter stitch scarf from yarn that I spun!!! (I'm a bit excited about that.)

Then there are three hats waiting to be to sent to Jeanne. (See Stephanie's posts.) Two watermelon and one green veggie of your choice (lima bean? pea? squash?).

And I must choose three knitters to invite to an imaginary dinner. It's very hard for me to pick only three. I'd say definitely Molly Weasley. (Yes, she's fictional. But if dead knitters can come, why not fictional ones?) She has raised seven children and knits a sweater for each of them every Christmas, and I want to know how she does it, even with magic. I also want to invite someone I call the purple swatch person. When I was in first or second grade, she came to our school library and showed our class what knitting looked like. I was enchanted by how the purple something she was making was suspended on the needles, and I knew then that I wanted to learn how to knit. I'd like to thank her for sparking my interest in knitting, even if it took me about 10 years to take up a pair of needles and learn. But who should I invite as the third knitter? Ann and Kay of Mason-Dixon Knitting? The Yarn Harlot? Evelyn A. Clark, my favorite knitting designer? Or maybe Gromit? I'll have to think about that. In the meantime, back to my knucks!

Finally

2006-05-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my Broadripple socks yesterday. My first pair of “real” socks. (I had made a pair of tube socks before that as well as the Training Sock.) I started them about a year ago, and finished the knitting part a month or two after that, but I never wove in those four measly ends. (Don’t look at me like that.) Now, I wouldn’t have felt too bad about these two neglected socks, if I hadn’t finished, um, four other pairs, plus one sock each of two additional pairs.

Now, a warning. For now, this will be a mostly pictureless blog, since I don’t have a digital camera and only sometimes have a disposable one. I don’t know why I feel like I should apologize for this, because blogs without pictures should be just as valid as ones with them. Maybe this is because knitting is such a visual and tactile activity? Or because I know I prefer posts with pictures to those without?

P.S. I’ll do my best to make sure my links work, but I know very little about HTML, so if you see something I’ve missed, please let me know. :)