Beautiful Yarn Bowl

This is such a thoughtful and personal Christmas gift from a wonderful friend. A perfect size yarn bowl in shades of lavender...purples are my favorite colors. Once my hand heals from the carpel tunnel or whatever its issue is, this bowl will get lots of use. Thank you Celeste!

Wonderful Treats!

I am on Ravelry and if you are a fiber person it is the place to be...lots of inspiration, patterns, yarns, and fun. One of the fun things we do are "swaps" within certain groups. I am in a Starbucks-themed cowl swap group and today my package arrived.

Katy was my swap partner and she went above and beyond. I so wanted to share the joy I felt when I opened the box this afternoon. 

The cowl with the cabled edgings fits perfectly and is GORGEOUS. I love the yarn color -- a medium blue teal and those wooden buttons are outstanding. I tried it on immediately and it is unbelievable. I love the fact that I can leave one button open if I want or button up for a really cold, windy day. I might have to go take a walk so I can wear it now.

The skein (already wound) of Heritage Silk hand paints is gorgeous. I think it is destined to be a pair of fingerless mitts and a shallow matching cowl. There is lots of yardage in this fingering weight.The purple/teal mix calls my name. I love it!

Locking ring markers in their own little case. Nice. Can’t wait to try them.

Then we have the Starbucks element -- the gift card in an Autumn design, a Tall Starbucks mug with candy inside and a reusable Starbucks tote. I have been looking at those totes for ages, have almost gotten to the counter with one for myself and decided to be thrifty. Katy must have read my mind.

Here is a photo so you can see… 

DPNs secured...finally

After years of adding loose DPNs to the basket, I decided it was time to organize them to see what I have. Well, I discovered I have a lot -- especially 5's, 6's and 8's. But they come in handy for hats which I knit a lot of these days. I was wasting time searching through needles to find a matching group, so I purchased a canvas case which as you can see is nicely divided and marked by sizes. There are three rows of pockets allowing for safe storage of various lengths of needles.

I have looked for a workable solution for several years but knew I needed something large. I found it. I prefer shopping from local vendors but after exhausting all possibilities I caved and purchased on-line.

All tucked in for future use

Rolled and tied for secure storage

They Look Better in Person

Tonight I finally finished these cabled fingerless mitts in some Noro I had in the stash. When I say finally...I truly mean finally. I started them last Autumn, tucked them away to knit Christmas gifts and just found them last week. There wasn't much knitting needed to finish the second mitt.

This isn't a good photo...taken with a camera on my iPhone in bad lighting. I really don't like these mitts. It isn't the mitts but the Noro. I am NOT a fan of Noro yarn...very scratchy and it changes from thick to think on the skein. Yuck!

But they are done and will be kept in the car in case of an emergency. The colors are prettier than the photo shows...two shades of teal, a light rose, a deep rose and grey. This photo makes them look like they are not the same length. They are. It also distorts their cable and other stitches. They are fine. I think I will soak them tomorrow in Eucalan and water and see if that will revive them a bit.

They truly do look better in person.

Stripey Socks Finished

Love this yarn -- lovely multi-colored Knitcol from Adriafil and it is super wash, too! This pair is finished as of a few minutes ago. They are almost a perfect match. Obviously off by a full row or two.

I have two more balls destined for fingerless mitts...almost like making socks but a bit quicker. These colors are awesome. This is color way 049. Yarn purchased at Doghouse Yarns and More in Culpeper, VA which is one of my favorite all-time yarn shopping places.

Upated with ribbon info -- Grange Fair Entries

I am so happy that my knitting progressed (almost) as planned this past year. I have 5 entries into the Centre County Grange Fair competition. I don't expect to win a ribbon but think it is important to have a lot of entries. More and more people are knitting and crocheting...so let's show off the goods!

Entries are judged on Friday.  I will update with details.

Here are my entries:

Garter Stitch Baby Booties -- THIRD

Earflap baby hat with tassel on top -- SECOND

Fingerless mitts with cables -- NO RIBBON

Of course there are socks! -- NO RIBBON

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF SHOW...

Ishbel shawlette....

...and a closeup of the lace edging





A Quiet Sunday

The weather was gorgeous yesterday -- low humidity, reasonable temps, lots of beautiful sunshine, blue sky with white puffy clouds and pets that were also very happy with the day. The neighborhood was quiet. It was lovely.

I am almost done with Gillian's shawlette. There are three garter stitch rows and the bind off to do. Hopefully it will be completed tonight. I will need to lightly block it but no rush as I won't see her until late August. I have to block the shawl entry for Grange Fair before I do the orange one.

Here is a photo of the a serene Sunday morning in Central PA. One friend told me it looks like it belongs on the cover of Country Living magazine. That is a true compliment. That publication has been a favorite for over 20 years.

Sidetracked....

I have been sidetracked...and that doesn't take much effort. My good friend and co-worker Gilllian is coming to work in my office in late August. I have been wanting to knit her something special and this gave me the urge to stash dive. Gillian loves orange. Lots of orange. I think I found the perfect yarn.

This is "River Twist" a light worsted weight from Mountain Colors. I love knitting with this yarn. There are a variety of shades of orange, along with raspberry and some green in this  twist. An interesting but very workable combination. I am making her "The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief" http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-age-of-brass-and-steam-kerchief which is an easy-to-knit free pattern on Ravelry. The project is knitting quickly and I hope to be done in a week or so. Then I can get it blocked and dried before folding it away just waiting for Gillian.

I also am using this as a new knitting bag.

It was a Christmas present from Celeste and I LOVE IT! A "Yarn Drum" by ArtBin. In a lovely lavender. It holds a growing shawl shawl. Perfect.

UFO Finished

Remember these unfinished sport weight wool socks from my December post? They are finally done. I really got tired of knitting them but was determined to finish them last night and did. I am pleased with how well they match. Those who know me well understand that I don't like unmatched socks...but sometimes it just cannot be avoided.

I'm not doing too well with completing projects from the "UFO TO DO" list I posted in December. I have only finished 2 pair of socks and frogged a baby hat. So that still leaves me 9 UFOs. I know  the orange socks will get done as they are a gift for a good friend. Even if they don't get finished, the project helped me organize UFOs.

I actually have started Christmas knitting. But I have a cowl to finish as a gift prior to much work on that other gift. Hopefully more photos soon...hummm...that cowl might be another UFO. Hope so.

Shawlette Finished! Next Up to Bat...

Dear Roberta:

This blog post is dedicated to you. Yes, I do finish projects. So I took photos and blogged right away...enjoy! Best, Kim

Yet another Simple Things Shawlette is finished. If I do say so myself, the result it lovely. I was concerned the striped yarn would look wonky as the rows got longer, but it striped nicely and I am thrilled with it. Blocking will be done this evening. I think it will "grow" nicely and will be a great addition to a summer tee shirt to ward off a/c.

I used a skein of Sockotta Limited that I purchased last summer at Swisher's Yarn Shop in Danville, PA. It is a 40% superwash wool, 45% cotton and 15% nylon. A generous amount of yarn -- 414 yards -- on the skein. I purchased a second one -- don't remember why. I don't need it so it will be posted for sale on my ravelry page.

Next up to bat is Stephen West's "Daybreak." I have been wanting to knit one for over a year and started this one in 2011. Those who follow my blog might remember it from the UFO plan for 2012. It is an easy pattern and I love these colors. A skein of slightly shaded blue from my stash (label was missing) and the yellow was purchased from The Loopy Ewe solid series because I didn't have a plain to go with the blue. I rarely buy plain colored yarns.

Photos from Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

The busload of knitters from Central PA -- and a few guests from afar -- had a great time at the MDSW earlier this month. I can't believe it was 3 weeks ago...how time flies! Here are a few photos from the day...I didn't get too many this year and not nearly what I planned...oh well, there is always next year.

This was at the Noni booth. It was a sweltering day and I don't know how she handled it in a full-length knitted wool coat. It is gorgeous and got a lot of attention.

Her gorgeous dreadlocks were wrapped in roving.

The show was predictably crowded. I don't think there were as many strollers this year...at least for the first time I was not run over or into by one of them!

Lots and lots of gorgeous hand-dyed fibers were for sale. This was at the Creatively Dyed booth.

I saved the best photo for last! I asked the bus trip passengers if they would knit an item for the annual charity knitting project of the Penns Valley Area Knitters. These fiber folks are beyond -- WAY beyond -- belief. 117 items -- hats, scarves, a vest, laprobes, shawls, mittens, neckwarmers, neckwarmers and slippers to help keep the residents warm. Thank you so much for your generosity!! You are way beyond my wildest dreams. What a fabulous group of fiber friends on this bus trip.



One week to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival!

I just can't wait to  get to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival next Saturday. I do hope the weatherman is only joking with the prediction of THUNDERSTORMS for that day. Really? Again I have coordinated a group of 55 fiber-holic women to make the trek on a Cole Transportation bus. They give us the best service and have for years! If the rain holds off I will take photos and will post upon return.

I DO NOT NEED YARN!!! OK, I have it in writing. It is official. But I do want to head to the vendor with the yarn bowls and get one...more for decorative purposes. I plan to take along bubble wrap and tape to securely wrap it before putting it into my quilted bag. I will have to carry it all day so it needs to be secure.

Oh I bet I will buy a skein (or two) of yarn. I do need intervention...

UFO Finished!

My summer fun socks are finally finished! Cross one UFO off my list for 2012 knitting...

Someone is going to say that the feet look small. They are small. I only wear a size 5 1/2 shoe. And this pair of socks is somewhat is a sizing experiment. I have been knitting socks for years, primarily because store bought ones are way too big. Sometimes though some of my knitted socks are a bit too big. I recently read that to make the feet snugger and hence tighten up the fabric around the ankle, to knit the feet 1/2 to 1 inch shorter. So, these feet are 7 1/2 inches long instead of the usual 8 inches. I might have to make another adjustment, but I think these will work well. Hope so, I am tired of baggy socks at the ankles.

I had another skein of this yarn -- which was only made for one summer -- in shades of lavender so it is barely on the needles. Summer sock yarn with stretch to keep the socks up is hard to find.

I must tuck these away and get back to my shawlette so I have it done in time for Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. I want to wear a hand-knitted item. Of course if this year's doesn't get done, there is always the one I made for last year that didn't get blocked in time. All I would need to do it block it. But I really want to finish the current one.

Stay tuned.....

Hitchiker

I have been wanting to knit Hitchhiker for a while but didn't think I had the right yarn for it. Well, after looking through the stash boxes (which takes quite a while...) I came up with Schaeffer Anne yarn in the "Stadium Blanket" colorway. I bought it a couple of years ago for a shawl and have two skeins of it.

The pattern calls for Wollmeisse which has 575 yards of yarn. I have three skeins of Wollmeisse but none suited me for this project. I am very pleased with my combination of yarn and pattern. It is moving along quickly. A fun garter stitch knit.

Nope, neither January or February UFOs have been completed. Hopefully soon. I get distracted easily it appears.

Fail...Fail...Fail...I think

I don't think the January UFO is going to be finished on time. I haven't picked it up yet this month. With almost a week at the PA Farm Show and then being sick for over a week with a cold and then the stye in my eye making it hurt too much to knit...ugh! Not much has been completed.

I am making a project for a swap gift that must be mailed by COB Tuesday. I have to finish it first. That is only fair.

So February will be a catch-up month with the sock and the next project.

Stay tuned....