Knitting Progress

Not much time to post today but wanted to share a photo of the fingerless mitts I made for Celeste for her birthday. I altered the pattern to her specifications which mainly was a longer cuff. They fit her perfectly and she loved them.

OTN now is a sock for me, a scarf, and a shawl that isn't getting touched except to move it from one knitting bag to another...sigh...

Today I got two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in a specially dyed color Mt. Nittany. It is beautiful tones of purple, blue and green. See...I think it only take one skein to make a pair of socks for myself but I didn't want to risk not having enough so I purchased two. I will use the second for mitts or something that only takes 200 yards of sport weight.

Will take photos of knitting progress for next post. ... assuming there is progress to be photographed.

Alpaca Yarn and New Bag

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my friends Monica and Dennis own an alpaca farm in southeastern PA. They have gorgeous animals and the result is fabulous yarn. See here. I am going to make a shawl and will post photos during the process. Be patient as I am going to finish a few other projects before I begin. I think I found the right pattern but am still contemplating.

I fell in love with this knitting bag from Namaste called a Knitube. A model they came out with several years ago and I think are discontinuing. I bought mine at a big discount at Dream Weaver Yarns. I was really pleased with the prompt service and will shop there again.

The outside is a nylon fabric and is possibly waterproof. I'm not testing it. Each end unzips and is lined with the beautiful fabric you see in another photo. One end is for yarn storage and the other for your work-in-progress and knitting tools. Then there is a side zippered pocked that could hold a small wallet, cell phone and keys. Also love the neat strap. Cool, huh? I think so.

The Mystery of the Missing Fingerless Mitt

Photo is of guilty party.

Name: Teddy Bear

Age: 5 1/2 years

Favorite hobby: laying upside down in daddy's lap as seen in photo

I have one fingerless mitt completed and the other 2/3 finished.

Celeste's birthday is Saturday but I won't see her until Sunday so I will be done in time! Yeah!! Double Yeah!!!

I hit a snag this morning when I could not find the finished mitt. Not in the pocket of the knitting bag where I keep it, not in the rest of the knitting bag, no where to be found. I thought I let it at Keith's apartment when we were in Harrisburg for the weekend, but knowing the birthday was this week was positive I brought it home. Well, I did. It was stolen but fortunately recovered in a good condition.

I will post photos of the finished mitts later in the week. I forgot the camera in the office today.

Also, I was gifted with some fabulous alpaca yarn on Saturday. Very special...the cria spin from Lucio my very favorite alpaca. Two skeins of fingering weight in a gorgeous white. Making it extra special was the additional two skeins of a beautiful rich medium brown that is spun from his mother alpaca's shearing. I am going to do a shawl from the two. The yoke will be the brown, I will knit as much as I can with the white and then do a pattern repeat or two with the brown. Can't wait to start.

Lucio belongs to my friends Monica Kline and Dennis Balban who own a Suri Farm in Lebanon County, PA. I saw them at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and received a cute gift bag with a tag from Lucio.

Photos will be in next post.

New Year's (Knitting) Resolutions

As I am nearing my mid-50s I have come to the realization that I won't live forever. No one does. Which means I need to focus my knitting, yarn purchasing and pattern choices. I'm going to get a bit selfish with my knitting in 2009. I mainly am knitting for myself, a few gifts and some items for the Golden Retriever Rescue to sell at fund-raising events.

So, in addition to my other personal resolutions, here are a few knitting-related ones:

1. Work to de-stash. I have so much yarn stashed in rubbermaid boxes I could open my own one-of-a-kind shop! Plan to go through yarns and make a nice collection of those I know I will never knit. I am doing a yard sale in late June (the community townwide sale) and this will be a good place to recoup some $$$ of what I spent. I have been inspired by an article in Knitter's Review which is a wonderful email publication I receive. Read this article to get the jist of their term "slow stashing" ... a realistic view -- no we knitters won't stop buying yarn but we must think a bit before purchasing more. Knit from stash if there is something we love and then buy only what we love. Wow! Was I ever inspired today....

2. Be more particular when purchasing yarns. Don't buy so much until I'm sure I don't have something similar. Guess doing a yarn inventory will be a good idea ... particular of the fingering weight. As I mainly knit socks, that is primarily what I purchase these days.

3. Knit only what I truly love in yarns I really like. Socks, fingerless mitts, scarves and a few shawls. Maybe a baby blanket or two, too. As the saying goes Too little time...so much yarn or something like that!

4. Raise money for Golden Retriever Rescue by knitting some specialized items -- fingerless mitts and ornaments. This is already begun! Had to purchase some yarn from Knit Picks -- nice but not my favorite -- to keep the price points reasonable. The yarn has arrived and actually is lovely.

5. Use the computer less and the knitting needles more! Computer time is cutting into my limited knitting hours.

6. Frog what I have started and don't love. Frogging is not an offense punishable by law! Enjoy what I am knitting. Don't look at it as a task to be completed.

7. Challenge myself a bit with some more lace knitting and new techniques. I never knit a thumb gusset until this fall (thanks Libby!!) and now I love making the fingerless mitts in Libby's pattern. She owns Mad About Ewes yarn shop in Lewisburg, PA.

8. Stop knitting when my neck and arm begin to bother me.

9. Organize the books, magazines and patterns. Yikes! They are becoming overwhelming but if I would take a day and work through it 2009 will be a much more productive year. While I'm about it I must complete the sock yarn organization project I began nearly a year ago.

10. Blog more often!

Happy New Year all!!!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to one and all!

I've gotten a lot of knitting done this past week -- one entire fingerless mitt and am casting on the other today. Windy and cold here so will be a good knitting day. Unfortunately, I must run a few errands.

Otherwise the furbabies and I wanted to say Happy New Year. May it bring you health, happiness and lots of knitting time!

In the photos we have:

Golden Retrievers -- Brandeis (almost 13), Stratton (10) and Teddy Bear (5 1/2)

Kitties -- Patches (10) and Lily (almost 10)

A final note to 2008 knitting -- Irene loved her socks! She saw a pair I was wearing that were knitted from self-striping yarn and really liked them. I didn't think she would like stripes. So, next year's will be stripes. Choosing the yarn for her was almost half the battle.

New Year knitting content later in the week -- I promise.

It's a pair!

The second sock is now finished. Need I say more...ummm...I don't think so.

Next up are the fingerless mitts for Celeste's birthday in mid-January. I am doing a big of pattern altering...nothing major...just making the cuffs two inches longer than called for in the pattern. I let Celeste pick what she wanted and also the yarn. The longer cuffs are her request. These mitts will be perfect for dog walking.

The Ultimate Match...yarn and a pattern

Many people do a better job than I at purchasing yarn...well, at least they are better organized. They have chosen their pattern and then buy their yarn. Sounds reasonable. Yep. And, sometimes I do it that way. But most of the time I buy the yarn and then find the pattern. Such is the story with my rose and grey colored Baby Bunny yarn from Tess' Designer Yarns. I purchased it at Stitches East in November. As you can see the two colors are gorgeous and rich and where they meet they create a subtle shade of purple. The fibers are superwash merino wool, angora and nylon for some strength and memory. Aaahhh...heaven! Did I have a pattern in mind? Of course not! But I do now.

Yesterday I logged onto the free on-line quarterly knitting magazine Knitty and began looking through their free patterns for this issue. There are at least 20 on the site and they are really nice. I think this is a great magazine -- and the price can't be beat! I digress..sorry...

I came across a beautiful lacy but not too lacy neckwarmer called Poinsettia (please see photo -- taken from the Knitty site). Lo and behold the designer is Anne Hanson who creates dozens of gorgeous knitting patterns for her company, Knitspot. I have bought a lot of her scarf and shawl patterns and they are all on my to-do list.

But this neckwarmer is just what I have been looking for and it will be perfect for my yarn. A bit lacy and the design is perfect to show off the yarn.

Is this project next? No, it is second in line. Celeste's fingerless mitts are next. That darn sock is still haunting me. Absolutely no knitting so far this week but hopefully that will change tonight. I'm on a vacation day tomorrow and we are supposed to get snow, so I am planning on knitting.

Are you all done with your holiday knitting projects?

STILL Not Finished

These socks for Irina that were mentioned in my last post seem to have taken on a life of their own...they still are NOT finished. I am relieved to say I am two inches from beginning the toe decrease on the second sock. Can't wait to be done with them. I don't care for the yarn which why I think I am not done with them. They are really nice when knitted, soft but strong and Irina will love them...I hope.

Am anxious to begin my next project which is for Celeste's birthday in January. Yes, I know January is just around the corner. More on this in the next post.

Hope this finds everyone well.

These Socks Are Knit for Walkin'...

I am making progress albeit slowly on my socks for Irina. Fortunately, I have a few weeks until Christmas. One is done!!! Yeah!!! and the other has gusset decreases finished which leaves me with the remainder of the foot and closing of the toe. Hopefully these will be done by Sunday.

The yarn has been a problem for me to knit...it is a beautiful twist of a wonderful mix of colorways but the twist is loose causing me to split stitches. I'm sure it is me and not the yarn, just sayin'. I think I solved the problem when I was at Stitches last month...I purchased a set of 6" Stiletto dpns in size 2 which is my most frequently used dpn size. They are very pointed, yes even more so than the Knit Picks Harmony needles which is LOVE, and are wonderful to work with. Wasn't sure I would like the metal but don't mind it a bit and these socks are moving right along. Love watching that ball of yarn decrease in size! Progress. That's a good thing.

Spent a nice Thanksgiving holiday in NJ and got to meet up with Roberta in Princeton on Saturday afternoon. I have really missed her since she moved to San Antonio in March and it was soooo good to see her again. We had a nice visit and promised not to let 8 months go by again without seeing each other. Hope that is the reality and not just a plan.

I have a pair of fingerless mitts I want to knit for a friend for Christmas but might not get them done in time. Fortunately, her birthday is in mid-January! Whew! Will show that yarn in the next post because I hope by then it will be on the needles.

Also have a scarf in progress for myself from yarn I purchased at MD Sheep & Wool Festival in 2007. It is a soft, lucious hand-dyed worsted weight wool. Is knitting nicely. More on it in a future post.

Holiday Knitting

Right now I am knitting socks as a Christmas gift and am using Rio de la Plata twist sock yarn. The colors are right, the yarn base is soft and it is superwash! Just perfect for the young woman on the go -- not me, the person who will get these socks.

Ironically enough the only drawback with the Rio sock yarn is the twist...it splits during knitting and if your needles are not pointed is somewhat of a problem. However, my new dpns with the very pointed tips are solving that problem. The photo shows a color of Rio yarn -- not the one I'm using for this particular pair of socks but it is one that I have and am going to use for myself.

It is just amazing how many indie dyers are now marketing their yarns. There are some gorgeous ones out there...prices are going up, as with everything. But, with all the time I spend knitting an item I really want to use as nice of yarn as possible. I have a good stash and am glad for it...got the yarns before many of the prices increased. So, I am knitting from stash and happy for it!

My holiday knitting this year consists of a pair of socks and several pairs of fingerless mitts. What about you? What are you knitting?

STITCHES EAST

Last weekend I attended my first Stitches East event in Baltimore, MD. The weather was warm and sunny and finding the hotel was relatively easy -- despite some distractions. When we arrived I learned that this was the last year for the event in Baltimore ... next year it is in Hartford, CT...which is a 6 1/2 hour rather than a 3 hours drive. Glad I decided to go this year!

One of the most pleasurable moments of the trip was a chance meeting with Debra of Debra's Garden. She is delightful and so talented. Her knitting jewelry is gorgeous and very creative.

Also got to meet Cheryl from Cherry Tree Hill and her equally talented daughter who, in the knitting world, is known as "Indie Dyer."

I bought a knitting related necklace, silver sock earrings, some special double pointed needles, and of course yarn. I think the Tess's yarn booth was my favorite. Their yarn bases are so soft and their colors gorgeous -- ranging from yummy pastels to gorgeous brighter colors. I think I could have stayed in their booth all day!

No photos to share as they are forbidden on the sales floor, I was told.

Stitches is a very different event from Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Some of the vendors are the same, but the indoor venue is a more sterile environment than the fairgrounds where I will head in May.

Yes We Did!!!!