Holiday knitting

So what does 10+ hours in the car get you?

pattern: Tang from Custom Knits (this and all other links will be Ravelry links) by Wendy Bernard
yarn: Twist by Laines du Nord

I am loving this pattern. All the sweaters in this book are done from the top down. Some are yoke/raglan type sleeves and some are set-in sleeves but are done by picking up the stitches at the arm holes and knitting down. That’s right! No seaming!! There are so many beautiful sweaters in this book. Its been a LONG time since I have picked up a book and wanted to knit nearly everything in it NOW!! Tang was not going to be my first knit. This was not because I didn’t eventually want to do it but I was just in love with Ingenue (love the shape!), Jewel (yarn in stash), and Slinky Ribs (just love it!). A KAL was started on the Knit and Tonic Knitters Group so I thought this would be a great way to start knitting from this book.

So, I had casted on and gotten part of the back of the top of the sweater done (too much to try to explain here!). In the 10+ hour drive, I got the back and front finished to the armhole and the sweater joined in the round. I would have gotten more done but it got dark and I didn’t bring my reading/knitting light. I put the stitches on scrap yarn and tried it on. It is going to be a great fit! Since then I am now to the waist…finished the decreases and have chosen to add an extra inch to the waist (I’m a little long waisted). I can’t wait to get to the arms!! I am thinking that this technique that she uses might just work for my Minimalist Cardigan, too.

Also finished over the holidays:

pattern: Eyelet Yoke Cardigan by Lionbrand Yarn
yarn: Jeanne by Plymouth
This is the one for my 2 yo niece. I began another that will be identical except that it is ina 4yo size for my other niece.

I feel very productive!!

Wow, December already, huh?

Where did the month go?  Where did I go?  Well, I might not have met my goal to blog everyday, but I did blog more often which was really my goal!

I hope everyone had a terrific Turkey Day.  I was visiting family and had a fine time.  In my last post I showed you the gifts I finished at the last minute.  Well, here they are with their new owners…

My nephew’s new obsession is the lasso. Well, you can imagine the fun he had when his aunt and uncle handed him 2 gloves connected by a very long cord!

And T seemed to really love her blanket!

I got a good bit of knitting done while traveling. No pics right now but very soon!

I did hear from my SIL that she did get the package with my niece and nephew’s birthday gifts. Then I remembered that I never posted L2’s Wonderful Wallaby.

She said they were wearing them this weekend and really liked them.

And, when I got that picture off of my husband’s camera I was also able to get these:

These were the socks that I knitted for the 4th year I was in the Hogwarts Sock Swap. The pattern is Heather Colorwork Socks #347 by Rebecca Hatcher. I used Trekking Pro Natura. I really enjoyed making them for Angela.

Harder than it looks…

I got nothin. I want to have more…I really do…but I got nothin.

I continue to make progress on the blanket but I have not touched the cardigan again since I started it a couple of days ago. I hope to get more work done on it this weekend.

Oh! Oh! I thought of something! Entrelac seems to be a new theme in my life these days. I’ve never really been interested in it, having only tried it once before. However, I was intrigued by this pattern and decided to give it a go.

The pattern is A Step Above from Knitter’s.

And then a lady came into the shop asking for help on a entrelac scarf. And then another lady came into the shop asking me to show her how to do Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style.  Course, I got sucked into that one, too.  I really love it so far.  Pictures will follow soon.  Anyone else do Entrelac?

while knitting

What do you like to do while knitting? Chat with friends? Listen to music? Catch up on Tivo?

I find that I can get completely lost in a audiobook while knitting and, as long as the pattern isn’t too involved, I am amazed at how much I can get done. I just finished Mistress of the Art of Death:A Novel by Ariana Franklin and really enjoyed it. I’m currently listening to The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. That’s 40hrs of good knitting time!

I like to watch tv, too, but I am not one of those knitters that can look away from the knitting while watching. I sometimes get too distracted and end up not getting much done or not getting much out of the show. I like SciFi , “cop shows” and medical drama stuff the most which might explain why I get distracted. Oh, and I’ve really gotten into Lost now that SciFi Channel started showing it from the beginning. I don’t know why I didn’t get into it before.

I do enjoy a good Knit Night or just knitting with a friend and a cup of tea. We have a local Knit Night at my LYS once a week. My LYS, though, is one of those places that you can stop in anytime and sit and knit for hours. While my friend, Bethany, was over in England we would Skype and knit. That was nice, too, cause I didn’t have to get out of my pjs!

I am making progress…

I have been completing at least 3 squares a night on my niece’s blanket. I have completed 4 rows of the squares with, I think, only 5 more rows to go. Its turning out even better than I thought AND I’ve learned a new technique! I have found that turning the blanket to knit back on the wrong side is getting more difficult as I complete more rows, so I have taught myself to “purl back backwards.”

I also cast on for the Eyelet Yoke Cardigan from Lionbrand.com. Its a free pattern but you have to sign up to see it. I first saw it on twiceknit’s blog and knew it would be perfect for my 2 nieces that are siblings.

In situ

Its always the best to get pictures of things you have knitted for another on the person that it is intended for. Let me tell you, the ultimate thank you note that you can give a knitter is a picture of the knitted item on or near your baby/child. Nothing makes me happier!

So here are a couple of my recently finished and gifted items on their recipients:

pattern: Girlfriend Shrug by Wendy Bernard
yarn: Sockotta (forgot the #)
This is a really great pattern. Its always a hit.

I think she likes it!!

And this is the cardi and booties that I made her new baby brother.

Unfortunately, I made it on the small size so I am not sure how long he will be wearing it. He has grown so much!!!

How did I get so lucky?

A little over a week ago I was getting ready for a trip to Vegas (business for J) and I received a package in the mail. My first thought? I must be sleep-buying because I don’t have any memory of what this could be. Inside I found a beautifully handknit pair of socks, a thing called a Furochic (a reusable cloth gift wrap inspired by Furoshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth) and a sock washing bag for a washing machine. Next thought? What sock swap did I forget that I was signed up for? And then I opened the note inside. It was from my Sockapalooza 4 sockpal… Sockergirl! Can you believe that completely out of the blue and out of the kindness of her heart she sent me a pair of socks! What a PAL!

I apologize for the worn look of the socks…I put them on the day we left and haven’t had a chance to wash them yet.

In other news, I have been knitting…just not photographing or blogging.  Ugh!  Here are some of the things I have finished:

Cardigan for Baby Boy

pattern: Tulips by Lindsay Pekny with modifications
yarn: Jeanne by Plymouth
mods: ribbing all the way around (to make it more “masculine” and 4 buttons instead of 5).
I hope to get pics from the mom (hint, hint) soon.

Matching Booties

pattern: Christine’s Stay-On Baby Booties by Christine Bourquin
yarn: Jeanne by Plymouth
no mods

And I finished Bellatrix

Pattern: Bellatrix by Monkeytoes (free download on Ravelry)
yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton

Monica for my niece

pattern: Monica by Christine Schwender
yarn: Cascade Sierra
no mods

Wonderful Wallaby for niece’s 2nd birthday

pattern: Wonderful Wallaby by Carol A. Anderson
yarn: Cascade Sierra
mods: used seed stitch around hood and pocket

Pictures of WIPs to come.

Newest member of the family

Meet my in-laws’ newest baby…uh, I mean, boat. I am definitely feeling like we need to upsize soon. We look way too small next to them now. We had fun, however, visiting them on their way to Maine. We hope to visit them while they are up there, too!!

I really do intend to continue the “Sweden Experience” and am only waiting to use my husband’s computer to do a few tricks with the pictures. In the meantime….

Its been hot! This is how the day begins…

and a little later…

always one step ahead of the sun…

That’s LK (black and grey–mom to the kittens) and Curly (short for Curlique).

Gosh, I just realized that our back deck looks terrible! That’s not completely true…I’ve realized.  ANYWAY!

Let’s see…what else?

Oh, there has been knitting. Just finished a b-day present for my soon-to-be 4 yo niece.

Monica
Cascade Sierra #3 and #16
4mm and 3.75mm needles.
mods:I did knit it in pieces, which wasn’t terrible but wasn’t necessary. Next time…in the round. I switched to 3.75mm needles for the ruffle and the rest of the top. I made tieable icord instead of the fixed garter stitch straps.
Hope she likes it.

I also lost my mind and started this yesterday…

Sea Urchin by Ilga Leja
Tahki Daphne (FROM STASH!!!)  The color is actually more champagne than the picture shows.
4.5mm needles (did a swatch on 4mm and it was slightly off in gauge so I’m going up to 4.5 without swatching again. Hope that doesn’t bite me in the rear! RIGHT!).

That’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll get to use J’s computer software soon!

The knitting portion of the program

My trip to Sweden last week was amazing…in so many ways.  There are so many things to show you that I thought I should divide it into knitting and non-knitting posts.  You’ll see why when you see all the knitting related photos I have!

So I didn’t really go to Stockholm having much planned to do EXCEPT to meet up with my friend, S, for a knitting tour of Stockholm!  Priorities, people, PRIORITIES!!!

Our first stop is Nysta. 

 

Great selection of beautiful yarns.  I am totally overcome from yarn fumes and somehow only walk out with Kalinka linen yarn. 

Never fear!  I clear my head by the time we pull up in front of Wincent.  There I find Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn in a color that S recommends and a Swedish bamboo sock yarn.  On the way out I see the prettiest little buttons…mother of pearl with this scroll-y pattern on them.  I wish I could show you an up close picture but I don’t have that feature on my camera.

Then just around the corner is Ljungqvists Garn.  I am just going to get the book of Norwegian patterns (hats, mittens and socks) but decide to buy some souvenir yarn, too, to make some mittens.  Now I just have to learn Norwegian…or bug S to death to help with the translation.

After lunch, we go to Garnverket.  There I pick up 2 skeins of Visjo ombre from the Ostgoterlands Ullspinneriet (course this doesn’t have all the accents over the letters so that is why I put the links).

In one of the oldest parts of the city, Gamla Stan, behind the Royal Palace, is a beautiful part of the city made all that much more interesting by the TWO yarn shops located there!!!

Anntorps Vav is our first stop.  This lady does a beautiful job dying her yarn!

I fall in love with a little sweater in the window and buy the yarn to make it.  Again, must learn Swedish but it will be so worth it!!!  (HELP S!!!)

Yarn shop #6!  WHEW!  Tired yet?!?

By this time I am starting to worry about what the credit card bill will look like when I get home, not to mention will I be able to get all this into my suitcase?  Sticka has gorgeous yarn so make sure you put them on your list of places to visit but I decide to start thinking small.  I saw these clasps (?) and think they would finish off a vest I started FOREVER AGO perfectly.   

And S tells me that she is saving the best for last (not to mention that it is on the way to her house)…Maria’s Garn.  As you can see, I can NOT resist the handdyed (by Maria) 75% wool, 25% bamboo sock yarn.  Could you?

S ends her tour of Stockholm’s finest yarn shops with a private tour of her yarn room!    I didn’t take pictures but I wish I had!  Amazing!  And what a house, too.  Sure, she was in the middle of remodeling but who isn’t!!  When I visit next time is will all be done, right?

A couple of days later I am shopping around Stockholm and we go into a mall.  As we are taking the escalator down, imagine my surprise to see this… 

I swear my heart skips a beat!  Well, once I regain my composer I realize that it is a restaurant!!!  Can you believe it?!?  That is just so cruel!

And this was what I worked on while in Sweden.  I started them the day we left which was the first day of the Summer of Socks 08 KAL.

Pattern: Bellatrix by Monkeytoes (free download on Ravelry)

yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton 

I’m on the heel flap now.

So that is it!  My knitting adventure in Stockholm.  I’ll get around to the non-knitting post ASAP.  Thanks!

Starstuck!

How I spent my Sunday….

Yep, that’s the Yarn Harlot.  She made an appearance at the Philadelphia Book Festival and Jackie and I took a road trip to attend.  She is as great as everyone says and seeing all the excited knitters was so much fun!  Of course we stood in line to get our books signed and hold the sock.

Jackie and I knew we were both being knitting dorks (note: knit t-shirt, needle gauge necklace and goofy grin) but we were having a great time! 

Oh, and the sock I took with me was one I started the night before so I would have something a little more mindless to work on while in line for the Harlot:

Pattern:  Show-off Stranded Socks by Anne Campbell

Yarn: JL Salvia in colorway 25

only mod was starting with a picot edge.

Really loving them.

While we stood in line we started talking to a fellow knitter behind us, Rosie.  We all went out to lunch together at Sabrina’s Cafe and Spencer’s, Too (located on Callowhill behind the Free Library).  Excellent food…really hard to decide what you want.

Continuing our knitter dorkiness we had to take pics out in front…

Notice how we look a little wet?  Yeah, not a banner day for weather.  But we didn’t care.  We were still high on the Harlot!

Oh, we decided to check out Loop while we were there.  I wasn’t really interested in getting anything until I saw the Schaefer Heather.

The tax free status on yarn aways helps, too!  And it was a good end to a great day!

 

Rainy, Lazy Day

Its sort of yucky outside but the perfect day to catch up on some things I need to blog about.

First, remember this?  The gorgeous yarn I won for simply leaving a comment on Tiennie’s blog?  Look at what I did with it!!!

Cider Moon Sidewinders
Sidewinders: A PerpenSOCKular Pattern by Nona
9-10M
US 1½ / 2.5 mm
Cider Moon Blizzard
No mods.
LOVE THEM!!!

Non-knitting:

 

Its a Puzzle Gourd…cool, huh?

Oh, gosh, I have other things to show you, too, but I’m just too lazy.  WordPress changed how you can put photos on here and its really just not user friendly anymore.  I hope they find an easier way soon.  Anyway, I will leave you with some more kitty photos.

Bonita being her normal, cheerful self.

Marmalade LOVES his alpaca mouse.

And everything is good in the world….