Too Much Yarn

Another Project Done!

another project casted on... Actually, I need to cast on the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Club socks, possibly another pair of  Monkey socks for the Ravelry January Sockdown, and also another pair for the Loopy Socks KnitALong.  I went to 3 Kittens Needle Arts yesterday (first visit there) and came home with NO SOCK YARN!!  But instead, I bought a kit for the Kaleidoscope felted bag kit (with all the Malabrigo yarns in gazillion colors!)  Not sure when I'll get to that!  I also picked up some yarn for a vest, which I must complete to show Chris (my friend who brought me to 3 Kittens)

OK - I finished the Diagonal Scarf I casted on last weekend.  I like the scarf, but it's a bit thick - if I were to do this again, I would cast on fewer stitches so it can be thinner and longer.  But it's beautiful!

A Finished Object!!

OK - I was bad today... I started on a new project - but good news!  I also finished it 2 1/2 hours later.  Now, I have a request from John to make him one that is Crimson and Gold (school colors)... hmm... I wonder if I can find chunky yarn in those colors and I sure am not going to make him one using size 0 needles!  What did I make?  A hat for Emily as she had been using Alex's, which I knitted a couple of months ago.

 

I also worked on my Pomatomus socks - I've thought of giving up a few times, but the yarn is just so nice that I can't put it down.  This is how far I've progressed:

I received some beautiful yarn from Lotus Yarns and Loopy Ewe today... still waiting for my packages from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and also Purlescence Yarns.  Tomorrow and Saturday, I will be attending the Creative Memories Regional Convention in Minneapolis - I hope I get to knit during the presentations...

I received an Award!

  Today, Maria at Passing Down Crazy awarded me a "You Make My Day Award".  I have to pass this award along to the other bloggers whose blog I read each day - please visit the blogs I've listed and see why they make my day.

Thank you for visiting, Maria!

OK - I have to show you that I worked on some WIPs - Barb, owner of Fabric Works in Superior, WI, helped me correct what I was doing wrong with my Diagonal Scarf.  I was increasing/decreasing in two consecutive rows, thus the bent in direction of the scarf.  Here's what it looks like now:  (this uses Reynold's Smile yarn - only going to use 1 skein.  The pattern is called Tosca Diagonal Scarf rom Estelle Designs)

Also, I joined the Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) in Ravelry.  The January Sockdown is to cast on any Cookie A pattern by January 31 and have the socks knitted by end of February.  How could I resist?  I'm knitting the Pomatomus (free pattern from knitty.com).  I spent a couple of hours to get this far last night:

And guess what?  I did the ribbing wrong! It should be p1, k1 tbl, p1, k1 tbl.  But instead, out of habit, I did k1 tbl, p1, so, my pattern was a little off!  I couldn't stand it, so I'm starting over!

I guess I should talk about some other WIPs I dug out last weekend... Here are some felted purses that need handles:

        

Here are some purses that need handles AND to be felted:

   

Well, I'd better go do some knitting instead of typing.   

A Long Weekend

I have today off (Martin Luther King Jr. Day).  Saturday was Alex's 15th Birthday and today, my family is taking him and 4 friends to Benihana Restaurant (Japanese Teppanyaki) for lunch.  I went to a play (We Gotta Bingo) at the Lowry Theatre in St. Paul on Friday night, hosted a Poker Party on Saturday night, had my sister's family over last night for dinner - so really, I didn't get a lot of knitting time on this long weekend.  I did, however, cleared out one knitting area (main floor) and bagged 4 bags of yarn and unfinished projects that I won't get to in the near future (med. sized bags) to bring to the basement, where there are 2 areas of stashed yarns.  Maybe I'll find time today to combine the 2 stashes into one and bag some for donations.

After joining Maria in her WIPs group, I've been a bit more conscientious on starting new projects.  I did work on 3 projects this week (actually 4 - I have the blue My So-Called Scarf at work so that I can knit it while waiting for my laptop to boot up - about 7 minutes).

I started this scarf, but it doesn't look quite right - it's a Diagonal Scarf - it's supposed to be super easy, but I've frogged it once because it was too wide - I've asked Barb (store owner of Fabric Works in Superior, WI) to look at it on Ravelry and see what she advises...

Crosshatch Lace Socks & More Yarn!

Over the weekend, I was in Duluth with my family for Emily's hockey tournament.  I had lots of time to knit (car rides, waiting for the games to start, hanging by the room/pool, etc).  I made good progress up to Friday when the first game started.  On Saturday, I continued knitting and some time in the afternoon, I realized that I didn't continue Friday's work correctly.  I frogged about 5 rows (not too bad, right?) and knitted 6 more rows.  On Sunday morning, I realized that it still didn't look right, so I frogged 10 rows and I was so MAD!  But, I know how ugly the sock would look if I can see the mistake on my foot!  I knitted in the dark (well, with a book light stuck between my boobs) - these are the best book lights (they're my knitting lights) and finished 1 sock!!!  These are the most beautiful socks I've ever made and I was actually looking forward to making the second sock!

I'm also taking up Maria's challenge to show my work in progress.  I am going to be embarrassed as to how many unfinished projects I have going. Maria does beautiful work and she has unabled me to make the Mr. Greenjeans sweater (in the same colorway).  We also happen to work on the crosshatch socks at the same time.  Maria's blog is at Passing Down Crazy.  So, I'll be adding more work in progress in the next few weeks/months!  I have to figure out the photos that I'm posting in my Work in Progress section... but I have to go to work so I'll play with that later.

When I was in Duluth, I checked out two yarn shops - Yarn Harbor and Fabric Works.  I met Barb, the owner of Fabric Works and she's superduper nice!  She took this photo so I can add to my collection of "Yarn Shops around the USA".

   

Before I left, the mailman delivered my Loopy Ewe purchase - will show you my new yarn later in another post.

Embossed Leaves Socks finished!

I finished my second Embossed Leaves Socks... I struggle with the best way to take photos of finished socks.  I guess I'll have to finish more socks to get experience on sock photography!  Ta-dah!!

Then, I casted on to make the Crosshatch socks with Handmaiden's Casbah yarn.  It is a very soft yarn (has 10% Cashmere).  However, after knitting on Lotus Yarns, it didn't feel any different.  I love Lotus Yarns!  You would think Lotus Yarn (I was knitting on Nirvana, BTW) has Cashmere in it!  Anyway, I was on my 3rd repeat and I made a mistake.  I tried to repick my stitch and before you know it, I lost 4 rows of stitches and I had a big hole!  I had to frog the sock.  I couldn't re-do the same thing again, but I really want to make the Crosshatch socks so I casted on Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight (Blue Moonstone).  So far, so good.

Frogged:  (you may see this yarn on a pair of Monkey Socks!)

New:

2008 Projects

Every knitter seems to be listing what their goals are.  I think I should do the same - perhaps by telling someone (or the world), I will actually follow through.  I don't want to be too ambitious because I always have to leave room to make whatever else I find interesting for the next 12 months!  BUT, I really want to get these projects started and/or completed before 2009 rolls along.  So...

1.  Finish Noro Stripe Scarf: 

2.  Finish My So-Called Scarf:

3.  Start (and finish?) Central Park Hoodie:

4.  Start (and finish?) Lady of the Lake Sweater:

5.  Start (and finish!) Marilinda Socks by Cookie A using Lotus Yarns Nirvana, Prayers for Rain:

                                                                        

6. Make Chevron Scarf by Joelle Hoverson.

7.  Make a pair of socks out of these Fleece Artist Yarn:    

I'm also in 3 sock clubs and waiting to get on Loopy Ewe's Club, so that should keep me plenty busy!

More Bay Area Yarn Shops and Project Status

In addition to the Imagi Knit in San Francisco, I also checked out Purlescence in Sunnyvale, Knitting Arts in Saratoga, and Full Thread Ahead in Los Altos.  A few blocks away from Full Thread Ahead is Uncommon Threads, but they were closed on the Sunday I was in Los Altos.  Here are what the stores look like:

  My stash from the San Francisco trip: (I was glad to find some Socks That Rock from Purlescence)

I don't want you to think that I didn't make any progress on my projects!  In fact, I knitted quite a bit - especially on the last day of our trip when we spent hours at the airport when one of the engines had a small explosion that caused the flight to be cancelled!  I completed one sock (Hydroponic - Embossed Leaves) and completed the heel - ready to start on the gusset on the second sock - picture showed the second sock before I started on the heel.  I doubled the length of the Noro Striped Scarf - this is a great project when you need to chat and not look at a pattern! 

I also started on a scarf today - it's called My So Called Scarf.  The pattern can be found at Sheep In The City.  I originally casted on with Lorna's Laces Worsted in the Watercolor colorway, but Bobbi from Amazing Threads recommended using the Araucania Aysen (colorway 803) and she also helped me with the stitch pattern.  Isn't this gorgeous?