Noro Felted Bag

This was one of my first projects ever (back in my knitting infancy!) and it's with one of my favorite colorways of Noro Kureyon. It probably needs to be felted a couple more times but I love it all the same. I've used it so much that the handle has stretched out so I've tied it up at the top. Doesn't look the best, but it's a case of function over form.

Sunrise Circle Jacket

This project took 2nd place at the SE Alaska State Fair...the only thing the judges found wrong with it were that the sleeves were a little too long, which I already knew but didn't have time to fix before the judging. Since then I have ripped one sleeve out to the elbows and am working on re-knitting. The other sleeve has been untouched, and knowing me it will remain that way for a while.

This is one of the few patterns where I actually followed all the directions. The front is knit outward from the armpit and seemed to take forever. It's also probably the last sweater that I will ever make that requires seaming. Yuck. I'm a top-down girl from now on. For sweaters, I mean...nothing dirty here.

It's knit in Wool of the Andes Firecracker Heather and I think it ended up taking about 13 skeins. That number will go down by probably a skein since I'm shortening the sleeves by a few inches.

I believe the link to the free pattern on the web has been removed, but it's a Kate Gilbert design and was in the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave Knits.

Even though it was a pain to sew, I absolutely love the hem of the sweater. And it's also a great shot of the buttons, which were super expensive but worth it. The three of them cost more than all the yarn for the sweater.

Felted Granny Squares Bags

Here a few of the felted granny squares bags that I have been experimenting with. I like using the granny squares because they're easy and very quick to make, but sewing them all together is not my favorite thing. It takes longer for me to sew them together than for me to make all the squares for the bag!

Borderline obsession

So, last night Jeff and I went out to dinner with our good friends Kerry and Thomas. It was a last minute dinner date as they weren't sure whether they would be able to find a sitter. They finally did at the last minute so off we went. Even though going out in Skagway is kinda like Groundhog Day--there's only one place to go eat in the winter so every time you go out seems exactly like the time before--it was way more exciting than what we had been doing, which was watching the Sopranos from beginning to end for the second time.

Of course, while I was watching I was also knitting on quite a few different projects. I am tragically afflicted with knitting ADD and sometimes need to be surrounded by several skeins of yarn and many different projects all at once so that I can always reach for something else when I get bored with whatever I'm doing.

When Kerry called to see if we wanted to go out for dinner, I am embarrassed to say that I had a mini panic attack because it would mean I would have to put my knitting down for the evening. But, deep down I know that by putting my knitting aside for other endeavors, if only briefly, only makes me a better knitter and also gives my mind a break from knits and purls and fiber and needles.

The first part of the evening was great and I didn't think about knitting at all. But as the evening wore on and I got more tired, my mind began to wander to my cozy little corner of the living room where my projects were languishing in the dim lamplight, waiting for my return. Eventually we said our goodbyes and went home.

The entire walk home I started to feel excited, even giddy, at the thought of walking through the door and settling back into my stash. Sadly, my yarn has become my best friend, which is both good and bad. Good because it has provided a creative outlet for me and also helps me focus when my mind is going in a million different directions. It also makes me feel happy to produce something that gives other enjoyment. And it provides a sense of deep fulfillment that my day job could never ever provide.

But the downside is that it also has become a barrier or wall between me and the world. I knit when people come over to hang out; I take my knitting with me when I go to other people's houses; I take my knitting to bowling night. As long as I have my knitting in front of me, it keeps people far enough away so that they can't get to me. I have always suffered from social anxiety and for many years I wondered if I needed drugs to combat it but instead turned to food. Now, I still turn to food but not nearly as often as I used to. Now I just knit.

This might not seem like the most awful habit, but it's no different than being an alcholic or drug addict. It's just a lot more socially acceptable. It's what I use to deflect the problems of the world that seem to be pressing in from all sides. As long as I have my knitting then the problems can't quite make their way to me. They have been buffered and and weakened so that their full force isn't felt. I'm kind of like the ostrich with its head buried in the yarn...er...sand.

My kind of Saturday night...

I just got in my latest shipment of yarn yesterday...Classic Elite, Cascade, Nashua, Berroco, more Cascade...I am seriously in heaven.

I can't wait to see what these create, although there is a part of me that wishes they could stay beautiful like this forever...there's nothing like the rush of opening up a box of new yarn and the feeling of promise that what it can be made into is limited only by my imagination...

Another Feather and Fan Scarf

And here is another Feather and Fan scarf...knit in Classic Elite Desert in Red Rocks. It will probably end up taking 3 skeins, as I don't like my scarves too short. I'm interested to see how it turns out once the lace opens up after blocking. I love the thick and thin texture and the colors are amazing.

Feather and Fan Lacy Scarf

This scarf won me a Best in Show at the SE Alaska State Fair. I have always loved Feather and Fan ever since I was a child when I would be mesmerized by the pattern on one of several afghans my grandmother had knitted for us. Now it's a common pattern for many of my scarves and other projects because it is so familiar to me that I could do it in my sleep and yet it is also so seemingly intricate and lovely.

It's knit in Knit Picks Palette in Clematis Heather and I used about 3 skeins because I wanted it to be extra wide and long.

And, yes, if you can't tell, I'm in my bathroom. It's got the best light in the house...

February Lady Sweater, very much modified

Here is my very modified February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne, knit in Cascade 220 Heathers in my favorite colorway of a deep lavender. I think I will end up using 6 skeins, 2 less than I ordered which means I have two skeins left over for a felted purse or whatever I can think of! I couldn't get a great photo of it and the light faded so quickly outside that I couldn't get a good shot. I either need to invest in some good lighting or a better camera, because our house is so dark that it's hard to see sometimes, let alone take a photo.

As usual, I can never follow a pattern so I began making it my own right away. The first modification I have made is for an assymetrical front opening. The buttoned front will be to my left as opposed to centered. The second modification is that I did it in reverse stockinette instead of garter, because I liked the look of it better for this particular project. The third modification is that I brought the reverse stockinette much farther down before I started the gull lace pattern and added a couple more buttonholes. I wanted the final button to be just under my bust so that the sweater came in and gave me a bit of a waistline before curving back out for the lace. And the final modification is that I did a provisional cast on so that I can pick up the neckline stitches and knit it into a high turtleneck with the buttons following to the top. I'll probably knit the neckline double stranded for a thick and sturdy fabric that will stand up on its own and not slouch into oblivion.

I think it should be finished here shortly. I am mixing it up and knitting a scarf or two in between so that I don't get bored and leave to rot forever in my unfinished projects pile....I initially thought I wanted the sweater to be a bit cropped, but I have not decided to bring the lace pattern on down a few more inches. I am about halfway through the first sleeve and I haven't decided yet if I am going to do the lace pattern on the sleeves or if I am going to do a rib of some sort. I guess I'll go with whatever I feel like when I get there. After that I'll be picking up stitches at the neck and knitting it into a possibly mock turtleneck. I'm sure I'll play around with it and knit it a couple different ways to see what looks best.

As soon as it is finished I'll block it and then hopefully model it for the camera if all goes well.

I'm sure the lace will open up just beautifully after I block it and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Felted Christmas Stockings

So, in November 2007 I made these stockings for the first Christmas Jeff and I would share together, instead of buying cheap crappy ones at the hardware store. I used multiple shades of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes and just alternated as I knit. I knit it from top to toe in the round, and adding in the heel later. I braided yarn and fastened that to the felted fabric for loop, rather than attaching it before felting, which would have been more ideal (but I forgot!). They turned out very large, but it's okay because I like to get a lot in my stocking!

As with all my creations, I hope to one day find the time to write down the patterns in my head so that others can try it out as well.

Batteries, check...

I got batteries for my camera and now I'm headed home from work to take some photos of my projects while there's still natural light streaming through my windows. Stay tuned...

Well, I'm procrastinating...

...I haven't gotten motivated to post any projects just yet. My camera is dead and that means I have to go to the grocery store to get new batteries. While that might not seem like much, it's a big deal to go to the store in Skagway in the wintertime, or anytime really. It's a soul sucker. Obviously I'll know everyone in there and sometimes it's just too much to say hi when all you want to do is go in and out...such is the life in a small small town.

BUT, I am going to post some photos of Skagway so that everyone can see why I love to live here so very much...

Here are some shots I took last September when engineer Simmons invited me into the cab with him for a late afternoon Summit trip. The weather was surprisingly amazing and I couldn't stop taking photos.

I accidentally took this picture of myself while riding in the engines...how artsy of me...


This is the view looking out our big front windows up the White Pass. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, okay, I'll go get some batteries and start taking pictures of yarn and all that jazz...

I'm back...finally...

Whew...I'm finally home and ready to enjoy the rest of the winter and whatever it brings. Over the holidays I organized my yarn stash so now I have a much better idea of what I have and what I do and don't need. Of course, this didn't stop me from ordering two large orders of yarn from Webs...I had never been to that website before and now I wish I hadn't! Just one more place that I have to avoid spending money!

My goal this weekend is to get up a few pictures of what I've been up to. Over the holidays I made a few felted bags and started the February Lady Sweater, although I have taken more than a few liberties with it that it is no longer recognizable in its original form. I'll have to try to remember what I did to change it (because of course I didn't write it down!) so that I can share once it's completed.

I will also be working on a sweater for my little newborn nephew, Jackson, and maybe a baby blanket as well. As usual, there are many women in Skagway who are expecting so I'm sure I'll churn out something for them as well. I just have so many ideas and seemingly so little time.

Charlotte, baby!

I am currently in Charlotte for the ABA conference and I am enjoying sweeping views of the city skyline while chillin' on the most comfortable bed ever and watching tv. The treadmill that came with my room is staring at me and I just may use it tomorrow morning, if it's lucky. I'm pretty exhausted from traveling all day and I'll be pretty busy for the next three days, but my thoughts are elsewhere right now...wool roving...learning to spin...finishing the sweater I'm working on...buying dyes to paint my own yarn...I can't wait to get home!

Finally!

So, I've been thinking about doing this for a while, and I FINALLY did it! I set up my own blog. I basically want to create an outlet for my one and only passion: KNITTING! I have high hopes that this will help me focus my attention on the one thing that keeps me sane and also keep me from pulling my hair out over my stressful day job.

I am sadly known for having big ideas but when it comes down to completing a project, I really have no follow through. Hopefully this will change now I am rapidly approaching my 30th birthday in a few months!

Over the next couple weeks I will try to load some photos of some of my completed projects and also start chronicling my current and future projects as they progress. I hope you enjoy!