So thankful

I'm so thankful for all the help on finding the skein of eternally backordered shade of Misti Hand Paint Sock in 03 Birds of Paradise. Yaanluvah on Ravelry was able to ship me 3/4 of a skein she had leftover from making a cute little pair of socks. Thanks again to everyone for reaching out in my time of fiber desperation!

Really?

Okay, so when I used to read about my fellow knitbloggers freaking out about not being able to locate a store that carried the elusive skein of yarn that they needed to finish a project, I'll have to admit I really felt like they just weren't looking hard enough. I mean, with all of the buying options these days, it was hard for me to fathom not being able to find a fairly common skein of yarn in a specific colorway. I scoffed at their panic and was confused by their frantic actions.

I have now learned my lesson. Consider me a changed woman.

I started out last week with two skeins of Misti Alpaca Haind Paint Sock in color 03 Birds of Paradise for my Simple Shawl, thinking that I was overdoing it with that much yardage. I figured that I'd have a pretty good sized remnant ball when I was finished with the project that would dwell indefinitely in the box of random balls of yarn at that bottom of my stack of stash tubs.

Well, I just finished up with the first skein last night and with all of the knitting that I have yet to do on it, I'm a little worried that the remaining skein is just not going to cut it. I forget that being a tall and bigger gal--my friend Alissa likes to call us voluptuous--that the things I make for myself are going to have to be a little larger than normal. Even though shawls seem to be typically a one-size-fits-most kind of garment, I know that I'm going to have to do a few (and maybe a few more) extra repeats to make it look right on my frame.

Anyway, I'm saying all of that to say this: I can't find a skein of this color of Misti Hand Paint Sock ANYWHERE! I've scoured every online store I can find and every one of them has that color backordered. I've searched all over Ravelry for this color and anyone who has it in their stash doesn't have it listed as 'For Sale or Trade', and I really don't want to be a bother and PM them to the point of stalkerdom.

But, I REALLY need another skein. Anyone out there who can help me? Do you have a LYS that carries this yarn that could ship to me??? The problem with being way the hell up here in the north is that the only store that carries yarn nearby doesn't have a lot of the yarn I like to use in my work.

*sigh* I suppose it will look alright with only two skeins. And you know that things always get bigger after blocking. And even though I'm in love with this yarn, I REALLY don't want to knit at this small of a gauge for very much longer. So, I guess it's not all that bad. I'll have to make it work.

Grandma G's shawl

This is the other shawl that is currently on the needles, in addition to the Simple Shawl that I blogged about yesterday.

My grandma has been wanting me to make a sweater for her, but I'm just too afraid to make her one because I didn't think I would be able to make it fit her correctly.

But I purchased this yarn in hopes that I would find something suitable for her. It is truly the perfect color for her. I know this because I've seen this color on her many times before and I feel so lucky that I found the Berroco Ultra Alpaca in this shade of Flannery Red.

The only thing that I would change is if I had chosen Ultra Alpaca Light instead of the regular Ultra Alpaca. This yarn is pretty heavy and I'm afraid that it's going to overwhelm her tiny frame. But I guess if nothing else this shawl will be a nice layer of warmth on chilly nights as she sits on her porch and watches the world go by.

I'm using the Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl Pattern by Sarah Bradbury (Ravel it). It combines my newfound obsession with shawls with my all time favorite, tried and true feather and fan stitch that I love so much.

Should be another quick knit and when I'm finished, on to some more complicated lace shawls. That is, if I have the brains for it. I'm currently eyeing either the Adamas Shawl or Andromeda Shawl by MimKnits. Or knowing me I'll cast on both of them and work on them at the same time. Typical behavior for my knitting A.D.D.

Simple Shawl

I've been going through a bit of a shawl phase lately and I currently have a couple of them on the needles. For this one I'm using Misti Alpaca Handpainted Sock Yarn in colorway 03 Birds of Paradise. The colors are very bright and a little more outrageous than what I'd normally wear, but I'm thinking that in the darkness of another Alaskan winter I'll be cheered up by the multicolored fiber.

I'm basically following the Simple Yet Effective Shawl Pattern by Laura Chau at Cosmicpluto Knits, however, I'm adding in a (yo, k2tog) row in every once in awhile to spice things up. I think the simple pattern of alternating stockinette and garter is perfect for the multitude of colors in this yarn. Also, I love the texture of the wrong side of this piece and I may just have to make it the right side! At least it's good to know it's reversible!

I absolutely love the yarn I'm using. I had originally planned to use this yarn for a pair of Lakeside socks, but I got halfway down the calf and realized that this yarn was just not right for that pattern. So, it sat and sat until I plucked it out of stash obscurity the other day and I think I've finally found the right project for it.

I'm currently not very far along on this, but I think it will be a quick knit. I'm hoping to have it finished by the SE Alaska State Fair, so that I can enter it as an exhibition.

Granny's A Square Afghan Pattern Finally Available!

ETA:  Now available as a pdf download on the sidebar ----------------->.

So, I've finally got my act together and put together the pattern and schematics for the Noro Granny Square Afghan, aka 'Granny's a Square'.

You can Ravel it here or send me an email and I'll send you the pdf. Enjoy!

Lina

I've been thinking hard for a while now about what to make for my good friend Emily's first baby, a little girl named Lina who is due in September. Emily is very stylish and and always looks picture perfect(she's my exact opposite!), so I knew that whatever I made just had to have the right amount of style and cuteness.

I mulled over making a baby blanket, but I knew that she would probably receive more blankets than she knew what to do with. And I thought about making little booties or a hat, but I just couldn't find the right pattern.

And then I turned to the old standby classic, the February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Ravel it). It seems like everyone I know has made one at one time or another and I figured now would be a good time for me to try my hand at it.

Project details:

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Eggplant - 1 skein (Yarn held double throughout.)
Needles: Size 7 24" circulars for body and size 7 dpn for sleeves
Notions: Tapestry needle & 5 small mother of pearl buttons

As usual, I can never follow a pattern completely and I took many liberties while creating this sweater. My modifications are as follows:

1. I did the entire yoke in garter stitch, as opposed to starting the pattern halfway down.

2. Instead of making stitches (m1), I did eyelet increases for a different effect.

3. I changed the front to a side opening instead of right down the middle.

4. I used a different lace pattern than the gull lace stitch. (Horseshoe lace pattern from Harmony Guides Lace & Eyelets)

5. Instead of bringing the sleeves down to full length, I capped them and bound off with a cute picot edging.

6. Instead of a straight garter border, I added a row of (y0, k2tog) in the middle of the garter stitch rows for a little bit of added decoration.

I loved making this little ditty and it was a super quick knit. I hope to make many more as my friends keep having more babies!