Tagish Cowl

As promised, here is another of the patterns that were released yesterday in Knit Picks Independent Design Program.  I give you Tagish Cowl. (Rav it here)

I've been admiring this lovely shade of Swish Bulky for awhile now, and searching for the perfect cowl pattern to create with it.  But that cowl pattern never surfaced, so I took it upon myself to make one of my own!

As discussed in yesterday's post regarding the Taiya Scarf, I've been on a bit of an all-things-brioche kick lately.  I just love how the stitch is so light and airy.  And having it wrapped around your neck is a little piece of heaven.

I knew that I wanted to incorporate buttons somehow, and in the prototype of this pattern I had initially had 7 buttons/buttonholes all the way down the closure.  But that seems a little bit much, plus it had already been done, so decided to cut out a few buttons and make it an asymmetrical closure instead.

The top of one end of the cowl is buttoned to the bottom of the other end.  This created less bulk around the neck and I also like how on one side the cowl flips over at the top and on the other side it flips up on the bottom.  A cute little detail that keeps things interesting!

Details
Tagish Cowl via Knit Picks IDP
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Garnet Heather
Needles:  Size 9 and 10 straights

This is such a quick knit...great for last minute gifts or just some mindless movie knitting!  I hope you'll check it out.

Taiya Scarf

Thanks so much for the overwhelming response to my giveaway!  It's been inspiring to read all of the comments...makes me wish spring in Alaska would get here already!

Well, I thought I had another week to get my blogging act together before my new patterns went live in the Knit Picks Independent Designer Program, but *surprise* they went live today!

I'm so excited to debut Taiya Scarf (Rav it), Tagish Mitts (Rav it), and Tagish Cowl (Rav it).  These are the stealth projects I've been working on these last few weeks.  I'm so glad to finally be able to reveal them to you!

I'm going to profile each of them over the next couple days, and today I'll start with Taiya Scarf.

I've been on a bit of a brioche kick lately (in this case, I used a variant of brioche, Fisherman's Rib) and I was hoping to combine my love of that squishy soft stitch with my obsession of lace knit in bulky weight yarn.  And this is how Taiya Scarf was born.

As I draw inspiration from my Alaskan environment on a daily basis, I found it was only fitting that I name my patterns after locations or places here in the North that inspire me.  The mighty Taiya River flows just east of my Alaskan town and every summer there are vast amounts of wild irises that bloom at the mouth of the river where it meets the sea.  When I was working on this scarf, the purple hue of the yarn reminded me of the color of the irises, hence the name.

I love the fact that the squishiness of the Fisherman's Rib is the part that wraps around the neck.  It's like wearing a cloud!  And the diamond lace at either end of the scarf keeps things interesting.  

Details:

Pattern:  Taiya Scarf (Knit Picks link)

Yarn:  Knit Picks Cadena, 3 hanks in Blackberry

Needles:  Size 11 straights

Model:  My good friend, Trish.  The best model/friend/spin drive companion a girl could ask for.

Stay tuned over the next couple days where I'll be showing off the Tagish Cowl and the Tagish Mitts!

An old (but recently discovered!) FO: Foliage

As I was digging through a bunch of knitting stuff the other day, I happened upon a hat I completed a couple years ago.  It was so nice to see it after such a long time!  I don't know that I ever wore it at all.  It somehow got sucked into the knitting void without ever seeing the light of day!

It's Foliage by Emily Mooney from the Fall 2007 Knitty (Rav it).  I can't remember many details, but I do believe I used Knit Picks Risata sock yarn in Marionberry held double throughout.  I'm pretty sure I used a little over a skein.  

It's so sproingy and comfy...and the yarn is stretchy enough that it fits comfortably over my big head.

As usual, I take my blog photos right after work to catch the nice light.  Well, that, and I do it when I'm alone so that I don't have to hear the incessant teasing I would hear if Jeff were home.  He thinks its weird I take so many photos of yarn and yarn-related things.  I think he buys way too many power tools.  We agree to disagree on these points. ;)

However, the one bad thing about trying to take pictures while I'm here by myself is that I always struggle with taking decent shots of myself modeling FOs.  I do have a tripod and a remote control for my camera, but I find it very difficult to get the good angles I want when I'm in front of the lens.  Add in the fact that my house has such poor lighting and you see why I hardly ever have any decent photos of myself on here.

Until today.   I figured out that if I crouch down just right in our downstairs bathroom that I can take advantage of the natural light coming through the window while balancing my camera on the toilet.  Certainly not ideal, but it sort of worked! 

Apparently taking toilet pictures is very serious business. This is my the-camera-went-off-before-I-was-ready look. No smiles just yet.

Okay, here we go. I finally got a smile out at just the right moment before the shutter snapped. And then a split second after that I had to lunge for my camera as it toppled ever-so-precariously near the edge of the back of the toilet.

That was a close call.  Note to self: Shut toilet lid before next photo session. That really should go without saying, but I thought I'd throw that out there. ;)

My First Handspun!

I initially thought it would take me forever to get through those 4 oz. of beautiful fiber that I blogged about yesterday.  But then the obsessive side of me came out and I had it all spun by the end of the night last night!

Before I got too far in, I decided to search on YouTube for a tutorial on drop spinning.  There were several choices, but the one I found most helpful was from Megan LaCore, from The Art of Megan.  I watched it once all the way through (it's about 10 minutes long) and then once more as I was learning how to do everything.  

And that's all it took to get me rolling.  I was so excited to see the yarn taking shape.  I was even more excited that I could do it as I was sitting watching tv.  (I get a little stir crazy when I have to do things without any distractions in the background. Blame it on my ADD.)

I was just spinning along, not paying attention to how much fiber I had used.  When I went to reach for another piece, I couldn't find any.  I didn't even realize I had gone through the entire amount!

I then unwound the yarn from the spindle onto the back of a chair (following the instructions from another one of Megan's videos) and then soaked it to set the twist.  Then I hung it up to dry overnight.

This morning I was so excited to wake up and see how it turned out.  (Not as excited as a child on Christmas morning, but almost...)  I was a little bit disappointed to see that I had waaayyyy overspun it.  It was crimpy and I knew that I would not be able to use it.

So, I set out to see if I could salvage it.  I went through the entire skein and pulled out the extra twist.  I just went along and spread the twist down the yarn.  Luckily, there were some parts that I had underspun, so it worked itself out.  The yarn was still slightly damp, so that helped out a lot too.  I did have to cut the yarn once, as it had become so twisted upon itself that it had gotten really tangled.  But I just tied it together and continued on my merry way.  

After a couple hours, I had gotten all the kinks out and the yarn looked much better.  I was going to soak it again, but the yarn was laying flat on its own with no crimps, so I'm going to forgo that extra step.  It doesn't have to be perfect!  I'll have plenty more chances to get it right.

Okay, enough chit chat.  You're here to see the yarn, right?  Well, here are a couple photos of the finished product.  I couldn't get the light just right, so the color is slightly off, but it's the best I can do with the daylight I'm working with right now.

I stupidly forgot to measure out about how much yardage I had produced, so I have no idea how much is there.  But I love it!  It reminds me a lot of Noro Iro, with the same twist and bulky weight.  Of course, there are sections where it got too thin and other sections where it's too bulky, but overall I think I did fairly well for a first try.  

I think I'll be making a hat for myself out of it.  I hope there'll be enough...otherwise, some lucky person with a smaller noggin than my own will be gifted with a very special FO.

I'm off to get my Maplewing Shawl in order for the Adventures in Lace KAL that begins tomorrow!

Adventures in Lace KAL

Thanks to all the kind notes and comments regarding my uninspiredness.  I think it's just a case of the mid-winter ho-hums.  I took an evening off from knitting last night (it was bowling night) and today I feel much better about things.

One thing I am getting excited about is for the Adventures in Lace KAL, organized by my blogfriend, Kate, of Lazy Kate Creates.  It starts in February and I'm excited at the prospects of what pattern I'll choose.  I've been meaning to write about it before now, but I'm a bit blog-illiterate and couldn't figure out how to add the KAL button to my sidebar.  (I still haven't figured it out, but I'm working on it. ;) )

ETA:  Check out my sidebar. I grew some brain cells and figured it out. Well, it was actually a simple Google search.  Who knew?

I'm currently torn between using my Maplewing Shawl (yipes! I did not realize that I cast on for this way back in September.) and choosing a new and exciting project.

On one hand, having the Maplewing be my KAL project, I'll be sure to steadily work on it and maybe-possibly-there's-a-chance-but-it's-a-shot-in-the-dark it might get finished before I turn 40. (um, that's in 9 years for all of you keeping track.)

OR, I could choose something that's not in my pile of UFOs!  Before cold-sheeping it beginning the first of the year, I put in a last order at Webs and got a delicious hank of Madeline Tosh Prairie in the Clematis colorway.  I'm dying to use it and so I think this just might be the perfect situation.

I am in lurve with Haruni by Emily Ross (Rav it) or one of Anne Hanson's amazing designs, such as the Twinings Stole, the Autumn Arbor Stole, or the Birnam Wood Wrap?

Decisions, decisions....which would you choose?

Pretty Little Thing....Gifted!

Remember Pretty Little Thing?  Well, I absolutely loved how it turned out and the yarn is so buttery soft I want to knit a duvet cover out of it (not really).  BUT, even though I added in a couple extra repeats so that it would fit around my huge cranium, it was still a bit to snug for my taste.

So, I decided to gift it to my sister for Christmas!  The entire time I was knitting it I was thinking about her anyway and thought it would suit her, so it's only fitting that it actually end up in her possession.

I so carefully packed for my trip to Ohio that I nearly forgot that I had stashed it in a small dark corner of my carry-on.  But, after being brushed off a bit, it rebounded just fine and I gave it to her on my last day there.

Doesn't she look thrilled?  (I would be if I had been gifted a cashmere cowl, but maybe that's just me...)

And a close up...

Today I'm dreading my first day back at work in over three weeks.  On one hand, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle a new year with a new attitude.  But it's going to be a fight to not slip back into old grooves.  Hmmmm, I think I'll knit a little more to take my mind off it.  ;)

Cold Sheep in 2010

I'd be lying if I said that recently I began to realize the immense size of my stash.  I've actually known about the enormity for quite some time, but only in the last month or so did I finally make myself face the fact that I have more yarn than is humanly possible to knit in a lifetime.  Some of you may think I'm exaggerating, but it's absolutely true.

When I read about knitters who say that their stash has gotten out of control when it's overflowing the basket sitting beside their knitting chair, I want to laugh/cry/hang my head in sheepish embarrassment.  Because I only wish that that was the extent of my stash.

Truth is, the once small basket beside my knitting chair has turned into two large overflowing baskets, a three drawer container for my needles/notions, and a bookshelf for my most-perused knitting books.  I also have yarn stuffed into a couple baskets on a shelf in my dining room; yarn hiding in my car; yarn randomly laying around kitchen/bathroom/pantry;  6 large rubbermaid containers in our spare room;  and 5 large rubbermaid containers in our bedroom.  Oh, and I have 3 boxes of yarn in my office at work, because I'm just too darned scared to walk through the door with it in fear of being committed to an insane asylum.

So....yeah....you could say I have a yarn problem.  I've always enjoyed buying new yarn, but until the last year I felt my stash was manageable.  But over the last year I've really become unhappy with certain aspects of my life and have used yarn and knitting as a crutch.  Work pisses me off?  Buy some yarn.  Someone makes me so angry I want to scream?  Buy some yarn.  You get the idea.  Some people turn to drinking or drugs to cope with things that they just can't handle.  I buy yarn and knit.  To some that may be a harmless hobby.  But I know myself too well to know that I'm only using it to cover up things I haven't wanted to deal with.

So, in 2010 I will not be buying any new yarn*.  Going cold sheep, as the phrase may be.  I have more than enough amazing yarn to last throughout the year.  And I might even be putting some up for sale, so that I can cut my stash down even more.  I even joined the Stash Knit Down group on Ravelry to help me stay the course.

Now, you may have noticed the * above.  That asterisk denotes the fact that there might at some point be new yarn coming into my stash.  I have set up an incentive plan for myself to achieve some of the goals I have set for the new year.  Each day I will get so many points for doing certain tasks I have created for myself.  At the end of the month I will add up the points I have received and that corresponds to a certain incentive level and amount of money.  I have decided that I can spend that money however I want, which includes buying yarn.

So, you see, I might actually be buying some yarn in 2010, but I'm going to have to work hard to do it.  If anyone is interested in my incentive plan, just email me and I'd be happy to share more info.

Okay, so, I have publicly declared my intentions.  That makes it official, right?  Wish me luck...I'm going to need it!

Let's go stash diving...Who's with me?  

Happy New Year...and a contest!

Greetings from windy (and cold!) Skagway!

To ring in a new year and a new decade, I thought I would start things off on the right foot by having a little giveaway!

Like me, I'm sure many of you have thought of things that you'd like to accomplish this year, things you'd like to do more of, things you'd like to do less of.  Basically, a new year means a clean slate to many of us and it's a great time to better oneself in whatever way seems fit.

Something I'm going to be concentrating on this year is designing.  I've got about 6 or 7 partially finished designs that I hope to have done within the next couple months.  My goal this year to is be published either in print or online.  I know that I don't have a lot of control as to whether or not a publication chooses my designs, but what I can control is focusing on finishing something.  Anything, really.  I have confidence that my ideas are on the right track.  I just need a little sticktoitiveness to see my design through to a finished product.

Okay, so that's what I'll be working on.  What will your focus be in 2010?

Leave me a comment regarding your #1 new year's resolution and you'll be entered to win a 250 gram hank of Kangaroo Dyer's Merino/Alpaca/Silk yarn in the Caliph's Sunset colorway.  That's 620 yards of yummy goodness!

I LOVE this yarn and had grand dreams of making a shawlette or large cowl out of it, but I seem to have accumulated a lot of yarn in 2009 with very similar color schemes and there's no possibly way I will ever use it all.  So, I thought I would share it with one of you!

If you'd like to enter more than once, just post a link to my contest on your blog and you'll be entered twice!  Just leave a separate comment with a link to the post letting me know that you did so.

ETA:  Thanks to those who let me know I did not post a deadline!  Contest will close January 8th at midnight Alaska Time.  I'll notify the winner on January 9th.

Good luck and here's to a prosperous 2010!

ETA:  JuliaA, you're the lucky winner!  Thanks to everyone for entering!

Jackson Meets His Bear Hat

Well, after nearly two solid days of travel, I finally made it to Ohio late yesterday afternoon.  I am SO glad to not be in an airport or on a ferry.  And I'm especially glad to be with my family this Christmas.  It's been a while.

Of course, the first thing I did when I flew in yesterday was head to Indiana with my mom to see the little man.  We spent the night and then brought Lib and Jackson back with us since Todd has to work all week and I wanted to spend as much time with Jackson as possible.

And the second thing I did was whip out Jackson's Aviator Bear Hat (blogged about here a couple weeks back) to see if it fit his head.  I honestly thought that the hat was going to be way too big, but I forget that our family produces larger-than-average size children so I was surprised to see that it fit perfectly!

He looks rather frightened here doesn't he?  Well, maybe that was because there was a crazed woman following him around with a camera trying to get that one perfect photo for a certain blog you might be reading right now.  It's not the best picture (he's gotten a heckuva a lot more mobile since the last time I saw him and I couldn't get him to stand still), but it's cute nonetheless.

In other knit news, I officially threw in the towel on a couple WIPs that I was trying to get done before Christmas.  The big one being Jackson's Christmas stocking.  I feel like I let the little guy down since he won't have a handmade stocking this year.  But I still have faith that I'll be able to crank out a pair of elf booties for him.  Now I just need to make a quick run to Hobby Lobby (since it's only 30 minutes away and not 3,000 miles away!) and buy some feltable wool in festive holiday colors. 

I'm headed to Columbus on Wednesday with my friend Molly (of Fall Festival of Leaves float-hopping fame) to do some mall walking and Christmas light viewing.  I fully expect to be completely overwhelmed at the people, sights, and sounds but I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been near a mall during the holidays since 2002 and I'm so excited to be thrown full-throttle into the Christmas spirit. 

Oh, and I'll be making Molly make a pit stop at a couple yarn stores I want to check out.  Even though I lived in Columbus for five years before I moved to Alaska, I wasn't a knitter then so I'm excited to see what I was missing all those years!

Knitting Community

I was thinking today that I really wish I had a knitting community that I belonged to.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the online knitting community that I belong to, but sometimes it would be really nice to go somewhere - a friend's house, a coffee shop, a yarn store - and sit there and knit with other people, learning new techniques, hanging out, and making fiber friends.

I just came back from spending a few days in Juneau at a work seminar (for the record, I'm now able to communicate effectively and assertively) and on the ferry ride home I was lucky enough to have some company.  Allison (yes, I know, she has the coolest name on the planet) was on her way back from Juneau after spending the fall there starring in Perseverance Theatre's production of Leading Ladies.  (I had the pleasure of watching the show while I was there and it was wonderful and she was amazing in it...but I digress.)

Allison also lives in Skagway and happens to be a knitter and we have been talking for a while now about getting together and knitting.  But life always seems to get in the way and we've never hung out.  But I guess all it took was a long ferry ride to force us to finally get together and knit.

We sat there and chatted for a while and then once we pulled our knitting out I suddenly felt really self-conscious.  It was then that I realized that I've never knit in the presence of another knitter.  Oh, I've knit on a plane where there was a person knitting two rows ahead of me, but I've never just sat and knitted with someone I know.  Knitting is a very personal thing for me and it's something that I always do by myself to quiet my brain.

All of a sudden I started this weird neurotic internal dialogue:  "Am I holding my yarn right?"  "Why I am knitting so slowly? She must think I'm an idiot."  "Crap, I made a mistake and have to rip back a row. She must think I'm the worst knitter ever."  I continued to feel awkward until she admitted too that she hadn't really knit around other people either.  And then I didn't feel quite so bad and just relaxed and had a good time.

But I realized I wouldn't have been so weird in that situation if I actually had a group of knitters that got to spend time with on a regular basis.  I would LOVE to live in a place where I could go to a stitch n bitch evening or a spinning class or a fiber festival.  Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out all the way up here in the middle of nowhere with no LYS and no one who I can talk fiber to.  *sigh*    I'm just glad that I have Ravelry and this blog, because without both of them, I would have gone crazy a looooooong time ago.

On the WIP front, I have a couple things on the needles that need to get off the needles ASAP.  The first one is a scarf for the Red Scarf Project.  And the other one is a stocking for my nephew Jackson.  The scarf needs to be done first, since I have to mail it off tomorrow (eep!), but the stocking is pretty pressing as well since I leave for Ohio on Saturday.  It will be my travel knitting for sure.  Long ferry ride and long flights = rows and rows of stockinette in the round.  Can't wait!

A Beet for Dwight

Back in the spring I stumbled upon a group on Ravelry called Beets for Dwight (Rav link).  It's a group of people who love The Office (US version) and, more specifically, Dwight Schrute. 

For those who do not know, Dwight Schrute is a beet farmer/paper salesman on The Office and is played by Rainn Wilson.  The goal of the group is to knit a beet for Dwight so that our moderator can eventually send them all to Rainn as a gift.

Now, I've had all summer and fall to knit a beet and I just never got around to it.  But our moderator set a deadline of December 17th to get the beet done and sent off to her, so I knew I had to get my butt in gear.

Last Sunday I finally cast on and it was done in no time!  I absolutely LOVE how it turned out.

I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Black Cherry Heather for the beet body and Knit Picks Palette in Verdant Heather (lighter green) and Rainforest Heather (darker green) for the leaves.

I didn't want the leaves to be as bulky as some of the other beets I saw on Ravelry, so I chose to use the fingering weight to make them thinner and almost wispy.  I made the right choice because they turned out perfectly.

Jeff thinks it's a little stalkerish and creepy to knit a vegetable for a movie star...and if I really gave it some thought I might agree.  But on the other hand I think it's a clever idea and hope Rainn finds it quirky and interesting and appreciates all the hard work that was put into it.

I was really reluctant to mail my beet away on Friday because I loved it so much, but it had to be done.  Perhaps I'll make another one someday.  I've already gotten a request for a carrot from my neighbor!

Jackson's Aviator Bear Hat

I sure hope he likes it. Because if he doesn't like this cuteness, I really don't know what will impress him.

Pattern: Amelia Earhart Aviator Cap by Flor (Rav it)

Yarn: 1/2 skein of Cascade 220 Superwash in Walnut Heather

Needles: Size 6 straights for the hat and size 6 circs for the ears

Notions: Tapestry needle

Modifications: I took out a few rows of the middle section to make it smaller. Also, obviously, the ears. I made them the same way I make a toe-up sock. Using Judy's Magic Cast On I started with 18 stitches and increased every other round until I had 42 stitches. I bound off, sewed the ears together at the bottom, and then sewed them to the hat so that the ears turned in a little bit. Oh, and I added some seed stitch for a little bit of decoration. All in all I think the ears are adorable.

I'm still debating as to whether or not I want to add any cords to the earflaps. Seeing as how I have a lot of holiday projects to accomplish in a short amount of time, I might just pass.

I can't wait to try it on this little guy. Here he is modeling my Simple Shawl.

I get to see him in two weeks and two days!

Next up, I'll fill you in on how my Nutkin knee socks are going. And I'll be starting on Jackson's first Christmas stocking tonight!

Pretty Little Thing

So, I've been feeling fairly frustrated at knitting lately. I'm suffering from chronic start-a-new-project-every-day-itis and I just can't seem to get into any of them. I'm chalking it up to the fact that I still haven't unwound from the summer season, even though I've been traveling and trying to relax a little.

Consequently, I was on the lookout for a very mindless and easy project that I could complete quickly...a project that could somehow escape the clutches of my knitting A.D.D. I finally settled on Pretty Thing (Rav it) by Yarn Harlot.

I used exactly one skein of Sarah's Yarns Mongolian Cashmere DK 4-ply in Natural White. I've had the yarn for awhile and I wasn't sure what project I'd eventually use it for. I was hoping that I'd find a project that could be worn close to the skin, as this yarn is so soft and buttery. Pretty Thing fit the bill.

I used the Magic Loop method with my Harmony interchangeable circs in size 5 with a 40" cable. Because it seemed like this pattern was written for a munchkin, I cast on an extra repeat of stitches so that there would at least be a fighting chance that I could fit my noggin through the opening. And I added an extra repeat of the middle lace pattern to increase the length a bit.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. Heck, I'm just tickled pink that I actually finished a project.

Oh, and it appears that my Maplewing Shawl will have to wait a bit to get finished. While using my size 5 tips on Pretty Thing, I carelessly set my knitting on the floor at the foot of my knitting chair while I took a break. Upon return, I didn't see that the needle was sticking out and I stepped on it, breaking it in half with a heart-sinking snap.

Of course, these are the same size needles I'm using on Maplewing...and my only pair in size 5. (Maplewing was resting on its long cable, needle-less while I had an affair with the cowl.)

So, it looks like I'll have to make a quick order to KnitPicks before Maplewing becomes destined to live in the UFO pile indefinitely. And since I'm already ordering some needle tips, I might as well throw in some Swish Bulky in Squirrel Heather, because I've been itching to start this DROPS jacket for a long time now...and if I'm already getting that yarn, then I might as well try out some Imagination Hand-Painted Sock Yarn...and then...oh no, this could get ugly...

Maplewing Madness

So, I didn't get as far as I thought I would on my Maplewing Shawl while I was traveling. It turns out that there is something that I'd much rather do than knit: hang out with my family! Who would have thought?

Here's my progress so far...
I'm almost to the end of the bottom lace section, however I'm thinking I might add another repeat (or four) to make the shawl a little bit longer. Even though I'm making the tall size, I'm still worried that it will be too small. Although Anne Hanson, the shawl designer, is modeling the petite size in this photo, I'm fairly certain from other photos on her blog that she is pretty petite as well. So, I'm thinking that even though the tall size is bigger than what is shown in that photo, I don't know if it will be big enough. I'd rather knit it a little bit bigger and not take my chances that I'll end up with a neckerchief instead of a shawl.

I am, however, a bit concerned as to how those extra repeats will play out. I think I have a picture in my brain of the concept of the shawl and I'm thinking that a few more rows won't do any harm. I guess we'll see. I'd hate to rip back all those rows of tiny stitches, but if it isn't right then the tiny perfectionist inside of my brain will bug me until I do. But I have a hunch it will turn okay after some intense blocking.

As for the particulars, I am LOVING the Malabrigo Sock for this project. It is just the right amount of softness and durability. I have had recurring daymares about knitting a lace shawl with true lace yarn and then snagging it on a doorway or other object (because, let's be honest, I'm pretty klutzy like that) and crying my eyes out for days at the destruction of such a precious piece. But I don't get that paranoia with the Mal Sock, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that it holds up to regular wear.

And I can't say enough about the pattern itself. Anne Hansen does an amazing job of laying everything out in such a logical order, so it makes even the more difficult projects easy to understand and accomplish. It's written out line by line as well as charted, so you can take your pick of how you'd like to go about it.

Here's a couple shots of the stitch work. I can't wait to block it and open up the lace a little, although I am rather liking the way it is right now as well...all dense and squishy.

I will hopefully be getting some more time work on it as I will be traveling again here shortly. I'm headed to Reno for a conference for about a week and then to Seattle to visit some friends for a couple days. Of course I have already scoped out all of the local yarn store locations in both cities! I had no idea that Jimmy Beans Wool was located in Reno...and it's right down the street...so I just wouldn't feel right if I went all that way and didn't go visit...right? I thought so.

Maplewing Shawl

So, I've been in a bit of a knitting funk lately. I have a bunch of design ideas bouncing around in my head, but I'm so A.D.D. right now that I'm having trouble getting them down on paper and even more trouble creating them in yarn form. I think I'm just putting too much pressure on myself, trying to get some designs done for various deadlines coming up.


Finally the other day I made myself put all my UFOs in my knitting basket and put down my knitting for a few days. I think it helped somewhat, as I don't feel quite so frustrated when I pick up my needles.


With the knitting hiatus, I don't have a whole lot to show for my efforts lately. I have, however, been knitting on my Maplewing Shawl. I haven't gotten a whole lot done though...only completed to row 14 out of a few hundred...gulp! I just can't seem to focus, but I'm hoping with some upcoming travel over the next few weeks that I'll break out of my rut and get back into my knitting groove!


Here's my progress so far...of course it looks like nothing more than a jumbled ruffle all crammed on that circular needle, but I assure you that it's turning out beautifully. I love the stitch definition of the Malabrigo Sock and it's so soft and squishy. I'm hoping to have the shawl done by Christmas, but with all the other things I want to get done by then and my current knitting state of mind, we'll see...

I got my own headline!

So, I'm finally getting around to blogging about something that happened over two months ago...yeah, it's been a crazy busy summer.

I once again entered a few things into the SE Alaska State Fair. Of course, every year I vow to plan ahead and have some really cool stuff entered. And then life totally overwhelms me and I end up scrambling at the very last minute to pull things together. Luckily, I had some decent FOs on hand to show off.

This year was apparently my year at the fair. And I even have a headline to show for it! Yep, that's right. You're following the blog of a local celebrity. ;)

Here's a close-up of what the article says:

Remember Lina? Well, the judges just loved that little sweater and I can't say that I blame them! Here it is being completely blotted out by all the ribbons...for those of you counting, that's a first place, class champ and judge's choice ribbon!

Next up is the Granny's A Square Afghan. It received first place and best in class!

And I don't have a picture of the final project, which won class champ, division champ and judge's choice. It's a felted purse that is a precursor (and, thus, sort of similar) to a design that I am currently submitting to a publication. Even though it's not the exact design, I just don't feel right posting it on here, just in case. But the judge did say that it was so great that it should be published, which was very encouraging!

It's such a beautiful autumn day here...blue bird sky, crisp air and a quiet calm that has not been felt since last winter. I love the stillness that comes with the mass exodus of summer people. All of us locals now have our town back! And what better way to celebrate the fall than with a little...okay, a lot....of knitting! So I'm going to wrap up in my granny afghan, gather up a project and knit my little heart out. With a view like this from my front window, one can't help but be happy!

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!

Lacy Alpaca Scarf

Remember way back when I began a long-promised scarf for my friend Sarah? Well, I finally got it blocked the other day and it turned out pretty nicely if I do say so myself.

It did take me frogging it once for me to like the finished product. I initially had been knitting it single-stranded on size 6 needles. But it was turning out a little bit too dense for my taste so I started it over with the yarn double-stranded on size 10 needles. Much better!

I ended up using 6 skeins of Andean Treasure in Hot Rod Heather, which is 100% Alpaca. I LOVE the softness of this yarn and it's so warm. Sarah will be back in Skagway in just a couple days...hope she likes her scarf that she's waited on for about three year!

Noro Granny Afghan is FINALLY finished!

I've been working for the last month, off and on, to complete a granny square afghan out of about 9 different colorways of Noro. I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, having been inspired by images of Crazy Quilts and also by many vintage granny square afghans , however the thought of changing colors every row in order to achieve the multi-colored look had really kept me from creating anything.

Enter one of my favorite yarns, Noro Kureyon. I have always been fascinated by all the different colorways and the seemingly endless hues that make up each skein. I figured that this would be the easier way to incorporate a lot of color without having to change color each round. Initially things went pretty quickly, but as with most projects I do I tired of it quickly and am actually quite proud of myself for seeing it through to completion. At one point I seriously thought that this project would languish forever in the corner, stacks of squares just begging to be pieced together to form something beautiful. But the desire to have it grace my knitting chair trumped my lack of motivation and I finally finished the border last night.

You can read more about this blanket here and here, and you can follow it on Ravelry here, and I'm so excited to FINALLY say that it's finished, but I'll probably block it soon to straighten out the edges and soften up the wool.

Details:

Approximately 30 skeins of about 9 different colorways of Noro Kureyon

Crochet hook size H

Notions: Tapestry needle

Here are some photos of the blanket lounging around my house...This is where I intend to use it the most. What better way to spend time in my knitting corner than to be covered in inspiring colors!But, I also suspect that it will get some use on our deck when we're sitting out there on chilly evenings playing Scrabble.
Or I could also see it as a decorative throw on our bed, for Jeff to use on nights that I hog all the covers...which I guess would be every night.

Whew! It feels good to get some projects finished before the summer hits and I have no time to think, let alone be creative enough to make something interesting.

Yep, that's right, tourist season is upon us and I'll probably be doing a lot of stockinette or repetitive lace projects, because I'll have no brain left at the end of the day for anyting more complicated. Looks like it's time to crank out some felted coin purses or something equally as mindless!