Shadows

Check out the neat shadows we saw today, looks like a painting on the wall :)

I've been bad lately

First the yarn, then the needles, then shopping with my sister, then this followed me home from Stop and Shop on Sunday:

To be fair this is sold out online and in the yarn shops I've visited lately so I got a bit nervous and made a deal with myself that if S+S had it I would get it. They did :-) it made my day. That's what happens when I grocery shop alone, I wander into aisles usually passed over. I desperately want to make the tilted duster on the cover, I can't tell you how many times I've almost bought yarn for it. Almost stopped on the way home, even now I want to place a knitpicks order. But I'm being good. I need to do some more knitting for others and wait to see what I get for my birthday in a week or so. It's so cool though. There are a bunch of things in this issue I want to make like the tangled yoke cardigan and the minimalist cardigan. I want to try the snowflake socks too and get my fair isle on. If I thought I could finish in time I'd make these all Christmas gifts but who am I kidding? Two sweaters and a bunch of other knits? No way. I have to admit the motivation for gift knitting is dwindling. Some I feel will really appreciate the gifts but others I'm not so sure about. It's hard, I want to make everyone gifts but part of me doesn't want to waste time on something that will never be worn. Is that awful of me?

Anyway, I have been knitting and the pink/purple yarn I bought last week has become a gift :-)
I'm not entirely sure who will get it yet so I'm not posting a picture but I'm pleased with it. The Berroco pure merino is really nice stuff. The black I think will become a pair of fetching gloves if I have enough. If they aren't gifted I've been wanting a pair of black fetchings for myself. I made a pink pair over the winter and I love the pattern. I need to find time to make some fingerless gloves for hubby before the winter chill sets in. So many projects so little time.

I've also started this gift, a bag in modea cache

I'm making it up as I go but so far it has a seed stitch bottom and stockinette sided. I'm thinking a seed stitch band around the top and a zipper close but we'll see. I'm using US9 20 something inch needles and it's really tight. If I get the needle set I want for my Bday I'll make the length shorter and hopefully it'll be easier on my hands. I got the yarn for $1 a skein at ocean state job lot over the winter. I knew it would be a future gift but it took a while before I got an idea and got started.

I'm working with the Lane Borgosesia on my new addis and I must say I love them! Best. Needles. Ever. No kinks, sharp tips, and smooth enough that the lace slips nicely off them. The swearing has stopped and I'm making good progress on that item. If only every needle was an addi...

Last but certainly not least is my Print O'the Wave stole.

I'm at the tenth repeat of the pattern. I'm going to make it in one piece to avoid the grafting line so that's about 24 repeats to go. I love knitting this but I only get to it in small doses once I've done enough gift knitting a knight that I don't feel guilty switching. Just think how slow this would go if I started that duster...

Addis!

Well I managed to leave work on time and made it to a lovely yarn shop in Warwick, RI yarns at lace wings to get myself a little gift. If it's to make a Christmas gift it's ok right... The owner is a very nice lady and the shop has some nice stuff. Thankfully they had size 3 addis to hopefully remove the anger from my knitting :) it is supposed to be a relaxing hobby after all. I will be sure to follow up on how the new spiffy needles are working. Sadly though no yarn followed me home this time. I'm still feeling a little bad for spending money this week and nothing jumped out at me today. I guess that's a good thing, I have a bunch of projects going now. I'm off to eat and try out my new needles!

I just needed some needles...

And this is what happened.

Penny approves.

So I've been having some problems with my #3 bamboo circular needles. They hate lace weight yarn and slow me down to the point of swearing. Doesn't make for a pleasant evening for me or those around me. So I decided that to make all these Xmas gifts I'd buy myself a present and try some fancy addi needles. Now apparently every yarn store in RI is closed on Monday and I just wanted to stop on the way home from work. I decided to try the fabric place, I was hoping they'd have Inox needles at least, my shawl is progressing very well on the Inox needles and I can't take this aggravation much longer. I arrive to find everything in the store is 20% off and they have Addis! I was elated. I puttsed around for awhile looking at the yarn selection, should have gotten some malbrigio for a scarf for my aunt but that didn't occur to me while in the store, just on the way home of course. Anyway I grabbed (for no real reason) some Berrocco Jasper in the most beautiful greens, and some pink and black Berrocco pure merino. The merino I have plans for, they will soon be Christmas gifts the Jasper I don't, I actually feel bad for getting all but the pink. Oh well. So I then go over to the needle selection and guess what size they don't have. Yep. #3s. Not fair, not fair at all. They didn't even have 3s in straight or susan bates! Is everyone in RI making stuff on that one size needle! So that was a huge bummer. The aggravation will continue until I decide what to do. I don't particularly feel like stopping again and the shops that are further close by 5. I'll never make it. So I think I may work on a non Christmas gift tonight just to make myself feel better. If anyone ever reads this blog and has a suggestion for my Jasper please let me know. Good smells are coming from the kitchen so I'm off, I like being the second one home :-)

Tis the Season

For Christmas knitting. I'm trying to be proactive this year and start early enough to knit something for most people, we'll see how that goes... Anyway I ordered some yarn from my favorite Internet retailer Jimmy Beans Wool and it arrived a little over a week ago. The folks at Jimmy's are great. I ordered on a Wednesday at 8pm and my yarn was here by Friday, I'm across the country so that's pretty freaking good. I'm always contacted if there are any issues by the friendly staff and the candy that arrives with the yarn is a nice treat :) You must try them.









Now I normally wouldn't show an xmas gift in progress because I'm afraid someone will look at the blog and spoil the surprise. My sneaky little sister for sure. But since this will never get to the intended recipient (said sneaky sister), in fact it's days are likely numbered, I'll show you what I've been up to since Campanula.

It is my shedir from knitty about half done. On one ball of Rowan Calmer in tangerine. I normally don't knit loosely and I hadn't read any one else running short on yarn so I foolishly ordered only one ball. Had my LYS carried Rowan I may have gone back for more but the combination of not really liking the way this is coming out, hurting my hands, and not being the color she requested I'm giving this one up. Just very annoyed I spent so much time on it. grr. It is a nice pattern but that being said I doubt I'll attempt it again. So she goes from top of the list to a lower position. She's the only one who got a knitted item, a sweater to boot, last year. I will get her a hat as she has requested by the end of the winter, I have some yarn in my stash that will do nicely I think.

The only problem with ordering online is that the yarn doesn't come wound into a nice little cake and you have to spend hours, over two nights winding the skein, all 1460 yards... I give you before and after:

Yeah. It sucked. And that thing the yarn is wound around is an empty toilet paper tube and the whole thing is sitting in my pencil dish so it doesn't unwind and I have to do it all over again. I am not doing it all over again. You can't say I'm not creative right? I do need a ball winder, I have a B-day coming up and the hub-unit, seeing and hearing my pain will oblige I think. He's not fond of angry Kate. So the blue will sit for awhile but the white is being used as we speak for a gift to my mom. She may get sneaky too when she learns about the blog so you'll have to wait for pics. This is lace weight and will serve for several gifts this season. The blue is prettier than this picture, with less daylight photographing my stuff well is getting tough. It is Lane Borgosesia and is very reasonably priced while being so soft. I'm liking it so far. Work continue on the Print O'the Wave stole in between so I'll put up pictures of that next time. Now it's late and after 2 days of winding that stupid yarn I am off to knit it.

FO Campanula

Here she is!

Yarn: Plymouth Royal Bamboo, 100% Bamboo 11 skeins
(should have bought 12)

Needles: Plymouth Bamboo US4, Inox circulars US2 40", Susan Bates US4 DPN

Pattern: Campanula from Knitter's Magazine Spring 2007

I love this pattern. It was so fun to knit I worked on it exclusively. I do not however, love the yarn. In fact I will never buy it again. Not because it isn't wonderfully soft and has a nice shine but because of the 11 balls I purchased more than half were composed of several pieces tied together. One ball was four separate pieces, the last being less than 1 yard long! How am I supposed to make it through a row with such a small piece? It also unravels very easily. It's very unfortunate because the colors of this yarn are beautiful, the feel is very nice, and I was so excited to try knitting with bamboo. Not worth the hassle though. I am a few yards short but am not buying more yarn, I think the crocheted tie in the front will work ok, it fits through the eyelets better and is less bulky, I didn't lace myself up too well for these photos but it'll work, trust me :-) Many thanks to my A-man for taking the pics. He knows how to score points.

The pattern was very well written and didn't contain any errors I'm aware of. It would be a great project for someone interested in doing lacework who would like to start with a more substantial yarn or just someone interested in a change from stockinette or cables. It took me about 2 months to knit, mostly evenings after dinner so if you have more time it might move faster. This was also the first garment made for myself and the first I spent time blocking correctly. It really really makes a difference and I won't neglect blocking ever again. I wet blocked this by soaking it in the sink for a few minute and then pressing the excess water out between a towel. Then pinned out to the required measurements with T-pins that were not easy to find...

The plymouth bamboo needles are very nice, as are the Inox circulars which I'm using for my Print O'the wave stole (more pics of that WIP soon). I don't have the funds to try the Addi circs but Inox seem to be working fine for me.

Well, if I think of more to say about the wonderfulness that is Campanula I'll update the cyber world, I always love seeing how various yarns and patterns work for other knitters.

Off to knit!

Crap

I am one I-cord short of finishing Campanula. Crap. I already had to go to the LYS to get one more skein to finish it and am not buying another for a couple yards of yarn. Thank goodness I sewed it together before making the I cords. I crocheted a chain for the front tie and That will have to do for now. That doesn't please me after my 14 day work week. Too tired to post pics, soon though.

Pushing Daisies button