blogging & Knitting

Hello!  Today is a day to blog.  It has been too long since my last blog.  I apologize to any one who does read this.  Thank you for your patience.

It has been a busy time for me.  Knitting, working, working, knitting, more knitting, a lot more working………I am on the road to balancing these two entities.  Some days I do better than other days.

I am also now tweeting.  Yet, another way to stay busy!  But a fun way.  It is good to stay in the know, isn’t it?  I learn new things and stay attune to what’s the latest and greatest by reading blogs and reading tweets from fellow knitters around the globe.

What’s on my needles now?  Mara by Madelinetosh.  I met Amy Herzog, the founder of Madelinetosh at Steven Be in Minneapolis, MN.  I have a picture of Amy holding my new Madelinetosh yarn.  Yep, I am a groupie and asked if she would hold my yarn so I could take a picture.  She was very kind and accommodating.

I have more projects made from madelinetosh yarn.  Creedence Shawl, Creature Comfort, and Effortless cardigan.  Now i just need the time to get these done.

Thanks for reading, hopefully I will post more of my progress soon.

 

 

 

Spring needs to start now

It’s April 8th and the weather forecast is snow.  6-8 inches of snow.  This is not good for so many reasons.

Everyone I know is very ready for spring.

I am truly sorry that I have not blogged in a long while.  Did I tell you that I am working at a yarn store?  I do have fulltime employment.  I am working at the yarn store for fun.  Oh, yeah, and the yarn.  Here’s a sample:

And more yarn.

Of course, I’m buying [bought] a variety of these luscious gems.  I get the awesome opportunity of getting first dibs on so many lovely, luscious, fabulous yarns.  My yarn stash has grown exponentially since my employment at the yarn store.

I am so busy.  I need time to knit.  I had a panic moment the other day while in my sewing knitting room.  I am thinking that I may not have enough time days to knit everything that I want to knit.

And more yarn is arriving in the mail! I almost forgot I had ordered the yarn.  But, not really.  I did forget what I was planning to knit with the new yarn, oh well, I’ll find something.  At last count I had 10,416 patterns saved in my library on Ravelry.  So, I have a few options.

I want to share some potential knitting projects.  I mean, these are not “potential”, more “probably”, it’s the “when” that is in question.

  This is yarn made from mink.  So soft.  No minks were harmed when coloring or winding this yarn.  The fingerless gloves are called “Audrey Gloves” after Audrey Hepburn.  So cute.

  I am so excited about this sweater.  Besides being a super cute pattern, the yarn is Brooklyn Tweed! This is a wonderful yarn that was only available online until recently when The Yarnery in St Paul became a special distributor.  [And I live close to this LYS].

 These gems arrived in the mail today.  I have been waiting and waiting for them.  It seems the waiting has made me forget what I was going to knit with them.  Hmm.  I will remember.

  And look at this pile of delicious colors of Madelinetosh!  I’m planning on a very cool shrug with a design down the back and a few shawls.  The shawls will be soft and squishy fun to wrap around my neck.

 Oh, more Madelinetosh to make a Hannah Fettig Effortless cardigan.  I NEED to get started on this.  It’s been waiting patiently for me.

So much yarn, many projects, all I need is time,a cozy chair, and no distractions.

A girl can dream, can’t she?

Humble Knitter

I’ve been working part-time at a local yarn shop for about three weeks now.  I knew I didn’t know everything there is to know in the knitting world, but I learned very quickly all that I don’t know.

I am a humbled knitter.

It is so wonderful to be around yarn.  All the different kinds of yarn.  So many that I have never heard of before.  And the needles, and needles, and more needles! Who knew?  Needles with a tip that works for a specific purpose.  Who knew?

The yarn is an entirely different knowledge deficit for me.  There is yarn made with possum.  Yarn made with Muskox.  Bison.  And it on….  I have much to learn.

 This is Muskox.

I learned that possum were not natural habitats to Australia and then they were so prolific that the government offered grants to people who thought of ways to use the possum, hence possum yarn.   I know! Who knew?

Something else exciting happened this week in terms of my knitting life.  I finally got into Cookie A’s online sock club.  I say “finally” because I have tried for a couple of years and have missed out.  My name was on the waiting list. I was reading my email at the right time the other day and saw that I had an email that informed me a few spots had opened in the club. I had only a certain amount to time to get online and register or I would miss my opportunity.  I was successful! I have been receiving emails from Cookie and my first shipment of yarn for the first project is on the way.

I can post after I am done with the pattern I think.  Not sure if it’s all secret.  I’ve read the rules, I don’t remember anything saying it was all top-secret.  I probably need to re-read the rules, so I don’t mess up and get kicked out of the club.

I will try to blog more often and post pictures of FO (finished objects).

Happy Knitting.

knitting and more

Happy February.  I look at this as there are less than 60 days left of winter.  That means less than 60 days of snow and cold.  Don’t misunderstand.  I don’t mind winter, it just gets in the way of life.  You have to plan things better, give yourself more time to get somewhere, change plans if it snows, someone you had planned to meet and have fun with had to cancel due to the weather, etc.  It gets in the way.

Oh well, less than 60 days left.

What’s keeping me busy?  Downton Abby? [why did I start to watch this?!] Someone who I live with made a Pinterest page for me.  Wasn’t that nice? Now I spend time on Pinterest- like I need more things to take up my day? So if you want more knitting, head over to Pinterest and search for Knitsweetknit and enjoy.

I have more news.  I got a job in a local knitting store.  But to describe the store as a local knitting store does not at all describe it.  I can’t write much more, I think I need to get the okay for that.  On my first day I learned that this yarn business is hard work.  I also learned that there are all kinds of knitters out there- people who want to start knitting and don’t know where to start to the expert that have fantastic bags that I covet . [ one woman had a fantastic green felted bag that was gorgeous!]

It’s surprising to me when I ask if they needed help with finding anything, the majority did want help.  How fun is that?  Helping people with yarn, knitting questions, and finding that pattern for their next project.  It’s fun, exhilarating, and exhausting.  My feet hurt at the end of the day.

A bit of an update: I will not be travelling to Holland [Michigan] to a knitting retreat in April.  There is a yarn shop hop here in the cities.  This is the 4th year, I think. There will be 16 yarn stores participating.  This will be a “wow-bang” event.  Get your GPS revved up, take a few days off work, call the girlfriends, and make a plan.

That’s all for the update, I promise to blog more often as the yarn store stories begin.

Happy Knitting. I hope to start this sweater next.  I have the pattern & the yarn- so what’s stopping me?

 

Fighting the Winter Blahs

Hello fellow knitters & faithful followers who may not be knitters, how are you? Have you hit the wall yet, the winter blahs?

Stay steady, keep knitting!  Join a knitting night at your local yarn shop.  Or go on a tour of all the yarn shops close by where you live.  Sign up for a knitting class.  Go to your local library & browse the craft section for knitting books.  Another fun way to break up the winter blahs- host a knitting party yourself.  Invite some girlfriends over, with their knitting, of course, put in a Jane Austin or Downton Abby CD and enjoy the time and company.  Stay steady, keep knitting!

I like to start a new project.  Typically, it’s something easy & quick.  Maybe bright colored yarn.  The thrill of “finding” that next knitting project.  If I get the chance, I enjoy sitting on the floor in my sewing room and perusing my own library of kntting books and magazines for that next fun project.  Finding the pattern first? Or finding a yarn that you forgot you had.  Putting the two together, deciding what to do.  The fun! The thrill! Then collecting the project bag, and the right size needles.  Putting the entire project together.  Fun! Fun! Fun!

Right now, on my needles, is a pair of fingerless mitts.  Lepidoptera mitt.  Weird name, but I guess if you design a pattern, you can name it whatever you want.  Hey, there’s another idea to beat the winter blahs- design a knitting pattern.

One last thought to beat the winter blahs- register for a knitting retreat.  That’s what I did. Here in Minnesota, the Minnesota Knitting Guild  puts on a one day event called Yarnover.  Knitters will find the humor and meaning in the title.  To non-knitters, a Yarnover is a stitch that makes a hole, usually for a lace pattern.  This event is fabulous.  The market is HUGE.  Vendors come from all over the country selling knitting accoutrements that you did not know you needed & you wonder how you ever knit with out these trinkets before! [I’m only jesting a bit here, folks- don’t tease a knitter about their knitting paraphernalia].

I’ll post pictures soon of recent projects, as I knit strong in 2013.

Happy Knitting

Happy 2013

I can not believe that I have not posted a blog since November 20th.  My apologies to my faithful readers [ I am stretching here, a bit, but….].

I have been busy knitting, of course.  A lot of knitting.  Then some days I don’t think I had one minute to knit.  Those are not good days when I don’t get time to knit.  Knitting keeps me happy and it keeps me grounded.   

One day I was digging through my yarn stash desperately trying to get organized and I found so many lost projects that I forgot I had.  All these lost projects are for me.  So, guess what a new years resoultion of mine is? I know you won’t judge me as selfish because you know I love to give my knitted treasures away as much as I love to keep.  But, for the month of January and hopefully even February, I am knitting things for ME.  

Recapping 2012, I completed 39 projects.  That just does not seem to be enough.  I feel that there must be more.  Though, I do have quite a pile of completed mittens, socks, shawls, and sweaters that I need to block or sew buttons on.  And since my count of finished projects for the year 2011 is 34, the number 39 may be correct.  Resolution #2: keep better records of my completed knitting projects on my Ravelry site.

The first project of 2012 was the purple scarf  from 60 More Quick Knits.  I really love this book.  It has easy and quick projects, hence the name of the book is appropriate.  When rummaging in my sewing room, one of the lost projects was a bag-yes, bag- full of yarn for at least 5 projects from this book.  More to come on that at a later date.  My last project for 2012 was Lipstick leg warmers for my niece as a Christmas present. 

Welcome 2013! My first finished project for 2013 was Mr Rochester’s Scarf.  This was a Christmas present that was still on the needles Christmas Eve.  I need to get this finished gift to my nephew soon, as the temperatures here in Minnesota are such that he may want to wear this. 

I have completed 2 other projects so far in these first 6 days of 2013: 1) circular scarf of my own design for my son in green and white stripe [ colors of the local hockey team] and Hannah Fettig’s Day Beret.  I had ordered her book, Knitbot Essentials and received 2 skeins of Quince & Co yarn for 2 projects in the book.  This was my first knit with Quince yarn.  LOVED IT.  Want more.  When the yarn is top quality, the project is fun and usually turns out better than expected.  This beret is cute, simple, and fits my rather large head.  I am not much of a hat wearer, but I may attempt to wear this sassy beret on for size.

I love the new year as it’s a time to reflect on what we have accomplished [ good & bad] and delare a fresh start.  Clean slate & all that.  So, my to do list is fresh, my outlook open and I’m moving on.  My goals are to knit more.  More sweaters.  I hope to complete all the sweater patterns that I have yarn for, and to attend a national knitting retreat.  I have one in mind, but I won’t say more until next week about that as there are a few ducks that need to be put in a row first.   

 I want to be more purposeful in my knitting and not so impulsive.  I have so many things that I want to knit.  Each has a technique, stitch, or a special yarn that I want to work with.  I am determined to get these projects compelted in 2013.

Here are a few of my favorite blogs and links that I follow.  They all motivate and inspire me: 

 http://quinceandco.com/

http://knitbot.com/

http://verypink.com/

http://babycocktails.blogspot.com/

http://cecilyam.wordpress.com/

 Enjoy!

A Fishy Tail

A quick post today on my progress with the fish caps.  Yep. Caps.  Three of them.  The pattern is here.  The pattern is easy and so far, quick.  The yarn is not.  I am using the suggested yarn from the pattern.  It is inexpensive yarn and does not “give” or move off the needles well.  I would say the yarn is very stiff.  My mom calls me a yarn snob.  I argue that the yarn quality really makes a difference in how well the project knits, and how long it takes to kni.  My hands get sore and stiff when I knit with inexpensive yarn.

But I will say this pattern is genious.  The stitches to make the “scales” is brilliant.  The author is Brenda K.B. Anderson.  I looked for her on Ravlery and found that she lives in St Paul, MN, which is not far from where I live.  Of course, the last name of Anderson should have given me a clue, as I live in the land of Andersons, Johnsons, Nelsons, Swansons, etc.

Here’s a picture of the first hat in progress. 

Fish Cap

Gotta go, more knitting to be done!

Mittens for Kittens

I thought I better write about knitting today.  Today’s post is about the rage for fingerless mittens, aka mitts. 

Who doesn’t like warm hands in the cold weather?  I mean getting into the cold car and touching the cold steering wheel? Brrr.  [I do have a heated steering wheel, but it takes a minute to warm up.  Can you say “princess”?] besides, fingerless mitts are a fashion statement, and who doesn’t like to be fashionable?

I recently knitted many styles of fingerless mittens for various kittens [metaphor for women-sorry, had to write this-it rhymes].  It was one of those spontaneous knitting binges that begins due to a quirky reason.  Here’s my reason: a friend at work gave me 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted hand painted merino in a beautiful cherry red.  I thought of my Mom and her cherry red Town and Country minivan.  Mom needs to keep her hands warm, but her fingers free.  Tadda! Fingerless mitts. 

My sister saw the pattern and wanted a pair.  I knit her a pair using Berroco Weekend in a dark purple in my stash.  Next pair of mitts knit.  Since I started using this Berroco Weekend that was intended for a shrug, I knit another pair of mitts using a different pattern. 

My sister did not like these mitts as much as the design I made for Mom.  Hence, fingerless mitts X3.  Since I was on a fingerless mitt knitting binge, I knit a 4th pair on an easy pattern that is not available on Ravelry.  It was a free pattern from Shelley’s Yarn Shoppe in Taylors Falls.  FYI, the shop also sells sheep on their website.

 

Four pairs of mittens for four kittens.  One

pair to Mom.  One pair to my sister.  One pair to a best friend [ who always appreciates my talents].  And one pair to co-worker for her birthday.

My next knitting binge will be dead fish hats.  Three dead fish hats.   I’ll post pictures of the progress.

True Story

This past weekend was all about hunting and shopping and spending time with nieces, nephews and family.  I always seem to learn more about what’s changing in the world when I spend time with my nieces and nephews.  This weekend it was all about “true story”.  I think this is the latest catch phrase used by our younger generation.

Since being introduced to the “true story”, I have been laughing each time I hear this phrase.  I’m not sure what makes me laugh about it, all I know is each time I hear it or say it, I laugh out loud. 

If you think about it, true story can be used for a multitude of things.  Examples might be when you are in agreement with what someone is saying, “you look so cute in that outfit”- true story; I love chocolate-true story; I hate getting older- true story; I really would rather be knitting than doing anything else- true story; having longtime girlfriends to get together with and laugh is a wonderful gift-true story. 

See, pretty much anything can be a true story.  Good or bad.  Oh oh, more philosophying….it is Wednesday.  And Wednesdays seem to be for philosophying.

My castle. True Story.

Wednesdays are for philosophying

Today brings crashing reality.  The election is finally over.  Now what?

“Letting go is the lesson.  Letting go is always the lesson.  Have you ever noticed how much of our agony is all tied up with craving and loss?”  Susan Gordan Lydon, The Knitting Sultra: Craft as a Spiritual Practice.

“Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.”  Elizabethe Zimmerman

“As I get older, I just prefer to knit.”  Tracey Ullman

That’s all have for today. 

A tree in a special place