What have I been Knitting?

I love January. It is such a quiet month. The house feels quiet after putting away all the christmas decorations. Outside feels quiet with the cooler weather. My knitting feels quiet after the mad dash to get everything done in time to mail and to put under the tree. My knitting is so quiet I am having a hard time finding something that I really want to knit. A bit of a stooper I would say.

Camera to the rescue. Time to take pictures of finished projects and show them off.

Socks for The Marvelman

This is actually the first thing I have knit for the Marvelman. You see he is a surfer. The dress code for all surfers is shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. Where would a knit garment fit into that I ask you. But the last few months he started to ask for a pair of socks. I decided that I could make him a pair to wear around the house, I don't like the sock flip flop look so no toes in these socks. Of course they had to be red. 

Yarn: Jitterbug "Vatican Pie" and misty alpaca sport. I needed gray and that is all I had. I hope it doesn't wear out to fast. 

He loves loves loves his socks. They have been seen peaking out from underneath his black slacks and loafers!!

Gloves for Mom and my Sisters, 

I really enjoyed making these and the stretchy fabric makes them an easy fit. They are the Ringwood pattern from knitty.  

I blogged about these here. But here they all are done and beautiful.  

These are made with socks that rocks light weight. The color is Peaseblossom. I am pretty happy with the way they came out. This sister loves color and I new a solid pair of gloves would not be for her. These are just right. The buttons are vintage mother of pearl. 

The last pair is made with Madelinetosh dk, color tart. I really loves these too. The color is so wonderful. 

Yes, I need to knit one more pair for myself, maybe that is the next project to jump onto my needles. 

My Leaf Print Fingerless Gloves and they are knit with Mink!

Yes these are all mine. It was really cold all of December and these got a lot of use. Mink yarn you ask? Yup, Great Northern Yarn Company has yarn with a mink and merino blend. I love these. They are soft and the mink gives them a really nice halo. I have warn these a lot and they show no pilling!

Another yarn that I am totally head over heels about is Shelter.  This is the brain child of Brooklyn Tweed. It is completely sourced in the United States and is woolen spun yarn. 

Pattern is Saroyan

I had never really had any woolen spun yarn before and always thought it would be to "wooly" for So. Cal.  How wrong I was. This yarn is very light weight. It has a lot more air in it because of the spin. I wore this non-stop during the cold December. I wore it the house, (I do keep my house cold) and out side with my sweater. It didn't itch the back of neck and never got "heavy".  I can not wait to make a sweater with this yarn. 

I think that about does it for the finished garments. As I said I am a little stumped at what I want to knit next. The weather has heated up to 80 the last few days so that is making difficult to knit something really wooly. 

I have decided to do a lot of knitting for the house this year and I have a new knitting chair!

I am losing weight (weight watchers with some of my knitter friends) and don't want to knit any sweaters right now. So the house is the perfect solution. 

I have a new knitting chair I found on Craigs Lists for $25. It needs to be painted ( green, peacock blue?) and a cushion, but it is very comfortable. 

I could knit a cushion or Maybe some of these will find my needles soon. 

What are you wanting to knit this year?

This Moment in Time

{this moment} - A Friday ritual (inspired by soulemama). A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Yarn and Pattern Love

Twist Collective and Knitty

The Fall Online "magazines" are out. Even though we have a couple of months to go before So Cal feels like fall. I love it when the fall magazines come out. Let's face it, knitting is really a cold weather activity. There is something about getting all cozy with some tea, good music or a good audio book, a fire in the fireplace or candles lite around the room and knitting in ones hands that is "Heaven on Earth".

I do knit all summer and really enjoy sitting on my front porch with ice tea, the audio book and knitting. I probably spend more of my life in the second scenario then the first one. Once the patterns start showing up fall can't be that fair away, right?

Twist Collective

Acorns by Carol Sunday

This is going to be high on my list to knit. I think this is such a lovely cardigan with just the right amount of interest done in such a flattering way.

Hallett's Ledge by Elinor Brown

I like this a lot. I think I would wear this as a 4 button sweater and not button it all the way down.

There are two coats that are lovely

Issara by Anne Kuo Lukito

Red Oak by Julia Trice

I am partial to Issara. Love the collar and the pleat in the back.

Kiloran by Cirilia Rose

I think this is the nicest dress I have seen in a very long time. It would be so flattering on so many people.

Manolo by Yarnissima

Each of the magazines always have several pairs of socks. I think these are really nice and love the little bow in the back.

Knitty

The "Early" Fall edition of knitty is up. Now the "early" denotes that maybe they had so many good patterns that they will be putting out a "second" fall edition in the next month or so!

In this edition there are some really nice patterns that I would love to knit.

Iced is a lovely basic wear all of the time sweater. I need one of those this year. Maybe this will be the winner. It uses a bulky yarn so it would be a fast knit. But bulky isn't the best idea for those of use that are sporting "bulky" hips to start with. But I do like it a lot.

I love Victoria. It has a really nice shape to it. I like that you can wear the collar up or down and it looks great. I love the way moss stitch looks. It is probably my favorite looking stitch. But knitting sooooo much moss stitch is a whole other thing.

Mythos is the most popular pattern in Ravelry from this issue of knitty. There are already 6 of them completed and it is very flattering on all body types. It is a really nice basic very usable transitional kind of sweater. It is done with fingering weight yarn on size 8 needles so it will be very light weight and a great way to use up some of that sock yarn!

Coquille Shawl is the runaway favorite pattern on Ravelry. It is a really nice use of striping yarn and short rows for the gussets.

What are you favorites??

Knitting, Lot's of FO's

I have been finishing a lot of projects lately. Feeling the need to find all my needles missing in action or held captive on different projects. Finishing projects and gaining back needles is much more fulfuilling then buying more needles because I can not find the size I need.

Botanical Hat by Stephen West

I made this for Wesley. It was sort of an add on christmas present I made when he came down mid January for a visit. I used Casacade for the black and Noro silk garden for the color. This is a really fun hat to make. I think there are at least 3 of them in the knitting group now. The guys seem to really like it too. It is reversible and designed from a really cool architectural design. Very guy like.

Barb's Koigu Ruffle by Kit Huchin

I was looking for something fast and with a lot of color. This has been in my queue for a while. I went stash diving into the Koigue corner and come up with this. The pattern is a really easy knit as long as you can get past the idea that you cast on and cast off a crazy number of stitches (648!!) But you are knitting two together right away for the ruffle...... It was a great addition to my wardrobe.

Hemlock Ring by BooklynTweed:

This has been in my queue even longer then the ruffle scarf. I used the Knitpicks City Tweed in Brocade. I love this yarn. It is really soft and the tweed is wonderful. I made mine bigger then the pattern so I could use it as a lap blanket. I had a hard time getting the blanket to block perfectly flat. I would go up at least 3 sizes needles sizes bigger to cast off and use Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off for the k2tog sections and a regular bind of during the yarn over sections. I really enjoy using this as a lap blanket in the evenings while I knit.

Byzantine by Susan Pandorf

This was one of the most fun projects I have done in a long time. Mosaic knitting is really easy and fast and watching the colors change made me happy!

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert

This is one of the most knit projects on Ravelry (14,735 as of this post). The pattern came out in Knitty the Fall of 2004. I resisted knitting this one for years and then within a few of months I have now finished my second one. Why did I finally fall you ask?

Because of Noro sock yarn and Noro Scarf Stripping. I love love the way this turned out and the silk garden sock yarn is pretty soft.

Whirligig Shrug by Stefanie Japel

I knit this up really fast for a class. It is another great instant gratification knit. The pattern is from Interweave Knits Weekends 2009. I used Soft Wave Cotton from Queensland. I think it was a closeout yarn from Webs at some point. It was in my stash. Of course Miss Claire will end up with this at some point. It sure is fun having a little princess to knit for after having boys of my own.

Last, but the most fun of all, is Mr. Bender, a character from Futurama. This is a B-day gift for Wesley. We used to enjoy watching this show together when he still lived at home. As an art student he has great appreciation for such creations.

I have most of my needles back and the knitting is a bit quiet right now. The only thing really on my needles is Baudelaire by Cookie A , my second pair of Toe-up socks. I am already on the second sock in less then a week. The pattern is easy to memorize, learned a new heel and I just love knitting these. Socks may be back in my life just in time for summer!

How many needles are missing in action at your house?

Stitches West 2010

Stitches West was mind boggling and inspiring. From the opening presentation to my last purchase of Malabrio Lace, it was just what I needed. I realized, believe it or not, that I have been yarn deprived since Unraveled closed. I loved ordering yarn, opening the new boxes of yarn and most of all stocking the yarns on the shelves. Tactel and color therapy and I got payed for it!!

Thursday's Opening Presentation was with Jane Slicer Smith (Swing Swagger Drape) and Anna Walden of Twisted Sisters.

I was very taken with Jane's talk and her patterns. She uses a lot of color, love that, and the drape and fit of her sweaters is very impressive. The photographer for XRX was wearing her sweaters throughout the weekend and they all where wonderful. My favorites are:

Greta Swagger was my favorite. The shape of this cardigan and perfectly placed cables is just beautiful.


Jane was wearing this one done in different shades of green and longer. Beautiful!!


Metro A-Line. I saw a couple of people wearing this one and it looked really good on everyone.


Anna taked mostly about her garments. Her things are not my taste but her construction is very ingenious. I wish she had talked about dying fibers and colors since that is what I really know her for.

Thank goodness the Market opened Thursday evening for those registered for classes. This was about the only time you could walk around and see everything without the crowds.

My goal was to find MadalineTosh yarn and Qiviuet. I was sucessful and glad I made MadalineTosh first on this list for it flew off the shelves. My first color choice was already picked over but I got a sweaters worth of Duchess, black and purple. Beautiful!!


And 2 skeins of the Moss.


My second stop was for Qiviut. This is like gold. One tiny little skein of about 200 yards can run $70+. It is the soft undercoat of the MuskOx. There is not that much undercoat (see the link) and they collect what falls off. But it is the softest yarn ever. They have some of the skeins mixed with silk and/or merino. The blends lower the price point a lot and it is still really soft. I got one skien of the Royal blend


and one of the softest Suri Merino I have ever felt. These yarns made the cashmere feel course.



The classes I signed up for where all about shapping without really seeing the shaping. Especially around armholes and necklines. No more "stair step" shaping around here! They where very good and I learned a lot of little tricks that will make me look really good as a teacher. After all, that was the whole reason for trekking up here in the first place.

And you thought it was the yarn!

Here are some of my other aquisitions:

Malabrigo Lace to make a really cool scarf pattern that is due in the mail any day now.


Redfish is an amazing hand dyer. She has about 50 shades of the rainbow. Her booth was a wonder of color. She also had socks knitted from her lace weight bamboo yarn. The most delicate socks ever knitted on "000" (yes there are needles that small). I bought some for those socks, now I just have to unearth my "000" needles.


Feltz Inc had wonderful felted kits. Her bags a really well done. I got this kit for this wavy felted bag. It was so cool. She includes all the hardware and sewing directions for the lining which I really appreciate.


Next up was the Habu Booth. It was great to see all of these yarns and lots of samples knit up in it. This is a Japanese company based in New York. Their yarns are constructed of many very interesting things such as paper and stainless steal along with the usual fiber suspect blended in amazing ways.

They had the Aeolian Shawl from Knitty.com knit in bamboo lace.


It was so stunning I had to get some.


Just for fun. The felted flowers are part of the roving.
Scarf? Little bag??


Ruffling yarn (trendsetter Cha Cha) along with Merino 8


for another cute little scarf only in black and gray. The ruffles made with the cha cha yarn is really cute by itself too.


Last but not least there was a presentation by Anna Ziboorg. She is a retired MIT professor that now lives in the Mountains, on a vineyard, by herself and knits. Has she found heaven??

Her book "Magnificent Mittens" has been updated with socks. She figured out how to turn the same mitten patterns into socks. The one problem with stranded knitting is it doesn't stretch very well and makes it hard to get the socks over your heel. Replacing the sole with regular stockinet was the answer and she found a very elegant way to add the sole and heel to the stranded piece. She was just a delight and I am really glad I got to meet her.

So you guessed it. I have to try that too.



Now the only question is.....

How long is it going to take me to knit up my stash from Stitches 2010??
Any one care to place a wager?

The Finished Project Parade

I have finally put up a lot of my FO's on Ravelery which means that I have finally taken pictures of everything. Here are some of the projects that have been keeping me busy the last couple of months.

Baby Blanket Tulip Style



Yarn: Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton
1 skein of pink, cream and green. 2 skeins of the brown
Needle: #10
Cast-on 100 stitches.
Blanket measures about 32x32

I love this yarn. It is really soft and has a lovely weight to it. This pattern was inspired by the Tulip Baby Sweater. You do a seed stitch pattern on the row that you add the new color and that makes the "eyelet" effect. I think EraLunaris came up with the idea.
Simply Lovely!

Veyla Gloves



Pattern: Yoslda's Veyla
Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss 1 skein (had a good amount left over)
Needle: #3

I loved making these gloves. The lace is a simple 23 stitch pattern (except for evil row 4). The pick up edge for the hand is done with the wrong side facing and the slip stitches form a wonderful edge. The thumb is shaped with yarn overs, genius. Every little detail is just beautiful. I hope I have time to knit another pair of these for myself. Yes, these are mine!

Beaumont Tam



Pattern: Jared Flood's Beaumont Tam
Yarn: Classic Elite Fresco in Cool Raspberry and Graystone
Needle: #4 and #8

I love this yarn. It has some angora which makes that wonderful halo that looks so good in color work. I never noticed the angora when I was knitting it. It wasn't on my cloths or in my nose. The finished hat is so soft and lushes.

The hat pattern was a fun knit. Easy to understand. I enlarged the charts so I could see what I was doing. Have I told you how much I love color?

Damson






Pattern: Ysolda's Damson
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock Yarn
Needle: #6

I have knitted several of Ysolda's patterns and have enjoyed them all. This one is no exception. Super simple, lot's of garter stitch, yarn overs and K2tog. Talk about something you don't have to think about yet the results are wonderful.

Malabrigo, need I say anything more. A simply beautiful pattern + luxury yarn = my definition of heaven.


Most of these project where either for classes or for christmas. I am starting to think about classes for the winter and what I want to knit. The goal is to make them one and the same. I find that the project I love to knit are the classes that end up with most of the buzz.

What are you looking forward to knitting after the holidays?

New Books!!

I LOVE FALL. I love everything about fall. The colors, the smells, the sounds, the food, the list goes on and on. Of course knitting takes on a whole new dimension in the fall. The wools and alpacas come out to play and the new fall knitting books hit the shelves. I have been waiting for these two books to come out and I was not disappointed.

First up is Susan B. Anderson's Itty-Bitty Toys:
These are some of the cutest toys ever. Here are a few of my favorite projects.



I am going to make these for me to use!



Need I say anything???



These ducks are on Wheels. How brilliant is that!!



Princess and the Pea



She has about 4 or 5 "topsy-turvy" dolls. Turn one inside to get the other one. I have not looked to see what the process for knitting these little guys are but I love love love them.



I have already got this little guy on the needles.



Kristin Nicholas is one of my favorite color knitters. She has a wonderful blog about her knitting and her life on the farm. She has been blogging about the patterns in her new book with lots of pictures.

My favorite part of the book is the beginning. She talks a lot about using color and the how to do so. There is talk about swatching for color (another reason to knit up those little squares).

Lots of instruction on fair-isle, steeking, making up your own patterns, the magic of embellishing and duplicate stitching.
She talks about where she gets her inspiration, which surprise surprise is all around her.
These are my favorite pics in the front of the book before you even get to the outstanding patterns.

This is just the inside cover!



I want a stack of knitting like this sitting on a chair in my living room. Could you pass that and not smile? I sure couldn't!



You're smiling aren't you??



This is one of my favorite things in the book and I am going to make me at least one. Call it a design board, inspiration wall, Walk by and smile space?? Call it anything you want but what fun is this??



This covered ottoman has inspired me to cover my poor beat-up ottoman and possibly the chair that goes with it. I will do the ottoman first so that if I am over this idea at the end of that project I will not be without a chair.



I am thinking this pattern from Mason-Dixon "Outside the Lines" could be nice.
I would knit it with a much smaller gauge yarn so the pattern won't be as big. Haven't really checked to see if it will work but could be prudy!



There are more books to be talked about and a few magazines. What have you been inspired by?