Wayward Knitting

I (heart) silk.

Socks That Rock Silkie that came in the 2007 sock club.  First time I've ever knit with a silk blend.  It's wonderful.  The skein was just enough for some chevron scarf action.

It was also the first time I had ever blocked using those lace T-pin things.  Fun!

I'm all ready for winter...

but it's 71 degrees F out, so clearly not scarf weather.

  Pattern: A Scarf Askew from MagKnits

  Yarn: Cascade Venezia from my    LYS. 2 skeins.

Mods: Venezia is a lovely bulky merino and silk yarn.   The label suggests a size 8 or 9 needle.  I went up to 10.5, which still wasn't lacy enough.  I cast on 28 stitches, instead of the 35 that the pattern calls for due to the bigger yarn and needles I used.

I love the yarn, very springy and lovely.  The scarf will go great with my coats once the temps finally cool down here!

Yarn Pr0n

Another baby shower...another baby hat--still going on the giant ball of yarn I used for Riley Jack's hat and booties.

And, of course, I was so proud of myself for teaching myself double crochet to finish up the Almost Famous Luggy Bonnet hat that I immediate cast on for some socks. 

It's Socks That Rock lightweight in mist.

Soapylove

I (heart) Etsy.  I'm in love with the pretty handmade soaps from Soapylove. I bought a bunch for gifts, including this one:

  and I couldn't get my picture to turn out that nicely.  My friend's daughter is turning 2 so I knit up a petal washcloth for her to go with this berry scented soap.

A sweater for Sadie

Bernat Cot'n Tots Yarn - 100%.  I love machine washable and dryable yarn for kid knits! 

Pattern is from one of the Debbie Bliss baby books.  Started this sweater in Oct' 06, and realized that I had knit the sleeves to some gargantuan width and run out of yarn!  Doh!

This project languished for quite a while and clearly did not make in time for Christmas but now that Ms. Sadie is having a birthday, it seemed a good time to finish up!! To make it a bit more girlie, I added a ribbon.

Knitting Bag?

Have you seen this? Totally droolworthy:

  This Lotta Jansdotter is a serious crafter! The tote bags are lovely, and I totally (heart) the stationery!  The fact that her "green" focus is about recycling makes it all so much more unique and socially conscious. Bonus.

Friends Who Miter

It's good to have blogless friends who send photos of their knitted FO's.  Check out Cindy's blanket: 

It's just awesome.  She bought that yarn at Stitches West with me when we were questing for Noro.  I think it's Noro Kochoran, but I can't actually remember.  Dern that girl is fast!

I have only started knitting one little skein of sock yarn that I bought at Stitches from the Shelridge Farms booth...

Stitches Loot

I've never bought a kit before but this year I bought several.  Here are a few of them.  It's Avery and Sarcelle from Kristi at the Bay Area Knit Co-op's booth.

I was tempted by many of Cookie's kits too but I had to rein in my enthusiasm.  Lu said she bought one of each!

Also, a kit I've wanted for a very long time and an opportunity to buy something from 9 Rubies, a store that I have never managed to get up to. It's a Twisted Sisters Gilda kit, but nicer with Bouton D'or songe yarn, pretty beads and a copper hook for getting the seed beads strung.  It was a bit spendy but I have admired it for a while and if all works out, I may end up making several in the future as gifts.

Oh, and those skeins in the corner? Lorna's Laces.  Only 2 vendors at the entire marketplace had it.  Who knew it would be so obscure?

Stitches West

The first day of Stitches was fantastic!  I took a class (barely finished my homework for the class!) on zippers, ties and closures and it was very interesting.  I had a tough time because I'm not very good with sewing and took this class for that very reason. 

However, I was behind the curve because I did not know the names of the stitches.  She would say, ok, "first you baste the facing and the zipper."  Hmm.  No idea what that means.  I was taught the basting stitch by my mother but in Chinese so I was familiar with the actual stitch but lacked the vocabulary.  Same with "tacking the hem" and using whipstitch and then backstitch for the front. 

The instructor was charming and helpful and I so enjoyed seeing her sample knits too.  Later at Stitches student mixer, the projects were so much fun to see.  Many of these knitters are NOT bloggers so it's not the usual wave of things that make the rounds in the blogosphere.

Jane Selby also gave a short Q&A about her research for Victorian Lace Today (which is such a gorgeous book) and she was really a lovely speaker.

Oh, and the Stitches Marketplace?  Utterly insane and so jam packed with goodies.  I know why women bring suitcases with wheels to this.  FTA put up their Sea Wool by Fleece Artist/Handmaiden and it was snapped up in a heartbeat.  There isn't likely to be any left on Sat. unless Hollis has some set aside.  The Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth had some lovely colorways out that I'd never seen online or at the Purlescence store so that was a treat.  A pricey treat, but I'm thinking about doing Sockapalooza if Alison hosts again so I wanted to be prepared :)

Happy Valentine's Day

a little poncho for my friend's daughter.  What's more perfect for a two year old with a Feb. bday than a heart poncho with fur trim?

The fur trim is two strands of Bernat Lulu--a nightmare to knit with, but produces such a thick, plush fabric.  Definitely great for kids hats, trims, robes, etc.