Always a knitter to me

My friend A. flirted with knitting a few years back, but has since put down her needles (she says) for good. It's purling that's the problem, she says. She mentioned she had some yarn to offload, and wondered if I might want it. Knowing that the yarn in question was purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool, I eagerly volunteered to be an adoptive yarn mom for A.'s stash.

Imagine my delight when I opened a Christmas package from my friend and found this:



Woot! Wait, that wasn't good enough.

WOOOOOOOT!

This is a hat kit from Cloverleaf Yarns. The colorway reminds me of a lagoon, and the yarns are mohair, boucle, and a mohair/merino blend. Each yarn comes in at least two colors. [You might also take note of the fab earrings in the foreground.]

As this yarn's new momma the least I can do is make sure it grows up to be the awesomest hat it can be. Then, as they say - if you love something, set it free. It will go back to A. to live out its days.

A., even though you don't knit _right now_, you'll always be a knitter to me and I hope you will pick up the needles again in the future. Thanks for sharing!!

My first secret pal thingie ever

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season! I ran out of time to post about this before I left town for Christmas, but my Better Pal's package was right on time.

The first thing I noticed about the box from my Better Pal was the return address. This is something you never think about when you send packages, unless you are trying to be sneaky. My BP just put “Better Pal”, and then used my own address! There were no other identifying address marks. Verry sneaky.

I think my BP made this beautiful card. Isn’t it lovely? I am so impressed and I love the artwork.


First item: Utz potato chips! I cannot believe my pal went out of his/her way to get me some of my favorite potato chips. Ah, a little taste of the East Coast…


Next there was a squishy purple package, wrapped with beautiful lavender organza ribbon. I love stuff like that. I will definitely save it for re-use. There was also a beautiful bird ornament attached. I can't imagine that my pal would know this, but I happen to love birds. In fact, I was a biology major in college and I was planning to be an ornithologist.


Inside the package was this super-beautiful skein of Noro Big Kochoran. I’ve only knit with Noro twice, but I’ve enjoyed it both times. And, it just so happens that I need a hat, and this yarn will match all of my winter coats! Fab.


Finally, there was a package that looked suspiciously like a book. (Note the awesome wrapping paper)


Upon opening it, I was delighted to find Debbie Bliss’ new book called Home: 27 Hand Knits for Living. (Forgot to take a photo, but you'll have to trust me on this one.) I was just in the book store perusing this one, and had to tear myself away to go finish my holiday shopping! (you know, for other people) So this was a special treat.

This Better Pal think is pretty cool! It was really fun to see what someone would pick out, just for me! Thanks so much, Pal!

Fa la la la la...ho hum

Hi all,

So I'm pretty much just knitting my mom's shawl these days. It's kind of (yawn) monotonous. But, since I've picked up speed on the pattern, at least I have a hope of finishing before Christmas. And (I tell myself) I don't *really* have to be finished before I see my mom, because I'll need to make sure the shawl is long enough before I bind off and add fringe. Still, it's all shawl, all the time until the 25th. A quick progress shot:


Thanks so much for the compliments on my Simply Marilyn! Glad you liked it. Though you can't see it in the picture, I am really proud of how my finishing skills have improved. (yes, I know I haven't *technically* finished. )

I've had two other fun knitting related experiences lately. First, I recently put together a package for my giftee in a swap. This was my first time participating in something like this, and - it was harder than I expected! I guess it's the fear of being "the lame gifter" that makes me overanalyze each item I pick out. Anyway - hope my Pal likes the things I chose.

The other thing is that, completely unexpectedly, a new friend gave me a holiday gift which included the book Zen and the Art of Knitting. I hadn't realized that she knew about my habit - but I guess I talk about it more than I think. (smile) I plan to save this for my Christmas plane trip, but the first sentence of the Introduction already has grabbed me: "Knitting a sweater is a tremendous act of faith." Amen, sister!

Simply Marilyn and another FO

I still haven't finished weaving in ends, but I figure with holiday knitting being what it is, who knows when I will? So here's a headless pic of my "finished" Simply Marilyn:


This was a great sweater to knit. I love the way the neck comes together with the front, back and shoulders - it's basically a boatneck with a cowl added on. The cable is simple yet effective. And the sleeves can be folded up or down, as you prefer.

My mods were - okay, I just went looking for the pattern and can't find it. I made the body longer by about three inches. I knit the smallest size, and my gauge was slightly tighter - so it was just the right width. I used Cascade Ecological Wool, which was a great sub - very soft and also economical! I think I paid about $15 for each skein, and I used 2 (they are enormous, over 450 yds each). And for you dyers out there, Cascade Ecological is undyed, so you can have whatever color Marilyn you want.

I also made one other item, which is not that noteworthy from a knitting standpoint, but I think it's beautiful so I'm going to show you. This is the Purl scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. They have you pick a shade of Manos, then a heavy mohair yarn and a thin mohair yarn to get a chunky scarf. I used Cascade Pastaza in black, Colinette Mohair in Tapis (red, black with flashes of royal blue), and Prism Dover, which is sort of a net ribbon, in a red/black combo. Here's the scarf and a closeup of the fringe, where you can see all the different fibers.




Anyway, nothing too exciting as I said but I just love the way the fibers came together. The Cascade and Colinette were leftovers from a poncho I made, and I bought the Prism Dover with no idea what I'd use it for, and somehow they all came together in a cool scarf. Fun!

Holiday Knitting

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

• "With temperatures averaging 12 degrees below normal, "It is among the coldest December starts and will actually be the longest sub-freezing start on record," according to meteorologist Chuck Caracozza of Accuweather.com."

Which is great for me - you know, the one who used to live below the Mason-Dixon line? Sigh. I just wish we had some snow to make the cold worthwhile.

Back to knitting: specifically, my mom’s shawl. I was going back and forth between two designs, and I’d finally picked one (this one from Exquisite Little Knits). But then Mom said she likes fringe. So then I went to back to the other one I was considering and started. Here’s a progress shot:


This was the result of about an hour of knitting – I’m not even going to do the math. The pattern includes lifting a purled stitch over two other purled stitches, which (for me, anyway) means I have to contort my wrist in a weird way…it was already hurting after this hour or so of knitting. Not good! Not good at all. I’m going to stitch-n-bitch tonight, so we’ll see how it goes.

Other holiday knitting: a hat for my brother, a sweater for my almost goddaughter (my fiancé is her godfather), and some other items which will not be detailed since at least one of the giftees reads this blog. I don’t really think I’ll finish. But I’ll make a good effort!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the new Knitty and Interweave Knits. Lots of great things in both! This might be Knitty’s best issue yet. As for IK – it seems like a lot of the projects are made with bulky yarn, which is probably because of the time of year (holiday gift knitting and all), but - me no likey. However, I really, really love the Aran Pullover. I really like the Belted Wrap Jacket. I like the idea of both the Brilliant Retro and Gull Stitch Cardigan.

That's it for now. I seem to have so little time for blogging lately!