Look what I scored at my LYS Anniversary Sale!  A grab bag of these three for $9.00!   So, of course, I grabbed it, that's why they are called "Grab Bags":)

Chris had fondled this yarn on an earlier visit when we were getting Ultra Alpaca for his Log Cabin Blanket. (Which is set aside due to the fact that I don't want a lap full of wool in 100 degree weather.)

Like any guy, he loves tweed, and since I made him fingerless gloves for the first time this March (remember March?  It was freaking cold, stormy, icky out?)  anyways,  fingerless gloves, he wants everything to be made into fingerless gloves.   Chris, are you listening?

This is not going to be fingerless gloves.  Got that?

Det blev ett lite förlångt uppehåll för min stickning och blogandet men jag är tillbaka nu, tillsammans med min första höstprojekt. Jag blev positivt överraskad den här gången när jag fick min Rowan Knitting och Crochet Magazine 44 i bra tid. Tänk er mina känslor när jag öppnade dörren efter semesterresan och där låg den - min Rowan 44 tidningen! Självklart började jag öppna den och bladra innan jag även packade upp resväskor :-))

Det här numret av tidningen är full med vackra och inspirerande plagg som jag drömmer att hinna sticka. Men det är bättre att börja med något litet för att varma upp stickor efter semester. Så stickade jag handskar. Mina första stickade handskar! och jag måste erkänna att det gick lätt och roligt.

Påbörjade: 8 augusti 2008

Klara: 13 augusti 2008

Mönster: Lamarr Gloves by Marie Wallin, Rowan 44

Garn: Garnstudios Fabel (205m/50gr) - 2 nystan, grå

Stickor: 2,5

To say the least, I am so thrilled to find that so many fellow knitters faved the Gossamer Garden Stole! The pattern will go live on 1st September on PopKnits. Before that, I think I shall talk a little bit about my yarn choice.

As it is shown on my project page, the stole is knitted with both Rowan Scottish Tweed 4ply, and Rowan Harris Tweed 4ply.  For those of you who know this yarn, you know they are essentially the same yarn, and they have the same shade number, the same shade name.  That's why only Scottish 4ply tweed is put as yarn used for the project on the pattern page. However, as you can imagine, yarns I have used are in two different dye lots, and have slightly different shades.  The colour differences are almost not shown from any photos I took.  I’d like to clarify that it is not my intention to use different dye lots, just that I couldn’t locate Harris Tweed anymore (for obvious reason!) when I run out of yarns, so I subbed with the Scottish Tweed.

And why Scottish Tweed? The simplest answer is, I love the shade! I’d claim the lavender my favourite purple of all time.  It may not be a conventional choice for lightweight stole/shawl, its fuzziness makes me consider the best match for this particular stole, reminds me of seeing spider web in a hazy day.  Indeed Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze will yield a similar image, yet, I’d like to work this stole on a more easygoing yarn, because I know I’d knit and reknit for numerous times, before I settled into this pattern.  In addition, I’d like to knit a stole with extra volume! Moneywise, KSH/KSN could be cheaper for this project than Scottish Tweed.

If you want a warm yet airy stole like me, go for any 4ply wool blend yarn that pleases you most. If you don’t like hazy outlook, and prefer a clean touch, go for Zephyr silk-wool or any laceweight/cobweight yarn you like. :)

Thank you for your kind words.

That’s it for now.

Pattern: From the book Knitted Shawls, Stoles and Scarves  by Nancie M. Wiseman.

Yarn: Rowan Ribbon Twist in Rhumba #123 and a mohair yarn in a purple shade.

Needles: 8mm and 7mm

A very nice warm and cozy shawl.

Pattern: From the booklet Rowan Plaid Collection by Kim Hargreaves.

Yarn: Rowan: 6 skeins Rowan Plaid in the shade Sea Mist  #159.

Needles: 8mm and 7mm

I'm very pleased with the result, because the sweater i really warm and nice to wear in winter. The only drwaback is, that the wool stretches over time so the sleaves get too long.

We went up and visited Jessica's parents a few weekends ago.  It was a great trip as always, and they enjoyed spending more time with their grandkid.   Travelling with him gets easier each time we do it, and we don't even really stress about it anymore.

Jess and I both celebrated birthdays this week.   We celebrated by spending time with each other, and treating each other to home cooked meals and time together as a family.   Jessica got us tickets to see Bob Dylan next weekend.    I took her birthday off (yesterday) and we (with Rowan) went to Mesker Park Zoo, and on a mini-shopping spree.   Jessica is looking great considering she had a baby two and a half months ago, but she is going to be a little ways from fitting into her old wardrobe.   She's having to still wear some of the maternity cloths she wore early on in the pregnancy.   We went out and tried to remedy that a bit.  I am telling you though, she is lookin' great, and I am proud of the effort she is putting in to drop those last pounds to get back to her pre-preggo weight!

Rowan is starting to be more animated and responsive.    He is aware when we come into the room, and will follow you with his eyes!    I know, that seems like such a minor thing, but is was something he wasn't doing until recently.    In addition to the eyeballing, he is also smiling... A LOT.   All you have to do is look him in the eyes and smile or make a funny face.. and VIOLA!    SMILING BABY!   He is so funny, opening wide and showing us his toothless mouth!    GAAAAHHHH!

Not too far off on the horizon is Rowan's Baptism.   We took him to church for the first time this past weekend, and he did great.    He was awake for a bit, was was out cold before the homily.  We took him up during communion and he received a blessing.    We are very excited about the upcoming Baptism and gathering of our friends and family afterwards.    Michael and Salina will be in town from Seattle for it, and we look forward to catching up, and them getting see their Godchild for the first time!

I recently discovered our parish priest, Fr. Burns, is a musician.   He is in the process of putting out an album soon.  It is hip-hop music, which isn't my thing per-se.    But, his message is true and he is definitely talented.   And yes, it is Catholic Rap Music, something you don't see everyday.  Check his video on YouTube or myspace page and see for yourself... the man is good.  

Again, sorry for the delay in getting something up here.   I will try to do more blogging and get some new pics up soon.  

Andy

The shop had that wonderful vibe of possibilities! You know the kind, creative minds clicking so loud and quickly it's almost tangible. I arrived at the onslaught and stayed a mere four hours, the fact that I didn't close the place down and follow the owner to her car is a testament to my self-control.

My procurements included this:

with which I will make this:

from this:

All those little 'dots' you see aren't yo's, no, no, no, they are in fact brass beads. Leave it to Kim Hargraves to put a twist on the common tunic. Now I don't know about you, but the combo of brass and cotton sends a shiver down my spine. I envision unfolding my handmade, much loved, thousand-hour garment from it's moth-free drawer and finding screaming rust stains running down it's heavily patterned yoke! YIKES! I am therefore up for suggestions, glass? ceramic? is there anything else out there.

Lest you think I twiddled away those precious hours at the sale I stumbled upon a bin which others seem to have missed. It wasn't screaming with color, it wasn't near the mobbed sock yarn aisle, it was quietly resting in its corner nestled in between the blinding color array of organic cotton and alpaca silk.....

its the most luscious linen I've felt, something called Bomull/Lin; 53% bomull and 47% linen. And are you ready for the second best part, (feel always outranks price), the cost was $4.42 per skein!! I told you it was a SALE! (Dana don't mess around!) I'm thinking a skirt, something a-line maybe this or if any of you have a better idea, I'm open. The one thing that hasn't escaped my notice is how great the two material will look together!

So this post started out with...I have no decision-making capabilities; that's still true. Though I love both these choices I'm not ready to tackle either as a long term project. Maybe I'm having this block because I'm gearing up for the knitting Olympics and team Bliss. For that project I've chosen this made from Cascade 220 in a rasberry color that makes you want to reach for a spoon instead of needles. But in between I need something to keep my knitting mojo from going stale, maybe socks or another quick scarf. Oh well, it will come to me.

I hope you're working on something wonderful and that you have plans for your own knitting Olympics. If you can't decide, come on over to Threaded Bliss Yarns in Brentwood, I'm sure Dana has something left in the shop

See Ya There.

There are a boatload of reasons I couldn't live without Lish.  She's an amazing person.  Although we both live in California these days, we met far, far away in a land called New Jersey.  We both come from tiny towns in the same Midwestern state, although our paths didn't cross until we were knee-deep in all things Jersey - back when we were wild-and-crazy twentysomethings. 

Both thoroughly white-bread and corn-fed at the time, with pale skin that could blind you in winter and (arguably more importantly) not much experience yet in the way of street smarts, we stuck out *just* a tad amongst the been-around-the-block-a-few-times Italian-American brew that is Northeastern NJ.  Our specialty was dancing in bars that weren't actually set up for dancing, as well as harassing DJs until they would play "Sweet Caroline" for us (so good! so good!) and hurling ourselves toward the stage when local cover bands struck our fancy.

Since then we've taken our show on the road to any state, country, or continent that will let us in.  Our passports have taken a nice beating together, and it's fair to say we've gained a fair bit of worldly wisdom (some days this is debatable).  One jet-set long-weekend trip took us to Portugal - my recollection includes a very sweaty hike up to the top of a Moorish castle and some guy named Paolo? Marco? Marco Paolo? - but that's a story for another post. 

However (here comes the segue) - Portugal is the place that harbors the location that inspired my new knitting project.

I've had this project in my unofficial queue for a while now, but haven't Ravelried* it yet because I'm kind of making it up as I go along.  I wouldn't say I'm designing this sweater, really; I'm loosely basing it on a sweater I picked up a few years ago when I was at The End of the World. 

Ah, yes - good question.  Basically, this is a very, very windy place on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Atlantic at the the southwesternmost point in Europe.  Back in the day, before their little boats made it over to the Americas, the Europeans considered this the edge of the world: a horizon of churning water stretched as far as the eye could see, beyond which lurked the abyss.  Whodathunk there were a bunch of people across the pond, eh, guys?  Silly landlubbers.

Right.  So when you're at The End of the World, it's not only a minor tourist attraction with a nice view and a story to go with it, but also an opportunity to freeze your patootie off.  Even on a bright, sunshiny mid-summer day like the one of my visit, it was nippy, with wind gusting in every direction.  I need to find the photo from that trip to properly illustrate this; the one in which I'm still shooting for glamorous with my pose, but all bets are off with my swirling hair captured with all split-ends pointing north - straight up, Paula.

It's-Not-Really The End of the World was a draw for me as a side trip from the warmer climes of the beach far below mostly because of the "seaworthy sweaters" that my guidebook told me were on offer there.  I envisioned a weather-beaten crinkly-looking Captain Ahab, perched next to his ramshackle lean-to of a vendor stall, balancing on the leg that wasn't his peg-leg, eyeing me suspiciously, ready for me to barter with him for one of his authentic salty-sea-smelling jumpers.  Of course, these would be hot off the needles; pleasantly-irregular creations that the missus was whipping up for him back down on the boat in his quarters.  Maybe after we shook on the deal for one of his wife's crafts, he'd mutter "Arrrrrrr" gruffly under his breath as I walked away.  In my last glance back at him before forging ahead to the mighty sea, I might even catch him picking at his teeth (what remained of them) with his steel hook of a hand.

Hmmmm.

Ahab turned out to be a Portuguese kid wearing a Yankees T-shirt and outlandishly shiny bling.  The missus was nowhere in sight, but I suspect she may have been kicking her feet up after hitting the "go" button on the industrial-grade knitting machine a few hundred times. 

Even though it was a teensy bit different than I'd imagined, there was still a nice display of sweaters that did indeed look seaworthy.  Machine-made with acrylic or not, these little fellas had led me here - I'd come a long way and was going to have a look.  Plus I was starting to get pretty cold, and they were looking mighty warm.

The Fisherman's Sweaters weren't incredibly ornate - just very simple Aran-inspired designs, most with a few cables and big cozy collars or turtlenecks; some with cheesy design patterns, some more plain and to the point, which were the ones I liked best.  Bulky knits, as you'd imagine, and in an array of earthy tones.  True, the cardboard boxes they came out of didn't foster that handmade feeling, but I still decided I needed to take a sweater home with me (and/or immediately pull it over my wind-whipped mane and shivering blue lips).  I chose one in a heathery sandy color with a short zip at the top to keep out the wind, and proceeded to speedwalk out to the edge of the cliff for a gander before scampering back to the safe haven of the car.

When I bought this sweater, I wasn't yet a knitter, and frankly, would have been shocked at the time to learn that I'd ever become one (such was my aversion to anything approaching a domestic art).  However, since I've picked up the needles, it's crossed my mind that it would be fun to re-make this sweater with a nicer natural fiber and a few modifications to make it just right.  I've seen a host of patterns out there for something similar, but I'm going to give this a go with making my own measurements and building a pattern based on the gauge of the yarn I choose.

And that yarn is:  Rowan Plaid.  Poor Rowan Plaid.  Why discontinued, why?  Not that I've made anything from this yarn yet so as to form a strong attachment, but it just seems so well-loved by the knitting community at large.  I've had a few Ravelrers message me to ask if I'm willing to sell part or all of my Driftwood colorway, but I've had this stashed specifically for my Fisherman's Sweater since the Rowan Plaid pattern book caught my eye with its chilly-seaside photo spread.  I grabbed the last of this colorway on sale at Jimmy Beans (after a flirtation with and eventual purchase of Sea Kelp for another project) when they were liquidating the last of their Plaid inventory last year.  So sad.  The fact that they were getting rid of it, that is - not the fact that I was lucky enough to snag it before it was gone!

Bottom line - my baby's now on the needles, and I'm lovin' it.  No good light for a photo of my work yet, but will do this soon.

If it turns out as fabulously as I'm planning for it turn out, I'll post the pattern for anyone who wants to give it a shot.  Easier to decide if you're in this category, of course, after you've seen the final product.  When I'm finished we'll decide how the original acrylic prototype - the photo of which I will hold in suspense for now (meaning I haven't gotten around to taking it yet) - stacks up to my creation.  Here's hoping this moves along without any tears, other fits of drama, or industrial-grade knitting machines.  Stay tuned, just in case.

 
*Oh, ravelried - don't you just love the verb form?   I'm sure it's been done before, but I'm now declaring "ravelry" as not only a noun but also a verb, in all its glory:

¹rav·el·ry  \ˈra-vəl-rē\ noun —  website community where all the cool knit-kids hang out

²rav·el·ry  \ˈra-vəl-rē\ verb —  to enter the details of a knitting project, pattern, fiber, or accessory on one's profile on the aforementioned website, so that everyone can see what you're up to, or plan to possibly be up to in the future

 

Inflected Form(s):

rav·el·ring; rav·el·ried \ˈra-vəl-riŋ, ˈra-vəl-rēd\

 

Related:

rav·el·rer \ˈra-vəl-rər\ noun — one who ravelries

Well, now the summer holidays are finally here I can really get back into my knitting again. Pictured above are some recent additions to my stash and will hopefully be knitted up this summer. The Blue Patons 100% cotton DK will be another lace-edged cardi for my boyfriend's mum. I made myself one last summer and she liked it and put and order in (I've been waiting for the yarn for ages and it was finally delivered this week) I'm not actually looking forward to knitting this again and the lace panel was never ending!!

I've also bought some Patons 'Washed Haze DK' in slate grey, I'm planning on making a cardi in this but not decided on the patternm yet. I love this yarn, you wouldn't know it was 50% acrylic as the cotton mix is so soft but without the heaviness of a cotton yarn. The Debbie Bliss 'Stella' was bought in John Lewis yesterday for the bargain price of 95p per ball!!!!! I have no idea what I'm going to knit with it but it was such a bargain I had to get it.

This is my current WIP. Its the 'gathered Pullover' by Hana Jason from Interweave knits (downloadable through Ravelry) I'm knitting this in Rowan Felted Tweed in colour 'Bilberry'. So far this has been a very quick knit, the body is knit in one piece on a circular needle. I'm now on the first sleeve which is taking ages! The pattern says to knit the sleeves on DPN's but I hate the things so I'm knitting it on two circulars, seems to be working out anyway. I'm loving this wool so much, its a lot softer than it looks and a yummy texture.

I'm off up to my boyfriend's parents farm next week, then off to Dublin, then off to Cornwall and finally back here to do my school work before going back to work in September - so blogging may also have to take a holiday! have a fab summer everyone :-)

Phew!  I knitted this beauty, with a tenuous deadline.  However, it got done, and here it is!  Bragging rights are mine!  My dear friend Dana H. helped me with it....she drove in from her hometown, 1 hr. away, picked up the yarns, knitted the sleeves, and drove back and brought them to me!  I think she even bought my lunch that day!  So, we both got to knit a Kaffe Fassett sweater!!!  It's knitted with Kaffe's Colourscape Chunky and Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran. 

I've added some new colours to the stock for Rowan Handknit Cotton.  It's growing quite a bit!  Rowan Magazine 44 has arrived at my house (my own personal copy for being a club member!!!).  There are some LOVELY patterns!  Of course, there always are, and it's a collector's item.  Have you seen the Jo Sharp yarns on the website?  The Classic DK Wool repertoire is steadily growing!  Make sure you check out the kits on the Classic DK Wool page.  The patterns are timeless.

Took one more window out of the caravan yesterday.  THAT'S WHY it rained in Memphis last night!  We sure did need that rain!

Later taters!

Finally finished and blocked. This is 'Bottoms up' by Alice Bell and available as a free ravelry download. I used Shepherd baby wool 4 ply in a very bright pink - I Love this baby wool, its really soft and knits up to a nice soft fabric. The pattern was simple to follow (although there were a few errors in the printed version I had from 'yarn forward' magazine) If I was to knit this again I would make the body a bit longer, but a good blocking stretched it enough to wear without a vest underneath.

I'm currently working on a gathered front pullover in Rowan Felted Tweed, pictures to follow. School breaks up tomorrow forever, the school has closed after 37 years which is really sad. I have visted my new school twice and I'm excited and scared about the new challenge but really looking forward to teaching Nursery children. This summer i'm going for a long weekend in dublin with my mum and a week in Cornwall staying with my Aunt and Uncle. I will also be up in Lincolnshire visiting my boyfriends parents on their farm. I can't wait for the summer holidays so that I can relax, recharge and knit knit knit!

I would show you some more pics of the process of making the skirt -- but I can't (missing computer issues continue, O, when will it end?). But one of my favourite things about this garment is its lovely scalloped edging. I obviously needed a top with scallops to match. So I knitted one up.

The top is a sort-of copy of one I saw sported by a knitting comrade at K1 yarns a few thursdays ago. Hers is a version of "Elf" in this Marie Wallin book for Rowan. It has lovely, elaborate crocheted scallops. Mine is a lo-fi seamless raglan, knit from the bottom up, at 5 stitches to the inch, using one strand of kidsilk haze. I just made it up as I went along and crocheted on the scalloped edging using two strands of yarn and a simple repeat. But this is merely because I'm not a very good, or very experienced, crocheter. The edging in the original pattern is much more impressive.

Now, a word about knitting black kidsilk haze: DON'T!. It was like dealing with a fractious, elusive, woolly creature. I couldn't see my stitches. I couldn't tell the right from wrong side. I couldn't see a berloody thing. And that's to say nothing about the prospect of pulling back stitches or frogging the stuff. The yarn is pure evil! At least the body and sleeves were mindless tubes of stockinette -- I just went round and round -- but imagine the horror of the crochet. Sheesh. Never again.

So this was not an enjoyable process at all, but the end result is fine, and precisely what I wanted.

We've been down in Lancashire for the weekend, and I had a nice walk to Lytham yesterday. I was wearing the top and skirt. It was very windy. I mention this so that you don't think that I've suddenly gone all tufty, or turned into some kind of cone head. And the skirt just wouldn't hang flat either. But this is simply the effect of a brisk north westerly coming at me head on down the Fylde Coast at 80 miles an hour. Bracing, as they say.

Anyway, here is the whole black and white outfit:

The building I am standing in front of, wearing its own black and white outfit, is, of course, the Lytham Windmill. Along with the Blackpool Tower, it is one of the Fylde's iconic landmarks. You can go inside, peruse exhibits about milling and regional history, and chat to the nice folk from the Lytham Heritage Group, as we did yesterday. Here's one more pic.

So:
Pattern: my own made-up seamless raglan tee with crocheted edging. See instructions for similar bottom-up seamless prototypes by EZ or Ann Budd.
Gauge: 5 sts to inch, 3.5 mm addis.
Yarn: Kidsilk haze, black, 2 x 25 g. Yes, this is a top you can make with just 50g of yarn.
Edging: two strands of yarn, 4.5 mm hook, working a repeat of 5 tr, skip 1, 1dc, skip 1 into a round of double crochet.
Ravelled here

Trinity Oaks Retirement Community is the winner of one of two WSOC-TV “Golden Giver” Awards.

The award is presented to organizations or individuals who extend extraordinary effort in support of the School Tools program sponsored annually by the Charlotte TV station.

School Tools is a collaborative effort of WSOC-TV and Communities In Schools (CIS), a national dropout prevention program. School Tools volunteers collect and distribute new school supplies to children in need in Rowan, Mecklenburg and 20 other counties surrounding Mecklenburg. Collected supplies remain in the county where they were received.

Trinity Oaks was nominated for the award by Vicky Slusser, executive director of the Communities in Schools program in Rowan County.

“Trinity Oaks not only donated a cottage for our use for six weeks, but several residents volunteered over 40 hours collecting, sorting and bagging supplies for over 350 children. The residents also took up a collection to purchase additional supplies when they found out we were lacking several items for the children’s School Tools bags,” Slusser said. “And the staff made sure we were well stocked with punch and fresh-baked cookies for the volunteers each day.”

Carolyn Myers, Ruth Woodburn, Char Molrine, Mike Walsh, Trinity Oaks executive director, and Janine Lawson, wellness coordinator, accepted the award on behalf of Trinity Oaks residents.

Enjoy!