Expensive Trip to Webs

A friend and I went to Webs in Northampton yesterday. It was her first time there, and I wanted to go to the book launch for 2-at-a-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oates. We spent close to 4 hours there (it was a really good thing they had some very nice refreshments for the book launch!), but we were really delighted with the multitude of yarns we picked out. We each had some projects we wanted to find yarn for, and we came away with everything we needed. That was something of a shock in itself. Our find of the day was a new sale item, Zenith by Di.Ve', which is a supersoft superwash worsted-weight merino. Between us, we got enough for one sweater(Erin in the new book Heartfelt by Kim Hargreaves), two hats, two scarves, and a pair of cabled mitts! And I may be forgetting something. We also bought other yarns for lots of other projects! If you have never been to Webs, it is well worth the trip if it is a manageable distance for you.

There was a drawing for prizes connected to the book launch, and I couldn't believe it when I heard my name being called. I won Addi Turbos 40" size 4 needles, two skeins of Valley Yarns Superwash, and a package of stitch markers. These are all the supplies needed to knit the pair of sample socks that start of the book. I'd been uncertain as to whether I'd actually buy the book, but of course I then had to, so I could try the sample socks out. I think it will be fun. I tend to suffer from Second Sock Syndrome, so I'd love to learn this way of kntting two socks at once on one long circular needle. Webs and Melissa offer an extra pattern to those who buy the book at Webs, an incentive not to go to Amazon for this title!

Today is miserable--snow earlier (and due again later), sleet, ice pellets, high winds expected--a perfect day to stay in and knit. So I'd best get back to exactly that. I am working on a couple of small felted bowls for a friend for the holiday. Good thing they don't take long to knit!

Hooked on Ravelry

Well, I have joined all of those who spend much of their free time (when not knitting or crocheting, of course) on Ravelry. I am amazed at how many ideas I've been getting for future projects, and I love checking out various yarns and how they have worked up. It is a fabulous resource center. I traded some yarn, and made the acquaintance of a very nice, very talented woman in New Hampshire. We'd hoped to meet this Sunday at the book launch at Webs, but it looks like the weather is conspiring against that.

I've been trying to finish up a lot of UFOs, and have been successful with two scarves. Both were started months ago, and at this point, I am not sure who will be getting them, so there wasn't a lot of impetus to finish them up. I found that although I loved the intense colors of the Brown Sheep Handpaint yarn I used in this entrelac scarf, I am not really a big fan of mohair (sudden discovery), and this yarn is 70% mohair.

I've started and finished a few smaller projects, although I really should be working on my Fair Isle cardigan. I have promised myself the knitting will be done by the end of the year, but I'd better scoot to make that happen! The steeking that will follow has me hyperventilating, even though I know it won't be that bad. I've made two Fidgets, both out of Moda Dea Tweedle Dee, and love the yarn (even though it is 80% acrylic) and the pattern. Also a couple of presents for friends, and since they haven't gotten them yet, I won't say anything about them here.






Like everyone else, I'm very impressed by the large number of patterns in the current issue of Knitty that I'd like to start working on. The Quant headband (entrelac) may be the first one I start with. I wonder what your favorite is from this batch of patterns? And are you now spending all your time on Ravelry, too?

Some recent projects

I've been laid a bit low with a bad cough and some sort of bug, which has given me some time to getting some knitting projects done (since I wasn't doing much of anything else).

I finished the Haiku sweater for our granddaughter, and enjoyed the sideways knitting, which I've done before in a vest and a cardigan for me. I had originally wanted to knit a pullover, with the body one color, the arms another, and with some added embroidery. But the gauge wasn't right for the pattern I had in mind, so I found this one, which is very adaptable for different yarns and gauges. I made this in Vanna's Choice, and I have to say I don't like acrylic yarns. Or maybe it was just this acrylic yarn. It seemed quite splitty. But I am sure the baby's mother will want to machine wash the sweater.


I also did a quick hat pattern, from the November 9 page of this year's Knitters calendar, designed by Christa Giles. I couldn't resist the textures, so I made it knowing it isn't the kind of hat I (or anyone else I know) would wear. And when I finished it and tried it on, I realized I was right--I won't wear it! But maybe it will find a home some day. Speaking of splitty yarns, the Lambs Pride Superwash I used for this certainly was.




I finally tacked the fingers for my step-daughter's Composed Mitts, and I think that will work fine. They didn't turn out exactly the same size--I hope she won't be too observant!

And now I am back to working on a lace scarf in Baby Alpaca Brush that I started last winter. I am not a big fan of lace knitting, I guess, but I am determined to finish this project. The yarn is lovely to work with. The other project I am determined to finish is my Fair Isle sweater, the sleeves are done and at least a third of the body is as well. Maybe I'll take it along to the Black Friday knit-in tomorrow at my local yarn shop. Of course, I also had to divert my energies and start another project--a felted bag from a pattern by Paton's, using their SWS. What lovely yarn to knit with! But on the days I was feeling worst, this basic knitting (with only a few slipped stitches every other round) was about all I could handle.

I've bought a sewing machine, and have been busy reacquainting myself with using one--the last time I did I was in high school and taking home ec classes! However, I remember lots of the concepts and terms--my mom was a fabulous seamstress, and was always making my clothes when I was younger--a lot must have brushed off on me. She doesn't sew much anymore, but I am so happy I'll be able to ask her questions as I get going with this. I'd like to make some items from some recycled sweaters I've felted--that was the whole impetus for getting the machine, though I've just bought a new book called Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp that is getting me a bit excited about making a few other projects, too.

I've been getting more and more sucked into Ravelry. I think it is fabulous how I can see other people's work on the projects I am making, or considering making. I was checking on SWS yarn, to figure out other uses for it, and was blown away by how nicely it comes out in entrelac scarves. So of course, I had to go out and get three skeins of Naturally Plum. Not that I had had any intention of making another entrelac scarf now... Maybe I'll try Lucy Neatby's garter stitch entrelac scarf pattern, which doesn't have the side triangles. That would be different. I guess I'll head over to Ravelry now and see what other people's look like!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it.

Starting the gift knitting

I am caught up in working on holiday and other presents, it seems. Lots of accessories that aren't taking too long to knit, with one exception. The quicker items were the Wave Hand Warmers (from One Skein Wonders) in turquoise Berkshire from Valley Yarns (took just one day!), the Ruffled Neckwarmer from the Tweed Four book from Classic Elite, knit in red Suri Merino (you don't want to know what happened to the first version, knit in Knit Picks Elegance, let me just say that it won't be adorning anyone's neck), the hat from the Oct. 14 post, and the Maine Morning Mitts from Clara Parkes's new book. All enjoyable projects. I am also close to done with the Composed Mitts from IK, the longer term project. They've mostly been done for a week or ten days, but I have yet to tack between the fingers, as I mentioned in my last post. However, progress has been made: there are now pins where I need to tack them. This probably won't take more than 15 minutes, I just have to sit down to do it.

I am about to start the Haiku sweater. I found it when I realized I wasn't going to make gauge on the sweater I had picked out. This one is great, because you can work it to any gauge with the formulas given. It reminds me of an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern, with all the garter stitch. There is also some box stitch thrown in for visual interest. I plan to make the body in one color, the sleeves in another. I hope that will look nice.

The November - January Cast On arrived today, and I found several patterns I like. I often don't in this magazine, so I was quite pleased. (Their educational articles are really helpful, which keeps me reading it.) The Sassy Side Button Sweater (#28 in the preview picture) is calling to me, and I'll be surprised if I don't cast on for it soon. I have some purple heather Encore that should work well. It will be fun to pick out the decorative buttons.

Day after NY Sheep & Wool Festival at Rhinebeck

A friend and I went to the New York Sheep & Wool Festival yesterday, and had a marvelous time. I am also totally amazed that I only came home with one skein of yarn, but more on that in a moment. Jana and I hadn't been at the festival more than about 10 minutes when we happened upon the booth of The Fenwick Collection, and immediately fell for their Pacific Jacket. The jacket is made of felted alpaca and wool, and should be nicely warm (however, with the weather in the northeast this fall, I wonder if we will ever have the chance to wear warm things?). The lines of this jacket are very elegant. Jana bought black, and I bought what is, for me, a very unusual color: a muted red (what they call "tomato bisque"). I did not think that it was a good sign that we were spending so much money so quickly. From there, we walked a few steps to the Brooks Farm booth, and because it was early, we were actually able to move amongst their displays. I remember last year, when it was almost impossible to do just that. I wasn't planning to buy any yarn here, lovely as it is, as I haven't yet knitted up the two skeins I bought last year. But Jana drew my attention to a knitted shawl they were displaying, and showed me some yarn she thought would be perfect with my new jacket. Uh oh, this was not turning out well for my pocketbook. But she was perfectly right, this reddish/purplish skein of Acero will look great, once I knit it up. It should be a fast project, as it is done with size 17 needles.

The one category of stuff I was looking for was needle felting supplies. I haven't actually done any of this, but I am intrigued by their use as embellishments, say on a knitted and felted bag. (I have no aspirations to create pumpkins, creatures, or people.) It seems that felting, both needle felting and wet felting, are IN, IN, IN. Supplies and books were everywhere. We saw some lovely wet-felted bags and even some nice scarves. I bought a bit of fiber and roving and a few extra needles, but didn't go overboard.

The Festival didn't seem quite as crowded as on the Saturday of last year. The weather was perfect, though a bit warm for people to wear their warmer handknits. I saw a lot of vests, as well as summer tops. I was delighted to get some compliments on my Fleece Artist vest. The Spinning Room, our local yarn store, seemed to be doing very well selling Avoca throws and scarves from Ireland.

I was delighted to see the Philosopher's Wool booth, which is a good reminder to finish up the cardigan I am working on from them. Both sleeves are done, as is about 1/3 of the body. But it has just been too warm to work on it till now.

The highlight of the day? Could that be when we tried the deep-fried pickles? Well, maybe not!

Last week I finished up some fingerless mitts made out of Noro Kureyon for a friend, and today I did 20 rows on the second of the Composed Mitts. I was feeling a bit upset with the first one, because the increasing done for the thumb made them far too wide for the hand. I figured I'd have to rip out 30 or so rows and redo the pattern. Luckily, Jana figured out that they could be tacked between each finger, and that would nicely take up the slack. This was all I needed to regain my enthusiasm and start with the second one.

Pictures of Entrelac Clutch

Here is both the front and the back of the entrelac clutch. I really enjoyed this project. It took one skein of Boku, and one button.

Learning new things

In working on a couple of projects this weekend, I've had a chance to expand my skills. The entrelac pouch that I knit up for a class I'm co-teaching in November required that I learn the brioche stitch. I really enjoyed this, once I found a tutorial on the web that explained how to knit into the stitch below. The whole back of the little bag uses this stitch, and it looks quite nice. The seams of the bag had to be slip stitched, something else new. And it required a single crochet edging along the top, which I had done once, about a year ago. Luckily, when I was working on this today at The Spinning Room, both Joan and Nancy, good crocheters, were there to give me a hand. The bag is being blocked at the moment--I'll post pictures soon.

Today I started a pair of fingerless mitts (the free Maine Morning Mitts pattern from Clara Parkes), and decided, after listing to one of the Knit Picks podcasts in which Kelley extols the magic loop method, to learn this myself. A friend's mother had given me the booklet by Bev Galeskas, and I had a long cord that works with my Denise needles. It really isn't hard at all, and I am hoping it will keep me from having the ladders I sometimes get with my dpns.

I've ordered Clara's book The Knitter's Book of Yarn, and Amazon says it will be here by Thursday (as it isn't being published until Tuesday). I am really looking forward to it, and if anything catches my eye, I hope to find a suitable yarn Saturday when I am at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival.

I finished this hat, a birthday gift for a friend, last week. It's made from a skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky that I got at 30% off. I really love this pattern.

Current projects and dye lot miracle

I spent time earlier in the weekend weaving in ends on my arm snuggies and sewing on buttons to hold back the lapels of the new ribwarmer vest (note to self: knit the collar option if I make more of these, it looks much nicer than the inexpertly sewn down neck tab on this one. Thank goodness my hair is long enough to hide it). I think the buttons I picked are too similar to the yarn, but none others called to me as I was trying to choose them. After finishing these two up, I rather ran out of steam. I don't have too much left to do on a cabled hat for a friend's birthday next month, I should be able to finish that today. I also started a couple of projects: the Two-Toned Triangle bag from the new Bag Style and an entrelac clutch. The latter is the project for a class I'll be co-teaching next month, and I'm trying to find a yarn that works well for it--one that is sold by the store where I'll be teaching. I think Boku will work, though it really isn't my favorite yarn.

On Saturday, my husband and I were in a small town about an hour north of here--we were on our way to a wedding and went up early so we could go to a nice used bookstore in Hudson Falls we haven't been to in years. I found a yarn store just up the road, Knit Wit Kreations, which I've never been to. The owner was very friendly and welcoming. While it was a bit hard to see what they had, as there was a big knit-in going on, I did find the 2 skeins of yarn I needed to have enough to make the Bluebell Boatneck Sweater in Fitted Knits. Exact same dye lot as the 3 I had bought at a sale locally over a year ago. That sure made my day!

Recent activities

The last couple of weekends I've been travelling--Ogunquit, Maine with some knitting friends (and we stayed in a fabulous old house that even had servants' quarters right by the beach!) and then Boston (with a side trip to Northampton on the way home) with my husband. All the riding in the car allowed lots of knitting time, and my second rib warmer vest is just about done. On the Maine trip, I started these Arm Snuggies from the November 2007 issue of Creative Knitting. I just wove in the ends on the first one this morning, and I am really pleased with the way it turned out. It is knit in Navy, Burgundy, and Burnt Orange colors of Elsebeth Lavold's Baby Llama. The yarn is super soft, and lovely to work with. I converted the pattern to knitting in the round (why sew a seam if there's no need?). The medium seemed to have a glitch in the polka dot-like pattern that appears twice on each snuggy, so I winged it and am much happier with the section near the top than the earlier one. I also recharted the pattern with the crosses to get it to work out right. This is the first time I have used a charted pattern that had beginning and end sections, with a separate repeated center section, and that threw a curve ball near the beginning of the project. So I feel a real sense of accomplishment getting the first one done. The second should be easy!

While I didn't find any yarn at the two shops I stopped in at in Boston (I was amazed to find an extremely helpful sales clerk at Windsor Button near the Common--the last time I was there, the help was pretty rude), I did much better at Webs on our way home. I bought the new Williamstown yarn in teal for the pattern on the back of the current catalog. The description said it was soft, and it really is! I was a bit dubious... While there I also bought yarn for the Sunny Flower Fez from Folk Style and a couple of skeins for one of the bags in Bag Style, which is on its way from Amazon. I also picked up the holiday issue of Interweave Knits, and have become fascinated by the idea of needle felting, having read the article in the issue. I think I'll add supplies for this to my shopping list for the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in just a few weeks.

Sugar on Snow done

A friend showed me the Sugar on Snow hat/neckwarmer she had made, and I decided I had to make one, too. Here are pictures of it both ways. It is knit from Baby Alpaca Grande, and the i-cord with leaves is made from Suri Merino. Deliciously soft! I wasn't sure if I'd really like the leaf decorations, but they aren't bad at all. And it helps that they are knit in green for this project.

Yesterday I received the November issue of Creative Knitting. I resumed my subscription with some trepidation, as I don't usually see much in this magazine that I'd think of making. But several items in this issue called to me: the Three Squares and Two Sleeves sweater (it took a couple of read-throughs of the pattern to see what was going on with this one), the Sugar Plum Wrap sweater, and the Arm Snuggies. For this last, my LYS, The Spinning Room, just got in some Baby Llama yarn in three colors that I hope will be delicious looking together.

Currently on the needles and getting the most attention: the second of a pair of fingerless mitts for my husband, in a lovely forest green shade.

Finished Textured Tunic from Fitted Knits

Finished!

I actually finished this earlier in the week, but it took a couple of tries in different light to get the color to come through accurately. As you can see, I modified the neckline (though I see that didn't keep my bra strap from showing!). I also only did side slits, no buttons. I did a lot of waist shaping, so much so that when it is off of me, the shaping looks oddly exaggerated. I mostly worked to the smallest size, but did the next size up for the arm openings. I then stayed with 40 stitches for the sleeve until below the second section of purls, then added 4 stitches over 4 rows, rather than decreasing in the top section. That wouldn't have fit my arms at all. I thank the posters on Fitted Knits Along for sharing how they made many of the modifications, that helped a great deal. This is the first project on which I deviated so far from the pattern, and I must have tried it on 30 times as I was working on it.

The yarn is Adrienne Vittadini Donata (70% alpaca, 30% acrylic), and the sweater feels a bit scratchy on. I am hoping that washing will take care of that. I've also read that soaking an itchy garment in a tablespoon of hair conditioner before washing really helps. The garment looks a bit see-through in the box stitch section, though I didn't notice it looking that way when I tried it on. Maybe the flash had something to do with it. I am still puzzling over how much yarn I had left. Based on the yardage, I needed 11 full balls of this yarn. Since I bought it at an out-of-town store, I got 12 balls, just to be safe. And in the end, would you believe I only used 6?!? (73 yards per ball).

I am taking a short break from bigger garments, making the convertible hat/neck warmer Sugar on Snow from knitty.com, but I think I'll make the cropped cardigan with leaf ties next. Though the weather here in upstate NY is getting so chilly so quickly I might not be able to wear the cropped cardigan till next spring.

My husband seems to be open to the idea of my making him some fingerless mitts (see item above about chilly weather). I've found a nice sedate dark green color in Lamb's Pride Worsted in my stash, so as soon as Sugar on Snow is done (only the I-cord and leaf shapes need to be finished), I'll start on that.

My Converted Mitts are progressing not at all. I have to say I much prefer to do stranded knitting on circular needles, rather than dpns. But I have to get back to those mitts soon. The yarn is a delight to work with, so why do I have this mental block?

I am getting there on the textured tunic

I've been working on the Textured Tunic from Fitted Knits for a few weeks now. The first two projects I made from the book seemed to go very quickly. This one has needed a lot more decision-making on my part, and lots of days after work I feel a bit too tired to be making decisions I am not sure about. The advice from many knitters on Fitted Knits Along has been extremely helpful. Without it, I wouldn't have realized I need to do decreases near the waist to pull it in (the way it looks in the book, but no decreases are written into the pattern). A couple of people also mentioned it was too long for them, and I am shortening it by 20 (!) rows as a result, but I think it will be quite long enough. There is lots of advice for knitting the sleeves, which I'll take a closer look at once I get to that point. I only have about 8 more rows to do on the front, and about 15 on the back, then I do get to go onto the sleeves. The yarn is Adrienne Vittadini's Donata (and it is more purple than this picture shows). I've tried it on a million times as I tried to get the shaping right, and I have to say it is a bit scratchy. I read about a trick of soaking such garments for a brief time with hair conditioner. I'm going to have to try that.

In the meantime, my Composed Mitts languish. But I am making very good progress on another ribwarmer vest!

Yarn of the Month Selections

I've been a member of the Yarn of the Month Club for a bit over a year now. Each shipment includes enough of four different yarns to knit up into a swatch. The idea is to learn about various yarns and to see if one likes knitting with them. I have to admit I've only knit two up so far, but I like the idea of being able to if I want to! Sometimes there is a theme to the mailing, other times not. This month, the four are billed as being innovative: Rowan's Calmer, GGH Yarns Bel Air, Crystal Palace's Puffin, and Habu's Shosenshi. The accompanying newsletter, Knit Dish, gives a description of each of these yarns, and explains why each is innovative. I really liked this detailed write-up. Most of the time the newsletter doesn't go into this much depth about each of the yarns. I did realize, the minute I opened the package, that Shosenshi is innovative. After all, it made crinkly noises! It is actually linen paper, but then, one wouldn't expect anything that wasn't innovative from Habu. I've been seeing a number of patterns lately made with Rowan's Calmer, and I've actually been interested in trying it out. I don't usually like knitting with cotton, but I am hoping this will be different. It is 75% cotton and 25% acrylic microfiber, and it is described as being exceptionally soft. Knitting a swatch of this might be a good way to relax after working on my Composed Mitts--I'm into a section with three colors per row, and it is taking all my concentration to catch the floats.

Successful trip to Webs

On Saturday I went to Webs in Northampton, MA with my mom, a friend, and her mom. All of us except for my friend are knitters, and she's a very patient person. She had to be, since none of the rest of us wanted to leave the store. This is my 4th or 5th time there, but I never cease to be amazed at all they have.

This time they surprised me by having a Fitted Knits trunk show! I'm in the middle of knitting my third project from this book, so I was tickled pink to see these items. I had a chance to try on several items that I had been thinking about making: the Cozy V-Neck Cardigan, the Two-Toned Ribbed Shrug, and the Cropped Cardigan with Leaf Ties. I was especially hopeful that the last would look nice, as last week I bought some yarn to make it: Classic AL by Elsebeth Lavold, so it won't be as fancy as the one in the book, but I think it will get a lot of wear. The Two-Toned Ribbed Shrug wasn't my favorite, so I am glad I never did buy yarn for it. (It may also have been that the one on show was a bit snug for me.) I also didn't really have any plans to make the Elizabeth Bennett Cabled Cardigan, but it looked very nice on. The sleeves in whatever size it was (if only they'd mark the size on trunk show garments more often!) was a bit too long, so I'd have to watch out for that if I do make it. There were also several other items from the book: the Turtleneck Tube Vest (couldn't exactly try this one on in the middle of the store), the Saturday in the Park dress (ditto), and the U-Neck Back to School Vest (which I've already made). I really wish they'd had the Carrie Cropped Cardigan.

I bought yarn for three projects. Two shouldn't be named or pictured, as they are for holiday presents for people who might read this. The third is the sweater Manon from Norah Gaughan's collection No. 1. I had tried it on at her trunk show at Colorful Stitches in Lenox, and fell in love with it. Webs didn't have enough of the Pure Merino in the color I liked (i.e., the color in the pattern book), so I ended up with Ultra Alpaca in a lovely green tweedy shade. It is a slightly lighter yarn, but since I am a very loose knitter, I think it will work out. So did the very helpful sales clerk.

Then, when I got home from Webs, I found my copy of Folk Knits had arrived, and I started drooling over several of the projects. But I really have to finish some others first, before buying yet more yarn.

The Textured Tunic from Fitted Knits is coming along quite well, although I've been trying it on every inch or two. I've been doing lots of decreases below the bust, but soon I'll hit my waist, and will have to start increasing for the hips. This means this is not a transportable project, nor are the Composed Mitts with their 6 balls of yarn, so I cast on for another Elizabeth Zimmermann Ribwarmer Vest, this time in two-toned gray Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks.

Finished mitt and yarn for new project

In her book Wendy Knits, Wendy Johnson mentions that she finished both fingerless mitts from her pattern (pages 198-199) in one day, between commutes both ways and a lunch hour. I drive to work, so knitting then is, sadly, not a possibility. But I had a very long, very tedious meeting today, and 2/3s of this mitt was finished during it. Almost makes me long for another dull meeting tomorrow so I can get the second one done! The yarn is some Knit Picks Shamrock, color Reilly, that I had sitting around. I'd bought it to make my mother a hat, then realized my mother never wears hats. It never really called to me for another project, till I thought of this one. These very easy mitts are a sort of practice run for the fancy stranded Composed Mitts in the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. A friend and I are going to be working on those at the same time, starting tomorrow. They take Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight, a wonderfully soft yarn.

This yarn--Elsebeth Lavold's Classic AL--I picked up last night at the sale at The Spinning Room. It was 30% off. I really, really don't need any more yarn (and yet I am going to Webs on Saturday!), but this yarn is ever so nice to knit with, and I like the color (midnight blue). It is destined to become the Cropped Cardigan with Leaf Ties (though I may not include the leaves at the end of the ties) from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. It won't have the same fuzzy look as the one in the book, which is made out of an alpaca/angora blend, but I think it will be very nice for casual wear.

Thinking about sweaters and knitted tops, the Isabella Bird collection from The Territory Ahead has some lovely ones. The Sundial Cable V-Neck rather reminds me of Norah Gaughan designs, though I like hers better.

Back view of Ribwarmer Vest

As promised, this is the back view of the ribwarmer vest. I like the way the edges come together. It is possible to knit it so that you don't need to seam the back together, but I don't believe you get so much of an indent at the center.

I haven't been in much of a knitting mood lately, so the next project I am making from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits (the Textured Tunic) isn't progressing very well.

However, I did finish a stranded headband. I developed the pattern for a class I'll be teaching at The Spinning Room in early September on two-color knitting using two hands. I'll also teach how to weave in the colors so there aren't long floats. The headband is a bit wide, so I changed it to have several fewer rounds.

Today a friend and I are heading out to Colorful Stitches in Lenox again--they keep having great trunk shows. This time they have Norah Gaughn's works from her new Berroco book, Collection Volume One. Also pieces from the new Filatura di Crosa and S. Charles fall/winter collections.

This is my second try at the Ribwarmer Vest. The first time, I didn't get row gauge, and it was way too long. This time, I decided to be extra careful and worked my way painstakingly through the ribwarmer worksheet in issue #5 of Knitter's Magazine, using my measurements and my gauge. After I'd done all the math, I found I could just use the medium size in the pattern in that issue! And I think it turned out fine. I used Elizabeth's own adaptation for adding a collar, and love how the collar looks. It looked quite odd as I knitted each of the two identical pieces, so I was relieved it ended up ok! I'd like to make more, adding sleeves on one, and doing another in ribbing. The yarn is Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes in color Stream.

This issue of Knitter's, from Fall/Winter 1986, has lots of great information about the pattern, and adaptations. One addresses knitting the back in one piece, but I really like the way the two pieces look when they are seamed together. I'll have to add a picture of the back of the vest. I know the Spun Out issue (#42) devoted to the ribwarmer vest also has lots of variations.

The new Knit Picks catalog is absolutely delicious looking. I love seeing the full skeins of yarn--it gives me a much better sense of what they are like. I called yesterday to find out what color is shown on page 2 of the catalog, bottom row, third from the left. It is fern. I think I'll be ordering some soon! The computer wall paper choices Knit Picks is offering are also wonderful--I have one up at work and another here at home.

Visiting Yarn Stores in NYC

I was in New York over the last couple of days to present a workshop for librarians at the New York Public Library with a colleague. She was wonderfully patient with my need to visit yarn stores during our free time. We made it to three--Purl in Soho, Seaport Yarn down near the Fulton Street Strand bookstore, and Yarn Connection on Madison Avenue. Purl was a lot smaller than I expected. They have a variety of lovely (but expensive) yarn. I wish I'd waited just a day longer with the order I sent to Flying Fingers for the Blue Sky Alpacas sport weight yarn for the fingerless mitts in the current Interweave Knits issue--I could have picked it up at Purl. Oh well. Flying Fingers's service was fabulous.

Seaport Yarn was quite large and bursting with yarn, but unfortunately it had no air conditioning and it was sweltering inside. I almost bought some Louet Gems Worsted merino yarn (though the label didn't actually say "Gems," everything else seemed to match) in a lovely eggplant color for Stefanie Japel's Cable-Down Raglan in the Spring 2007 IK. But my notes weren't completely clear about the exact amount I needed, and by that time I thought I'd pass out from the heat. So no purchases there, either. Andrea Waller, the owner, is extremely nice.

The Yarn Connection was very close to our hotel, and easy to visit just before we headed for the train station. I hit pay dirt here, getting Donata by Adrienne Vittadini in a lovely purple color for the Textured Tunic in Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. This store had a wide variety of yarns, many of which were marked down.

My friend and I had a chance to take the guided tour of the NYPL yesterday afternoon, and it was fascinating. We had a sneak peek at the closed stacks (books arranged by height), saw the pneumatic tubes that are used to send off the requests for books from the reading room to the various levels of the stacks, and peaked into some of the special collections' rooms, including that of the Berg Collection of English and American Literature. One of the treasures pointed out to us was Charles Dickens' desk. I really didn't have a grasp on the riches of the library, or its availability to the public, before I took the tour.

Despite having some knitting time on the train, I didn't get as far as I'd hoped with my Rib Hugger vest. Maybe I can finish the knitting tomorrow, though the seaming may have to wait till later in the week. We're heading off to the Madison-Bouckville Antiques Show, and that will be a full day. I can knit in the car, but I can't seam there!

Altamont Fair Report

Well, I have to admit the first thing we did today at the Altamont Fair was stop in at the Sheep Barn to see how my entries fared. I was delighted--the blue and white hat won first prize in the open division of the small, wearable items category, and the twined mitts won first prize in the same category, novice division. The felted bag won third prize in the fulled article category, novice division. I saw some lovely vests and sweaters, and a felted bag that reminded me of the colors of watermelon--it looked almost good enough to eat!

I hadn't been to the Fair since I was a kid, and all I could remember was the rides and overeating. My husband had taken his kids there when they were small, but that was decades ago. So most everything seemed new to us. We oohed and aahed in the poultry barn and the rabbit area, petted llamas and sheep and goats in the petting zoo (I think we were the only adults there without children in tow), visited several of the museums on the grounds as well as the old schoolhouse, and generally had a nice time. I passed up my usual favorite, fried dough, for a delicious strawberry shortcake served at the Grange Hall.

Now back to knitting my Elizabeth Zimmermann Rib Hugger vest. The first one I made, some months ago, was way too big for me, because I sadly neglected to notice my row count. I felted it, in the hopes of making it wearable, but it still didn't look right on me. Fortunately, it fit a woman I know from the yarn shop I frequent, The Spinning Room, really well, so it now resides with her. I bought more yarn in a very similar color, this time KnitPicks Wool of the Andes, color Stream, so I hope to have my own vest for September.

Vogue Knitting Trunk Show

Today a friend and I went to Colorful Stitches in Lenox, MA to see the Vogue Knitting trunk show connected with their 25th anniversary issue. It was fabulous to see (and touch) some of the items in person. I had thought the fantastic neck piece on the cover of the issue would be very stiff, but it was actually wonderfully soft. I had a chance to try on the wrap featured on the Lion Brand cover, and while I liked it on the cover, I wasn't thrilled with the way it looked on me. That's ok--I have far too many other projects waiting. While we bought a couple of nice pattern books (including one for Debbie Bliss Rialto), we didn't find any yarn. Probably just as well, because we then stumbled on a craft fair nearby, and even though it was about to close, we managed to spend a fair amount on earrings (friend) and necklaces (me).

However, that means I am still searching for the yarn to make a couple of the projects in Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits.

Harrisville, NH

On the way to the TKGA show in Manchester, NH last month, I made a few yarn-related stops along the way. One was to the Green Mountain Spinnery in Putney, VT, where I bought the yarn I need for their Stars & Bars cardigan. I had no idea the shop part of the building would be so small, but it was filled with wonderful yarn. The woman who helped me, and let me try on their store sample, was incredibly nice and helpful. I also stopped in Harrisville, NH, to go to the Harrisville Designs store there--a much larger space. Though incredibly, I didn't end up buying
any yarn--just some back issues of knitting magazines. The town of Harrisville, several miles off the beaten track, is a fabulous old mill town. I didn't get to see all of it, but took some pictures of buildings.

The TKGA show was wonderful--I can't believe how much I learned. I hope to go again next year, depending on where it is held.

First entries at the fair!

I haven't been to the local Altamont Fair since I was a kid, but today I stopped by the fairgrounds to drop off three items at the Sheep Barn for their competition. One of the items is a color-stranded hat, so I thought it was fitting that one of the two women processing the items was Deborah Andersen, knitter extraordinaire and the woman who first taught me to do colorwork. Deborah also is a colleague at work, and her background is as a librarian, so how can she not be wonderful?

I believe the judging will be done by the time the fair opens next week, so I'll have to use my free pass and see how I did. I'll also look forward to seeing everyone else's work.

Above is the hat I entered. This item was entered in the open class, so I wouldn't compete with my twined half mitts in the novice class for these small items.

















The third thing I entered is a felted entrelac bag.


Right now I am working on the Alexandra Ballerina Top from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. This is the second item I've knit from this book, and both have been a pleasure to work on (though there seem to be a few errors that haven't been caught for the errata page). Folks on the Fitted Knits Along are fabulous, though, about helping. And it is a treat to see what everyone is making.

I am about halfway done with the left sleeve, and still have the right sleeve to do. My goal is to finish by tomorrow night (which means I should be knitting, not blogging!). It also needs to be blocked, so the cables will stand out a bit more. But at the moment, this is what it looks like.

I think the Boatneck Bluebell sweater may be next on my horizon, but after finding Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks at the library last night, a pair of sock might intervene. I find this book even more inspiring than the first. Normally I prefer using worsted weight yarn for socks (pretty much instant gratification), but I have lots of more typical sock yarn around, and perhaps I'll pick one of those patterns. Come to think of it, the worsted weight socks I make for myself come from Deborah Andersen's pattern! I guess I'll start this blog with her, and end my first entry the same way. Thank you, Deborah, for teaching me so much!

This is the hat I made in Deborah's colorwork class last year.