Bauble!

I finished my Bauble bracelet, which was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about stringing beads for knitting (as opposed to knitting beads into yarn, as I did recently with Citron), and I think I'd like to try this again. I wasn't 100% happy with the way this looked when it was done, so I wove some of the elastic cord through the looser parts and I think it looks pretty nice now.
So now that this is done in record time, the question is, what do I cast on next. I COULD work more diligently on my Cable Comfort Throw, which has been languishing on my needles for some time, and which is nice to knit on in the cooler weather. But since it is so big and not right for traveling, I think I will swatch and cast on for the hooded vest that has been in my queue for a VERY long time. I can have both of these things, plus my current socks, going at once.
I wore my Citron to a Bar Mitzvah today. It felt great and I thought it looked great, although no one mentioned it. I think there needed to be other knitters there to appreciate it!

Bauble!

I finished my Bauble bracelet, which was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about stringing beads for knitting (as opposed to knitting beads into yarn, as I did recently with Citron), and I think I'd like to try this again. I wasn't 100% happy with the way this looked when it was done, so I wove some of the elastic cord through the looser parts and I think it looks pretty nice now.
So now that this is done in record time, the question is, what do I cast on next. I COULD work more diligently on my Cable Comfort Throw, which has been languishing on my needles for some time, and which is nice to knit on in the cooler weather. But since it is so big and not right for traveling, I think I will swatch and cast on for the hooded vest that has been in my queue for a VERY long time. I can have both of these things, plus my current socks, going at once.
I wore my Citron to a Bar Mitzvah today. It felt great and I thought it looked great, although no one mentioned it. I think there needed to be other knitters there to appreciate it!

FInish-Itis!

I guess a good trip to Rhinebeck is among the best motivators to finish things so that new ones can be started. Tonight I finished my Serendipity Socks, which came out really nice--the colors are so cheerful, and as I pointed out on Ravelry, I never would have chosen this colorway but got it as part of the Rockin' Sock Club a couple of years ago, and I am very pleased with it now that it's been knit into a beautiful pair of socks. Great pattern too. I have never been a big fan of short-row heels, and the directions in this pattern just didn't do it for me, so I used the directions (that I thought to be much clearer) from Socks a la Carte. Same result, but just easier for me to do with yarn overs vs. wrap and turns.
Next up, before I start one of my Rhinebeck purchases, is the Bauble bracelet from Knitty--one of the treats I bought myself after I did the beaded Citron. I bought a kit of all the beads from Earthfaire and I think this will be a good learning experience--the bead-stringing is pretty tedious. I will cast on something else to alternate so my eyes don't pop out of my head!
I think I'll start another pair of socks and then either a Rhinebeck project or the poor hooded vest that's been waiting patiently in my queue for two years. I bought the Skacel sock kit for which all of the proceeds go to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research--may make those as a Christmas gift for the daughter of my friend who just passed away from this horrible disease. Kind of like a prayer shawl...The pattern looks very intricate, so I think I will use the yarn and the spirit of the project (the teal blue, etc.), but use a different pattern. Especially if I'm doing this as a relief from the teeny beads!

FInish-Itis!

I guess a good trip to Rhinebeck is among the best motivators to finish things so that new ones can be started. Tonight I finished my Serendipity Socks, which came out really nice--the colors are so cheerful, and as I pointed out on Ravelry, I never would have chosen this colorway but got it as part of the Rockin' Sock Club a couple of years ago, and I am very pleased with it now that it's been knit into a beautiful pair of socks. Great pattern too. I have never been a big fan of short-row heels, and the directions in this pattern just didn't do it for me, so I used the directions (that I thought to be much clearer) from Socks a la Carte. Same result, but just easier for me to do with yarn overs vs. wrap and turns.
Next up, before I start one of my Rhinebeck purchases, is the Bauble bracelet from Knitty--one of the treats I bought myself after I did the beaded Citron. I bought a kit of all the beads from Earthfaire and I think this will be a good learning experience--the bead-stringing is pretty tedious. I will cast on something else to alternate so my eyes don't pop out of my head!
I think I'll start another pair of socks and then either a Rhinebeck project or the poor hooded vest that's been waiting patiently in my queue for two years. I bought the Skacel sock kit for which all of the proceeds go to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research--may make those as a Christmas gift for the daughter of my friend who just passed away from this horrible disease. Kind of like a prayer shawl...The pattern looks very intricate, so I think I will use the yarn and the spirit of the project (the teal blue, etc.), but use a different pattern. Especially if I'm doing this as a relief from the teeny beads!

FINALLY Made it to Rhinebeck!!

After many years of wishing I could go to Rhinebeck, I got to go today! It was a bittersweet drive up the NY Thruway, as I lost my dear friend yesterday. Rhinebeck became my therapy, and it was wonderful to have the whole day there alone to revel in all of the gorgeous hand-knit items everyone wore, to feel, smell and buy yarn, and to enjoy the gorgeous fall day with foliage at its peak.
I wore my Einstein Coat for warmth, and debuted my February Lady Sweater, newly finished and for which I got many compliments (and saw MANY others, in all shapes, sizes, yarn, and colors!). Seeing everyones amazing knitted finery at this show is truly inspirational. You just don't see all of these knitted masterpieces, casually worn with jeans and T's, in your daily life.
I left NJ at 7 am and couldn't believe the gorgeous sky as I entered the Hudson Valley--dramatic clouds and flaming trees! I got right to work with the vendors and visited some of my old favorites (like Brooks Farm) and some new friends--like Autumn House Farm. I even went to the Ravelry meet-up and met Jess! Very exciting.
Here's what I bought (pictures in collage form at right):
--One beautiful shawl pin from Annie's Sweet Products
--5 skeins of Autumn House Farm Finnean's Rainbow, which I may use to make their "Finnean's Favorite Getaway Pullover" pattern, or maybe a shawl, or maybe a different sweater. This is really cool yarn!
--1 skein of Creatively Dyed Steele, in colorway Sharon. I really love this unique, handpainted yarn. Amazing colors! I'm thinking I'll try one of the shawls in Romi's "7 Small Shawls" e-book, which I purchased just before Rhinebeck. Right now, Celaeno is in the lead!
--2 skeins of Brooks Farm Solo Silk, right now queued to make the Hypotenuse Shawl (by Ann Hanson, whom I also spotted yesterday!!)
--4 skeins of Brooks Farm Solo, to make the Triple S Shawl pattern by Knitting Fairy that I fell in love with when I saw two samples at the Brooks Farm booth
OK, now I have to finish the pair of socks I'm currently knitting and then decide if I can keep my willpower and continue working through my queue, or cast on one of the Rhinebeck projects ASAP!

FINALLY Made it to Rhinebeck!!

After many years of wishing I could go to Rhinebeck, I got to go today! It was a bittersweet drive up the NY Thruway, as I lost my dear friend yesterday. Rhinebeck became my therapy, and it was wonderful to have the whole day there alone to revel in all of the gorgeous hand-knit items everyone wore, to feel, smell and buy yarn, and to enjoy the gorgeous fall day with foliage at its peak.
I wore my Einstein Coat for warmth, and debuted my February Lady Sweater, newly finished and for which I got many compliments (and saw MANY others, in all shapes, sizes, yarn, and colors!). Seeing everyones amazing knitted finery at this show is truly inspirational. You just don't see all of these knitted masterpieces, casually worn with jeans and T's, in your daily life.
I left NJ at 7 am and couldn't believe the gorgeous sky as I entered the Hudson Valley--dramatic clouds and flaming trees! I got right to work with the vendors and visited some of my old favorites (like Brooks Farm) and some new friends--like Autumn House Farm. I even went to the Ravelry meet-up and met Jess! Very exciting.
Here's what I bought (pictures in collage form at right):
--One beautiful shawl pin from Annie's Sweet Products
--5 skeins of Autumn House Farm Finnean's Rainbow, which I may use to make their "Finnean's Favorite Getaway Pullover" pattern, or maybe a shawl, or maybe a different sweater. This is really cool yarn!
--1 skein of Creatively Dyed Steele, in colorway Sharon. I really love this unique, handpainted yarn. Amazing colors! I'm thinking I'll try one of the shawls in Romi's "7 Small Shawls" e-book, which I purchased just before Rhinebeck. Right now, Celaeno is in the lead!
--2 skeins of Brooks Farm Solo Silk, right now queued to make the Hypotenuse Shawl (by Ann Hanson, whom I also spotted yesterday!!)
--4 skeins of Brooks Farm Solo, to make the Triple S Shawl pattern by Knitting Fairy that I fell in love with when I saw two samples at the Brooks Farm booth
OK, now I have to finish the pair of socks I'm currently knitting and then decide if I can keep my willpower and continue working through my queue, or cast on one of the Rhinebeck projects ASAP!

Keeping it Going

So it's now less than two weeks since my last post--good for me! My dear friend continues to decline and I am trying to appreciate all the good things and wonderful people in my life to offset the sadness I feel. I am also trying to knit more...and I appear to be a bit more successful in that. Fortunately, this is a quiet weekend so I think I will get my wish to knit, blog, and prepare for my (fingers crossed) trip to Rhinebeck in two weeks!
I finished the first of my Serendipity Socks. I didn't use the short-row heel directions given in the pattern; instead, I followed the short-row directions in Socks a la Carte, as they just seemed easier to follow. I think the whole wrap and turn process and I don't get along, while the book's version uses yarn overs that are then knitted together. It's just a different way of achieving the same result. I'm happy with this sock, and LOVING my new Eat Smart Kitchen Scale, which I bought after reading a review on Knitter's Review. Clara Parkes gave wonderful directions about how to determine how many yards of yarn are left in a ball by weighing it on the scale. I used it for my Citron, but it is particularly helpful in an instance like this, where I made the Serendipity leg a bit longer than the pattern stated, and wasn't sure if I'd have enough for the pair. After Sock #1, I have 200 yards left according to the scale, and the ball started with 360 yards--so I should be fine. At a time when I am stressed out, it's nice to have a tool that helps take some of the stress out of knitting.
I ordered and received from Earthfaire a kit for the Bauble bracelet from Knitty.com. This will be my next beaded project, and I am excited! The question is, do I start and make this next, or finish my long-neglected February Lady Sweater--I just have the sleeves to do, and if I can do one sleeve per week, I can wear this to Rhinebeck! I'll decide by tonight--have some movies taped and ready to knit the night away!

Keeping it Going

So it's now less than two weeks since my last post--good for me! My dear friend continues to decline and I am trying to appreciate all the good things and wonderful people in my life to offset the sadness I feel. I am also trying to knit more...and I appear to be a bit more successful in that. Fortunately, this is a quiet weekend so I think I will get my wish to knit, blog, and prepare for my (fingers crossed) trip to Rhinebeck in two weeks!
I finished the first of my Serendipity Socks. I didn't use the short-row heel directions given in the pattern; instead, I followed the short-row directions in Socks a la Carte, as they just seemed easier to follow. I think the whole wrap and turn process and I don't get along, while the book's version uses yarn overs that are then knitted together. It's just a different way of achieving the same result. I'm happy with this sock, and LOVING my new Eat Smart Kitchen Scale, which I bought after reading a review on Knitter's Review. Clara Parkes gave wonderful directions about how to determine how many yards of yarn are left in a ball by weighing it on the scale. I used it for my Citron, but it is particularly helpful in an instance like this, where I made the Serendipity leg a bit longer than the pattern stated, and wasn't sure if I'd have enough for the pair. After Sock #1, I have 200 yards left according to the scale, and the ball started with 360 yards--so I should be fine. At a time when I am stressed out, it's nice to have a tool that helps take some of the stress out of knitting.
I ordered and received from Earthfaire a kit for the Bauble bracelet from Knitty.com. This will be my next beaded project, and I am excited! The question is, do I start and make this next, or finish my long-neglected February Lady Sweater--I just have the sleeves to do, and if I can do one sleeve per week, I can wear this to Rhinebeck! I'll decide by tonight--have some movies taped and ready to knit the night away!