New Finished Object: Burberry Inspired Cowl

While waiting for the serious snow to come down tonight, I took some indoor pictures of my newest finished object, the Burberry Inspired Cowl. It's knit out of one of my all-time favorite yarns, Misti Alpaca Chunky, in a color way that Misti calls "Chartreuse Melange," but I call a variation on olive green. Like the other cowl I made from this yarn, this one feels like a warm and luxurious hug around my neck!

Hopefully this new addition to my winter wardrobe will be out playing in the snow tomorrow! Stay tuned.

I Love My Poncho!

I bought the yarn for the Easy Folded Poncho back in November, but several projects for kids, my Etsy shop, etc. got ahead of this in line. Since it's a warm garment made from luscious 100% Alpaca from Juniper Moon Farms, AND it has a generous cowl neck, I wanted to finish it while the weather was still cold so I could appreciate its warmth. Well, Mother Nature has cooperated and it's still below freezing here in NJ. I finished the poncho, including knitting and blocking the cowl, earlier this week, and am now ready to wear it into NYC for dinner and a show tonight!

Since this project included 50 inches of stockinette, I thought I'd use it as an opportunity to try a bunch of different needles. Here is a quick synopsis of my thoughts on each (all were size 6 and none seemed to change the gauge of my work):

• Signature Needles--I ordered the 5" stiletto tips. These were my absolute favorite (and the most expensive!). I love them so much that I ordered another pair in size 7 and hope to start collecting them in different sizes. These are truly the Rolls Royce of knitting needles!
• HiyaHiya Sharps--Love these as well. Nice, sharp tips, very light and flexible cord that would be amazing for Magic Looping. As these are at a much better price point than the Signatures, I may think about getting a full set.
• KnitPicks Caspians--I have three KnitPicks Interchangeable sets already, but I fell in love with these green wood tips and green cord when I saw them online. The tips are sharp and work as well if not better than my other KnitPicks needles. Again, I might ponder a full set, just because!
• Knitter's Pride Karbonz--While these are great needles--perhaps a lower-priced version of Signatures--they didn't seem worth the price for me vs. any of the others I tried. I will try them on another project and see if I change my mind and want to add these to my collection in greater quantity. The one plus of these over Signatures is that the cords work for any Knitter's Pride needles, as well as for KnitPicks needles, so you get a very nice, high quality needle without having to invest in separate cords like you do with the Signatures.

Finally, I ordered one set of DyakCraft Darn Pretty wood needles, but alas, after several weeks, they still have not arrived. If I like them when they eventually get here, I think my best bet is to buy a set from someone on Ravelry, rather than wait the year for my own set. But then again, I have so many needles that I COULD wait....will decide when my sample arrives--hopefully within the next few weeks.

Now that I've worn the poncho, I'm ready for spring!

Activity!

Have been working hard on many fronts--my "day job," my personal knitting (I'm participating in the 2 KnitLit Chicks Poncho Comeback KAL; I'm making the Easy Folded Poncho pattern with the  that I bought a few weeks ago. Using luscious Juniper Moon Farm Herriott (100% alpaca). I've had several "false starts" until I think I arrived at the dimensions that will fit my small frame and the seed stitch edging that will keep me from going crazy with severely rolling edges.

Then, just got several new orders in my Etsy shop from a dear friend. I'm hoping this will be the start of a busy holiday season and maybe my "new direction" will be able to begin. Stay tuned.

I Gave In to Temptation

Walking down the street today, on my way to the train station to go into New York City for a lunch meeting....I passed Wool & Grace, a yarn store that I heard about from a friend but have not had the chance to visit since it's been open about a year now. After a successful meeting, I rewarded myself with a visit to the shop, where I found lovely yarns and had a great discussion with shop owner Cathy. 

I wasn't going to buy yarn, although I wanted to buy something. But when I saw the Easy Folded Poncho (by Churchmouse Yarn & Tea) on a mannequin, and I felt that Eileen Fisher vibe from both the style and color of this garment, I had to have it.

The yarn is Juniper Moon Farm Herriott, 100% baby alpaca, so it's incredibly soft and will be very warm. Yet anothertem added to my bursting stash. But I felt so good when I walked out of the store!

Now more projects will have to take a back seat as I itch to cast this on...but first, my son's scarf! 10 LONG rows to go!