A Fabulous FO!

I finished my Tai Chi Cardigan! This sweater features mitred squares, stockinette squares and seed stitch squares, is knit in strips and then put together with 3-needle bind off. I fell in love with it at Stitches East in November and purchased the kit from Great Yarns! booth.

I absolutely adore how this sweater turned out! I made it a bit longer than the stated measurements and narrowed and shortened the sleeves to fit my short arms. It required some math, but I did it! I am really gratified in how I have learned to alter sweater patterns to FIT, a skill I really believe I've mastered in the past year. After all, isn't this what knitting your own garments is all about? I am really going to enjoy this sweater, I think.

Another skill I'm still working on mastering--and doing better--is finishing. My mom had made the Easy Basket-weave Cardigan from the January issue of Creative Knitting in a soft acrylic, and she asked me to put it together for her. Although I'm not fond of acrylic, it was somewhat easy to manage for sewing together. I had a bit of struggle with the set-in sleeves, but otherwise, I did a pretty good finishing job, if I do say so myself. I think I am getting to that next level, which feels terrific.

Next up in terms of my "main" projects: another Talia vest, this one for my daughter, in black Cascade 220. Progress and details to follow!

A Fabulous FO!

I finished my Tai Chi Cardigan! This sweater features mitred squares, stockinette squares and seed stitch squares, is knit in strips and then put together with 3-needle bind off. I fell in love with it at Stitches East in November and purchased the kit from Great Yarns! booth.

I absolutely adore how this sweater turned out! I made it a bit longer than the stated measurements and narrowed and shortened the sleeves to fit my short arms. It required some math, but I did it! I am really gratified in how I have learned to alter sweater patterns to FIT, a skill I really believe I've mastered in the past year. After all, isn't this what knitting your own garments is all about? I am really going to enjoy this sweater, I think.

Another skill I'm still working on mastering--and doing better--is finishing. My mom had made the Easy Basket-weave Cardigan from the January issue of Creative Knitting in a soft acrylic, and she asked me to put it together for her. Although I'm not fond of acrylic, it was somewhat easy to manage for sewing together. I had a bit of struggle with the set-in sleeves, but otherwise, I did a pretty good finishing job, if I do say so myself. I think I am getting to that next level, which feels terrific.

Next up in terms of my "main" projects: another Talia vest, this one for my daughter, in black Cascade 220. Progress and details to follow!

Happy New Year!

As 2009 begins, I am thankful for good health, a steady job and a wonderful family, even though the health of some of our older family members is failing. We'll hope for the best on all fronts as we turn the calendar page for a fresh, new 12 months.

On the knitting front, I counted 17 finished objects on my blog sidebar for 2008, although I know there were others that I just didn't document on the blog. I have to say that if there was one trend in my knitting last year, it was knitting ADD--the inability to focus on one project. I attribute this most likely to the fact that I am reading more blogs, listening to more Podcasts, bought more books and certainly because of my fondness for Ravelry--I just can't seem to refrain from starting new projects.

I have also built up the biggest stash I've ever had, and hope to keep it at its present state and start to whittle it down this year. So what did I do to ring out 2008? Yesterday morning I bought 3 skeins of Lion Wool Prints to make a scarf for ISE7 Scarf Pal! Nothing in my stash seemed to match my Pal's preferences, so I bought something new and hope to use all 3 skeins for the scarf.
I tried two different patterns and settled on the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf and have already knit over a foot. I should have no problem finishing this easy and enjoyable scarf on time.

Yesterday I also couldn't resist a great new book, Knitting Noro, which I got at Borders with a 30% off coupon. I am in love with Noro yarns, but I fear that this book is going to cause me to buy more of them....we'll see. For now I'm just enjoying looking at the pictures and reading about this amazing yarn company.

While on vacation last week, I made great progress on the Tai Chi Cardigan while on vacation and I am now in the home stretch of that lovely project. This sweater, with its collection of bright and unusual colors and patterns, will always remind me fondly of our trip to Mexico--it almost has a feel of the Mexican textiles we saw throughout the week.


So now for a few knitting resolutions:
1. Try to contain my stash and work through my Ravelry queue
2. On a related note, knit more socks--I have so much stashed sock yarn and I usually have a pair of socks going as a secondary project at all times. The problem is, I'm now working on so many things at once that the socks continue to fall to the end of the line (the socks on my needles now were the only project I didn't work on out of 4 things I took on vacation, for example).
3. Learn some new techniques--last year I learned entrelac and mitred squares; maybe this year I'll work on colorwork.

That's probably enough for now--back to knitting while I have the day off!

Happy New Year!

As 2009 begins, I am thankful for good health, a steady job and a wonderful family, even though the health of some of our older family members is failing. We'll hope for the best on all fronts as we turn the calendar page for a fresh, new 12 months.

On the knitting front, I counted 17 finished objects on my blog sidebar for 2008, although I know there were others that I just didn't document on the blog. I have to say that if there was one trend in my knitting last year, it was knitting ADD--the inability to focus on one project. I attribute this most likely to the fact that I am reading more blogs, listening to more Podcasts, bought more books and certainly because of my fondness for Ravelry--I just can't seem to refrain from starting new projects.

I have also built up the biggest stash I've ever had, and hope to keep it at its present state and start to whittle it down this year. So what did I do to ring out 2008? Yesterday morning I bought 3 skeins of Lion Wool Prints to make a scarf for ISE7 Scarf Pal! Nothing in my stash seemed to match my Pal's preferences, so I bought something new and hope to use all 3 skeins for the scarf.
I tried two different patterns and settled on the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf and have already knit over a foot. I should have no problem finishing this easy and enjoyable scarf on time.

Yesterday I also couldn't resist a great new book, Knitting Noro, which I got at Borders with a 30% off coupon. I am in love with Noro yarns, but I fear that this book is going to cause me to buy more of them....we'll see. For now I'm just enjoying looking at the pictures and reading about this amazing yarn company.

While on vacation last week, I made great progress on the Tai Chi Cardigan while on vacation and I am now in the home stretch of that lovely project. This sweater, with its collection of bright and unusual colors and patterns, will always remind me fondly of our trip to Mexico--it almost has a feel of the Mexican textiles we saw throughout the week.


So now for a few knitting resolutions:
1. Try to contain my stash and work through my Ravelry queue
2. On a related note, knit more socks--I have so much stashed sock yarn and I usually have a pair of socks going as a secondary project at all times. The problem is, I'm now working on so many things at once that the socks continue to fall to the end of the line (the socks on my needles now were the only project I didn't work on out of 4 things I took on vacation, for example).
3. Learn some new techniques--last year I learned entrelac and mitred squares; maybe this year I'll work on colorwork.

That's probably enough for now--back to knitting while I have the day off!

Holiday Knitting

Today I completed my last holiday knitted gift: the Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. This is a fantastic book and I'm thrilled with how these came out--so much so that I think I am going to make a pair for myself. First, I will use the leftover yarn--Araucania Nature Wool, which is really pretty--to make myself a warm winter hat. My first choice: Knitty's Foliage.
Meanwhile, I am gathering up projects to take on our upcoming vacation to a warm and sunny climate. When I return, I'll talk about the big new afghan project I'm about to embark on!
One more thing before the holidays set in--I have been using my Denise Interchangeable Needles more often as I am juggling several projects on my needles. I've had a few incidents where the larger size tips have not locked into the cords properly. I have to say publicly that the Denise company provides among the best customer service I have ever had--they will guarantee and replace any needle tip with patience and grace. I have now replaced several sizes of tips, and I genuinely find that the company cares a great deal about my having a very positive experience using their needles. These needles may not be new or fancy, but they work well, are very flexible in terms of the number of lengths available (I've needed shorter lengths for hats, etc., and now a long length for an afghan) and are not metal, so are very suitable for flying. Kudos to Denise!

Holiday Knitting

Today I completed my last holiday knitted gift: the Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. This is a fantastic book and I'm thrilled with how these came out--so much so that I think I am going to make a pair for myself. First, I will use the leftover yarn--Araucania Nature Wool, which is really pretty--to make myself a warm winter hat. My first choice: Knitty's Foliage.
Meanwhile, I am gathering up projects to take on our upcoming vacation to a warm and sunny climate. When I return, I'll talk about the big new afghan project I'm about to embark on!
One more thing before the holidays set in--I have been using my Denise Interchangeable Needles more often as I am juggling several projects on my needles. I've had a few incidents where the larger size tips have not locked into the cords properly. I have to say publicly that the Denise company provides among the best customer service I have ever had--they will guarantee and replace any needle tip with patience and grace. I have now replaced several sizes of tips, and I genuinely find that the company cares a great deal about my having a very positive experience using their needles. These needles may not be new or fancy, but they work well, are very flexible in terms of the number of lengths available (I've needed shorter lengths for hats, etc., and now a long length for an afghan) and are not metal, so are very suitable for flying. Kudos to Denise!

Doing the Math

A few days ago, I started my Tai Chi cardigan, purchased as a kit last week at Stitches East. Here is a pic from Twisted Sisters' Website:


It's a series of strips of blocks that form a sort of patchwork cardigan; the strips are joined with a 3-needle bind-off and the collar and sleeves are picked up and knitted on. There are three types of blocks: Seed Stich, Mitred Square, and Stockinette. Pretty simple, right?
Well, after reading through the pattern, I discovered that the cardigan is very cropped--only 16 inches in length. Even though I am petite and often have to shorten sweater patterns to fit, this is a bit too short for my liking. No problem, just lengthen the blocks, right? Well, first of all, when I emailed Twisted Sisters, the pattern creator/designer, to ask about this, they suggested that the kit for the smaller size would probably just about have enough yarn to complete the pattern as written. Second, doing the math to alter the blocks and still be able to evenly join the strips was keeping me up at night! Specifically, the mitred square's math depends upon a specific number of rows, and changing that is beyond my comprehension.
After completing the first two blocks (including my first-ever mitred square--which I LOVED and now want to do much more of--Ravelry, here I come!), I realized that the mitred square ends with 4 rows of seed stitch--so this part can be adjusted if I want a bigger square. Probably not too much, or it will look weird, and besides, there's the problem of running out of yarn. I've decided to lengthen one block in each strip and see how things measure out when I finish the first strip. I can then adjust the pattern accordingly; I will be winging it in terms of the yarn, but with all the work this sweater will be, I'd rather try to get it to be the size I want. I can always block it too; Twisted Sisters have advised me to do the 3-needle bind off loosely to aid in stretchability during blocking.

On a much simpler note, I made a fingerless mitt for my son in two days. I think this will turn out to be my holiday gift of choice for the officemates; either that or some cowls. Something simple...too many projects competing for my attention, and so little time!

Doing the Math

A few days ago, I started my Tai Chi cardigan, purchased as a kit last week at Stitches East. Here is a pic from Twisted Sisters' Website:


It's a series of strips of blocks that form a sort of patchwork cardigan; the strips are joined with a 3-needle bind-off and the collar and sleeves are picked up and knitted on. There are three types of blocks: Seed Stich, Mitred Square, and Stockinette. Pretty simple, right?
Well, after reading through the pattern, I discovered that the cardigan is very cropped--only 16 inches in length. Even though I am petite and often have to shorten sweater patterns to fit, this is a bit too short for my liking. No problem, just lengthen the blocks, right? Well, first of all, when I emailed Twisted Sisters, the pattern creator/designer, to ask about this, they suggested that the kit for the smaller size would probably just about have enough yarn to complete the pattern as written. Second, doing the math to alter the blocks and still be able to evenly join the strips was keeping me up at night! Specifically, the mitred square's math depends upon a specific number of rows, and changing that is beyond my comprehension.
After completing the first two blocks (including my first-ever mitred square--which I LOVED and now want to do much more of--Ravelry, here I come!), I realized that the mitred square ends with 4 rows of seed stitch--so this part can be adjusted if I want a bigger square. Probably not too much, or it will look weird, and besides, there's the problem of running out of yarn. I've decided to lengthen one block in each strip and see how things measure out when I finish the first strip. I can then adjust the pattern accordingly; I will be winging it in terms of the yarn, but with all the work this sweater will be, I'd rather try to get it to be the size I want. I can always block it too; Twisted Sisters have advised me to do the 3-needle bind off loosely to aid in stretchability during blocking.

On a much simpler note, I made a fingerless mitt for my son in two days. I think this will turn out to be my holiday gift of choice for the officemates; either that or some cowls. Something simple...too many projects competing for my attention, and so little time!

Doing My Part for Our Economy

My sister and I went to Stitches East last week--it is the last time this event is going to be held in Baltimore, which is near where she lives and a modest train ride for me. We had skipped last year, and decided we both needed a fun sister day. Even though my stash was in no need of replenishing, I wanted to make sure I bought from some of my favorite vendors whose wares can only be found at fiber shows. These include Brooks Farm, where I bought 3 luscious skeins of Mas Acero, a light worsted that I will use for one of the many shawls I'm planning. The other vendor I wanted to make sure to visit was Tess Yarns, where I got 2 more balls of the microfiber ribbon that has gotten such raves in the tank I made a few years ago. This is a pretty blue/green/purple variegated that I will use for another tank. I stayed up late winding it the other night--that's the one drawback of this slippery ribbon, it is a BEAR to wind!! But now it's in two neat little balls, waiting for me to get through a few of the other projects I got.
The first item I cast on from my purchases is the Tai Chi cardigan from Twisted Sisters, purchased at the boot of Great Yarns of Everett, WA--this booth has the most exquisite collection of sweaters and other garments that I've seen. I could have made just about everything they had on display. I'd love to visit their store in person one day!
Among a few other projects, I also got some gorgeous fused glass buttons from Bonnie Maresh Glass Buttons, a vendor from whom I've bought before. My Talia vest is now complete and the buttons really make the finished object look fantastic.
I also had some time over the weekend to organize and catalogue my stash on Ravelry. Now I will enter yarn purchases into my Ravelry stash as I buy them. The closet is a bit daunting, but I did my part to prime the pump of our ailing economy and got some gorgeous yarns that make me very happy. Now if only I had more time to knit!

Doing My Part for Our Economy

My sister and I went to Stitches East last week--it is the last time this event is going to be held in Baltimore, which is near where she lives and a modest train ride for me. We had skipped last year, and decided we both needed a fun sister day. Even though my stash was in no need of replenishing, I wanted to make sure I bought from some of my favorite vendors whose wares can only be found at fiber shows. These include Brooks Farm, where I bought 3 luscious skeins of Mas Acero, a light worsted that I will use for one of the many shawls I'm planning. The other vendor I wanted to make sure to visit was Tess Yarns, where I got 2 more balls of the microfiber ribbon that has gotten such raves in the tank I made a few years ago. This is a pretty blue/green/purple variegated that I will use for another tank. I stayed up late winding it the other night--that's the one drawback of this slippery ribbon, it is a BEAR to wind!! But now it's in two neat little balls, waiting for me to get through a few of the other projects I got.
The first item I cast on from my purchases is the Tai Chi cardigan from Twisted Sisters, purchased at the boot of Great Yarns of Everett, WA--this booth has the most exquisite collection of sweaters and other garments that I've seen. I could have made just about everything they had on display. I'd love to visit their store in person one day!
Among a few other projects, I also got some gorgeous fused glass buttons from Bonnie Maresh Glass Buttons, a vendor from whom I've bought before. My Talia vest is now complete and the buttons really make the finished object look fantastic.
I also had some time over the weekend to organize and catalogue my stash on Ravelry. Now I will enter yarn purchases into my Ravelry stash as I buy them. The closet is a bit daunting, but I did my part to prime the pump of our ailing economy and got some gorgeous yarns that make me very happy. Now if only I had more time to knit!

Milestone

Since I seem to be finding less time to blog, I will keep up my recent tradition of posting when I have a finished object to brag about. I finished my Muse Wrap last night! Yay! I immediately pinned it out to block, and today it was ready to wear. I'm very pleased with it. My knitting group saw it last week as I was furiously working to finish it--I, like many knitters, become almost obsessed when I'm so close to finishing something that I've been working on for MONTHS--I was ready to stop and have some yarn left over, but they encouraged me to use up all the yarn I had so that I could throw the shawl over my shoulder. I'm glad I listened to them. The Sublime Kid Mohair Blend is so airy and pretty, that I think I will love wearing this shawl over a coat now that the weather is turning colder, and then wearing inside over a top once I take my coat off. Because of the lightness of the yarn--it almost floats--having a shawl that is over 80 inches long won't seem odd for a 5'2" person.
I had originally planned this shawl as a piece to keep in my office for those chilly winter or summer (air-conditioned) days, but I think it's a little too dressy. I've queued a bunch of worsted weight shawls in Ravelry that I think would serve the office purpose better. But it may be awhile before I get to those--for now, I will continue work on Talia, as well as the Diagonal Baby Blanket I am working on as part of my knitting group's Charity Project for a local hospital. I'm using Lion Brand Homespun in a pretty colorway called Quartz, which has some pastels on a beige background. It is coming out soft and nice even though the yarn has a sort of weird feeling to it.
Eventually, I will also get back to my socks, but I'm finding it easier to be somewhat project monogamous these days.
By the way...I also learned how to edit my photos using the Picnik service on Flickr. Hopefully now they will fit better in the little squares on Ravelry, and look better here too!

Milestone

Since I seem to be finding less time to blog, I will keep up my recent tradition of posting when I have a finished object to brag about. I finished my Muse Wrap last night! Yay! I immediately pinned it out to block, and today it was ready to wear. I'm very pleased with it. My knitting group saw it last week as I was furiously working to finish it--I, like many knitters, become almost obsessed when I'm so close to finishing something that I've been working on for MONTHS--I was ready to stop and have some yarn left over, but they encouraged me to use up all the yarn I had so that I could throw the shawl over my shoulder. I'm glad I listened to them. The Sublime Kid Mohair Blend is so airy and pretty, that I think I will love wearing this shawl over a coat now that the weather is turning colder, and then wearing inside over a top once I take my coat off. Because of the lightness of the yarn--it almost floats--having a shawl that is over 80 inches long won't seem odd for a 5'2" person.
I had originally planned this shawl as a piece to keep in my office for those chilly winter or summer (air-conditioned) days, but I think it's a little too dressy. I've queued a bunch of worsted weight shawls in Ravelry that I think would serve the office purpose better. But it may be awhile before I get to those--for now, I will continue work on Talia, as well as the Diagonal Baby Blanket I am working on as part of my knitting group's Charity Project for a local hospital. I'm using Lion Brand Homespun in a pretty colorway called Quartz, which has some pastels on a beige background. It is coming out soft and nice even though the yarn has a sort of weird feeling to it.
Eventually, I will also get back to my socks, but I'm finding it easier to be somewhat project monogamous these days.
By the way...I also learned how to edit my photos using the Picnik service on Flickr. Hopefully now they will fit better in the little squares on Ravelry, and look better here too!

Can't Get Enough Northampton!

Now that the Staghorn Cabled Tunic is finished, I wanted to make something with the 2+ skeins of Northampton that I had left. I loved this yarn so much, and I just wasn't in the mood for another scarf. Using the wonders of Ravelry, I found a few projects that I could probably do with the amount of yarn I have left, and I settled on the Talia tunic-style vest from the Spring 2008 Knitty. It is designed by Sweater Babe, and it's the first project I'm doing by her. So far, I'm loving it--it is a cardigan knit in one piece, so it should be fun to do and with pretty much no finishing!
I am determined to finish the Muse Wrap first, so Talia can be my take-along knitting. I did a few rows at my son's football game last week and will take it again. Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's great football-game knitting weather!

Can't Get Enough Northampton!

Now that the Staghorn Cabled Tunic is finished, I wanted to make something with the 2+ skeins of Northampton that I had left. I loved this yarn so much, and I just wasn't in the mood for another scarf. Using the wonders of Ravelry, I found a few projects that I could probably do with the amount of yarn I have left, and I settled on the Talia tunic-style vest from the Spring 2008 Knitty. It is designed by Sweater Babe, and it's the first project I'm doing by her. So far, I'm loving it--it is a cardigan knit in one piece, so it should be fun to do and with pretty much no finishing!
I am determined to finish the Muse Wrap first, so Talia can be my take-along knitting. I did a few rows at my son's football game last week and will take it again. Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's great football-game knitting weather!

Pleasing a Tough Customer

It's been awhile; blogging is getting harder to fit in to my life, but it is so nice to do it when I can. So here goes.
I have probably written before about knitting for my family versus for me. My husband, daughter and son all love hand-knit socks (doesn't everyone, once they experience what it feels like to wear a pair?) Other than socks, my husband has specific wants in terms of sweaters, and he did recently wear his Woodsy Ribs Vest for the first time post-summer, and it looked great! I could tell that he likes it too. My 13-year-old son doesn't wear sweaters, but does like a knitted hat every once in awhile. My 15-year-old daughter, who favors Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle, has not been a fan of hand-knit garments, although she does like knit bags and I have made her a couple of wraps to wear with dressy clothes. I knew she'd like the Staghorn Cabled Tunic when I saw it in the WEBS catalog, and she did. I am thrilled to say that she loves the completed garment, and it fits her PERFECTLY!

I agonized over the sizing, settling on the 32 as written. She even wants the same buttons as those in the picture, so the pattern designer, Kirsten Hipsky at WEBS, kindly steered me to them. It is so wonderful to make something that my style-conscious daughter will wear with pride!
Also, a word about the yarn, Valley Yarns Northampton--I LOVE it. I have 2+ skeins left and will probably make a scarf for charity. I am eager to use it again, and to try other Valley Yarns products. They are an excellent value and of course, who doesn't want to support the wonderful folks at WEBS?
So now I am intent on finishing--or at least getting much further along on--my Muse Wrap. I have 180 rows done; the pattern calls for 400 rows but given my height I think I will be fine with less, maybe 300-350.
Now that I am in the groove with it, I am enjoying it immensely, it just has to be a stay-at-home project because it's not the type of project that you can put down in the middle of a row. I'll go back to my Sweetpea Socks for take-along knitting, although I need a refresher to get me back in the groove on those!

Pleasing a Tough Customer

It's been awhile; blogging is getting harder to fit in to my life, but it is so nice to do it when I can. So here goes.
I have probably written before about knitting for my family versus for me. My husband, daughter and son all love hand-knit socks (doesn't everyone, once they experience what it feels like to wear a pair?) Other than socks, my husband has specific wants in terms of sweaters, and he did recently wear his Woodsy Ribs Vest for the first time post-summer, and it looked great! I could tell that he likes it too. My 13-year-old son doesn't wear sweaters, but does like a knitted hat every once in awhile. My 15-year-old daughter, who favors Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle, has not been a fan of hand-knit garments, although she does like knit bags and I have made her a couple of wraps to wear with dressy clothes. I knew she'd like the Staghorn Cabled Tunic when I saw it in the WEBS catalog, and she did. I am thrilled to say that she loves the completed garment, and it fits her PERFECTLY!

I agonized over the sizing, settling on the 32 as written. She even wants the same buttons as those in the picture, so the pattern designer, Kirsten Hipsky at WEBS, kindly steered me to them. It is so wonderful to make something that my style-conscious daughter will wear with pride!
Also, a word about the yarn, Valley Yarns Northampton--I LOVE it. I have 2+ skeins left and will probably make a scarf for charity. I am eager to use it again, and to try other Valley Yarns products. They are an excellent value and of course, who doesn't want to support the wonderful folks at WEBS?
So now I am intent on finishing--or at least getting much further along on--my Muse Wrap. I have 180 rows done; the pattern calls for 400 rows but given my height I think I will be fine with less, maybe 300-350.
Now that I am in the groove with it, I am enjoying it immensely, it just has to be a stay-at-home project because it's not the type of project that you can put down in the middle of a row. I'll go back to my Sweetpea Socks for take-along knitting, although I need a refresher to get me back in the groove on those!

The Right Project for the Right Time

It's been almost a month since I've blogged...sorry to anyone who is awaiting new material!
Our vacation was fabulous and I actually got a fair amount of knitting done. No one confiscated my needles at an airport, and I was careful to knit mindless projects when I was somewhere that required concentration (such as listening to a tour guide or navigating those unfamiliar roads while my husband drove), while I worked on my Muse Wrap while in a quiet setting where I knew I'd be able to finish a row uninterrupted!
Now that I'm back, I've been busy going back and forth to doctors appointments with my mom, who is about to have surgery. The Staghorn Cabled Tunic, which I started for my daughter, is my project of choice for these occasions--it's an easy, fast-moving pattern and if I stop in the middle of a row, it's no big deal. She is excited about it too, which is awesome for a 15-year old!

In the world of socks, I finished my Saucy Socks on the trip and I'm really pleased with them. I'm now at the beginning of the Sweetpea Socks from Knitty, using the Silkie Socks that Rock Yarn all the way from the 2007 Sock Club! I read too many negative reviews of the openwork pattern that came with this yarn and was reluctant to knit it, even though I liked the look of it. Too much going on to do a frustrating pattern!
I'm also awaiting my box for Dishrag Tag...hope to receive the box this week before I head off on a long car ride for the holiday weekend.

The Right Project for the Right Time

It's been almost a month since I've blogged...sorry to anyone who is awaiting new material!
Our vacation was fabulous and I actually got a fair amount of knitting done. No one confiscated my needles at an airport, and I was careful to knit mindless projects when I was somewhere that required concentration (such as listening to a tour guide or navigating those unfamiliar roads while my husband drove), while I worked on my Muse Wrap while in a quiet setting where I knew I'd be able to finish a row uninterrupted!
Now that I'm back, I've been busy going back and forth to doctors appointments with my mom, who is about to have surgery. The Staghorn Cabled Tunic, which I started for my daughter, is my project of choice for these occasions--it's an easy, fast-moving pattern and if I stop in the middle of a row, it's no big deal. She is excited about it too, which is awesome for a 15-year old!

In the world of socks, I finished my Saucy Socks on the trip and I'm really pleased with them. I'm now at the beginning of the Sweetpea Socks from Knitty, using the Silkie Socks that Rock Yarn all the way from the 2007 Sock Club! I read too many negative reviews of the openwork pattern that came with this yarn and was reluctant to knit it, even though I liked the look of it. Too much going on to do a frustrating pattern!
I'm also awaiting my box for Dishrag Tag...hope to receive the box this week before I head off on a long car ride for the holiday weekend.

Vacation Knitting

I am about to head out on vacation, but got in under the wire to sign up for Dish Rag Tag, round 2, today! (see button link in sidebar) I have been addicted to dishcloths this week (here are some samples):

and am taking a couple with me for some mindless knitting.

I will be the navigator in a foreign country so I can't bring too much complex knitting in the car, so I've packed projects in a variety of complexities to satisfy any situation I may encounter! For the plane, I've packed a dishrag and another project on needles that I wouldn't mind having confiscated; we are flying on a foreign carrier and I've heard some horror stories of knitting needles being taken despite the fact that the TSA allows them.

I'll let you know what happens when I return in a couple of weeks!

Vacation Knitting

I am about to head out on vacation, but got in under the wire to sign up for Dish Rag Tag, round 2, today! (see button link in sidebar) I have been addicted to dishcloths this week (here are some samples):

and am taking a couple with me for some mindless knitting.

I will be the navigator in a foreign country so I can't bring too much complex knitting in the car, so I've packed projects in a variety of complexities to satisfy any situation I may encounter! For the plane, I've packed a dishrag and another project on needles that I wouldn't mind having confiscated; we are flying on a foreign carrier and I've heard some horror stories of knitting needles being taken despite the fact that the TSA allows them.

I'll let you know what happens when I return in a couple of weeks!