Yet another fiber fesitval this year…

Oregon Flock & Fiber was last weekend, the 4th (and last I believe) of the fiber/knitting/yarn festivals I’ve been to this year.  I almost didn’t go. Saturday was an exhausting day for me – working 6am-3pm then heading to the outdoor Pearl Jam show. It was great show, but I got very cold & sick of the drunk & stoned assholes that seemed to be surrounding me where ever I went – I was stone cold sober, much to my annoyance, which made it worse.  I’ve loved Pearl Jam for a very long time – even before Ten came out – but after this show & the one in MA I saw last year, I’m realizing I hate their fan base.   Anyway, we didn’t get home until about 1am so it was a very long day.  But when I got up on Sunday, it was a gorgeous cool crisp fall day & something out there was calling to me.

Alpacas!  I love alpacas & I missed them at Black Sheep Gathering.

They are just so cute.  I want one!  But, uh, that’s not in the cards at the moment.

And there were Angora bunnies there too!  I actually hadn’t been to a fiber festival that had them so that was a treat.  I wanted to hold them, but felt bad because I wasn’t actually going to buy one.  Still, they were so cute.

And of course, I had to hit Blue Moon.  I’m realizing, especially with my current sock project (1 down!), I could knit socks only with STR & be perfectly happy. Of course, there are a few exceptions – Lotus Yarn most notably and of course the company I work for!   I behaved – I mean, I am very lucky to live close by a yarn store that sells it anyway and it’s not like I didn’t already buy a lot this year at BSG & Sock Summit.  But the sale & mill ends were too much to pass up.

The lighter one is a mediumweight mill end – I haven’t done any research on the colorway but it really called to me.  The other two are heavyweight in Jubilation – I think this is going to be scarf/shawl for me – I’m even thinking a Clapotis since I wear my other one so much.  But I will probably wait until after Christmas to start it

And believe it or not, that’s all I bought at OFF.  My allergies were kicking in so I didn’t stay very long (note: going to a fiber festival when you are already feeling crappy from allergies is not a good idea).  But it wasn’t the only yarn I got this week.  Check this out:

Yes, you are reading that tag correctly.  Mink & cashmere!  And yes, it is a soft as you would think it would be.  This is all very animal friendly – you can read about it on the Great Northern Yarns website – so I won’t be getting red paint thrown on me.  And the price was great – a member of the Ravelry group Yarnthropology - my fave group I always read but never post in – had listed it as her current favorite yarn & I figured it would be a similar price to say, quivet (ie expensive as hell).  But nope, this 100 gram DK weight skein was $19.90 – the same as most good sock yarns.  I had to try it out. And it’s going to be a lovely cowl for myself – I can’t wait to wrap it around my neck.

And you know what I’m most excited about?  It’s finally fall in the Northwest!  Time for baking & wearing wooly items.  Of course, I’ll be sick of it in a couple of months, I’m sure, but right now I’m so happy to not be sweating to death.

 

Sock Summit pt 3 – The Purchases

Sorry, I meant to get this up yesterday but…I was lazy I guess.

So if you heard me on the KnitPicks podcast (thought I’d get that little plug in there again ) you already know about some of my purchases.  It’s pretty ridiculous, I don’t NEED more yarn (especially sock yarn, especially after going to the Knit/Crochet Show and Black Sheep Gathering in the last couple of months)  But seriously?  it was so hard to resist.

I am not alone in this.  Since I had a vendor pass, I had a good view of when they first opened the doors to the marketplace.

Tina & Stephanie open the doors

Let the madness begin!

I tried to be good.  I really did.  But I think I lost my head a bit.

notice that bright orange? that's from hanging out with Cristi all weekend.

If you click on the photo, you can see notes on all the lovely goodness.  I’ll highlight a few – the ones I spoke about on the podcast actually – they are my faves.

Well first Blue Moon is crack.

Yes, even after my 5 skeins at Black Sheep, I bought more – 1 Rare Gems (left) and 2 Mill Ends.  The HW in the middle looks really loose because I actually was going to wind it & have Cristi show me some cool cast ons she learned to make a hat.  Sadly, we ran out of time.  I still started a hat though, but that’s for another post.

Will I end up getting more STR at Oregon Flock & Fiber too?  Probably…

While I didn’t score any Bugga! (Actually, I didn’t really try – I didn’t find the booth until Saturday I think.  The marketplace is huge!), I did buy a hard to get yarn  - Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs Goth Socks!  They were nearly sold out when I got this on…Friday? Saturday? I can’t remember. These totally bring me back to my goth days (these colors remind me so much the GBF wh0 I used to go dancing with all the time – they are his favourite colours and one of my very first projects was a red & black scarf for him).  I love the stripey black socks I’ve seen out of this but I could never manage to get my hands on them during an update…until now!

I scored Oh My Goth! – the cashmere blend.  I’m going to do these (gasp!) toe up with probably different heels & toes to see how long I can get them – they won’t be knee high by any means (grumble stupid long legs grumble stupid big feet grumble) but I think that they will be super fun.

And another cashmere blend…

Melanie’s new line of Lotus Yarns…Pin Ups.  This one is Rita & just screamed me – I love blues with browns & blacks.  I haven’t decided what to do with this but I may try a scarf with it – I want that luscious yarn around my neck!

The fun didn’t just stop with the yarn, oh no.  I got lots of toys too.

I’m going to put tags on this picture as well, so click away if you want to know.  The little bag in the top right was actually not a purchase – it was a lovely gift from Cristi!

I also purchased something I’ve wanted for awhile now – a cute little set from KaratStix!  I’ve been eyeing these on blogs & I know I could have asked for a more personalized one – probably with bats, what can I say? – but I just went with the cute little sheep instead

A new to me LYS in the area sells them – Dublin Bay – so maybe I will check out the actual store.

A couple of other things – a pattern magnet from Lotus Yarns (the Owls) and a pattern & button from Twisted - the pattern, Prarie House Shawl is by Portland’s own Star Athena.  I sat with the Twisted girls for the opening ceremonies & saw one of them working on it so the next day I immediatly bought it.  I actually even cast on for it for knitting night this week at Twisted – it’s a fun pattern.

Well I hope you have enjoyed the sock summit posts – it really was a once in a lifetime experience & one I will always remember.  Big thanks to the organizers & thank you to everyone who I got to experience it with who made it special.

I’m trying to get back to blogging more regularly and I have lots of new sewing projects & tons of knitting to show – I have startitis it seems.

 

I am insane

Because this:

Probably shouldn’t mean knitting a sweater with this:

um, yeah it's a heavy weight wool/alplaca blend

But that’s what I’m doing:

also a new bag - isn't it cute?

Though at the moment, I may copy Mina & stretch out on the floor.

In her case, the top of my fabric bin.

"what? I'm hot, I don't care I'm not ladylike."

Only one week & a bit until Sock Summit!  Let’s hope it cools down a bit.

 

Must. Stop. Making. Bags.

I may have a problem.  I’m addicting to making bags.

It’s not like I’m the kind of girl who switches bags to coordinate with her outfits (ha ha, I’m lucky if my clothes somewhat go together)  I’ve been carrying the same big black Kate Spade bag (my only designer item and I didn’t pay for it) for years – it fits all my essentials – wallet, phone, water bottle, sock knitting, a book – even my computer.  And hey, black goes with everything.  I also have a smaller hip bag I carry sometimes when I don’t need anything more than my wallet/phone – it goes across my body & I keep it on when I’m out at a bar or a show.

Then, suddenly, my mom comes to visit & I start making all these bags.

First – a bright orange bag that goes with nothing.

I called it Henry Lee - as in "a little bird lit down on Henry Lee" - Nick Cave/PJ Harvey song

I love it.  It’s like a messenger bag, as it goes across my body & is big enough to hold all my essentials.  The strap is a bit short but still, love it.  So Kate’s been retired for a bit.

I got the fabric from Ikea.  Why on earth did I not go there before?  I live 5 minutes (literally!) away.  I pass it everyday on my way to work.  They have awesome fun fabric, among other things.  I am lame.  Anyway the fabric is heavy canvas-y which is great…although I did experience my first broken sewing needle.

Then there came these:

no name for these, but I had a bird theme this weekend apparently

Okay now these are things I never use.  I like to keep my hands free when I’m out & about and carrying a purse.  And to make these handbags with wooden handles that I can only carry with my hand rather than my shoulder?  Sigh.  But they are so cute!  And easy to make – I used this tutorial - and quick.   I really love them.

Plus I made a couple more little drawstring bags & this little bag for my lipstick, chapstick, personal products that roll around in my purse all the time

By the way, I did not just sew up bags with my mom, I also made some piillow cases (one out of the blue birdie fabric on the purse up there) and some towels.  But bags pretty much were the focus – my mom made one similar to Henry Lee & some drawstring bags too.  If you really want to see them, they’re all on my flickr page.  We had a great girly crafty weekend – I love hanging out with my mom.

Oh, and I also bought a book – Sew What! Bags by Lexie Barnes.   So, I’m sure this obsession will not end anytime soon.

THEN today I get my first employee purchase from Knit Picks & guess what I got?

Yep.  The kit for the Montavilla Market Tote.  It’s not like I need grocery bags either – I have several reusable bags already because I freaking hate plastic grocery bags with a passion. Beyond even the environmental impact, I’ve just always hated them & my totes hold more & are easier to carry.  I almost always have my red Trader Joe’s tote bag in my purse.  But I guess I don’t have any knitted ones, so that makes it okay, right?

I also got some yarn (City Tweed finally!) and new circular needles (hopefully I won’t break another size 0 needle) but…excuse me, my Elinor is calling me to sew up another impractical frivolous bag.

 

Busy Days

Note – I began this post 2 days ago.  It’s been one of those weeks.  Sorry, this also turned into quite a long post for me.

After several weeks of not having anything to do (with the exception of when CoffeeBoy was here), I’ve suddenly had a busy couple of days.  Starting work, especially since I haven’t worked in over 3 months, has definetly contributed to that – more on that later.

First I want talk about Black Sheep Gathering – my first and still favourite fiber festival. I wasn’t able to go last year, obviously as I was still in MA, but I did go 2 years ago, Friday with my mom, Saturday with my friends.  This year I only went with my mom but we had such a fantastic time. Soon after I arrived, after chatting with Donna at Lavender Sheep and Sharon at Stitchjones, I immediatly headed to Blue Moon.  They are crackdealers, I swear. Now Twisted carries Socks That Rock, but what they don’t have is…Mill Ends.  And at BSG, not only did they have mill ends, they had Raven Clan mill ends.  I could not resist.

I tried to be good, I did limit it to 5 of  STR – 3 Raven Clan (2 MW that might be Pallas Athena and Raven and 1 HW that might be Rook-y), 1 other HW (maybe a varation of Kaw Kaw?) and 1 other MW (I think it might be a varation of Henpecked maybe?) and  If any other STR fanatics have suggestions, I’d love to hear them – you can see close up pictures on my Ravelry Stash page.

And not only did the Blue Moon Fever strike me, it got my mom as well.  My mom, who not long ago gave me all her sock yarn because she didn’t like knitting socks, decided she really wants to knit socks.  The night before I taught her how to magic loop and when she witnessed the frenzy at Blue Moon, she decided she really really REALLY wanted to knit socks.  I wish I got some pictures of those too – I steered her towards the HW & MW – I think starting on LW got her to give up too quickly.  I also wrote up some very basic, very detailed, instructions on knitting socks on ML with a short row heel.

The student teaches the teacher  We’ll see if she sticks with it…otherwise I may find myself with even more sock yarn!

I did actually get a couple of other sock yarns.

The far leftis more Cashmara - the yarn I fell in love with at the Knit & Crochet show.  Decided I needed some purple!  Then the pretty chocolate minty yarns is from StitchJones – that is my fave color combination so I couldn’t pass it up.  I’m actually thinking about doing my craft room in that color scheme actually.  Anyway, that was all of my purchases…at least at Black Sheep.

Sadly, the alpacas weren’t there this year but we did see some cute sheeps & goats!

baby goats!

Howdy.

Nice horns, buddy.

All in all, it was a great day.  Not least of which was spending so much time with just me & my mom.  While I do visit my family every other week or so, I rarely get to spend just time with my mom.  But we have a tendency to be bad for each other – we are such enablers.  My mom got me back for the STR the next day.

I’ve been buying more & more fabric – nevermind I still haven’t gotten my sewing machine to work yet.  I just really want to make come cute bags – I’m not as interested in quilts or clothing at the moment.  For instance, I bought these the other day for $1 each at consignment store down the street.

So that got my mom excited, as she’s more of a sewer than knitter.  So on Saturday she “suggested” we go to Joanns “just to look”.

Yeah right.

my entire weekend haul.

Siiiiiiiigh.  Do I really need another hobby?  Anyway, they had the Sugar & Cream plus all the Fat Quarters on sale.  Then I deciede, since I lost my fave headband somewhere in my mom/sister’s house (easy to do there), I thought I might get some fabric to make some new ones – I loved my headband, it was a really cool large one I got at Last Thursday last month.   I wore when driving since my hair is too short to put up & just blows all around when the window is down.  And then I picked up a pattern for a nice messenger bag, but no fabric for that.  Yet.

Let remind you – I Still Haven’t Actually Sewed Anything Since Jr. High.  Mom keeps promising to come up & check out my sewing machine, but that hasn’t happened yet.  Maybe it’s best for both of our wallet’s sake.

And my new job is going to be an even bigger enabler.  So the news is I am now working for Crafts Americana as a Customer Service Rep.  In case you don’t know, or don’t click on that link., they are the parent compnay of one of my favourite places on the ‘net – KnitPicks!  Dream come true.  :)  I am very excited – I started this week, just training, and it’s all I can do to not just pet the yarn samples all around.  Plus there are lots of fun people – Melissa works there (though in a different depaartment, so I don’t see her much) and all the folks I’ve only “known” through Ravelry or the Knitting Community. Yes, I even met Xena. (she’s really sweet & cute).    I”m just so thrilled, especially after sending off at least 50 or so resumes (probably more) and KP is the only place that called me back AND the place I wanted to work at most.   Also good – short commute (15 minutes!) though it is weird driving to work again after several years of not having to.  And let’s not forget that discount…when should I make my first purchase?

(CB’s first comment on hearing I got the job – “Yah, congratulations!”  Second comment? “I don’t want to come home & see the house overrun with yarn.”  Silly boy.  I also work for Connecting Threads so fabric might be a bigger issue these days…)

This post is getting so long, so I’ll have to wait to blog about some of my other adventures – new knitting, an vinyl party at my friends, and seeing Food Inc last night.  Everyone needs to see this movie.

 

Knit & Crochet Show

The first of many yarny events in Oregon this summer started this week – the Knit & Crochet Show Spring 2009 Show!  To be honest, it was the one I was least interested in – I’m way more excited for Black Sheep Gathering and, of course, Sock Summit.  But I thought, what the hell, it’s a yarny event & I really should go check it out, even if I wasn’t going to take any classes.  Bit of a mistake as it turned out, for my wallet at least.

No I didn’t buy the bag at the show – it’s from the Ravelry Store of course.  But I took it along to carry any purchases I may make, though I honestly thought I wouldn’t buy much.  I mean, I’m planning on some big sock yarn purchases at the other shows this summer!  

Everything I purchased fit right in the bag.  Good sign, right?

Um, no.  Those bags hold A LOT.  Sigh.  So my haul:

• Comic book & Alex’s Eyes Pattern from Handknit Heroes.  An knitting comic book!  How fun is that?  Plus I had to buy the mask kit – I have a nephew with a birthay coming up who will love it.  The comic book, however, is for me.
• (2) Alpaca toys (one for mom from (I think) Spinner’s Candy.  I’m really terrible for not getting a card  The sheep & alpaca toys were just so cute!
• Shawl Pin from Pam Sanders Art, purchased at Imagine If Woodworks.  I really loved the buttons too, I could have happily spent all my money there.
• Passport Pouch pattern from Gardiner Yarn Works, where I was recognized from my blog! Bit of a shock really, but I was thrilled, although I may not have come off that way. (Hi Donna!  Sorry I was so shy! I came back to talk to you again & purchase this pattern but you had left for the day).  Right below that in the picture is the yarn I purchased for it – I think it was the same as the one used in the sample at the show.

• Silk Sport (100% silk!) in Midnight Rose from Lavendersheep.  This might go to my mom as well, but I really like it for myself…hmmm, decisions…

Oh and then there’s the Sock Yarn…I don’t need more sock yarn.  I don’t want more sock yarn – my sock yarn stash is out of control!  And yet, I purchase sock yarn.  Sigh.  I did limit it to semi solid in fibers other than just superwash wool, since I do have so much of it.

• This was my first purchase…oh golly.  It’s Cashmara from flydesigns, and yes it has cashmere in it.  Merino, cashmere and nylon to be precise, DK weight and it is as divine as it sounds.  I wish I could capture the colour better – it’s Ruby and and a semi solid so there is some nice variations.  This is going to be a pair of cushy socks for me.

• I decided if I was going to buy more sock yarn, I wanted more bamboo/merino blends – I always seem to grab those socks first & I really enjoy working with it.  And I wanted orange – apparently the whole I need yellow yarn mood I was in has carried over to orange – another color I own absolutely nothing of.  I looked at a couple of places & ended up going with this lovely Pagewood Farm sock yarn because it was more semi solid (yes it is orange, I know it looks more pink in this shot, but the color is pretty accurate in the picture up top.)  When talking to the nice gentleman at the Diva booth, I discovered that this yarn was 30% off, so the green Grasshopper one fell into my bag as well.

So, geez, if that was my haul from the first event, I shudder to think what’s going to jump in my hands at the others (especially Sock Summit…and don’t forget the Blue Moon Socks that Rock mill ends at BSG.).  I think I start feeling bad not buying from all these small businesses the longer I stay at an event – I want to support everyone!  But I’m going to have to curb that I think.

I didn’t take many photos at the show, but I’ll leave you with a few.  I’m going to go fondle my Cashmara some more.

FlyDesigns booth...I wanted it all!

 

spinning fiber, although I'm not a spinner, it was just so pretty.

From the fashion show, modeling the Handknit Heroes knits from the comic book.

 

You are my Sunshine

It’s been a dreary couple of days here in the Northwest – a few sunbreaks, but mostly rain rain rain

taken off my front porch - the end of my driveway always gets so flooded

So I decided I needed some sunshine to cheer me up:

Like I really need more sock yarn.  I bought this for a couple of reasons –  I was really in the mood for some yellow – most of my sock yarn is more muted and the ones that are bright were too variegated for what I had in mind.  Yellow is a colour I don’t really go out of my way to get – it’s hard to put my finger on what kind I like   Anyway, I keep seeing this cheery colour pop up on blogs lately (too many to list, but Turtlegirl’s new Bugga purchase is a great example) and I needed to have some desperately.

I also wanted something I can work on when I go to the open craft night at Twisted – I don’t feel right going to a knit night and working on a yarn not purchased there.  (Let’s not think about the other sock yarn I have in my stash from there.  They are not yellow, damnit.)  Of course, due to a sick kitty I wanted to keep an eye on, I ended up not going last night anyway.  (Mina seems to be okay now by the way). Well, there’s always next week.

The pretty bag is also from Twisted

Finally, I recently purchased Cookie A’s new book and I wanted a semi solid to work on some of the patterns (again, let’s ignore the 2 skeins of KnitPicks Essential Kettle Dyed I just bought, as well as a Malabrigo Sock  that is a semi solid. Not yellow, damnit.)  This Cherry Tree Hill yarn was perfect – it’s their new Supersock Select Semi Solids and lordy is it soft soft soft.  I’ve actually never worked with Cherry Tree Hill yarn before but I don’t think this will be my last purchase from them.

yes, those are my Boos watching me in the background

Even balling it up was a delight, I just want to roll around in this yarn. 

I ended up choosing Devon for the pattern & I got through one full repeat last night.

look at me, using stitch markers and everything

I think I’m going to like how these turn out!  Of course, I’m also working on a half dozen other projects, some with deadlines – gifts for mother’s day and socks for CoffeeBoy (who will be here 3 weeks from today, I can’t wait!).  But at least now when I need a bit of sunshine in my life, I can just admire my socks!

 

Monkey x 2

Monkey wearing Monkey Socks

Taking a break from packing/cleaning/trying not the stress out too much to show a couple of FOs with a bit of theme.

 

Let’s Go Crazy, Monkey

Let’s Go Crazy, Monkey Socks

Started:February 28

Completed: March 23

Yarn: PandaToes by CrazyMonkey in Let’s Go Crazy

Patten:  Monkey by Cookie A

Needles: Size 2US Harmony DPNs

Notes:  Seems fitting that my final pair of Commuter Socks is the Monkey pattern again, as my other monkey socks were the first pair I worked on while riding the commuter train to work.

I like how these turned out better though.  I like the Monkey pattern okay – it’s not my favourite, but I like how I can complete a repeat on a train ride.  And I love the yarn – I really enjoy having bamboo/wool blend yarn socks, they are so comfortable without being too warm.  And the colours from CrazyMonkey are fantastic.

These also may very well be my last pair of dpn-knitted socks.  I’ve gone to the dark side – I’m in love with Magic Loop.  Of course at this moment, I only have one circ to use for socks, but when I get back to OR my mom & I are planning a big knitpicks order together – I am trying not to buy yarn but I do want more circs & some Bare for socks for CoffeeBoy.

And for another Monkey…

 

I will hug him & pet him & call him George

George

Started: March 13th

Completed: March 21st

Yarn:  Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Beige (left over from my Grandma’s blanket), KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Iron Ore, random white yarn in stash.

Pattern: Sock Monkey by Yvonne Boucher

Needles: Size 5US and 10.5US (for scarf)

Notes:  Not the cutest creature I’ve made,but I still love him – he’s very soft & hugable.  CB felt bad because he put the eyes on & put them on crooked so George has a bit of lopsided look to him.  Ah well, part of his charm I guess. Anyway, I just randomly decided to make him – as I mentioned he’ll probably go to my niece but maybe he’ll just be my buddy in the house in OR.  Only intentional mod was making the pieces in the round (Magic Loop!  Told you I’m hooked) and one unintentional mod – I messed up the striping on the legs – they don’t exactly match.  I’m just glad I finished him so I can get him packed up.

Tomorrow, the movers come to take all our stuff away.  Hopefully I won’t get too bored with the yarn I have with me…but at least I got something new this week to ogle…

 

Astarte from the Mythos Yarn Club

Ooo, my first shipment from Lotus Knits Mythos Yarn club and it is purty!  This I think might be a scarf – this beautiful silver &  purples will be perfect for one.  So at least that’s something other than socks I can amuse myself with!  I’m also excited because Melanie might be coming to Portland for the Sock Summit! (which of course I will be attending – what great timing!)  I plan on stealing more of her yarn!  Check out her raffle here – there are some great prizes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A year in knitting

After the first day of the year in a haze of sleep deprivation & airports, I am finally back in MA!  While it wasn’t the best vacation ever (see previous, whiny post), it was great being with my family & friends again. CoffeeBoy and I also made some decisions about our future, which makes us both feel better about coming back to life & reality again.  Mostly, both of us feel very stagnant in our current living situation, so now we have a goal to work for in the new year.

But how was the previous year in knitting?

I had approximately 50 knitting projects total (there are 42 according to Ravelry, but there were some I didn’t put in there – some dishcloths for one).

Some highlights:

I made a lot of socks

19 pairs, in fact. That’s up from 8 last year.  Which makes sense, given I now commute on a train 2 hours a day & sock knitting is perfect for it.

The original Reversi Socks

Most (13) were for me, 3 were for CoffeeBoy, 3 for other family members.  I also think that, in addition to the train commute, my Harmony dpns have added to my love for sock knitting.  I have become a dpn-only person, thought I have tried 2 circs & didn’t like it. 

Punk Rock Commuter Socks

I do have a long size 1 circular needle to try magic looping but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.  I like my dpn rut.  I pretty much stuck to top down heel flap basic stockinette socks although I did try a couple of patterns and lately have been doing a short row heel instead of my flaps.  Most were basic wool/nylon blend but I did branch out with some bamboo, silk, alpaca, and tencel.     

Movie Knitting Socks

I, understandably, only wear handknit socks now (the exception is when I work out, I have little thin cotton socks for that).  It’s hard to pick favourites but I think my original Reversi socks turned out the best (though I sadly shrank them & they are no longer mine).  

Not Quite Knee-Highs

The socks I probably wear the most are my Punk Rock Commuter  Socks, my Movie Knitting Socks and lately, my Not Quite Knee High socks (perfect to wear with my snow boots – they don’t slide down as much).   I do wear almost all the socks I completed for myself – some of the more boring ones are good for when I should be a bit more professional at work.

My sock plan for 2009 – well more socks!  With my commute lasting until at least March (if not longer), I should be able to get a  few more pairs done.  If I should  not have to do the daily train commute, I will probably still end up making more socks than anything in 2009.  Unless I fall in with dishcloths or something (unlikely, I like them I just don’t LOVE them)

I made a sweater in 2 weeks

Opulent Ragalan

Big accomplishment this year.  I made a total of 4 sweaters in 2008, 3 of which I wear frequently (sorry Blue Gable)  but my favourite is definitely my Opulent Ragalan, made for the Ravelmpics.  I still love this sweater, it looks nice for work over a collared shirt and keeps me very warm with out a lot of bulk (I love my Cozy sweater too, but it does add a lot of bulk to my already bulky body.  Still very warm – in fact, I have it on now)

I haven’t finished as many sweaters this year (key word: finished.  Many were frogged or simply abandoned).  I think part of it is the upswing in sock knitting and part of it is my weight gain over the past year makes me depressed about making sweaters.  I need to get over it and get my ass to the gym more often.  Anyway, my next non sock project is going to be using my Valley Superwash yarn I got during my trip to Webs.  I’ve almost decided on Amelia for it, but I also may go with something I’ve wanted to make for a very long time – The Nantucket Jacket.  I’m also planning on making the Sunrise Circle Jacket this year and maybe finally finish Mr. Greyjeans and Cables & Os – two sweaters I love but can’t seem to quite finish.  And I’m quite sure there will be many many more sweaters coming out this year that I will fall in love with but never make
 

I gave in to the Clap.

Clapotis that is.  After knitting it & now wearing it, I understand why nearly everyone in the knitting world has made this – it is a perfect accessory.  I probably wear it the most out of my scarves, because it’s so wide it covers my 

Silky Clapotis

 face in the freezing cold, but I also love to have it for indoors – for instance it was wonderful to have on the plane because when I was cold, I could wear it as a shawl.  It also made a nice pillow.  And did I mention how much I love Malabrigo Silky Merino?  Love love love it so much, I’m tempted to make another one.  Even CoffeeBoy likes this project- although he keeps trying to convince me to make more for a gifts.  I’m sorry, I’m very selfish when it comes to these kind of projects – this one cost me $50 for the yarn and a month knitting on it non stop.   I do think a couple of girlfriends would like it, so I may just do that but…I need to decide if it is worth it to me to want to invest all that for something that may not be appreciated.  See?  Very Selfish.

I made a total of 3 scarves this year by the way.  I just don’t like making scarves all that much – one was even just a neckwarmer.  Seriously, sock knitting has ruined all big projects for me.

I joined a few yarn clubs for the first time

4 of them – Lotus Yarn’s Punk Rock Sock Club and Big Ass Yarn Club, Blue Hands Fibers’s Ravelry Sock Yarn Club and Scout’s Swag.  I loved all of them for different reasons – well, I’ve only received one shipment of Scout’s Swag so far.   

Lotus Yarn's Big Ass Yarn Club

But I’m not sure if I’ll join any this year, at least not right away – I am just not going to buy yarn unless I need it for a project already in mind and I definitely do not need any more sock yarn!  Call it a resolution, call it a yarn diet, call it whatever you want, I really just want to cut back on my stash.  It’s getting me a bit stressed out, having all this beautiful yarn and not using it yet!  I’ve only made a couple of things from my yarn club yarn – 3 projects out of 16 shipments so far. (the Punk Rock Commuter socks above,  Rainy Day socks and my Blissful So-Called Scarf & Hat).  Only one I may join is if Melanie has another Lotus Yarn club, otherwise, no clubs for me.  

Um, that may change.  I’m not very good with resolutions.  And really really tempted by pretty sock yarn.

I completed a year long project

I finally finished my year long project – this one was very special for me, as my Grandmother has always crocheted me blankets & I wanted to finally  make one for her.

Mom's cat Mulan shown here for size. Or because I couldn't get her off the blanket.

 While this got very tedious to work on after awhile, I’m so glad I finished it.  I sadly, was not able to see my Grandmother over the holidays – weather ruined everything! – she will be getting this very soon from my mom.

Grandma's blanket. Yes, that is still Mulan up there.

I started this in February, and worked on it off & on all year.  A month ago I realized I should probably finish it, so I kicked it in high gear and finished in time for Christmas, although of course it ended up not mattering as much since she won’t be getting it right away.  It’s the basic log cabin blanket, I used about 1.5 skeins of 5 different colours of Cotton Ease on size 8 needles.  If I were to do it again (very unlikely), I would probably use a different yarn – 2 months after I started this, KnitPicks came out with Comfy, which has a similar blend of yarn but much much MUCH softer.  Still, I think this will be durable & keep my grandmother’s legs warm nicely.

2008 knitting summery:

(don’t you just love Ravelry?)

19 pairs of socks 

7 hats/headwraps

5 toys4 sweaters

3 fingerless gloves/mitts

3 scarves/neckwarmers

1 blanket

probably 8 unblogged/unraveled projects – dishcloths, etc.

(I was going to do approximet yarn usage verses yarn added to stash but my excel is not working at moment.  The approx yarn added was over 20,000 yards though – eek!)

 

Amusing Things

Work is kicking my ass this week.  Seriously.  I have plans for some nice interesting posts…but too bloody exhausted to do them during the week.  But I thought I’d share some images of things that have amused me this week.

 

Someone at Starbucks HQ must be a knitter

 

Everyone in MA needs a scarf.

 

 

My oldest friend and me., waiting for our SOs.

 

 

New yarn love.