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A new booth sample freshly blocked.
Noël is ready to travel.
This asymmetrical design is garter stitch interrupted with a little lace panel to keep things interesting. It's the perfect combination of drape and texture.
This shawl measures just over 80 inches, so there's no problem wrapping it a couple times around your neck.
The yarn is Paula, colorway Peacock.
I cut it a little close on the yardage, but I wasn't in denial about the situation. The last couple repeats I weighed my yarn so I wouldn't go too far and have to backtrack. I was able to finish all the repeats and had just enough left for the picot bind off.
This week's color inspiration . . .
A bowl full of neutrals and a few pops of color.
Dyeing yarn is only one step in the whole production process. After the yarn is dyed, it has to be rinsed, dried and twisted.
This batch is patiently waiting for labels. Then I'll enter it into inventory and pack it up.
I'm pulling everything together for a quick road trip later this week. Connecticut Sheep and Wool is on Saturday. I was brave and pulled up the weather forecast. It looks like it's going to be a nice day. I hope I didn't jinx anything. If you venture out to the festival, you'll find me in the Green Building. Back to those labels . . .
On Saturday I was at KnitWit in Portland.
In addition to chatting with everyone and catching up on the latest, I scoped out some of the shop samples.
Runaround Pond by Elizabeth Smith. This pattern was released just last week, so it was fun to see it up close and personal. Elizabeth used Bertha Sport which is now listed on the website. I've added this cowl to my list.
This is a peek at Bramble Cowl. I didn't get a good shot of the whole cowl, but I'm intrigued with the stitch pattern. This design offers a good opportunity to play with different color combinations. Oh, the possibilities . . .
Pagoda. This pattern calls for fingering weight, but the sample is made with Edna, a DK weight. Garter with a little lace . . . this shawl looks so cozy.
Coastal Gradient in pink. I made a dark gray and yellow version, but now I'm tempted to add a pink one to the collection.
It was a day full of ideas and inspiration. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the shop.
The chaos of filing taxes is over, and I've succumbed to a slight case of spring cleaning. Overall this is a good thing, but I haven't let it consume all my knitting time.
I've been working on Noël in-between the sifting and sorting, and it's coming right along. I had one messy picot I couldn't live with so I had to rip out a few garter rows, but since then it's been smooth sailing. The garter section is finished, and I'm working on the lace.
The lace pattern mimics the garter pattern except for one row, so it doesn't require too much attention. That's just the kind of knitting I need right now. In addition to my little fling with spring cleaning, the refrigerator conked out and is beyond repair. More cleaning. I'm trying to roll with it. The whole process has been a good excuse to get rid of those almost-empty mustard jars and unintended science experiments.
I had an extra dose of craziness the last few days so when a friend stopped by and offered to make scones, I didn't argue. This week's color inspiration . . .
Raspberry red.
I'm looking at a run of spring shows, and the dye pots are busy. Here's a peek at some of the colors.
Some new choices, some old favorites. Interesting tidbit . . . No. 2 Pencil is the one color that's been popping up most consistently in orders. It seems that everyone wants a little sunshine.
I was under the weather over the weekend - not the whole weekend, just a good 24 hours. It turns out that when I'm too sick to knit, I still think about knitting. And that's what I did when I was laying low. I thought about knitting and browsed on Ravelry.
I wasn't really looking for a new project, but one idea led to another led to another. To top it off, I finished a hat last week, so I quickly justified casting on something new.
Today I'm feeling much better. It's a holiday here, and I'm in
semi-holiday mode. That means it's still a work day for me, but I've made time to have brunch with a friend. After a crappy weekend, it's a good way to start the week.
I finished my Raituli.
At least one project came together on time. In a week where so many other plans have gone awry, I'm savoring the moment.
The yarn is Lillian, colorways Wheat and Moon Shadow. I love this little pattern and am already plotting more hats. Maybe with stripes, maybe without. Possibilities . . .
To wrap up the week, here's a sweet story about handknit socks for Justin Trudeau.
Absolutely charming.
This week's color inspiration . . .
Pink with a hint of purple.
Last night at knit night I kept my knitting simple. Stripes . . . around and around. By the time I left, I was ready to start the decreases. I could finish this hat tonight, I thought to myself.
At home I settled in with my knitting and started to work the first decrease round. At the end of the round I discovered my stitch count was off, and the decreases weren't even. Apparently I hadn't cast on the number of stitches I had written in my notes. This wasn't a crucial detail until it came time to decrease. It was late and I was getting cranky, so I set the whole mess aside. I've learned that late night ripping usually ends in a bad way.
The pattern is Raituli in case you're wondering.
This morning I ripped out the decrease round and did a recount. Now I'm all set to finish this hat.
Yesterday I was in Rhode Island to wrap up The Great Rhody Yarn Crawl. It always amazes me how a group of vendors can descend on an empty space and in no time transform it into a colorful, inviting market. Magical. And then in the blink of an eye it's all over, and the space is empty again.
Here's a look at yesterday's magic.
Good weather, charming space, great people . . . it was a delightful day.
One of my knitting rules is to always have a sock on the needles - even if I have half a dozen other projects already under construction. I recently finished a pair of socks and realized all my sock needles were empty. Without giving it a second thought, I invoked the rule and cast on a new pair.
Chicklets. These socks are a change of pace. With sport weight yarn and fewer stitches, they seem seem to be moving right along. The bright color is a nice bonus.
There's a good chance these flowers will never open, but I've enjoyed them anyway. This week's color inspiration . . .
Purple streaks.
The Great Rhody Yarn Crawl is this weekend. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out. Visit some interesting Rhode Island yarn shops, get in on a treasure hunt, stop at Mount Hope Farm on Sunday for the marketplace. The farm is a great spot. If you've never been, this is a good opportunity to visit.
I'll be at the marketplace, so today I started pulling inventory. In between sorting and packing, I'm working on my Drachenfels.
Yes, I'm still striping. I thought I would be finished with this section by now, but it goes on and on. A couple stripes here, a couple stripes there . . . maybe by the end of the day I'll be ready for the next section.
We're starting the week with snow, so I decided to break out a new pair of socks that have been ready and waiting.
Lacunae Socks. I adore the texture of these socks. At times they were a bit tedious to work on, but they are definitely worth it in the end. The cushy fabric practically massages my feet. The yarn is a blend of Superwash Targhee and Nylon that I've been experimenting with. It has great bounce - a treat to knit.
It's time for me to head outside. I hear my neighbor shoveling, and I don't want to fall behind.
I'm a pushover when my kids ask me to knit something. All it took was a simple request yesterday. In no time at all, I dropped all my current knitting projects and cast on something new.
As a bonus, this project also involves stripes. They are the unifying theme for several of my projects already under construction and provide hours of entertainment.
I don't have the patience for fussy baking, but I certainly appreciate the time and effort involved. For this week's color inspiration . . .
Wee pink treats.
