Fresh Stripes

What a fun time in Connecticut!  I drove through a tornado warning without realizing it, and the weather was a bit wacky but that didn't keep people away.  We had a day full of inspiration and creativity. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat and share.

Today I'm back at it with planning and preparation for New Hampshire Sheep and Wool.

There's a new project on the needles complete with fresh stripes.

Magical Thinking

A new sample ready to travel.

Magical Thinking.

This pullover shawl has stripes, texture and interesting stitch combinations.  Never a dull moment.

Tomorrow I'll have kits at Connecticut Sheep and Wool.  Available in several color combinations.

April showers have turned our world green.  This week's color combination . . .

Damp petals.

In a Jumble

Since my deadline knitting is almost finished, I've given myself a little space to concentrate on a new project.  I've had the pattern picked out for a while, but as usual I was debating color options.

These two were in a color jumble for a different project, but they didn't quite fit the bill.  They kicked around on the work table for a while and then this project came up.  It's a match.

Monday Fires

I'm ready to wave a white flag.  I've been putting out fires all day and still can't put my hose away, but I did want to check in.

Instead of the knitting pictures I had planned, I have just enough time for a quick reminder.  Connecticut Sheep and Wool is this Saturday.  

Unlike most of the other festivals, this is a one day event.  In addition to yarn bundles and hand dyed yarn, we'll have new kits and samples. Look for our booth in the Green Building.  Hope to see some of you there!

Blame It on the Moon

Is there a full moon?  I seem to have landed in a zone of knitting mishaps.  Let's face it, there's never a good time for knitting problems, but it's especially frustrating when I'm on a tight deadline.

I was probably asking for trouble by knitting into the wee hours, but I had convinced myself I could make up for lost time.

When I'm one stitch short, it can throw me into a tailspin.  At that point I called it a day and went to bed.  This morning I found a missing yarn over, recovered it and now am back on track.

After that situation was resolved, I took a few minutes for another project only to discover several stitches and a marker had jumped off the needles.

I rescued the stitches before they got away, but I have to figure out the marker placement.  I can't work on this without the marker, so I'll have to sit down with the pattern and do some counting.

I've had my fill.  That's enough knitting problems for one day.  I'm not going to peek at another project.  

Keeping It Short

It's a holiday here, and many people have the day off.  There's plenty to see and do with a marathon and a daytime baseball game.

I'm not taking the whole day, but I am on an abbreviated work schedule.

Yarn soaking for a round of dyeing.

An inventory recount underway.

And the schedule includes extra knitting time.  Not a bad start to the week.

Fog

I love a good yarn emergency, and I've had a couple recently. Someone needs a new color . . . a little more of this, a little less of that. There's usually some back and forth tweaking, and eventually a new colorway emerges.

Even I have yarn emergencies every once in a while.  Yesterday I realized I needed a color with a little more punch for one of my projects.  First I made some quick calculations, and then the yarn was in the dye pot.  I don't have good pictures yet, but I'm thrilled with the result.  More on that story another day.

Sometimes I have a color lurking in the background and finally get around to releasing it.  This is one of those lurkers.

Fog.  Available at the spring shows.

This week's color inspiration . . . 

Gray on gray.

All In

I had only one project on the needles (not counting socks), so I added to the mix.

I need variety in my knitting projects.  It keeps the boredom at bay and allows me to pick and choose my project depending on the circumstances.  I don't want to be working on a detailed lace project in a meeting.

I've acquired a pile of mohair, and I keep it near my desk.  It's been taunting me, so I decided to put some of it to good use.  Another Ombre Cowl Hood.  This project is perfect for meetings, appointments or phone calls with long wait times.

Somber update.  I'm deep into the stripe sections, and I have to pay attention so I don't mess up the sequence.  Now that I have three active projects on the needles, I'm prepared for any knitting situation.

Stripes and Progress

First a quick schedule update.  This Saturday I'll be at Plymouth Harbor Knits with yarn, bundles and samples.  The truck show runs from 12:00 to 4:00.  Stop by if you're in the area.

This weekend, after a quick day trip to Maine, I made time for knitting.

I have so many pattern ideas swirling about, but I decided to concentrate on my Somber.  I'm glad I did.  Now that I have stripes, I can see real progress.

Lumos

This shawl is ready to roll.

Lumos will be at Fiber Marketplace tomorrow.

This design features alternating bands of fingering weight and mohair. The construction is simple and makes for a relaxing project.

The yarns are Lillian and Shimmer in Cool Waters.  This shawl is lightweight yet cozy - very useful as we transition from winter to spring.

For the past couple weeks I've been searching for visible signs of spring.  I finally found a small hint of the season.  This week's color inspiration . . . 

A splash of purple peeking through.

In the Passenger Seat

When I start a new project, I usually read through the pattern.  The pattern is like a map, and it's helpful to know where I'm going and how I'm going to get there.  It's the difference between being the driver and being the passenger.  I'm usually the driver.  I'm also big into road maps, but that's a story for another day.  

Every once in a while I sit in the passenger seat and knit on without any sense of where I'm going.

Somber has been percolating in the background between other projects.  I know there are a lot of twists and turns in this pattern, but I didn't sort it out ahead of time.  Since I'm not driving, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Spring Selections

Planning new samples is an ongoing task.  I have a couple in the pipeline right now that are waiting on colors, so this weekend I played around with options.

I narrowed down the group and then I let them sit.  I checked in over the weekend, and I swapped out a couple.  I've gone in a completely different color direction for one of the projects, and I woke up today ready to make final decisions.  Sometimes it helps to let things marinate.

In knitting . . .

My Lumos is growing.  I transferred it to a longer needle, and now it can really breathe.  Progress all around.