Now Even More Yarn!

This past weekend was Stitches West. I live so close--how could I not go?

Needless to say, I picked up quite a bit of yarn. When I lived in Chicago, I went to Stitches Midwest. It was a lot of fun, but I didn't really have a plan for what I wanted to buy. This time, I tried to focus on yarn that I couldn't buy in any local stores.


The first thing I did was head straight to Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I visited this booth the last time I attended Stitches, but at the time I hadn't knit any socks. I remember it being totally crazy and packed, and I wasn't sure what the fuss was all about. So this time I decided to go there first, before all hell broke loose!

I bought one skein and a pattern, which I had originally seen on the Yarn Harlot's blog. Hopefully, the yarn lives up to the hype.


Next up... more socks! I checked out the Cookie A trunk show at Full Thread Ahead, where I picked up the Django pattern. I'm really excited to try this pattern, and I think it will the Pagewood Farm yarn I picked up a little later will be a good match. I'd never heard of this yarn before--it's a mix of wool, bamboo, and I think nylon.


I also bought a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk at Full Thread Ahead. This was one of the yarns I was on the lookout for--I've wanted to try it for a while. Maybe for a Montego Bay Scarf, or maybe not... we'll see.


Another of my planned stops was at Lana Knits, where I picked up some Allhemp6 for the Ruffles and Lace sweater.

I'll probably skip the ruffles.

I'm really curious to try this yarn. I've never knit with hemp before, and the best way to describe it is crunchy. Supposedly it get softer with knitting and washing though.

This will also be the first time I've knit anything in black. I've noticed that my yarn choices don't necessarily reflect my regular clothing purchases, which aren't nearly as colorful as my knitting is!


Speaking of colorful... this is Tess' Designer Yarns Peruvian Socks. Amazingly, the color is even more vibrant in person. It is just gorgeous!


I also picked up a skein of Superwash Lace at this booth. This yarn is so soft--it feels like Malabrigo Lace. It's hard to believe this little skein has 500 yards.

The last time I went to Stitches, I feel in love with a silk/wool blend at Tess' booth. Alas, I couldn't afford the 30-something dollar price tag, but I would have loved to make a sweater out of it. My choices this time were quite a bit more affordable. Maybe next year, I will get a sweater's worth (that might have to be my only purchase, if so).

This was another booth that was completely swarming with people, by the way.


My final purchase was a sweater's worth of Brooks Farm Solo. It's so soft, and I love the dusty grayish-blue color. I love Oblique and Twist and a few others, but I'm not sure this yarn is the right weight. Time to swatch, I guess!

Oh, I almost forgot... I also bought a sweater pattern at the Windy Vally Musk Ox booth. It's very pretty and lacy, and it was the only thing I could afford there! Unfortunately, qiviut was definitely not in the budget this year!

Other highlights were seeing Vicki Howell (she is just as cute in person, if not more so) and Joan McGowan Michael. The sweater very beautiful at that booth. I definitely need to pull out that book and knit something from it!

I also noticed that the novelty yarn trend is still alive and kicking--both in yarn and in sweaters being worn throughout the show. It was everywhere!

Well, that's my report. I think I'm going to try to restrain my yarn purchases for a while after this!

FO: Chunky Baby Cardigan

The baby cardi is complete...


Pattern: Chunky Zip-up Cardigan from Knitting For Two
Yarn: Araucania Nature Cotton

This was a fun little sweater to knit, and the end result is so cute! Originally, I chose stripes as a kind of last resort--I was having a really difficult time finding yarn. This cotton was one of the last yarns I looked at, and it just seemed right. I've used it before and liked it a lot. It's very soft and has a great thick and thin texture. Hopefully, the new parents don't hate me for choosing a yarn that needs to be hand washed though!


I made quite a number of modifications to the pattern, starting with the stripes. The biggest change was using buttons instead of a zipper. I had originally planned to use a zipper, but I couldn't find a suitable one.


My first thought was to do button loops, but in the end I decided to knit a button band. I'm very happy with how this turned out. The front pieces are all stockinette, so this eliminates any rolling edges, as well. The leather buttons are from my button box. I think another button or two would have looked better, but that was all I had!

I actually picked out different buttons at the store...


...but my husband thought ladybugs were too girly! I was on the fence myself, so that's why I started searching the button box. I'm still not sure about those ladybugs--what do you think, are ladybugs for girls only? In any case, it's too late now. I'm sure I'll find another use for them, because they are so cute!

Now I just hope it fits... eventually. I knit the 9-12 month size. It's for a Florida baby, and having lived there myself, I know there is not much more cool weather to be had at this point. I figured the baby would get more use out of a sweater come November.

I have also been working on my pair of socks for the Sock of the Month knitalong, and it's not looking promising at this point.


I only have one sock started, and I had something of a disaster last night on the toe. To start with, I wasn't sure if I liked how the decreases were looking. Not a neat as my normal toes, but I kept following the instructions. But that is not the bad part. The pattern instructs you to decrease down to 8 stitches, and then draw the yarn through the remaining stitches to close the hole.

Well, I got down to my 8 stitches and drew the yarn through. Somehow I dropped a bunch of stitches, which promptly unraveled. In order to fix it, I had to pull out the yarn I pulled through the other stitches, which only increased the unraveling.

I was so close to finishing this sock! Well, I'm not giving up, but I think I need to start the toe over at this point, and maybe do a normal toe. I'm actually looking forward to kitchener stitch after this!

Stripey Goodness

For the past week or so, I have been working on a little striped cardigan. It is amazing how quickly baby knits progress! I just finished seaming it, and although I can't say I ever enjoy that process, it is very satisfying to see everything come together.

a sneak peak

I still need to put in a zipper. Actually, I still need to purchase the zipper, and I'm headed to JoAnn's in a little bit. Hopefully, I will find something suitable, but if not, I think I will pick out some buttons and add button loops. At this point, I just want to finish it, and I think either a zipper or buttons will look cute.

On a completely different note, one of this things I like about my current job is that I get most federal holidays off. Like most three day weekends, this one has been great! I spent Saturday cleaning and organizing, and while cleaning is generally one of my least favorite activities, it does feel good to have a clean apartment.

We spent Sunday doing one of my most favorite activities since moving to California... wine tasting. I'm definitely not an expert, but it is a lot of fun comparing different wines and wineries. Yesterday we went to two: Picchetti and Ridge. I don't think we'd visit Picchetti again, but Ridge was great. If you like Zinfandel and Syrah, this is a must stop.

Not only was the wine wonderful, but there is a picnic area and 360 degree views from the top of the Monte Bello Ridge. It was truly beautiful, even on a hazy day.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, too!

FO: Evangeline Mitts

My mitts are finished!


Pattern: Evangeline from Magknits
Yarn: Misti Alpaca 100% Baby Alpaca Hand Dyed

Apart from a difficult beginning, these mitts were a very quick knit. I finished them in just three evenings. I'm so glad that I went with the Misti Alpaca--it is so soft and the colors are very nice. No pooling!


The cable pattern is actually quite simple to work. It shows up well, although the photos are a little dark. If I were to make these again, I think I would add one more cable repeat to make them a little longer, or maybe even go all out for the full length version. My only mod was to add a few extra rows ribbing on the bottom--they were just a little too short.


The best part is that I have enough leftover yarn for a pair for myself!

Moo and New Project

So I finally upgraded to a flickr pro account, and I got something really cool out of it...

Moo cards! The cards are so cute and little, and the order of 10 was free with the flickr account upgrade. The back of the cards have my blog, ravelry and flickr info. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with them, but I'm sure I can think of something! Plus, an order of 100 is only $19.99--you can't really beat that, so I'm sure I'll be ordering more soon.

I did finish my Evangeline mitts, using the Misti Alpaca yarn. I should have photos soon. I just need a second pair of hands. In the meantime, I'm about to start a new project with some new yarn.


My husband's best friend is about to have a baby (well his wife is), so I'm going to knit a little sweater. I really wasn't sure what yarn to use, and I had a hard time finding anything cute but non-pastel, so this is what I came up with. A striped sweater in Araucania Nature Cotton.

It's going to be a boy, and they live in Florida... hence the cotton. I'm planning to knit the 9-12 month size, so hopefully he can get a little more use out of it. My one concern is that the yarn is hand wash only--it seems a little high maintenance for a baby, but all the superwash yarn I saw was pretty blah. (Speaking of which, I saw the cutest baby bell bottoms today, knit in Koigu.)

I had originally planned a blanket, but I'm not sure when that would ever get finished considering the long line of previously mentioned UFOs. After this it's back to working on those--I swear!

A Slight Dilemma

Do you ever start knitting something, and it doesn't turn out quite how you pictured it?

I found out last week that a former co-worker, who has been ill, is not doing very well. So I thought I would knit her a little gift--a pair of fingerless gloves in some soft Malabrigo yarn--and hopefully cheer her up a bit. Of course, I didn't have any of this yarn on hand, so I braved some scary/rainy roads and a totally insane knitting sale on Sunday, and still came up empty handed. (Although I did wait in line for 45 minutes to purchase two skeins of Cascade 220 and a book!)

Not to be deterred, I drove to another store, where I found the yarn I wanted. At this point I was happy, went home, swatched and began the pattern.


The pattern progressed quickly, but I noticed almost right away that the yarn was pooling badly. It's hard to see in the picture, but for the cable is dark with light spots in the ribbing, on the right and in the back. Very annoying. I kept going through the second cable repeat and then stopped.

Next I tried some Misti Alpaca that I had in my stash.


The yarn is really great--I swear that it feels like cashmere! It's pretty dark though and the cable is not showing up that well. I've only done one pattern repeat though, so I may do one more to see how it looks before totally giving up.

So much for a quick and simple gift!

In other, non-whiny news, Amanda at Fancie Pants Knits gave me the You Make My Day Award. This really cheered me up after a stressful week at work. Thanks, Amanda!


Here’s how it works:
Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

A Friend to Knit With - beautiful photos and knits, plus delicious looking cookies of the week.
Busy Bea Knits - pretty socks and lovely sweaters, including multiple Central Park Hoodies
So Much Fun - the name says it all! I love her latest sweater.
Craft Pirate - great sense of humor. She just finished a beautiful Greta Garbo sweater.
Green Apples - one of the most prolific knitters around. Her sweaters always look perfect.
Lolly Knitting Around - always a fun and informative read. She just took up weaving!
Right Out Loud - not only does she knit, but she creates really cool books and prints, too
Sour Cherries - great photos and beautiful projects, plus she spins
So Much Yarn, So Little Time - I was completely amazed with all of her Christmas knitting
Yarnstorm - the most amazing and vivid sense of color. I can't wait to read her book!