Saturday Class

Saturday found me up bright and early driving out to Wool & Company for a class with Arnhild on Hats the Nor-Way. There were about 16 other knitters and Arnhild. She was a delightful woman. Great sense of humor and a fabulous knitter - what else do you need?

Being the blogging dork that I am, I brought out my camera much to Claire's discomfort. As you can see, she was not interested in being photographed. She was nice enough to let me get the following "action" shot though. After class we had to run by the Wool & Company shop. What a great store! Huge selection and very good prices - I couldn't leave empty handed so I picked up a little Koigu and some Claudia Hand Painted sock yarn. (Due to technical (Comcast) difficulties, yarn pictures and a picture of what I knit during class will appear tomorrow or the next day.)

The Dublin Bay Socks are done. The prairie baby blanket is less than 1 skein away from being done. I've started new socks. Pictures soon...

Knitting GROUP is tonight - 6:30 to 8:00 at the Borders in Wilmette (Lake and Skokie) - see you there!

Friday Update

So just a quick update on my knitting for the week. The Dublin Bay Socks are progressing very well as I'm pretty much knitting on them exclusively. I'm so focused on sock knitting right now and the Lorna's Laces (in Seaside) is just so smooth and pretty.

I'm also trying out some Pony Pearl double point needles for the first time. Kathy from knitting GROUP recommended them. They are nice, but I still like my regular bamboo ones better...The Pony Pearl's flexibility is very good, but I like a pointier tip. I'll give them a couple more tries though just to be sure. It's funny how everyone has a different preference for needles.

Here's a close-up of the Eye of Partridge heel flap as well. It's not the best photo and the sock hasn't been blocked yet, but it gives you an idea of what a pretty slip stitch pattern it is.

And here's a not-so-thrilling picture of the Prairie Blanket I'm chugging away on for my friends' baby. The Cascade Sierra is pleasant enough, but I really prefer working with more elastic fibers, like wool. My hands get a little achey if I work on this for too long. I'm over halfway done now with one week until it's deadline, so I think I'll make it! (Then I can knit more socks...hehehe).

Tomorrow I am going to Wool & Company with Claire to take a class on Norwegian style knitting with Arnhild. The class is called Hats the Nor-Way. I actually bought the yarn and pattern from Arnhild at last years Stitches Midwest, but I hadn't gotten to it yet. Then I saw that this class was being offered and I thought it would be a great way to really learn how to work with two colors. I'm very excited to take the class as well as see the yarn store. All the details in my next post.

And thank you to everyone for your compliments on Sesame! I think she'll make her debut this weekend:)

Snowy Sunday

A snowy Sunday is perfect for a little project finishing. I present the finished Sesame (and yet another photo of unphotogenic me):

Sesame

Pattern: Sesame from Magknits.com

Size: 38 inch

Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in Smalt

Needle: Denise Interchangeables in size 6 (5.25 stitches per inch)

Start Date: February 2, 2006 (took break for Knitting Olympics)
Finish Date: March 5 2006

Comments: Very easy knit. No real problems with the pattern. (I made a slightly smaller size than I wear now as I'm attempting to lose a bit of weight). Really liked knitting with the Rowan Wool Cotton, excellent drape. Overall I'm pretty happy with this cardigan.

Other weekend knitting involved frogging the baby blanket and restarting (I was doing something strange with the YO's - don't ask). I'm almost 1/2-way done with it now. It's an easy knit. The garter stitch in the center is a bit tedious, but looks really nice. No pics as it is not real exciting right now all bunched up on a circular.

Dublin Bay Socks are not getting much attention, but I expect that to change soon.

Tigrrrrrrr Socks!

Opal Tiger Socks

Pattern: My own with the help of Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, 3x1 rib

Yarn: Opal Rainforest in Tiger

Needle: Bamboo DPN's in sizes 1 and 0

Start Date: January 11, 2006

Finish Date: February 28, 2006

Comments: As I knitted I really enjoyed the color striping, but I found the yarn a little scratchy. I was nervous they would not soften up too much, but the night M washed them he pulled them out of the laundry basket and declared they were "so soft." Wooo, that's a relief. I didn't want him tromping around in scratchy socks! He wore them yesterday for the first time and told me they were great. Yea!

Oat Couture Prairie Blanket

I am continually amazed that a box of simple yarn can become something. Above is the Cascade Sierra in Lavender that is on it's way to becoming a blanket to keep my friends' baby cozy. I'm using the Oat Couture Prairie Blanket pattern and so far so good. The Sierra is pretty nice to knit with, but it's a little splitty. However, unlike straight cotton, this 80% cotton, 20% wool blend has a little more give so it's not killing my hands. Now, let's just see how quickly I can knit this up! Oh, and does anyone have any experience with machine washing and drying this yarn? I've heard it does well....I hope the rumors are true:)

Dublin Bay Sock in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Seaside

Yep, it's another sock. This yarn is so incredibly nice to work with and the striping effect is pretty neat. It's difficult to photograph the lace panel, but I assure you it is there and it is very pretty:) This pattern also has my favorite heel flap - the Eye of Partridge. It's a regular slip stitch heel flap, however the slip stitch rows are shifted so as to create a pattern (it really looks best when you are using variegated yarn). I'll take a close up heel flap picture tomorrow as it is a little hard to see in this one.

Blocking with Cats

First of all, thank you! Thank you to everyone who left such lovely compliments about my Baltic Sea Stole. As you can see in my sidebar, I've added my "gold medal" designed by the fabulous Franklin . Definitely a great prize:)

So, what have I been doing since the Knitting Olympics have ended? I've been knitting. I finished up the last sleeve of Sesame. It's now all blocking. I felt it was necessary to include two photos here. One shows a peaceful blocking scene. All the various pieces, a blocking board, etc. It looks very sane. Well, I've included the second photo to show that blocking with cats is not an easy thing. All three hover at first. Then they insert themselves wherever I need to be. I use blocking wires and unfortunately blocking wires look exactly like one of their favorite toys (a wire with some cardboard on the end). So, maybe it's my fault. Maybe I trained them to attack. Laska also has a nasty habit of pulling out each pin one by one. She doesn't do anything with the pins. Just pulls one out, drops it, moves on to the next one. Weird.
I'm hoping Sesame will be dry tonight so that I can finish it up. I got the coolest buttons too. Stay tuned for updates:)

I also finished M's tiger socks. I'll get some pictures tonight. M loves them and is wearing them today. Details to come...

I also started another Dublin Bay Sock (link opens a PDF), this time in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Seaside. I'm already at the gusset decreases on the first sock. The combination of the lovely Dublin Bay pattern and the wonderfully smooth Shepherd Sock yarn makes for nice quick knitting. Pictures soon, I promise.

Tonight I really need to get started on a baby blanket I'm going to make for two good friends' future child. I want to get the blanket done in time to take it when we next visit our hometown in a couple weeks. I need to get knitting! Guess what? No pictures yet....

Oh, and I've been ordering a lot of sock yarn online....A lot. Pictures as soon as it all begins to arrive:)

Knitting Olympics - Gold Medal!

Pattern: Baltic Sea Stole from Fibertrends
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace in Tahoe
Needle: Bryspun size 6 circulars
Start Date: February 10, 2006
Finish Date: February 26, 2006
Comments: I signed up for the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics the day she first posted it. I took a quick look at my project list and decided this challenge was the perfect impetus to make my first lace project using a pattern and yarn I already had in my stash. During the next 3 weeks I spent hours scoping out what the other Knitting Olympians were going to knit. I thought about picking a less-challenging project. I thought about why was I doing this in the first place. While knitting like mad the last two weeks, I realized I was doing it because I love knitting and I love to compete. Watching what everyone else was doing was such a treat as well.
It may sound trite or silly, but I am very proud of what I accomplished during the last 16 days. I stressed, I knit, I admired, I tired, I loved it.

Knitting Olympics: Day 14 and Day 15

Here are the promised blocking pictures (notice Laska the cat helpfully supervising the blocking). The pattern suggested blocking out to 27 x 80 inches, but that just seemed a little too big. Final approximate measurements are 24 x 70 inches.

The stitch breakdown:

• 111 stitches cast-on
• 18 seed stitch edge rows
• 422 pattern rows
• A total of 48,840 stitches
• Finished knitting while watching the US Men's Curling Team take home the Bronze medal - Go Team USA!

Knitting Olympics: Day 13

End of day 13 (Thursday).
12 rows to go.
111 stitches per row.
Must be blocked and dried by closing ceremonies Sunday.
I'm still in gold medal contention!

Stay tuned for exciting blocking shots on Saturday and finished project shots on Sunday!

Knitting Olympics: Day 10 -We Have a Connection!

Above you will see progress as of the end of Day 10 of the Knitting Olympics (Monday). The stole is now getting to be stole length (a good thing, I think) so it is making it a bit more challenging to photograph. As I barely function in the morning this is the best I can do. Below is a close up so that you can admire the pretty colors and stitch pattern:) I am absolutely on track to get this blocking on Friday and therefore, hopefully, completely finished for the Closing Ceremonies. (Yea!)

GROUP knitting is tonight at Borders in Wilmette (corner of Skokie and Lake) at 6:30 - See you there!

Technical Difficulties

So I'm having technical difficulties. Not with my knitting, not with my camera, but with my home internet connection. I'm hoping things will magically fix themselves during the day as they tend to do with Comcast. Rest assured my Knitting Olympic knitting is going well and after some concerns that I would fall behind schedule this weekend, I am right back on track.

Friday night, with our modest tax refund in transit to our bank account, M and I decided to go buy a new camera. Our old one, while still ok, had a few issues. Anyway, after driving all over Evanston, Skokie, and Niles dealing with some of the worst sales force I have ever dealt with at multiple Best Buys (when one calls a store to see if something is in stock and one is told it is so then one drives to said store and it is not in stock, one tends to be a bit annoyed) we ended up at Ritz Camera in Skokie and within minutes we had our new awesome camera - the Casio Exilim EX-S500. This camera meets M's criteria that it be tiny and mine that it has to do good close-ups (for knitting pictures, of course). We spent a good part of the weekend testing it out and we are quite pleased (plus it's so tiny!).

We also watched a lot of movies this weekend (which helped me keep on my knitting schedule). First we watched Mirrormask - one review had called it something like "scorching eye-candy," and yes, yes it was scorching eye-candy. Very much like an updated Labyrinth. I liked it a lot (I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman) Next we watched The Machinist which proved to be a very interesting thriller. Christian Bale did an excellent job in this movie. Highly recommend it. Our final rental was Word Wars, a very amusing documentary about Scrabble tournament players. Always interesting to get a glimpse at a different sort of folk. We also went out to a movie Saturday afternoon. We went to see Date Movie and we were pretty disappointed. We love silly spoof movies, but this one just misses the mark. If had it to do over, I would rent this one, not pay for a ticket. As M said as we walked out, "That's a couple hours we can't get back." :( At least our rentals were all good:)

In addition to all the movies, we watched a bit of curling - the Men's team is doing so well! The semi-finals on Wednesday when the U.S. plays Canada should be exciting.

Ok, enough with the sad pictureless post - Hopefully I'll be back online tonight to upload photos at home.

Knitting Olympics - Day 3 & 4

Day 3 (Monday)
No problem staying ahead of schedule. I never thought I'd enjoy lace knitting, but look at me now - I'm even using a lifeline just in case! Overnight I had recorded hours of Olympic curling action and I was set! (I love having a DVR- it's like TiVo, but no phone line necessary). So a few hours later (and an amazing game between the USA Men's Curling team and Norway) I was wrapping up my 4th full repeat.

Day 4 (Tuesday - Valentine's Day)
So, unexpectedly I got a little bit of knitting done yesterday therefore keeping my lead. Granted it was only 1/2 a repeat, but look at the progress. What's that? Those cute little trinkets on my Baltic Sea Stole? Well, those would be adorable little pendants I had been wanting that M gave me for Valentine's. They are from this fantastic art glass maker, Happy Owl Glass. They have an animal menagerie with different animals pictured on these little squares. Someone at work had a few of these pendants and I was hoping to have some of my own. I love them!

Then, while at work , M came into my office with these lovely roses. They are the most gorgeous shade and they are so very fragrant. Roses are my favorite and of course M knew he couldn't go wrong with these:)

To celebrate Valentine's Day, M and I went to a favorite Evanston restaurant, Koi. They have outstanding maki rolls. The sushi chef was doing a special roll for Valentine's called the Sweetheart roll. It was gorgeous and the taste was perfection. Every 2 pieces of maki roll were formed to create a heart when placed together. They were wrapped in pink tuna and salmon. Mmmmm....sushi! Afterwards we walked over to Ethel's Chocolate Lounge and picked out a couple chocolates for later. After we got home I had a chance to knit a little while enjoying the lovely chocolates.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Valentine's day too - how did you celebrate?

Knitting Olympics - 1st weekend

Day 1 (2/11) Knitting Olympics:
Knowing I had dinner plans for the evening I knit the whole afternoon. Towards the end of the 1st repeat I finally got it. I finally could see the relationship between the different stitches. Suddenly lace knitting was a lot more fun than I expected. The picture here shows one full 32 row repeat and 6 rows of the next. There was also an equipment change that day. Wednesday night, after I swatched, I realized I really needed a pair of good circulars for lace knitting (I'm so used to knitting with circ's that I kept letting go of the right hand needle expecting it to stay where it was, only to have the needle drop out- Doh!). So, this was my chance to order from a store I'd been wanting to try out - Angelika's Yarn Store. Even though I chose regular shipping I got my order Saturday! I switched out my Balene straight needles to the Bryspun circulars and I am rather pleased. Overall, I really like the tips of the Bryspun needles. They have a kind of indent that lets you really get into those tighter stitches. The flexible cord is fantastic too. I'm not thrilled with the join between the cord and needle, but I think that may be due to how tight some of my stitches are right now.

Day 2 (2/12) Knitting Olympics:
Sunday I knit and knit and knit. M was in the lab the whole day and part of the evening so I plopped myself on the couch, turned on the Olympics, and knit. I was trying to get a little extra done yesterday as I know it will be hard to keep to my schedule with Valentine's Day this week. The picture at right shows a total of 2 repeats and 95% of a 3rd! I really really really like this project. All along I was unsure about lace. I thought it was so fussy and it sounded so frustrating (big needles, little yarn). Even while swatching I was skeptical. Sometime over this past weekend it did finally click for me and I can honestly say that I'm enjoying the process and the product is lovely (and that's not even blocked yet!). The Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace is just fantastic to knit with and the color is so deep.

How is everyone else doing with their Olympic knitting?

Opening Ceremonies: Cast-on

As I prepare now to begin knitting on Day 1 of the 2006 Knitting Olympics I look back upon the opening ceremonies with confidence. Not only did I cast on for the Baltic Sea Stole, but I completed the 9 row seed stitch border and the first 8 rows of the 32 row repeat - all while watching a movie and then Arrested Development (let's not even talk about how sad I'll be if that show really is cancelled). I'm feeling strong. My only struggle today will be that my husband made dinner plans for us with a group of people from his lab. So - what am I doing here wasting time blogging??? I've got to get knitting!

Olympic Training

There it is. My first lace swatch. It's not the most beautiful thing in the world, but this was my first run through on the pattern (as well as with lace). It's funny. I have no problem using size 0's and thin sock yarn or size 7's and some plump wool, but give me lacey merino and size 6 needles and I feel like I'm learning to knit all over again. As to feasibility...I think I can do it. The pattern has a 9 row seed stitch border on either end and then recommends 13 pattern repeats of the 32 row pattern. If I do at least one 32 row repeat a day I can do it. I'm a little apprehensive that I'm out of my league, but even while watching the Simpsons I was able to muddle my way through the pattern. I did scope out all the other lace knitters listed on the Yarn Harlot's olympic page trying to see if there were any others like me. There are a couple beginning lace knitters out there who have picked extremely big, complex projects for the Knitting Olympics - I look forward to seeing if we can all rise to our personal challenges. Though at times I do feel as if I ended up signing up for the Skeleton when Curling would have been more my speed. (I love curling!).

Oh, and Jen had mentioned in the comments the other day that I either had no life or knit very fast in order to knit what I do. She is correct on both accounts: 1) My husband is in grad school, so I'm on my own a lot, 2) I love to sit at home with a cup of coffee, a cat, and some knitting, and 3) When you knit obsessive amounts you do get faster and faster:)

Please don't forget knitting GROUP is tonight! (Moved a week earlier due to Valentine's Day next week) -- See you at the Borders on Lake and Skokie in Wilmette tonight at 6:30.

The View from Everest

It has been a week, but somehow it feels like even longer since I last wrote. Work was exceedingly tedious this week only made worse by the flooding of my office due to a broken water pipe. Ugh. Supposedly I will be back in my regular office on Monday.

Knitting has been going well though. Here are the updates on my projects:
Veste Everest

Pattern:Veste Everest from Interweave Knits Fall 2005

Yarn: Jaeger Luxury Tweed in Lavandula

Needle Size: 5's and 3's

Size: 41 1/2

Started: January 14, 2006

Finished: January 31, 2006

Comments: I finished Veste Everest just at the end of January as I had hoped I would. This was a simple, well-written pattern that worked up quickly. I had serious doubts as to whether the yarn would work for the pattern and after I had gotten in 5 or 6 inches I actually swatched and then worked this pattern in KnitPicks Wool of the Andes for a few inches before I realized I liked the thinner yarn as it made a flatter cable. I'm very happy with the result. I think I did a very good job seaming and the three-needle bindoff on the shoulder looks great. I've never been good at wearing vests (seems like its a talent some people have), but this vest may convince me otherwise. The color of the yarn and the subtle cabling makes this a tough knit to photograph. I've been trying to get a decent pic all week. This is the best I can do for now, but I'll try to get one of me actually wearing it soon. Maybe I'll wear it to GROUP next week and have one of my fellow knitters snap a photo :)

Sesame

This is Sesame from MagKnits (August 2005). I'm doing it in one color as I'm just not a horizontal stripe kind of girl. I'm hoping to get all the pieces done before the Knitting Olympics begin next Friday. I may be a little over ambitious in my knitting plans, but that's what keeps things interesting :) So far, I'm really enjoying how the Rowan Wool Cotton is working up. The color is Smalt. I don't know what Smalt is, but the color is a cool steely blue. I like it a lot and the drape is beautiful. It's very mindless stockinette which is great for mindless weekend knitting.

My So Called Scarf

Still chugging along on this one. I seem to only work with it a couple hours a week. I do love the Malabrigo and the pattern is nifty, so hopefully I'll get this one finished up soon.

Next on the list is to wind up the Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace in Tahoe that will become the Baltic Sea Stole - my Knitting Olympics Project. I need to swatch this week so that I'm ready to cast on Friday. Whoohoo - first lace!

I do need to finish up M's tiger socks....he's starting to ask about them...maybe by Valentine's Day. Speaking of Valentine's, since it lands on the same day as our normal knitting GROUP meeting, Jen and I discussed moving GROUP to the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays this month (instead of our regular 2nd and 4th). So, we'll be meeting February 7th and 21st from 6:30-8:00 at the Borders in Wilmette (corner of Lake and Skokie). Hope to see everyone there next Tuesday!

On Top of Veste Everest

So, a couple days ago I said to watch out for exciting posts later in the week. Well, when I wrote that I over-estimated the progress I would be making on Veste Everest (and perhaps "exciting" was not the right word -- it is a knitted vest afterall). I thought I would have a completed back piece, but I'm a few inches short of that. It is moving more quickly now as I've really gotten into the rhythm of the pattern, but we were watching March of the Penguins last night and I kept stopping to focus on the movie. Wow! Penguins are some strange and wonderful little creatures. Simply amazing.

I've made a bit of progress on My So Called Scarf, but nothing picture-worthy. M's tiger sock is about half-way done. I keep looking at more sock yarn online, but I DO NOT NEED ANY MORE SOCK YARN! (But I really want some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Old Rose like Lynae has....and some Trekking XXL #126 and #5).

I am shocked to report that I have not worked on Trinket at all this week. I love the project, but I've found myself pushing so hard to get the Veste done before the end of the month (Yeah, that's my realistic goal - wish me luck!). Oh, and why does Veste Everest have an "e" on the end of vest? That bugs me. Is it French? Hmmmm...Maybe I'll call mine an Everest Vest....

I'll leave you now with a picture of the gorgeous flowers M got for me earlier this week. They are so beautiful and cheerful. Now I just have to keep the cats from eating them!

Tag! I'm it!

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life
1. Program Assistant I
2. Lawyer
3. Loan Processor
4. Retail Sales Clerk

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. Anne of Green Gables
2. Vegas Vacation
3. Lord of the Rings -all 3 are actually one move, right?;)
4. The Shining

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch
1. The Simpsons
2. Scrubs
3. The Office
4. Survivor

Four Places You Have Lived
1. Carbondale, IL
2. Richmond, IN
3. Evanston, IL
4. Vancouver, WA

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. British Virgin Islands
2. Germany
3. Colombia
4. Pretty much every State West of the Mississippi

Four Websites You Visit Daily
1. Bloglines
2. Ebay
3. Netflix
4. LiveJournal Knitting

If you read this and you have a blog, TAG! You're IT!
(All's fair as this is how I got tagged at Inky Knits)

As for actual knitting content:
Finished the first Tiger sock and already halfway down the leg for the second one. Still knitting away on the other projects. I'm thinking there will be more exciting posts towards the end of the week. Stay tuned...

Keep On Stitchin' On

Froth Pattern: Froth (free pattern for joining Rowan International)
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze -Dewberry
Needle Size: 6
Start Date: November 18, 2005
Finish Date: January 11, 2006
Comments: Froth is complete! It is light and soft and lovely. I am very pleased with how this turned out. I wet blocked it and pinned it out to really add some length and definition. It is a shorter scarf, but so girly pretty that I can't resist wearing it. Well worth joining Rowan International! I think I may knit more of these as gifts since it only takes 2 balls of Kidsilk Haze and it was a quick, fun knit.

Fairly Easy Fair Isle
Here is a picture of me wearing my Fairly Easy Fair Isle. (Details: Pattern: Fairly Easy Fair Isle from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation; Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Onyx, Raspberry, Lotus Pink, and Victorian Pink; Needle Size: Size 11; Pattern Size: Medium).

Broken Needle/Trinket
I cast on for Trinket last weekend and after only 2 repeats my never-been-used size 2 Crystal Palace bamboo circular needles broke! The bamboo tip pulled out from the metal join. Ugh. So, I quickly placed an order to KnitPicks and received my package Thursday (ordered Sat., holiday Monday, free shipping, rec'd Thursday!). I decided to try Bryspun needles and I am thrilled! They have excellent points and flex nicely in hand. I am very glad I tried these. I think they may be my choice of needle for the upcoming Knitting Olympics. So, Trinket is coming along nicely, but so far I've only completed 3 repeats of many many more to come. It's a neat little pattern and, of course, the Rowan Kidsilk Haze is lovely.

Tiger Sock
M's Tiger socks are progressing very well. I'm almost to the toe decreases of the first sock. I've been enjoying knitting this sock as I've gotten to the point where basic socks take very little focus. Therefore, I am free to concentrate on the 4th season of 24 which we are watching madly so as to catch up to the current season.


Veste Everest
I've completed about 4 or 5 inches of my Veste Everest from Interweave Knits Winter 2005. I'm using some Jaeger Luxury Tweed that I got on Ebay from one of my favorite yarn dealers. The color is Lavandula. I'm torn whether this is really the right yarn for this project. I got gauge, but I'm a little tiny bit open between my stitches in the non-cabled parts. If I hold it up, stretched against a brighter color nothing shows through, so I don't know why I feel it is to thin. I swatched in KnitPicks Wool of the Andes a day or 2 ago and really liked the cables in that, but I like this too. The two different yarns create very different looks. I think I'll continue on with the Jaeger as it is so soft and cozy, but if I decide I want another vest when I'm done, I will be sure to consider Wool of the Andes.

My So Called Scarf
I started this the other night as I was waiting for my Bryspun needles to arrive for Trinket. I actually tried 3 other stitch patterns for this yarn before I was satisfied. I had always intended to knit the Besotted Scarf with this Malabrigo in Little Lovely, but after a couple repeats, it was plain that the coloring of this yarn was obscuring the cables. Then I picked out a couple different patterns from my new Vogue Stitchionary book, but was not thrilled with either. As My So Called Scarf has been on my to-knit list for ages I decided to give it a try and I'm very pleased with the result.

Nakiska
Pattern: Nakiska
Yarn: KnitPicks Ambrosia Grass
Needle Size: 4 (bound off with 8's)
Size: Adult s/m
Comments: Super quick, satisfying knit. Took around 3 hours from swatching to binding off. Unfortunately I bound off way way too tightly the first time so I had tink back and rebind off (extremely frustrating -grrr!). Even using 8's the second time, my bind off edge is still much tighter than my cast on. In the end though I have a very soft and cute ear warmer. I will definitely be making more of these as gifts (and maybe a couple more different colors for me). The KnitPicks Ambrosia worked beautifully for this, but I think I may try getting some of the Classic Elite Lush that was used in the original pattern. Any opinions on that yarn?

Olympics here I come, baby!

The Yarn Harlot has created a challenge: The 2006 Knitting Olympics. The basics of the Knitting Olympics are that you should pick a project that is challenging. You can't cast on until the Olympic flame is lit and you must finish before the fire is extinguished (that's February 10th through the 26th). I have accepted this challenge and I have decided that this is a great opportunity to push myself to start the Fibertrends Baltic Sea Stole. I bought the pattern at Stitches Midwest 2005 and I bought the most wonderful yarn for it a couple months ago. This will be my first official lace project. Is anyone else going to join in?

Productivity

Fairly Easy Fair Isle

This was a wonderfully simple knit. All I need to finish it are buttons (and a better picture -- sorry, it's still drying!). The specs are as follows:
Pattern: Fairly Easy Fair Isle
Pattern Source: Stitch 'N Bitch Nation
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Onyx, Raspberry, Lotus Pink, and Victorian Pink
Needle Size: Size 11
Pattern Size: Medium
Start Date: January 5, 2006
Finish Date: January 8, 2006
Comments: While this was a fast, pleasurable knit I did not enjoy knitting the fair isle with such bulky yarn. I had trouble keeping even tension. However, my stitches did look much prettier once I washed it. As it is a bulky sweater, I do look a little bulky in it (yes, let's blame that on the sweater), but overall I am pleased with it. It was very satisfying making a whole cardigan in just a few days and Lamb's Pride bulky is always a pleasure to knit with. I overbought the Onyx yarn and the pattern uses very little of the pinks so I think I'll make a cute scarf and hat set out of the leftovers sometime.

Grays Corner Socks

Pattern: 2x2 rib cuff down with heel flap
Pattern Source: Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Grays Corner
Needle Size(s): 1's and 0's (gauge approx. 9/inch on 0's)
Start Date: A long, long time ago...
Finish Date: January 11, 2006
Comments: I love these socks. I love the color, the fit, the yarn - Everything! This may be favorite pair now.

Tiger Socks
As I had just finished up my Grays Corner socks I felt compelled to cast on for my next pair. I was swatching up my Opal Rainforest yarn in the Tiger colorway when M asked me, "Are those for me?" I answered, "Do you want them to be?" and he replied in the affirmative. I did buy enough to make us each a pair so I guess I'll just knit his pair first:) I started with a simple 2x2 rib cuff for an inch and now I'm working on the leg in 3x1 rib. This yarn feels wonderful and the color striping is entertaining to watch. I hope M likes the socks (and I hope they fit!).

Short Row Rib Scarf and (not exactly) Silk Garden Beanie
Patterns: Short Row Rib Scarf and Silk Garden Beanie
Pattern Sources: click the links above...
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #52 (3 balls)
Needle Size: 7
Start Date: January 4, 2006
Finish Date: January 5, 2006
Comments: The scarf pattern was a lot of fun and, since I was on cold medicine while making it, I'm thinking it must have been a pretty simple pattern (it's all been lost in a congested fog). I used 2 balls of Noro Kureyon for the scarf. At first I thought that would be too short, but after washing I got a little more length. It is still a shorter scarf (I'm right around 5'9" and I like my scarves loooonnnnggg), but I can wrap it around my neck once and it looks pretty good. The Beanie pattern is becoming one of my favorites. I've used it twice now. Once with Noro Silk Garden and now with Noro Kureyon with great results. The hat looks better on M than me, so I think he'll be wearing it, but I'm keeping the scarf:) I highly recommend both patterns.

M's Sweater
Pattern: Neck down Pullover for Men #991
Pattern Source: Knitting Pure and Simple (bought it from Carodan Farms)
Pattern Size: 46 inch chest
Yarn: Peace Fleece in Hemlock (approx. 6 skeins)
Needle Size: 8's and 5's
Start Date: November 14, 2005
Finish Date: December 18, 2005
Comments: This sweater was the super duper top secret holiday knitting project I blogged about in December. It was given to M during the holidays and he loves it! It fits and looks great. The color is perfect on him as well. The picture here shows an orb. Unfortunately this was my favorite picture of M in the sweater and I couldn't remove the orb. It must be a ghost checking out the knitting:). Anyway, I really enjoyed knitting this sweater even though I was a bit pressured by having a deadline. The pattern was well-written and very straight-forward. As for the yarn, I love working with Peace Fleece. Aside from the wonderful humanitarian ethics of the company, the yarn is well spun, beautifully dyed, and wears like iron. It is definitely a Chicago winter sweater! (so why is 50 degrees today????)

Froth Scarf
I am a few short hours away from completing my Froth Scarf from Rowan. I'll post a picture of the completed scarf soon. (I love Rowan Kidsilk Haze).

Future Projects
I have a future project list that is ever growing. I'm trying to prioritize projects based on what I have in my yarn stash as well as my regular method of having multiple projects going at one time. I strive to always be knitting:

• a pair of socks
• an easy project
• a more complicated project
• and possibly a fourth project that may or may not be simple...

Currently I'm working on the Tiger Socks and Froth. That's it. So, I will be casting on soon for Trinket (which was a holiday present I gave to myself) as my easy project, Veste Everest as my more complicated project, and then possibly a Nakiska because it must get cold again (right?).

In the Year 2006

Happy New Year!
So far in 2006 I have knit a sock, a hat, and a scarf. How in six short days did I accomplish this? I got sick. And while I have many wonderful and intricate projects waiting in the wings my cold medicine dictated that I only work on things that required 12.8% of my brain. Pictures will be forthcoming this weekend.

As I have caught up on my blogreading I've seen most people are doing some sort of year in review/new year's resolution type post. Here are my thoughts on 2005 and 2006:

2005

• I knit my first sock (and many more followed).
• I knit my first cable pattern (and loved it).
• I discovered KnitPicks.com and ebay are excellent sources for yarn (and my bank account will never be the same).
• I began to blog (Hi).
• I ran out of room for my yarn stash (and I still kept buying more).
• I started going to my twice-monthly knitting GROUP (and I am so happy to have met such a wonderful and interesting group of knitters).
• I set in my first zipper (and it doesn't look terrible and it hasn't fallen out).

2006

• I will knit from my stash (and be careful how often I restock).
• I will not buy any more sock yarn until I've knit at least 6 pairs from my yarn stash.
• I will knit my first lace project.
• I will attend Stitches Midwest again.
• I will knit more for myself and less for others.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and here's to a wonderful year to come!