Distractions

Many thanks to my knitting peep Knitterary for lending me the Knitting on the Edge book. I needed some lace ideas for my Featherweight Cardigan.



I had to do some switching of placements, but the main idea is formulated and is working out quite splendidly. I really should be getting this done quickly, as it's an ideal garment for the weather we are having.



The next project I have going on is Coraline knit up with Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Yarn. Unless things go terribly wrong with the blocking of my swatch, I'm pretty much on gauge and hope to cast-on soon.

In other random news, I saw this poster while waiting for the train.



It makes me smile. I have a deep love for this old 80's TV series and I'm really hoping they capture the characteristics of the team.

It's a Win-Win

A dear friend of mine over at Shouting Quietly has put together an amazing raffle full of goodies to help raise money for the American Animal Rescue Society.

Her passion for animals is extraordinary and I admire her for all the work she has done. She is Truly Amazing and I wanted to help spread the word and what could be better then giving to a good cause and enhancing your stash!



There are Golding Drop Spindles, a number of Sundara Yarns...



Namaste goodies....



And Socks That Rock Yarn are just a few things on this long list of stash enhancing wonders.



So, go put in your 5 bucks for one raffle entry and obviously the more you put in the more chances to WIN!

All of the money donated will be given to the American Animal Rescue Society in their hopes of opening up a new animal shelter. It's a good cause and how can you not resist these lovely gems!

Only 234 More to Go!

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. Mine was spent not doing much of anything. Which in the long run is what I needed. Under the weather with little energy means I spend most of my weekend in my pajamas.



Seaming in 80 more squares to the Left Over Sock yarn Blanket took many. many. hours this weekend. This made catching up on my DVR shows easy... I now have the Homes on Homes theme song planted in my brain.

Expansion

When we last seen this blanket it was March 1st and I had completed 100 squares.

I really do like making these squares... probably because they are so quick.



My knit peeps have so generously donated their leftover bits to the blanket collection... I just had to layout my new square to see how much further I've gotten.



WOW. Looks like I'll be seaming this weekend.

Just Keep Knitting...

Self portraits of works in progress can be tricky!



I put the body on some waste yarn and decided to try on my Featherweight Cardigan. Slowly but surely it will get done.

The armholes to bottom measures at 10 inches which is where the pattern has you do a 1x1 rib. I'm thinking I'll chug out another inch or so before doing the rib. I'm also thinking about going down a needle size for the rib to draw it in a bit.

Knit & Crochet Blog Week: Day 7

What a Yarn

There’s one love that we all share: yarn. Blog about a particular yarn you have used in the past or own in your stash, or perhaps one that you covet from afar. If it is a yarn you have used you could show the project that you used it for, perhaps writing a mini ‘review’. Perhaps, instead, you pine for the feel of the almost mythical qiviut? You could explore and research the raw material and manufacturing process if you were feeling investigative.

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Shelridge Farms. Love it. I was introduced to this yarn back in 2007 at Stitches Midwest when I purchased some sock yarn. I picked out a variegated brown colorway. Choosing this color was to get me out of my typical colors that I would normally pick. Those socks are my favorite and they're brown.

So after discovering this love I then choose to go back and pick up some DK weight at the next Stitches event for a cardigan to see how deep my love could go. I picked up enough for the Celtic Icon which is in the Inspired Cable Knits book. I blog about it here. This sweater is one of my all time go-to sweaters.

Last year Shelridge did not have a booth at Stitches and I was very disappointed. I'm hoping they'll be there this year but I can only hope.


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Knit & Crochet Blog Week: Day 6

Revisit a past F/O

Bring the fortune and life of a past finished project up to the present. Document the current state and use of an object you have knitted or crocheted, whether it is the hat your sister wears to school almost every day, or a pair of socks you wore until they were full of hole. Or maybe that jumper that your did just didn’t like that much…

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What warms my heart the most is seeing my family wear my handknits without me begging. Normally I'd be instructing them to stand still while I take pictures. It's those moments that I get a glimpse of socks on Miss Mac's feet, or watching my son E pull on a woolly winter hat.

These moments also remind me of why I knit. It then got me thinking about all the stuff I've made and what I haven't blogged about or items that pre-date Ravelry. That right there is an odd concept, isn't it. What would we do without Ravelry.




I want to introduce you to "The Blanket". This project goes WAY back. So far back that this blanket is made of acrylic. Yep, this dates back before I was aware of Yarn Stores. Like, stores that specialize in JUST YARN. Who-Knew??

The Blanket was my first attempt at cables. In my dreams I pictured my entire family wearing cream colored Aran sweaters while sitting by the fire and eating smores. I just knew I had to learn to make cables...and so I did. Granted the swatch became a scarf and then it became blanket. Its got the characteristics of a beginner project as I notice all the things I would do differently now.

Finding this in a bag off to the side (I was trying to organize my craft room) was a real treat and reminder of why I knit. No longer lost and forgotten, I vow to give it a proper killing*, so it will now be a fine addition to the family.



*The reference to killing involves machine washing and drying of the acrylic to remove any sizing.



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