Yarn News

I think I finally found a project worthy of that wonderful hand dyed yarn Lorna’s Lace at Mabel's. It’s the Gothic Leaf Stole from the Knitting Pattern a Day calendar (Jan. 28th). The pattern calls for a fingerling weight yarn. Mabel’s has Lorna’s in what I think is fingerling weight. Isn’t fingerling, sport and sock yarn all about the same gauge? Anyway, I’m not going to get the yarn anytime soon but… I’m adding it to my "to do" list.

I also discovered that Koigu’s wonderful yarn can be used for the cowl in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. And it’ll only take 2 skeins! I must thank Brainy Lady for pointing this out to me. This yarn comes in all sorts of beautiful colors. This project has shot to the top of my "to do" list. I think it would be a pretty quick project!

And in other yarn news... I was in contact with Adrian of hello yarns over the weekend. She’s going to spin some yarn just for me! I’m not sure what colors yet but I want to use it to make the Falling Leaves Poncho. Her yarn is also wonderful beyond words. I’m also waiting (3 weeks and counting) for yarn to come in so that I can make her One Baaad Poncho.

Now time for news on yarn I actually have. Not only did I do a gauge swatch out of the Great Adirondack yarn but I started the poncho! It’s going really quickly! I worked on it a few hours last night and it’s already about 5" long. There’s something to be said for thick yarn on big needles.

We finished the floors!

Okay, so we haven’t actually finished the floors. We’ve finished the portion that needs the air stapler for. Now the manual work really begins. All the remaining boards need to be nailed in.

Last night I balled up the Great Adirondack yarn.

Here’s a reminder of what it used to look like…



This is what it looks like now...



Too bad the color looks so bad. However, the ball is that big! Here’s a shot using Sheba for scale (too bad she won’t sit still).



I’m going to knit up a swatch tonight and see how it goes. At first I thought it wasn’t thick enough to be a bulky. It almost looked like a worsted weight. I took a look at the Rowan Big Print that I have and they look very similar. That’s a relief. I hope it works.

It would suck if I can't make the poncho out of it. Greg suggested I get another yarn that looks similar. I guess I could do one rectangle in one yarn and another rectangle in a different yarn. Or I could try and find another poncho pattern that uses only 560 yds of a worsted weight yarn.

Keep your fingers crossed!

A Quick Post

Here's just a quick post to show why I'm still not knitting much.

WIP - Herringbone Poncho

I still haven’t been knitting much. We’ve been working on the house all week in the evening. That’s my usual knitting time. I could knit on the bus, but that’s my reading time. Sigh. I need more hours in the day.

Here are my some shots of my Herringbone Poncho so far. I don’t think this picture really shows the color very well. It does, however, show my lack of progress. I started this in December.



This shot is more true to the color and shows the yarn.



And this one shows the texture of the front. None of my photos of the back came out.



I can only do a couple rows of this at a time as it hard on my hands. They start to cramp up.

Another Knitless Weekend

I didn’t do much in the way of knitting this weekend. Here’s a photo of what I did instead…




To find out why I was laying hardwood floors instead of knitting, take a look at Greg’s Blog about our house remodel. It's not really snowing in the house, the camera is just really good at picking up the dust in the air.

I do a little bit of knitting this weekend for charity. Some friends, coworkers and I are working on making an afghan for a local charity (we haven’t figured out which one yet). We’re using the pattern and suggestions offered by Warm Up America.

My Kitty

I just couldn't resist getting another shot of her in her bed (that I knit for her).

Yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and being a quasi government employee, I had the day off. I honored the day by going to the beach with my friend Adrianne. It’s become an annual event (started when I became a quasi government employee). The event usually involves driving to Cannon Beach, walking to Haystack Rock, eating and shopping.

This year’s trip was very different from previous trips it that it was raining. Raining hard. And then there was the wind. The women in the yarn shop said it was the first real storm they’d had all winter. That’s saying something in mid January.

Yes, I went to the yarn shop. Cannon Beach is home of a very nice shop called Siren Song. It’s in a cute round building just a block off the main drag. Not to worry though, I was good. I only bought one skein of yarn! The fact that it was a skein with 560 yards of hand dyed chunky wool shouldn’t count against me in the least.



So, what does one do with 560 yards of hand dyed chunky yarn? Make a poncho of course!

Can You Tell the Difference?

Can you find the differences in these 2 pictures?

This first picture is of Sheba and I trying to stay warm during the January 2004 snow storm here in Portland


This second photo is of Sheba and I trying to stay warm during the January 2005 ice storm, again here in Portland.



Answer:
1. Different Room.
2. Different Knitting Project

Maybe I should ask about the similarities. There’s a lot more of those.

Similarities:
1. Same Kitty (Thankfully!) and she seems to be feeling a lot better.
2. Same Knitter but with a more complex project.
3. Same pajamas.
4. Same haircut. Hmmm, perhaps it’s time for a change?

Anyway, we woke up today to a sheet of ice over everything. The first thing I did was put in fresh suet into the feeder. It was empty and the birds need the extra fat on days like this. We’ve seen several Flickers and a Varied Thrush.

I really don’t mind being stuck in the house. More knitting! There’s not much else to do. It’s great! Although this means I’ll miss Fiber Arts Northwest’s yarn sale this weekend. It’s probably just as well. My stash is big enough as it is.

As much as I like being iced in, I hope it doesn’t last too long. Adrianne and I are supposed to go to Cannon Beach on Monday. I heard that Siren Song reorganized their shop so the yarn section is even bigger! Sometimes I have a one track mind.

My Yarn Stash

****Disclaimer! Please Read First****
I have "hording" issues. You should see my colored pencil collection.

Having said that, here are some photos of my yarn stash…


Everything



Inside Tub #1



Inside Tub #2



Now in my defense...

Most of this yarn was either bought on sale at a yarn shop or cheaply off of ebay. I do have projects for almost all of this yarn, although I didn’t buy all of it with a project in mind. Some of this yarn was even given to me.


Also, I have proof that I actually use the yarn...



I keep all the labels from my yarn.

The Current List

I decided it was time for some self restraint. And it hasn’t been easy! I need size 15US needles to work on my Rectangle2 poncho. My 15s are currently being used on my Herringbone poncho. I’ve decided to NOT buy new 15s. That takes a lot of self control. I will work on finishing one of my many other projects first.

Of course, I may end up buying some new needles tonight at Yarn Garden so that I can make the Bee Hive Hat from Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation. But, I wouldn’t be buying needles that I already have. That’s the difference. And I really need a hat. It’s been really cold and windy here lately. That’s if they have them. I was there on Saturday and they didn’t.

I need to make a list to prioritize my projects.
1. Herringbone Poncho
2. Mom’s Green Sweater
3. Green Biker Jacket Sweater
4. Smolder Sweater (all that’s left is the sewing)
5. Rectangle2 Poncho

After the first 5, there are lots of ponchos. Hopefully they don’t go out of style anytime soon. Then I’d be in trouble.

My knit-less Weekend

I didn’t get much knitting done this weekend. I did however, order and buy more yarn. The first step is admitting I have a problem.

I ordered 6 skeins of Cascade 220 Tweed in a light grey. I’m going to use it to make the One Baaad Poncho from helloyarn.com. I ordered it from Northwest Wools, one of my favorite yarn shops. My friend Julie gave me a gift certificate from them for my birthday. It should cover just about half of the yarn price.

Then I also bought 5 balls of Rowan Chunky Print in Pebble Dash (#0078). It’s for another poncho called Rectangle2 by Nicholette Hoyer. It’s a simple 3x2 rib poncho made from 2 rectangles. I decided to splurge on the yarn because I had a gift certificate from my boss (he’s a great boss!) to Yarn Garden and I also had some yarn to return. It also helps that the yarn didn’t cost as much as I thought. The only problem is that the yarn is a bit thinner than what the pattern calls for and my #15 circular needles are currently being used for my Herringbone poncho.

Speaking of my Herringbone poncho, I discovered that I dropped a stitch a couple of inches back. Because of the stitch pattern I’m not sure how to pick it up. Sigh. I’m going to have to wait until Wednesday night for open knitting at Yarn Garden to get some help.

What am I going to work on in the meantime? Perhaps one of the several sweaters I have already started.

I’ve been thinking a lot about ponchos lately. I’d like to do something similar to the rectangle one but with two strands of Manos del Uruguay together. That would make for some amazing and colors combos.

So many ponchos and great yarn, so little time and money.

Well... 2005 is here.

It's hard to believe another year has gone by. I spent the weekend on my Herringbone Poncho. I've finally got through the first skein of yarn. Something tells me this project is going to take awhile. It is now 11" long. I think it's supposed to be like 58". And it's only taken me how long so far? I also discovered it's not quite wide enough. It's supposed to be 25" but it's only about 23". I think blocking will fix some of that.

I finally finished my first Airy Scarf this weekend. It looks a little funny. I'm going to try blocking it and see how it looks. I even started my second one. We'll see how this one goes.

Last Thursday Adina and I got together for some knitting and catching up. We went to Mabel's Café, a knitting café near Adina's. They had some beautiful hand dyed yarns (www.lornaslaces.net). I kept getting distracted from my project by all the wonderful colors. I was coming up with all sorts of projects to make with the yarn. The colors were just so amazing. Although, even more amazing was that I didn't leave the shop with any. I wanted to be sure I had a project that was fitting of the yarn.