Another Year Gone By........

That's right - it's my birthday........again. Good news: I got a set of Knit Picks Harmony Needles!!
Better News: I'm healthy, happy & peaceful. Best News: I'm blessed with wonderful family

Take Me Out to The Ball Game.........

Last night was "Stitch-N-Pitch" night for the DC Nationals. It's a collaboration between Major League Baseball & The National Needlearts Association promoting all forms of needle arts (knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroidery, etc). For stitchers, it's a great night to grab your project and head to the stadium for a night of stitching & fellowship. And what a long night it was........ the game went into 14 (yes - fourteen) innings! Made new Ravelry friends in my section as well as shouting-out to Jill, Chelette & Cici in the next section. Even talked my brother & his friends into attending so I could bring back extra "goodie bags" for the ladies at next month's stitch2gether. What a great night - here's a couple of pics:
The backward cap rally worked cause we won!!!!
On the knitting front, I have sent the One Skein Tank Top to hibernation & started the "Cream of Spinach Scarf" by Larissa Brown. I've renamed it the Cream of Bamboo Scarf cause I'm using the Bamboo Splash yarn bought at A Tangled Skein last weekend. My other mod is to widen it so it's more of a wrap/stole instead of a scarf. Thanks to Stitch-N-Pitch, here's my progress.

Rewind

I promised pics of all the weekend happenings but in my haste to get everywhere - the camera was left at home. So you'll have to settle for my after-the-fact snapshot. You'll see the Bamboo & Hemp & Malabrigo yarn I bought on Friday night as well as the swapped yarns I got on Saturday at WWKIP Day.

The weekend did not disappoint. I absolutely loved A Tangled Skein and thankfully it's not too far from the job so I'll visit again soon. Their yarn selection is spectacular (and I finally found the size 2 Addi Lace Turbos). Saturday afternoon at Belle Haven Park was the perfect Knit-In-Public day with some scooting about to stay in the shade (lol). Thank you Kate for setting it all up. I made lots of new Ravelry friends and managed a few rounds of the sock mate. Speaking of which - yes that is a FINISHED PAIR of socks in my pic - WAHOO. On to my next project.

Get your knit on.......

Summertime Unwinding

Oh the joys of summer! This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. The fun begins tonight at A Tangled Skein's Friday-the-13th Knit Event. From 7 pm to midnight you'll find me there enjoying the refreshments, live music, sit & stitch, and super sales. This will be my first time visiting the shop & I've heard nothing but great things. Tomorrow is WWKIP Day & I plan to chill on the banks of the Potomac River at Belle Haven Park with fellow Ravelry knitters. There's even a yarn swap planned so I need to decide what I'm gonna part with outta my stash.

This is my second weekend in a row of pure knitting bliss. Last weekend was our June Knit2gether. The summer schedule is hectic so Deb & Jeannette couldn't make this one but Cici & Chalette from 2 Sistahs That Knit blog (and Ravelry) joined Ava & I. It was such fun getting to really meet them (we crossed paths at MD Sheep & Wool) and I'll admit that talking sucked up all my knitting time (lol). I'm in awe of all the great knitting going on(check out Ava's Washi and Tsumugi Coat)and I have high hopes of finishing my sock's mate this weekend. Will be sure to post pics of all the festivities, but in the meantime - here's pics from the June Knit2gether:

Sock-ilicious

Basic Top Down Sock with Heel Flap
Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Uruguay DK (Wool/Alpaca/Silk) - Khaki

I know...... it's plain. I know..... it's tan. But dang it - it's my FIRST SOCK & I'm excited! Just like my cable experience I'll repeat - What the heck took me so long? The book & the circulars made all the difference. Oops - before I get too carried away, let me go finish the mate.

Honoring Your Craft

As I was searching through Sally Melville's Book 2: The Purl Stitch, I had one of those "aha moments" when I read her suggestions for raising public consciousness about the knitting community.


1. Knit in public
2. Be willing to learn anything that will make you a better knitter.
3. Access your knitting community.
4. If there's no knitting guild in your area, start one.
5. When you knit for others, make sure it works for them. (It may mean knitting something you don't like, in a style you don't like, in a color you don't like.)
6. When you find yourself excusing a mistake, you need to fix it or repeat it (if done 3 times or more, it's a design feature).
7. Notice - and compliment - the knitting you see.
8. Get the guys knitting.

As I rediscover my love of knitting, I plan to be the best knitter/crocheter I can be.

Get your knit on........

Knit Happenings

Friday night was my first lesson on sock making from my Ravelry-friend Deb. So far, so good - in fact I'm kinda diggin' this. For years I steered away from sock making because: 1)I couldn't get the hang of working DPNs; and 2)All that work for something on your feet that nobody really sees. Deb put it in perspective, noting that the feel & comfort of homemade socks as well as the accomplishment factor outweighs the "gotta show it" mentality. I chose to make my first pair with Uruguay DK from my stash (a merino, alpaca, silk blend). Here's the progress pic:


Working them on 2 circulars is fantastic. The Sensational Knitted Socks book is a loaner in case I get stuck - but I'm sure to be making that SOS call to Deb as soon as I get to the heel flap, heel turn, & gusset (lol).

I discovered Old Mill Yarns at last month's Sheep & Wool Festival. Their mill ends are too much of a bargain to pass up so I made an online purchase. It arrived last week. A one-pound cone of bronze cotton; a one-pound cone of teal novelty slub; and two-pounds of deep gray cotton. Cottons are getting top billing in my wardrobe (these hot flashes are the pits) and I look forward to making some great pieces with this new stash.

Lastly, I went to Tuesday Morning for their 4-day 50% off clearance sale on Saturday. They had a fantastic corner grid shelving unit that rang up at $6.50. Of course I got 2 units with something special in mind. Behold: my new stash storage corner! Not bad for $13.00.