Where Did September Go?

Can't believe it's the end of the month already! What a busy month.....Had a wonderful time at Stitches Midwest in Schaumburg, IL. Was bummed that they moved Stitches East from Baltimore to Hartford, CT - but this made up for it. Met up with my Aunt E & Cousin J for a wonderful weekend. Lots of yarny goodness, great food & fun times. Was able to stop at all my favorite booths: Signature Needles, Miss Babs, Webs, & Creatively Dyed Yarns. J officially dubbed me "crazy" for all my knitting madness - like waking up knitting:














Shopping at the expo in my "Where My Stitches At?" shirt:
And of course, hauling back the new stash:

I've made great strides on the Every Way Wrap - in fact only 2 more repeats & I'm done!!! Just in time to wear it to the Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival in a couple weeks....... Happy Knitting!

Every Way Wrap

The fall issue of Interweave has some gorgeous patterns. But my favorite by far - and the one that had me running to my stash bin was the Every Way Wrap designed by Okmin Park. It's a simple rectangle that converts into a wrap, a shrug, a vest, and a shawl collared cardigan. I had a granite-color tweed merino bought from Little Knits in a bag sale.....perfect.
Joined a Knit-A-Long with my local knitsistahs as well as an online Ravelry group. I've frogged a few times (first major cable project & first major chart project), but the results are well worth it. The weather here in northern VA turned breezy today - making me more excited to get this one finished - just in time for fall. Happy Knitting!

Space Cadet

OK - I went back to Fibre Space today. That Miss Babs sockyarn was haunting me (lol). But could I just walk in, grab the sockyarn & go?

Of course not! That's the Miss Babs "Yummy" sockyarn in Plum; 4 skeins of The Fibre Company Terra (alpaca, wool, & silk - YUM); a Fibre Girl tshirt and my Fibre Space tote bag (free with purchase). The Terra will become a Springtime Bandit scarf. The scarf was on display & immediately caught me eye. Will look great with jeans.

Sock Bandwagon

I knit my first pair of socks last year. Loved the finished product - didn't catch sock fever...... Well, it's a year later & after a couple of false starts, I'm knitting up my next pair of socks.
It's the twin rib pattern from the Sensational Knitted Socks book - my sock bible. The yarn is Trekking XXL & a wonderful colorway of blues, grays and a tinge of red. My knitsis, Deb, was kind enough to give me a refresher in the Heel Turn & Gusset (totally forgot the process & somehow the instructions weren't clicking). Well I may now have caught the sock bug cause I'm shooting to finish these this weekend so I can start another pair.

Of course the "bug" was helped along by a visit to the Grand Opening of "Fibre Space" in Old Town Alexandria. It's a wonderful shop with friendly staff and a unique inventory of yarn. Fell in love with the Miss Babs line of lace & sock yarn (hence my motivation to finish the current socks). I am definitely blessed to have a choice of LYS in this area.... In Stitches, Knit Happens, A Tangled Skein, Stitch DC - the list goes on & on. Fibre Space will see me often because 1)they sell pretty yarn; 2)they're on my route home everyday; 3)they sell soft yarn; and 4)I'm a yarnaholic.

BTW - DD didn't like the neckline of the striped tank so it's hibernating right now (that'll teach her......)

Knitty Goodness

Dang - can't believe I left my current knitting project on my desk at work. I carry my projects with me cause I knit daily - in the car or on the metro, on my lunch hour & again on the trip home. But yesterday was the end to such a hellified work week, that I literally ran out the building....... Oh well, what better reason than to start a new project.

I've taken advantage (again) of Knit Pick's great 40% off Summer Sale. My BFF - the mailman - left these goodies for me last week:







Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I've also found a unique way to store my needles - straights & circulars:



Hilarious! It's a wooden button scupture I found in Marshall's clearance aisle. You know you are a knit-a-holic when you spot something like this & immediately envision a knitting needle holder. The sales clerk asked me what I was using it for & I did not hesitate. The look I got from him.......priceless!

How 2 Be A Bad-Ass Knitter

If I had to name the top 5 ways to spend quiet days, it would be: knitting, reading, music, movies, and cross stitch...... in no particular order. My knitting and reading worlds have collided and I'm straying from my mysteries & african-american authors to enjoy the Maggie Sefton and Debbie Macomber series as well as KnitLit, the Urban Knitter and Wendy Knits to name a few.

I chuckled after reading Wendy's Bad Ass Knitters' Manifesto and have officially adopted at least 4 of her top 10.......

1. Knit whatever the hell you want...whenever you want.
2. Buy as much yarn (& books & needles, etc) as you want, whenever the hell you want.
3. Never, ever apologize for knitting.
4. Never, ever apologize about how you knit: right-handed, left-handed, or with your toes.

So when my girls tease me for my knitting & yarn obsession, I just smile. When I cast on my fall sweater coat in the middle of June, I smile. As I clip the weekly A.C. Moore/Michael's 40% off coupons, I smile. And when I wrap, throw, or toss my yarn around my knitting needles, I just smile.......cause I Am A Bad-Ass Knitter!

Blowing the Dust Off.......

Been away from the blogworld but not knitworld.

I love summertime! The sun, the heat, the humidity - my favorite time of year. My knitting usually soars in the summer cause I can escape my sleeve-o-phobia. The 2 sleeves on my Minimalist Cardigan took longer to finish than the entire back & front (oh yeah - it's still in the basket waiting for seams). In the meantime, I started and finished this Soleil by Alexandra Virgiel. It's made from Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy - so soft & drapey.... Will definitely make it again & I'll follow the recommendations on Ravelry & add a few inches length to it.

Also started a striped, ribbed shell for DD. On a recent roadtrip to Roanoke, we got this fantastic Kollage Delicious (soybean) yarn at Sereknity Yarn Shop. DD fell in love with the turquoise color and when I got home I found a couple more skeins of a burnt orange in the stash. Planned to rib the entire piece but switched to stockinette stripe at the top. I'm diggin' the result:
Hope she likes it as much as I do.

For all you bargain knitters, don't forget to check your local Marshalls, Ross, T.J. Maxx & Tuesday Morning for knitting books. I've gotten quite a few books for less than $6! Lastly, found this great buy at Littleknits.com:
It's the Namaste Knitube. Very cool carryall for summer projects. Long enough to carry straights; divided so both ends open separately; strap long enough to carry backpack style.

Happy knitting & Happy Independence Day........

My Yarn Adventure

I'm an equal-color-opportunity knitter. I love yarn in all colors of the rainbow. So when my friend, Deb, suggested that we take a yarn dyeing workshop - my first thought was "Why should I when I can just walk into a store & go crazy?" Thankfully, Deb persisted and we took Karida's (Neighborhood Fiber Co) workshop yesterday. What a blast....... We learned some awesome techniques & ended up with some great stash!









Thanks to Karida for the pic. My hats go off to all the fiber artists that hand dye. It's quite an endeavor & I'm pleased with my outcome. But in the scheme of things, thank goodness for folks like Karida and Diane (Creatively Dyed Yarns) whose yarn makes me ooh & aah. Keep doin' your thing ladies....... we love ya!

It's March already & I'm fixated on finishing my first sweater of the year for the "Sweater A Month" group on Ravelry. I just have the sleeves & finishing to do on "The Minimalist":




Also started a pair of socks for DD#2......I've been a busy bee this month.


See ya soon!!

Project Progress

Haven't been here in a while so I'll fast forward thru a great Christmas, mellow New Year & slammin' Inauguration Day. Managed to catch that weird "cough bug" that worked its way into bronchitis for me. Through it all, the knitting needles have been clackin!

I should know the Slouchy Beret pattern by heart - 5 of them completed to-date. This one was a Christmas present for my daughter's friend & co-worker. The final one is for my daughter who likes her bling. She picked out this great yarn at our LYS - In Stitches Needleworks - it's threaded with lots of metallic discs. It's working up nicely & should be finished this week.


We've heard from J's boyfriend in Afghanistan. He indicated he really wanted to learn how to juggle so we found an instruction book & I knitted up these juggling balls & filled them with black beans...... really cute - hope he likes them.


No progress on the Sweater-A-Month challenge. First selection is a victim of my knitting ADD. Really itching to start something new - just can't settle on what it is. So I'm off to browse the Ravelry queue,,,,,,again.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The next week will probably be a blur of activity for me so I wanted to take time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with loads of love & laughter.

After months & months of delays, my daughter's boyfriend deployed to Afghanistan yesterday. He had a 9 hour airport layover here in DC so she drove up (speeding all the way, I'm sure) from southern VA & we found a great seafood place for dinner. Although I have spoken to him by phone over the last 2 years - this was our first face-to-face meeting. Such an awesome young man! As a young boy his mom made alot of his clothing so I've promised him loads of handknit care packages (hmmmmm - cashmere socks might be a nice treat). Here's praying that the next 6 months goes VERY quickly & he's back with us safe & sound.

On the last leg of my holiday knitting & very pleased with everything. There will be a little something handmade in everybody's Christmas stocking this year. Looking ahead to the New Year, I've joined the Sweater-A-Month group on Ravelry. Won't succumb to the pressure but hope to end up with less stash & a few new wearables. First up will be this Inca Marl Ruffled Coat pattern by Jan McCarthy.



Looks like a 2 month project to me! Enjoy your holiday!

Fetching My Mojo

The Fetching Fingerless Gloves pattern by Cheryl Niamath first caught my eye years ago. It calls for knitting on double point needles (DPNs) which I soon found were like cryptonite to me...... I just couldn't get the hang of it. Here I am years later with wonderful knitting buds who probably got tired of me talking about Fetchings & suggested that I try 2 circular needles instead. BINGO! I absolutely love the pattern (completed in 2 days). Decided to use Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends from the stash for my trial pair. Wow - soft, thick & wonderful.

I was so happy after finishing them last week, my knitting mojo went in full swing. Here's the pics so far........


Each item only took a day of knitting so they're high on my list. The first is another One Skein Beret from Artful Yarns Old Western. The second hat is the Purls Arrow Hat that I found on Patternfish.com. Nice pattern & once again only took a day of knitting. My self-imposed yarn diet isn't working very well. I fell in love with Creatively Dyed Yarns at last month's Stitches East event. As I was walking away with my loot (aka purchases), I saw this beautiful colorway.
It's called "Canoe" and it's the most fabulous mix of blue, green & gray! You'll notice that isn't a stock photo. It's the 2 hanks I ordered & received last week. Headed home today to continue the Knitting Mojo Marathon..........

Oops - I Did It Again........

Ignored my blog - that is. Here's the speed version of what I've been up to: Finished my Avon walkathon; went to Stitches East (finally got a swift & winder - YEA); started my gift knitting; made some progress on WIPs; planned my inventory for seasonal craft shows; and completed the Help the Homeless Walkathon. Here's the photo run down:

Time Flies When You're..........

Where the heck did the last month go? At last check-in we were celebrating Labor Day.......... now it's Columbus Day; the grandkids have the school routine down-pat; I've switched to my fall wardrobe; winterized the car; raked a few leaves; and my gift-knitting is in full swing. We won't even discuss all the yarn clearance sales I've hit between Alexandria & Roanoke (lol).

I'm still working the Fern Lace Wrap and fully intend to be finished and sporting it on Election night. Here's the latest progress pic:

My youngest daughter fell in love with the Slouchy Beret I made for the older one so naturally I had to whip one up for her. She's so good at the guilt-thing, she even managed to get a matching scarf.


The Leaf Lace Scarf is coming along nicely but I haven't managed to take a new picture. I've been training for my 6th Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2 weeks in Charlotte, NC. I continue to walk in honor or memory of some fantastic women. Every year my list grows but I keep the faith that we will find a cure. Y'all pray for me by way of good weather and no blisters!

I promise not to stay away so long........happy knitting!

Freedom

My oldest has decided to learn the art of knitting. I'm sure this has alot to do with relocating across the country & missing her boyfriend - but hey, whatever works for ya. On my last visit, we went yarn shopping and I showed her the basics. I have yet to see the progress on her garter stitch scarf but she came home Friday with a request for a quick knit - Please Mom; you're so fast Mom; your stuff is so nice Mom; can I have it by Sunday Mom; yada yada yada. It usually goes in one ear and out the other (I hear it from her and her sister all the time) but this is for something special. Her boyfriend is leaving for a six month term in Afghanistan and she's going to visit him this week before he deploys. In true diva fashion, she doesn't want to worry about how her hair looks on her trip (lol). Here's the finished project.

Slouchy Beret by Lauren Nell Roy
1.2 skeins of Nashua Handknits Grand Opera in Teal
Started: Sept 5 - Finished Sept 7

This morning was the "America Supports You Freedom Walk" from Arlington Cemetary to the Pentagon to show support for the Armed Forces. Let's hear it for our soldiers.................

Weekend Getaway

Decided that the holiday weekend was a great time to visit oldest daughter in her new digs in Southern VA. Didn't want to break the bank (airfare should be renamed gotcha-fare) or be behind the wheel for hours & hours so the next best thing.......public transportation! How bad could it be? I have plenty of knitting projects, books, & an ipod to keep me occupied. There were no available seats on Amtrak so I settled on Greyhound. Was that a moan escaping your lips??? Why didn't you tell me??

I'm not a novice - I grew up traveling the Greyhound between West Virginia and Washington, DC every summer and holiday. Arrived an hour early, purchased my ticket, headed outside to grab a seat on the bench & await the bus. I was soon joined by Linwood & his imaginary friend. They had a wonderful conversation filled with obscenities. I'd rather be safe than sorry so I inquired with the desk rep (who was very friendly) if she thought it safe for Linwood to travel in an enclosed space for 4 hours - only to find out Linwood was a regular. She told me to threaten to call the police & he'd shut right up (WTH?) But wonder of wonders, he was ticketed on a different bus. My bus arrived an hour late only to find that the driver couldn't operate the wheelchair lift. If I would have had my super powers activated, I would have lifted that poor man onto the bus but alas it took another hour for the driver to obtain lift instructions by phone. By then there was not a snowballs chance that I would make my connection. The oh-so-friendly rep told me not to worry - there were so many folks from my bus making the same connection that they'd hold the bus (again - WTH?). They did. My plans for a potty break, a soda, & a snack were dashed upon seeing the angry mob who was made to wait all those hours that we were late. And by the smell of my seatmate - he didn't have a chance to freshen up for a few days. So all in all it took me 7 hours for an advertised 4 hour trip. The return was not as eventful but still took 5 hours. But there is a bit of goodness to this story:

Here's the progress on the Fern Lace Wrap. I'm using Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Moss and modifying the pattern to make it shawl sized. Both the pattern and the yarn are a joy to work. I actually completed a couple of rows between tears watching the historic Democratic National Convention so I've renamed it "Opening Night DNC" but most of the work was done in route over the past weekend. Next time, it's the train for me........