KnitPicks delivers!

A box of yarn from KnitPicks came this week. Happy Days! Here's my Ravenclaw/Hogwarts swap sock yarn:

Eek! Now I am starting to panic - these colours are not at all what I wanted - and yes I know, I did order them myself and the colours are as described...I thought the variegated yarn would be more blue/brown. Instead it's blue/violet...off to the lys this weekend I guess (darn ;) )

I also got 10 balls of this: Palette in Rainforest Heather

Which is going to be the Printed Silk Cardigan from the current Interweave Knits. That's the plan anyway...

After I opened my lovely KnitPicks box I was inspired so I went along to the Sip n' Knit at Borders. Deb and Lyn had also got yarn in the mail and were similarly stoked. This was posted near the cash registers - now we're official!

I love my knitting group. If you live anywhere within a 50 mile radius, come join.

While there I volunteered to make a wooly pully - helmet liner for the troops. Cascade very generously donated 10 balls of Cascade 220 to our group for this project. Here's my progress:

Purple cardi is still on the go of course. Inching my way up one front. I got to the decreasing part and called it a night at Border's.

I do find it hard to concentrate on knitting/crocheting just one thing at a time. Here's my Noro Transitions scarf I made last weekend:

I like it...but it may get frogged. I don't like the way the ends are very small bands of colour compared to the rest of it. And I have come to dislike the alpaca bits a lot. Too hairy and fuzzy. Maybe I'll make this into a striped vest along with that creamy coloured aran I got in Ireland? Still looking for just the right pattern.

And here's what happens when Mommy is so busy knitting that DS's bedtime sneaks up:

Fell asleep on the kitchen floor, playing with his Lightening McQueen. Ahh.

Knitting Poetry

I do like to write, as I said. So I think I'll take this challenge from Knitting Daily. Tortured examples (max. length is 50 words) to follow. Don't laugh too hard.

I ordered 2 of these (poetry knitting magnets) from the link above. One for my Hogwarts swap and one for me.
I mean - is there a fridge-owning knitter in the world that wouldn't want this?

In other writing news - I am stalled at 13 reviews in the Amazon competition. Seeing as these are mostly from friends I have a 5-star average - which is good - but some people have 70-80 reviews! Must be a full-time job recruiting that many reviewers. Guess I am too busy working/mothering/knitting.
And I kind of expected the story to speak for itself and generate its own reviews. Hah!

purple cardi and other knitting loveliness

Still working on the purple cardi, of course. The colour is quite something...I hope it doesn't become one of those things I always bypass in the wardrobe because it's too bright. Better finish it first then worry about such things I suppose. So here I am - back done and making my way up one front panel.

Here's the babysitter's birthday present: I got the pattern, by Mia Zamora-Johnson here on Ravelry - she crocheted up quickly, and so cute! I used up my Debbie Bliss Cashmerino that I bought for Fetching and other scraps of sock yarn and baby yarn. Just love it.

And on my way home from another stint in West Virginia, I had to stop off all All About Yarn and see what was going on there. Ran into Karen from Sip n Knit (Hi Karen!)

And I found their Noro stash! Ever since Crazy Aunt Purl raved about Noro Transitions I've wanted to get my hands on some. And they had it on sale, in a pinky colour (#7).

As you can see, I had to start knitting immediately. P r e t t y...

Phew! OK Knitpicks it's up to you...

Finally got the sock swap sorted out, and found out my swapee is a Ravenclaw...so I ordered some blue and light brown sock yarn from Knitpicks, hopefully that'll come close to the blue & bronze House colours. I tried to stay away from variegated yarn in the hope that maybe for once I'll knit a patterned sock with a visible pattern.

My purple cardi is coming along. Yesterday I did 30 rows or so in Borders in a bonus holiday Monday Sip n Knit session, then I went home to concentrate on the armhole decreases. So far so good...I think.

I've also been working on something supercute (according to me anyway) for the babysitter, who turns 16 this weekend. Unfortunately, as her age (and competence) advances, so does her social life. May have to start looking further afield, the thought of which almost makes me want to stay in till DS is a teenager.

That's right, no pictures, again. DH took my camera on a business trip. He has to take pictures inside a -20°C freezer. I told him if he comes back without that camera, don't bother coming back (unless he brings yarn as peace offering).

Hogwarts Sock Swap

Hmm, very worried about this...I signed up for the ongoing Hogwart's Sock Swap after reading about twiceknit's encouraging experiences...and heard nothing. Ah well, I thought, missed the date or something. Then I got an e-mail yesterday from someone busily knitting socks for me - midway thru the 2nd one actually - and as I never heard back I assumed I was out and haven't as much as cast on - eek!
Guess I should enable my spam folder? I've only participated in one swap ever and it was fun - I'd hate to be a swap reneager...

more purple cardi

Here's the Dollar and a half cardi - I am about 2/3 the way up the back, in the middle of the 3rd of 14 skeins...I think I still like it. Just hope the reverse st st doesn't bulge out, as it does in this, admittedly unblocked, piece. I am just so impatient though. I can't work on just one piece at a time. Here's a crochet scarf I'm making, with silk yarn sent by my lovely friend Flibbertygibbet. It's so soft and lovely, will be perfect for springtime. Whenever that arrives. Speaking of: It's not quite daffodil weather but Trader Joe's had these, all the way from England. (What's the carbon footprint there? Hmm...)And just to make you all jealous: my cute boy -

Cardi progress

Decided to work from home this chilly Wednesday after another hellish commute last night. A mid-afternoon ice-storm glazed the roads and caused accidents on just about every thoroughfare out of Washington DC. I left at the usual time (see that's the danger of having an office with no windows - no idea what's going on outside) had to de-ice the car, crawl along in blurry traffic with ominous flashing lights in front and behind...I was 25 minutes late picking up DS from daycare. That is, twenty-five minutes after they closed, not just 25 minutes later than usual. He wasn't the last kid there, at least, and didn't seem all that perturbed. He then came to vote with me - usually he is not the best companion to run errands with but I guess his spirit of patriotism kicked in. I would insert a cute picture of him with an "I voted" sticker on his coat but 3-year-olds have a mind of their own. Good practice for when he's a teenager I suppose. So here's my sticker.

Indulge me won't you - this is the first time I've voted in a Presidential Primary, it being the first time I've been a US citizen for the voting cycle. I am also an Irish citizen, of course - keeping my options open ye know ;)

Making some progress on the Dollar-and-a-half cardi. Two conference calls today gave me the chance to do 20 guilt-free rows. Nothing cosier than working at home with this:
and this:

A Vicennial Event

Yes it's a word - refers to something that recurs every twenty years. Like me casting on for a sweater! Actually, a cardigan, The Dollar-and-a-half cardigan from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007, to be precise. I saw one of the Columbia Sip and Knitters wear hers (I really must introduce myself) and it looked so good I decided I'd go for it. Have vacillated back and forth between this and many, many other patterns since, but I like this. Plus - I already bought the yarn for it. Dale of Norway Svale: a cotton/viscose/silk blend in brightest purple. Fourteen balls of this have been looking accusingly at me since November, and so yesterday I cast on for something larger than a scarf for the first time in years (crocheted items do not count: crocheting is much faster).
You'd think I'd have a picture to show you. You'll just have to trust me that I did make a gauge swatch that came out quite close, and I've done the back rib plus six rows. And yes, I am very proud of myself.

Crazy dogs

I get to work from home a day or two a week which does wonders for the sanity, considering my commute. Usually this means I have conference calls, where I've learned to be quick with the mute button:The one on the left is Paddy, our rescue pup, who just wants to be petted (and fed) all the time. The other is Jamie, who wants to play, and thinks Paddy is a wuss. She torments him, but I think he likes it really...

My new socks

Last night I finished a pair of socks I cast on for myself while in Ireland. Sassy stripes yarn (acrylic) in various hues of (what else) pink: I used a pattern in the recent edition of a knitting magazine I picked up in Ireland. The pattern includes a wrapped heel and a star toe, a bit different techinque - but I don't really like the uneveness of the toe decreases - see the way it looks like the right sock is a bit wonky...But they are keeping my feet toasty and that's the main thing!

While in Ireland I also finished off the scarf, which was promptly gifted:

The colours are great, but I was disappointed in the yarn. It's 100% silk, with the texture (but not the price) of that cotton you use for crochet dishcloths. And I have two more balls of it, yay...

The quest for knitting supplies in Ireland, part 2

So, I thought I was going to come back from Ireland yarnless. But my Mum knew better - she brought me to The Crafter's Basket in Cliffoney. Co. Sligo. This shop is, far as I can see, Northwest Ireland's answer to Jo-ann's: supplies for cardmaking, beading, knitting/crochet etc. Unfortunately the staff are about as friendly as those in Jo-ann's, rather than the usual LYS friendliness. People always say the Irish are so friendly - have to say, having lived in both places, for me the American's have the edge. So here's the outside of the store - it's an old building that's been renovated, which I love -
-look at the view they have - this is an old ruined castle by the Atlantic.

Another aspect of traveling in Ireland - getting stuck behind the likes of this as you traverse the country -

I took a picture of this tractor carrying 3 bales of silage as I crawled along in second gear behind it for twenty miles, flippin' two lane 'highways' (now I am sounding like an American ;))

At the end of my tractor-affected journey I visited my friend from college in Cavan - and found another store selling yarn! It's the local Singer store, which also sells all kinds of sewing stuff. Again, they had questionable customer service - some of the yarn wasn't priced, and while yer one in charge pondered this dilemma, she served two other customers and left me standing there. I think having three customers in the place was something of a rush - it was a sleepy place - some of the notions in there were still priced in Irish pounds.

Here's what I ended up with - the 10 50g balls on the right are Kilcarra wool, from Co. Donegal (about 3 euro each)- so now I have 500g and need to find a good pattern - maybe an aran vest? Any suggestions? The other balls are Rowan, I think. So I did quite well, and was rather restrained. There is such a gap in the market over there for crafty stuff. I keep encouraging my mostly retired Mum to set up a coffee shop/LYS but she won't bite...