winter woolens

i finished two projects yesterday. so my needles are mostly bare and ready for new knits! we won't discuss the lonely in progress works that have been on the needles for some time - a single ballband dishcloth, the lace touring wrap and the ballband dishcloth beach blanket - there might be a couple more but i am scared to look in my closet. so we'll just stick to the thought that my needles are mostly bare.


here is my completed unoriginal hat from yarn harlot. lovely! i was worried the fit would be too snug from what i have read on ravelry, but it is on the looser side. i did go up to size 11 needles so that probably helped. i didn't run out of yarn either which i was a bit worried about too (btw, blue moon leticia in pebble beach - it matches one of my chevron scarves). i didn't need to be worried so much on this one as they sent me more yarn than it normally comes with. it was divided into 2 skeins though which was kind of a bummer, but the dye lots were the same. so i didn't have the one continuous skein but did at least have plenty extra. we'll see what happens when i knit the 2nd one, the footzey foo skein i ordered is dead on for weight so i'll be crossing my fingers i don't run out of that one (though i could stand to shorten the pattern a few rows somewhere, it was a wee bit tall on me).

next up we have yet another (my 5th) noro striped scarf.


color 95 and a second that i can't recall (blue, green, black, grey, brown)

this will be my last for awhile. i wasn't as happy with the results of this color combo (too much grey and black) so ended up cutting chunks of the color out. but overall, i still like it.

i watched the last episodes of entourage season 3 last night (can't wait for season 4 to come out) and then tried to follow along with the lost recap episode but gave up and went to bed. i read a little of elizabeth zimmerman's knitters almanac before dozing off.

now i am off to find the next project. i have to admit that i purchased a second set of options needles a couple days ago. i have some mitten projects i want to work on and don't want to use double pointed needles. which reminds me, i need to buy a couple patterns too...

catching up...

after a night of knitting with the super knitters naomi and ellen a couple weeks back i was inspired to try something new and more challenging (seriously, have you seen the stuff they knit? amazing - i especially love the kauni sweater).

i had seen these socks on ravelry earlier in the week. the pair that i was drawn to (linked above) was in a yarn very similar to one i already had in my stash. taking it as a sign i printed the vinnland pattern off the anticraft site and got started.

i used judy's magic cast on after reading about it in the new cat bordhi book. i have made toe up socks once before but found the cast on too fiddly. this cast on is amazing and SUPER easy! toe up no longer scares me!

the first sock has been completed since the photo above was taken. i did an afterthought heel. i don't know how i feel about it yet. i know i need to frog it and attempt again because it is a little tight. i will add a few more rows and kitchener 16 instead of 12. the cast off was fiddly too. i think i like it, just need a little more practice. taking the k2, p2 rib and separating the knits onto one needle and the purls on another and then kitchenering it was a little hard. and as with all toe ups, the stretch at the top wasn't great. i'll have to do some research on really stretchy cast off options for my next pair.

another plus is that it felt like they went really fast because i didn't have to stop and work the heel. hopefully i will get motivated to cast on the second sock in the next day or so.

i seem to want to cast on for a million projects right now. i guess the cold weather really gets me motivated to knit some winter wearables. i am almost done with my noro striped scarf and the yarn harlot's unoriginal hat done in blue moon leticia, pebble beach. i should have photos of these soon!

i'm not done yet, i do have another fo to share. early in december i picked up the last ana bandana kit at my lys. it took me awhile to get through the straight stockinette knitting and then a couple attempts at finishing (so thankful for the pictures included with the instructions!). but last week i was finally able to weave in the ends. i didn't get a great photo, but you get the idea


i can see myself knitting another one of these. mine is more fitted than the one on the website so i can't decide if i should knit the next one up a size. we'll see, i still like the fit of this size too.

ok, phew. it has been so long since my last post i have too much to share! i do want to share something i came across a couple days ago. see this post on catknits blog. this is such a great idea and i wanted to help spread the word too. when i first checked, it was up to $900, now it is $1700! i won't go into detail, but how the aftermath of katrina was handled is so heartbreaking to me. although it is sad that we have had to rely on celebrities to raise awareness, i am thankful they continue to do so.

so i still have lots to blog about. another post will be coming soon. there has been snow, car troubles, strep throat and stash enhancements. and lots of entourage watching (i have to say that i am in love with jeremy piven). with the lack of new tv out there, i upgraded my netflix account to 3 movies at a time. :)

there will also be more project bags for sale on the shop blog monday. this round will include several hard to find amy butler fabrics and the introduction of the medium size project bag (which came from me not being able to cram my scarf into the small one! - thanks mom!). i just love these bags and my mom is nice enough to let me keep adding to my collection. thanks for everyone who has already purchased them and sent nice emails. my mom is really enjoying working on these so as long as she wants to keep sewing there will be bags for sale :)

talk soon!

project bags for sale

the sock project bags are available for sale on the a shop blog. i'll leave them up for a couple days before moving them to etsy. happy monday!

more bags soon!

just an fyi, there will be 5 or 6 project bags for sale over on the shop blog monday morning at 10 a.m.

have a great weekend everyone!

lots of color!

a little color on a cold january day


noro kureyon sock yarn. i'm actually so-so on this yarn. i am a big fan of the colorway, but how it is working up and the yarn itself don't do much for me. i worry about second sock syndrome on this one. but looks cute in my pouch no? :)

i have another rainbow-ey project on the needles. a simple 1x1 rib like the child's scarf in last minute. 2 colors of noro. this is the 5th scarf like this i have knit since the fall of 2006. i can't resist finding out how the colors will play out. i'll post pics when i am further along.


i had a few stash additions over the holidays too. i kept meaning to post this fabulous yarn that naomi gave me for christmas. i love it! it is from sunshine yarns. i don't think the picture does it justice and i just wish i had cast on with this instead of the kureyon.


my mom also surprised me with a skein of str for christmas. my mom knows me well, i never even mentioned this color to her and it is my fav colorway (i'm a green gal).

i was also the very lucky recipient of blue moon sock blockers from ellen. i have a thing for moons so these things are just perfect. i have used them several times and plan to hang them in my office when not in use so i can enjoy them even when they aren't blocking socks (which isn't often!).

sold out, thanks! sock bag sale today

sold out thanks! a few more bags will be available in a couple weeks!

the sock project bags will be available for sale on the a shop blog at 10 a.m. pacific. i'll leave them up for a couple days before moving them to etsy. happy monday!

an amy butler christmas and new shop item!

so around the end of november i went through another amy butler phase. i have been in love with amy butler fabrics since her first collection. but i don't sew. i have a few bags i made with my mom, gosh, like 3 or 4 years ago? i basically was just collecting her fabric. so after showing my mom a project bag on etsy i kind of liked things got out of control pretty quickly. in a good way! you saw the bag i got for my dec. 1st gift, here is the bag i got on christmas!


ab's frenchy bag. one of my favorite patterns by her. i just love it!

not only that, but she made me pj bottoms and pillows for my bed (which inspired me to go a completely different direction with my bedroom, but that is for another post).

now back to the project bag. i was looking for the totes that carry a small project that you can use as a wristlet or clip on your belt loops. i showed my mom one, and from there she came up with her own pattern. i knew about these before christmas (she couldn't wait to give me one) and then i hired her to make 3 others for some knitting friends. they all loved theirs and i told my mom i wanted 5 (kind of joking). so look what i got for christmas?


let's just call these perfect project bags. one, they are amy butler (the outside fabric at least) and two, they have all the perfect features of a project bag. a wristlet, handy clip, drawstring top and a yarn feed inside that can be unsnapped so you can take your project out if you wish (with a lot of bags out there you have to commit to having your project in it until the end because the yarn feed is attached to your project at one end and the yarn ball inside the bag on the other).

want to know why i am telling you so much about them? well you can get one of your own on the shop blog. probably tomorrow or monday. just a few choices first go around to see how they do, they aren't the ones above (those are ALL mine!) but there will be 3 or 4 and they will be made with amy butler fabric (on the outside for sure, the lining varies). we dove into my "vintage" stash and also used some of her new. we will be selling them for $22.95 plus shipping (about $2.50 or so).

i'll post on the shop blog and here when they go on sale.

finished in 2007

ok, no pics or links here, just want to get this down before i forget. 2007 didn't feel very productive on the knits front but it wasn't too bad.

8 baby/kid hats
1 baby beret
1 pair baby booties
1 clapotis (not full size)
1 pair of mittens
3 chevron scarves
1 pair of snugs
1 stuffed owl
1 baby sweater
2 rowan big wool scarves
4 misc. scarves
1 felted pear
1 gnome
5 felted catnip toys
5 1/2 pairs of socks
2 pairs of anklets

there are probably a few things i left out. not all above were blogged about. i fell short on the socks, i did 9 pairs in 2006. i intend to do a full dozen this year and throw in a sweater. as you can see, 2007 was the year of baby knits! i know 6 people who had little ones (only 1 was a girl!).