Rona Lace Shawl

I had 3 sweaters on needles, and my fingers started itching for something a little lighter and more challenging. I have wanted to knit a shawl for quite some time, so I checked the stash. I decided to knit the Rona Lace Shawl from KnitPicks.com. I chose Alpaca Cloud in Iris Heather which is 100% Baby Alpaca. Let me just tell ya, I love me some Baby Alpaca! If you have not knit with it, you are missing out. Go get some! Hurry! Now this shawl is knit in the round, so getting a good detailed picture while it's all bunched up is a little difficult, but here's Rona 44 rows later.

Here is Rona posing with a gorgeous bag that Michelle made for me. It matches and everything! The bag is the perfect size for this project. It's not so big that the shawl and yarn tumbles around inside of it, and it's not so small that I have to squish it inside. Thank you Michelle!! I love it!



Something I should mention is that so far I have found an error on line 43 of the pattern. It reads *yo, k2tog, yo, (KB,p1) 6 times, KB, yo, SKP, yo, K2P. It should read *yo, k2tog, yo, (KB,p1) 6 times, KB, yo, SKP, yo, SK2P. I'll let you know if I find anything else.

Been A While

It's been a while since I posted, but believe it or not I have been doing A LOT of blog stuff in my spare time. It's nothing that you can see right now, but all will be revealed soon. I hope. I have also been knitting. I got a little distracted from knitting Ariann, and I started on Deli. I think it is just because Cashcotton is so darn soft and wonderful to knit with. I got the new IK in the mail, and I can't say that I like the new layout. It's not that it is a bad layout. It is the fact that it is the same layout as Vogue Knitting. If I were publishing a magazine, I think I would try to be as different as possible from the competitors not the same. Once I got over my initial disappointment, I found a pattern that I really like, the Dollar and a Half Cardigan. Now this is important info if you are planning on knitting this pattern. A lot of people are having a heck of a time finding the Reynolds Soft Linen that the pattern calls for. I did some googling and found it here. At $6.00 a ball the price isn't awful, but I'm not really impressed with the colors. While I'm working on Deli and Ariann, I'll be thinking of a good substitute. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking that my Reynolds Saucy would work. Check out all the colors and the price. Plus it doesn't hurt that I have ten balls of Olive in my stash. Well, I'm off to do some more work! I'm hoping to be back soon! Have a good Sunday!

PS. Thanks for all the compliments on the bracelet. I will be offering a video tutorial. I can't promise a time. It all depends on how long the other stuff I am doing takes. Stay tuned!

Smile!

Can't Catch A Break!!!

My stupid cord for my stupid laptop is broken, so unless Rob is home I can't use it!!! He came home today, so I was able to order a new one. That thing better come soon!!! In other news, I woke up to some very sad family news this morning. No need to bring the blog down with the details. Now for some happy news...

My wonderful, awesome, incredible, amazing, super duper husband built me my shelves!! Now if there are any recyclers/freecyclers reading, you will love this. The dresser it is sitting on was a hand me down from my mom which I believe was handed down to her. I repainted it the yummy chocolate brown and Rob replaced the drawer knobs. The shelf is built entirely from wood scraps from a friends home renovations. The whole thing cost about 20 bucks!!! Do you notice that it is color coordinated, aside from the bottom left shelf that is all sock and lace weight? Is it crazy that I enjoyed doing that?? Do you think I might like blue??

Get It Together

I think everything is starting to come together here, and it is actually starting to look like people live here now. We got the living room painted and the art and tapestries up on the walls. Now I have decided that I want an accent wall which caused a little eye rolling by Rob, but I'm used to that ;) We painted the den Dignified Purple and hung some stuff on the walls. We still have some blank spaces that need filling, and I have an Ab Fab throw to knit that will look...absolutely fabulous in there! Today we will paint my craft room! You read right. I get a craft room all to myself! The furniture is all painted except for one desk, and the yarn has been organized and stored. Here is a little shot of most of my stash. I did not include yarn that has been bagged and set aside for projects.

Zoe couldn't resist climbing to the top of the pile. I think it is safe to say that I have a bunch of yarn, and I think it goes without saying that I should really start knitting more!! Eventually, Rob is going to build shelves for my yarn wall! Yay! They will go above the dresser that is holding the majority of my yarn now. The rest is in plastic bins in the closet. I would love to have the yarn more out in the open to inspire more knitting. Out of sight out of mind seems to be a very true statement when your yarn is all packed away. I think that the guilt of having so much yarn will end up prompting a lot of knitting or a stash sale haha! In my defense, it has been quite a while since I have purchased any yarn. I'll show you the last purchases next time. They are quite yummy :) Just for fun, before I get Rob off the couch (wow he snores loud) and start painting, here is a close up of something that makes Zoe all the more special...




Is that not the cutest thing ever!! Her spot is in the shape of a heart. There was no photoshopping done to this picture. She's really that cool!

Does This Give You An Idea?

Of how much yarn I have!!!!! I was almost afraid to post this!

Woohoooo Yarn Sale!!!!

I just found out tonight that my LYS Sip and Knit is having this awesome yarn sale on Saturday! Can you say 35% off all yarn! I know you can! Ok so let's forget the fact that it took oh about six or seven boxes and 4 big plastic bins to pack all of my yarn. Let's just pretend that didn't happen. Let's also pretend that I still have some yarn unpacked, and let's pretend that I'm not crazy. Cause you know why. I'M GONNA BUY ME SOME YARN! Ummmm does my hubby read this? Gawd I hope not! So anyways if you live anywhere near Maitland, you will surely know where to find me on Saturday! I'll be the insane red head diving into the Rowan. Hey some people go to therapy, I buy yarn. So what if mine isn't covered by insurance,heck it's still probably cheaper!! Need directions? Click here! Hey I can't be the only one getting in trouble darn it!!

Nervous Energy!

I haven't seen my husband in a month and a half! I'm picking him up at the airport tomorrow around 4, and I'm about to lose my mind with anticipation! I have all this nervous energy, and I can't sleep for nothing! I had to harness that energy somehow, so here's what came of it...

I loved the scarf that Leisel made so much that I had to make one too. I am knitting it with Noro Kureyon 153 and size 7 Bryspun needles. So far this pattern has been super easy to follow, and I think it is a great introduction to entrelac. I don't even need to look at the pattern anymore. These bryspun needles are awesome! The pointy tips have been so helpful with purling in the back of the stitch. I found out that they have them in circulars, and I bet they would be great for shawls. Pointy tips are very helpful with lace. Speaking of lace...

This is a sample of the lace stitch I learned from the Russian lady at my LYS and this is the yarn...

The color of the ball of yarn is closest to the actual color than the picture of the lace. Isn't it weird how color can be so different from picture to picture? So that is what I've been doing with all my my nervous energy. Oh wait there is the beaded crochet, but I can't show everything all in one post now can I!

Thanks Debbi :)

My friend Debbi bought me some Russian yarn for my birthday. Yay! It's very pretty fingering weight mohair in this beautiful teal color. The neat thing is that a Russian woman that goes to my friend's yarn shop taught me a really cool lace stitch. I figure it would be really neat to make a shawl with Russian yarn and a lace stitch taught to me by a Russian woman :) (Speaking of her, she is an incredible knitter and she can just look at a sweater and recreate it. I'm sooooo jealous of that ) Anyways I have some more laceweight yarn that is longing to become a shawl, and Doni taught me a really cool lace stitch last night. So I bought two pairs of size 10.75 Addi Naturas (i like the way the yarn looks on that or a size 11 addi natura didn't have an 11) so that I can begin two shawls. As hard as both lace stitches look, they are actually very easy, and I think that the shawls will go pretty fast on size 10.75's. The only real challenge will be finding the time to knit them.

Veterans' Day

I offer my sincerest most whole hearted thanks to all the Veterans alive and to those who are no longer with us. Both of my brothers and my Pops are Veterans and I am super proud of them :) Big hugs to you Nick, Chris, and Pops!

Here is Antique all balled up with each yarn catalogued on notecards.  Doni (owner of the yarn shop I where I bought the kit) did me a huge favor by doing this for me.  I would have never thought of doing it to tell truth. This will make everything so much easier.  I went ahead and bought a set of ebony needles to knit her with. Nothing but the best for this beauty. I'm not going to start working on her until I have finished some of the things I am already working on. What better motivation to finish my current projects than this!

Know What This Is?

It's an Absolutely Fabulous Throw Kit!!!!! I have wanted one of these kits for so long, and now I finally have one. It was given to me as an early Christmas/Birthday present, and I am sooooooo happy!! Ok happy is a bit of an understatement.  I am bouncing off the walls, dancin' a jig, jumpin' up and down happy! I couldn't wait to tell you all about it because I knew that you would appreciate how completely awesome this gift is. I tried to explain it to my husband, but he just didn't get it. My co workers didn't seem to get it either. I can't begin to express my gratitude for this wonderful gift. The colorway of this kit is Antique, which matches my living room perfectly. I'm going to my LYS Saturday so that I can use the ballwinder, and I'm going to get all of the yarn organized. I know that once I have this yarn balled, I'm going to have a hard time not starting her! I have to try and stay focused on my current projects!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I spent the evening in tangled yarn hell!! I am knitting a scarf for a yarn shop and the helpful wonderful pattern says, "Wind skeins of Eros and Electra on a ball winder and pull from the center and the outside for 2 strands." The lovely pattern didn't say how big of a pain in the butt it is to use Eros with a ball wander (it's super slippery), and how much trouble you can get yourself into when it doesn't work. I figured I would have the scarf completed this evening but instead spent the whole evening untangling Eros. I must say, this is one of the coolest novelty yarn scarves I have seen in a while, and the colors are fantastic!

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Well there you have my scarf mess. What you see here is Odyssey Glitz 4796, Eros Extreme 4796, Eros 4796, Electra 201, Parrot 4796, and Jungle 4796. The scarf is knit longways alternating between these six yarns. It can easily be finished in an evening as long as you don't go whacko with a ball winder like I did. I had a much better success rate using this method.

Coming soon will be pictures of the Lacy Wrap from the Fall 2005 Vogue I'm working on, and a felted bag with matching cell phone holder (in it's unfelted state) I knit for class. Can you tell I've been busy?

Waiting For Butterfly

While I'm waiting for the yarn to arrive for Butterfly, I have been going through my book Knitting On The Edge looking for the perfect edge for ChicKami. When I asked my husband to look through it and tell me what he liked he proclaimed, "There is an entire book of nothing but edges?? Are you serious?" Well yeah! Duh! He just doesn't get it does he. If you haven't seen this book before, you should go and check it out. It is a wonderful resource for people who are learning the ins and outs of designing knitwear. Today we pick out an edge. Tomorrow we design the whole sweater. Yay!! I can't wait! My ultimate goal as a knitter is to design my own patterns. I think that would be so incredible! I have always admired people that could do that, and I want to be one of them! Take Bonne Marie of ChicKnits for example. She is an incredible designer! I don't think I have seen a design that I did not like yet. I wish I could hang out with her in hopes that some of that talent might rub off!

Butterfly It Is

Well I have definitely decided to knit the camisole version of Butterfly. How could I resist? It is such a beautiful and feminine pattern, and I can't wait to get started. Instead of using Kidsilk Haze, I have opted to go with KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud. The Kidsilk Haze is beautiful without a doubt, but I didn't want my top to be fuzzy. It's just personal preference. It took me a while to figure out what color I wanted Butterfly to be. After much

Ok have you ever fallen asleep right at the keyboard. I mean completely knocked out asleep with your hands on the keyboard ready to type. Well just thought I would let you know that is what happened here. Ok back to the entry. Where was I? Oh yeah...

After much debate I chose Peppermint. It is just so girly and so delicate that no matter what other colors I looked at I just kept going back to pink. Did you also notice the price of the Alpaca Cloud? Yay!! I went ahead and ordered three hanks of Shimmer for the Peacock Feathers Shawl in Turquoise Splendor, color cards for all of their lace weight yarns, and a bottle of Lavender Wool Wash. My total was a whopping 32 bucks!! Yes you read right, 32 bucks. I didn't even have to pay shipping!! Now all I have to do is wait. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

I Won Something!!

Hey you guys I actually won something! One day I was checking my email and this is what I see!

Stacie! You've won a prize -- two hanks of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn, color denim stripe -- in celebration of my new nephew, Big Mack! Please send me your mailing address so I can get them in the mail to you!

Happy Fourth of July!
Vicki

http://knitorious.typepad.com/knitorious/

I was totally surprised! I have never won a blog contest before. Thanks so much Vicki! The yarn is beautiful and feels so wonderful. It will sure make some comfy socks!

Isn't it pretty. This picture isn't very good unfortunately. Vicki has a much better picture of it on her blog. She also sent this really cute mini sharpie in the package. Thanks again Vicki you made my day.

PS. Don't watch BoogeyMan right before you have to go to sleep. In. The. Dark.

Cotton Ease Hoarders Unite!

I just joined a yahoo message group for other hoarders of Cotton Ease. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that went on a major Cotton Ease binge. There are at least 65 others just like me <grin> Now that we have this big ole stash we need to start figuring out what the heck to do with it. My first suggestion would be to go to ChicKnits. Several of her knitting patterns use Cotton Ease. My favorite is ChicKami. What a cute little top! I bought the pattern a while back and one should find itself on my needles soon.

I had another knitting class tonight. There were six people which is more than I have had in a long time. I find it so interesting how some people pick up the needles and fly and some people can't get past casting on in the first lesson. It's amazing how each individuals mind works so differently. To teach knitting you have to be pretty flexible and learn how to bend with each knitter's needs. You may have to try different ways of holding the needles or yarn, and it is a good idea to know how to knit both English and Continental. Some people can't knit English to save their life but pick up on Continental in a heart beat and vice versa. Some people may pick up English just fine but they need to hold the yarn a completely different way than you do. Make sure that if you ever teach someone to knit that you tell them there is no right or wrong way to knit as long as the stitches are coming out right. Like I always say, "We are knitting for World Peace and noone's life is hanging on the balance if we do not make the perfect stitch. This is all supposed to be fun!" I may not know all there is about teaching a person to knit, but these things are important lessons I have learned over the past couple of years teaching.

Well I'm off to bed. I have to get up at 6:30 am to run with my hubby! This a whole new thing for me, and I'll tell you all about it soon. Let's just say for now that joining Knit N Fit has made me some great new friends and positive changes in my life. Have a great weekend everybody!!

My Dirty Secret Revealed

This is proof positive that my husband is an absolute saint.

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This is the end result of the great search for the sadly discontinued Cotton Ease.
Zoe looks on in disbelief. Yes I actually did leave some out there, somewhere.

I'm So Jealous!!!!!

Just in case you don't read the comments on this blog I had to make sure you read this one post so I'm not the only one crying in ENVY!!!! Join me now in my pain.

Yvonne writes

Can we talk stash enhancement? Yarn is the last thing I need, but: Holy cow. My daughter's band held a rummage sale today, and someone there pointed out to me that there were two garbage bags full of yarn. So I mosey over and look inside. There were skeins and skeins of Phildar Pronostic (acrylic/wool blend), Phildar Pegase (acrylic/wool blend), Nessi cotton/rayon/acrylic, Pinguin Pingora, Andean Alpaca, Reynolds Fleur de Lis, Patons Cotton Top, something called Slicque which is a metallic shiny novelty yarn, some without labels that are ribbony/shiny, a huge HUGE bright red lace-weight mohair which must be 1500 yards at least, Bernat Cott'n Silk, Phentex Mohair, and a bunch of other regular dept. store kind of yarns that I gave to my daughter. The only thing in there I couldn't find a use for was some crewel yarn, so I took that stuff out. So I go to pay for it. They say, "What do you think?" So I go, "Um...I'll take both bags out of here for......$15.00?" I paid $15.00 for all this. Don't you just wanna KILL me?? I want to see if that red mohair will work for making the Tie One On pattern from Knitty. Gonna go look, drool and check my gauge.....

In the immortal words of my friend Janette, Un-Buh-Lievable.

Yarnin' Again

Don't you just love those wonderful knitting-centric days? It's a lovely kind of day where every nook and cranny of it is crammed with knitting goodness! Today was one of those days, and I happily soaked it all in!

I began the day by adding the finishing touches on another scarf for Grandmommy. You didn't even know I was working on that one did you? Remember when I bought the Berroco Crystal FX on ebay? Well last night knowing that I was going to get together with Grandmommy, I decided to whip up the scarf for her as a surprise. She knew she was going to make her one with that yarn but she didn't know when. This afternoon when I went out to her car, I was sporting a very pretty drop stitch scarf that I decided to call Angel (it is a lovely white sparkly yarn and the sparkles create a nice halo look) around my neck. She says, "Don't you mess up my scarf!" and promptly took it from me :) I think it is safe to say that it is a hit. She promises pictures of it very soon.

After I finished the scarf I went downstairs to check the mail and I found the latest KnitPicks catalogue. What is it about a yarn catalogue that gets me so excited?! I swear I think those and knitting magazines are a knitter's equivalent to, heehee you know! I slowly page through them drooling over all the beautiful pictures. Um I mean I get them for the articles. Yeah that's the ticket! Anywayyysssss inside this yummy drooliness (omg is that a word) I found this!

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Yarn samples! They included samples to four of their yarn lines with enough yardage to knit a small swatch! How cool is that! I haven't swatched them yet, but I can tell you that they all feel wonderful and the colors are gorgeous. I especially love the feel of the Andean Silk and the Andean Treasure. You'll have to forgive me if I stray from my diet. I think this temptation may prove to be more than I can handle.

Since Grandmommy had a new scarf, you know what had to happen. We had to go yarnin'! Oh darn! Twist my arm why don't ya! Here is the bounty of today's yarnin' adventure.



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That is the beginnings of a belt made from Lana Grossa's India. It's a beautiful ribbon yarn that we bought at my favorite LYS, Sip N Knit. It is 100% Microfiber Nylon and it feels devine! We stumbled across the Red Heart Tiki at Walmart. It was a steal at 4.97 a ball, and it just so happened to match the belt I was making her perfectly. Don't you just love it when things come together like that :) Know what else I love?



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I love the extraordinary ebony needles that she bought me! How could I not!? I have always coveted a pair of these needles, but couldn't bring myself to spend the money. Now I know why they cost as much as they do. For one they are made from wood recycled from musical instruments. The romantic in me loves that they once created beautiful musical art, and they will now create beautiful fiber art. They found their way from one type of creative hands into another. Don't they sound fabulous when you think of it that way. Secondly they feel wonderful. They are light as a feather and warm with the touch of your hands. Donnie told me that as you knit with them the oils of your hands absorb into the needles "seasoning" them, and that is when they really show their worth. The more you use them the better they become. I say they are worth every penny and if you have ever wanted to try them, you should just splurge and get them. You won't regret it.

This isn't all that happened today, but I seriously need to get in bed! Six am comes early especially when it's less than five hours away. I'll save the rest for tomorrow. Have a great Wednesday!!

Nice Weekend

Even though I had to work on Saturday, I still had a pretty good weekend. Saturday was Rob's birthday and we went out to celebrate at a little pub near our home after a great dinner at TGIF. We were joined by several of Rob's buddies from flight school and one of Rob's students, and we all had an absolute blast. Rob had also gone out with the the night before, so I got to listen to some pretty funny stories in regards to my husband's behavior the night before.

We got home pretty late, and we were able to sleep in the next morning. Amazingly my husband and I were able to be in the SAME bed in the morning TOGETHER without an alarm clock blaring and one of us grumbling towards the bathroom. It was heaven. We got up very late and Rob made some of his famous homemade waffles. After that we just lazed around the house and cuddled on the couch for most of the day. Well we did do a little cleaning in between. Boy did the living room need it! Our reward was a scrumptious Millionare Brownie. There out to be a law against something beignt hat good!

My grandmommy's scarf yarn came in the mail on Saturday. Talk about super fast shipping. I could not believe that hit got here so fast. It came way sooner than I thought it would. Both sides of twist are done and waiting to be seemed together. I made a couple adjustments to the pattern so that the straps will be wider. I think this is probably the most adjustments I have ever made to a pattern before, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. The true test will come once I have sewed her up and tried her on. Woohooo I'm getting excited.

Friday Already!?

Holy Cow this week went by like a flash of lightning! I can't get over how time flies. It is kind of scary actually. What if I blink and turn 80? Yikes! My friend Janette emailed me to let me know that my book has arrived! I guess you know where I'm headed this morning, and I'll be arriving with yarn and needles. I'm guessing the pattern will call for either size 2 or 3's so I'll just bring 2-4 to be on the safe side. Poor Twist is lavishing across my knitting basket screaming for her straps and I'm itching to start this new project. The silk is calling to me! Hopefully poor twist will have her straps this weekend so that I can focus all my attention on the yummy goodness that is Peruvian Baby Silk!

Now for some blog updates...

I have yet to fix the broken links on the Poncho list. Why did Lionbrand and Berroco move their stuff around. Don't they know I'm busy! I also haven't completed very much of my inventory. This project has not been forgotten. I think I'll make a goal to create one inventory entry a day including a picture of the yarn. I will make a main page that either has a list of the yarn inventoried or a thumbnail. I haven't decided which. Show N' Tell is still going strong. I just had another entry emailed to me today. I get so excited every time I get a new submission. I really like Show N Tell, and I see that you do as well since 100% voted yes. I will keep this going until I stop receiving entries which I hope will be never.

That's it for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Easter to those who celebrate it. I plan on biting the ears off at least one chocolate bunny! Yummmm!