Christmas Wrap-up/Pointercounts!

I've been blogging almost a year.....amazing......

Lately, I haven't been posting too much due to the ease of Raverly. However, I'd like end the year with a project wrap-up. I started the blog last year to keep track of what I was knitting and document my progress. Well, in that regard, it has been a success. I'm still working on one Christmas present, but it doesn't have to be done until December 29th, when my extended family gathers for our celebration. My cousin's daughter (in 7th grade) asked me for a shawl at Thanksgiving. (I picked her name in the gift exchange). A teenager who wants a shawl. Apparently, the ones I made for my two aunts are in demand once the cold weather hits. I'm using Lion Brand Homespun (French Provincial - discontinued colorway) from my stash.

Ah, yes, let's discuss the stash. And the purchases. Only sock yarn. Jawoll Cotton for the purple socks. The swap & sale at guild (Cascade 220, Classic Elite Applause) bought with proceeds of yarn I sold (therefore I don't think it really counts)....... Schaeffer Anne (again SOCK YARN) bought on sale in November at a yarn shop in Skaneateles. Some Patons Merino for Christmas gifts.

Finally, just yesterday, Moda Dea Sassy Stripes from ......get this......Real Deals Dollar Store in North Syracuse (near Ponderosa). I'm going to make socks out of it. For those considering, do I want to purchase $1 yarn and what would I make with it? Okay, it's only in the Stormy colorway.......black and white.......and here's a new free shawl collared cardigan pattern from Moda Dea from bust size 39 - 55 1/2 inches. You can make a sweater for less than $12 for the largest size.

Finally, the fun. I've been enjoying the new CNY Raverly group. Thank you Marcela for the Socks that Rock Yarn. I've got the RPM Socks queued for this yarn.

I've also been meeting with the Syracuse Knitorious Chicks with Sticks group on Monday nights at the Wegmans in Liverpool. Lots of laughter and cool projects to admire.

The Twisted Stitches Knitting Guild of CNY is also a regular event in my knitting life. Last meeting, we met over at the Manlius Library. Cool place, they even have a coffee bar......in the Library!!! Then, a few of us checked out Donna Rapp's shop In-Stitches. Very cool! I finished my dad's Christmas socks! On Your Toes DK weight.....yeah!

Check out the Twisted Stitches Website for links and addresses for the groups and shop mentioned in my post.

And now, for some shameless promotion........Are you looking for good music? Why not give it the old college try? The Evolution CD from the SUNY Potsdam Pointercounts is available for only $15. They are a not-for-profit A capella group. A few of the tracks from the CD are on their myspace site. My cousin's son is a proud member of this group and I got to see them in concert last week on their winter tour. They were giving concerts at many New York state schools and gave a public concert in DeRuyter, NY. Nicest bunch of guys you could ever meet.

October Sky

I can't believe that I haven't posted since August! Ravelry.com has been getting regular updates. What have I been doing? Ummm, 2 Twisted Stitches Knitting Guild of CNY meetings. Monday night gatherings of the Syracuse Knitorious Chicks with Sticks at Wegmans in Liverpool.


I went to the Alpaca Festival at the state fairgrounds in Syracuse on Saturday. Alpacas are incredibly cute. I watched a few of the competitions. The judges explained how they determined the placement of the winners. Microns of thickness of the coat, how close to type the alpaca was, etc. It was all a little beyond me. I also did some shopping. Very nice yarn. I ended up buying some balls of fingering weight alpaca for two pairs of socks. The natural color is already starting to be knit up.

I've also been working on a Brea Bag from Berroco.com http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/brea/brea.html with some wool I bought at the guild's first swap and sale at the September meeting.

A Month?

I can't believe that I haven't posted in a month! Did anyone out there miss me? Okay, all 2 of you, thanks.....

What have I been knitting? Well, if you are on Ravelry, you can see what I've been knitting. I finished the purple Jawoll cotton socks. I picked up a hibernating UFO, a prayer shawl in Lion Brand Homespun. I, of course, misread the pattern and made a 3 by 3 rib....... I am just finishing it this evening.

Monkey socks - What can I say, Cookie A. is a great designer. The pattern looks complicated. It isn't. I love it them! I am using Zitron Trekking XXL that I bought over 2 years ago at New York Knits in Victor, NY. NYK is a great shop. The store has a lot of yarn and a lot of patterns. Everything in stock is current. The owner and staff are friendly. When I visited, one of the staff and I sat down at the table and talked about shops in Syracuse. New York Knits has a store online, too.

Twisted Stitches Knitting Guild of CNY had its first meeting of the year. The first Yarn Swap and Sale was terrific! I sold some yarn that I was never going to use. I purchased some great yarn, too. Good quality wool for some Christmas projects. We

We Forge Ahead

I visited Old Forge, New York this weekend. It is a lovely tourist town in the Adirondack Region of NY. And of course, it has a yarn store. You've heard of yarn stores inside of book stores (Village Yarn Store in Rochester), but have you ever visited a yarn store in a hardware store? Well, if you shop at Old Forge Hardware http://www.oldforgehardware.com/knitting.html
you will be treated to a wonderful experience. Old Forge Hardware is an institution in town from all I can figure. Unbelievably packed with hardware, fishing, furniture, candy, books, and everything else under the sun, the yarn shop is a wonderful jewel. The yarn selection is excellent and variable in type and price point. You can find everything from dishcloth cotton, Sirdar, Mountain Colors Sock Yarn, Brown Sheep, Cascade Ecowool, Patons, Noro, Great Adirondack Yarn Co. to Manos de Uruguay. A huge selection of DVDs, books, and patterns is also available. I talked briefly with the lady who runs the shop (sorry I didn't get her name) and she is aware of current trends, yet walks a fine line to appeal to all knitters and crocheters who visit the store. The yarn store has struck that balance well. Friendly service is a hallmark that will make loyal customers from first time visitors. I didn't buy any yarn, but boy it was tempting! I instead bought a pattern book http://www.patonsyarns.com/patternbook.php?PBS=500838%20&PHPSESSID=5504a34671308e39d3c8cc83a117db61 I have been eying online. I also bought a Regia pattern leaflet with both traditional heel flap and short-rowed heel construction. Here are some photos to tempt you.

Finishing School

Things are moving along. I can't believe it's almost August! The Shapely Tee is done.
The photo doesn't do the sweater justice. It actually fits very well and looks like it's supposed to.

Also, the Six-Sox Knit-along (Yahoo Group) Victorian Lace Socks are coming along well. I actually finished the first one today. This sock is knitted from the yarn I dyed with Wilton Icing Colors earlier this summer. Yes, I know the new pattern comes out on August 1st.



I, umm, also have another yarn confession......I bought yarn..... Sock yarn......Tofutsies in Cherrybark. It's pretty. Judy at Knitting Connection in East Syracuse had some balls of it. Then, Judy showed me the Colinette Jitterbug she has hanging on the wall behind the counter. The colors are so bright and saturated. Pretty. I wasn't ready to buy any more yarn right at that moment. So I did the next best thing. I went home and emailed a knitting buddy about it. It's called enabling and it's a wonderful thing.....Let's practice it now. E-N-A-B-L-I-N-G ! Here's the link so you can see the shade cards online. http://www.colinette.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=1546ad51360b1a2/shopdata/0020_yarns/0007_wools/0005_jitterbug/full_range.shopscript

Where in the world is KnitterCNY?

I haven't posted in a long time. I've been working on a crocheted afghan out of two strands of Lion Brand Homespun with a Q hook. It was supposed to be a wedding present for my cousin, who got married last weekend. Umm, it's looking like it's more of an after-honeymoon present. Hopefully, I can get it done soon so I can go back to the Shapely Tee. And then there are those Six-Sox Victorian Lace Socks (ah, carumba).



I am also going to be attending the first meeting of the CNY Ravelers group this Saturday. Yeah! And the Twisted Stitches Knitting Guild picnic is on Sunday.

Attractions for CNY Knitters and Spinners

Summer is the time for road trips. In addition to the joy of finding a new local yarn shop, there are also several nearby attractions for knitters and spinners in the Central and Southern Tier areas of NYS.

One very interesting site is the Bemont-Billings Homestead in Newark Valley, NY. My family hails from this hometown so pardon me for boasting. The museum is run by the local historical society. The best time to go is usually on a big festival weekend. http://www.nvhistory.org/festivals.shtml
The Apple Festival in the fall is a lot of fun. Bring your kids for hands-on craft activities. The museum works with the local school system to train "youth interpreters" who learn traditional activities (driving a pony car, baking bread, weaving, etc.) and then run the booths for craft activities for the kids attending the festival. Usually, the Apple Festival also has demonstrations from the local Blacksmithing and Spinning Guilds. The town is easy to find. If you are coming from Syracuse or Ithaca, Newark Valley is approximately 45 minutes south of Dryden on Route 38. From Binghamton area, go over Route 38B and head north on Route 38.

A little farther south, in Orwell, PA is the Home Textile Tool Museum. http://www.hometextiletoolmuseum.org/.
This museum is of special interest to spinners and weavers. There are at least 5 barn looms which are available for demos by the staff. When I visited 3 years ago, I was invited to "sit down and try it" (a barn loom) under the supervision of museum volunteers. This aspect is unique to any museum I have been in. The museum also hosts a collection of historic spinning wheels. If you are a spinner or a knitter, bring your wheel and/or project and a lawn chair with you. It is not uncommon to see people just having a great time socializing on the side lawn. The day I visited happened to be a spin-in by the local spinning guild, some of the nicest people I have met. You may want to contact the staff before your visit to see if any of this information has changed recently. The staff is very knowledgeable. They are spinners, weavers, and many times, teachers in the local area. When I was there, a great wheel was being demonstrated as a well as a spinning wheel with a willow distaff.

Shed a little light on the knitting

I have not be satisfied with the quality of my blog photos. It's hard to capture knitting images well. That was until I came upon the following article. http://wikiknitting.com/wiki/How_to_Take_Detailed_Photos_of_your_Knitting

I didn't have tracing paper so I substituted wax paper. This photo is my light box.


I also used a mini-tripod on my Kodak Digital Camera. The mini-tripod was included in the Kodak Digital Camera Support set which I bought at Target for $9.99. The set also included 4 AA rechargeable batteries, a charger, and lens cleaner with cloth.


The closeup is of the short rows on my Shapely Tee at the bust line.

I have started knitting the back of the Shapely Tee. The Lion Brand Microspun is a lovely yarn to knit with on the Addi Turbo circular needle.

Projects Progress

I have actually been making some progress on two projects. First, I had been knitting on the Jawoll Cotton Socks. It's my all purpose Ann Norling pattern. I had gotten to the gusset and realized I forgot to use the reinforcing thread in the heel. Rip, rip, rip. I worked on it tonight at the Meetup.com Syracuse group



I have also been knitting on the White Lies Designs Shapely-Tee in Lion Brand Microspun. The front is the first part to be worked in the pattern. There are short rows at the bottom. Then, there is a straight section. Following that, the pattern calls for some hour glass shaping. I am not up to the short rows for the bust yet, but will be quite soon. I am hoping this sweater will actually be done sometime before July. It seems to be very quick knitting. The microspun yarn is nice to work with and yes, I am using an Addi Turbo Circular needle.

Skeins and Sweater

Last weekend, I finally got all the skeins of yarn dry. Somehow, as I wound up the 100% merino, it coiled itself around my arm. I would like to introduce you all to my new pet,
Rainbow The Skein.



Seriously, I spend Friday afternoon and most of Saturday winding the dyed yarn into balls. I've found out two things. First, I could use a ball winder (mabye in the future - most of the yarn I use is pre-skeined). Second, a Mrs. Dash container makes a lovely cylinder to wind yarn around.



I have cast on the Shapely-Tee from White Lies Designs. I am using Lion Brand Microspun in Turquoise. If you look at the right of the photo, you can sort of see the short rows used in the pattern to give the shirttail edge. http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/fbd.html

Dried Frosting

The yarn finished drying and this is what it looks like. The upper left skein is superwash wool/nylon. The upper right skein is merino wool/silk. The lower rainbow colored skein is 100% merino. I was showing them to someone tonight and the blue from the silk blend started to come off a little bit on my fingers so I have put all 3 skeins into the washer in a water and vinegar bath to soak for a while. Hopefully, that will fully set the colors and then I'll just dry them again.

Summer Knitting

There is a contest for summer knitting goals which is being sponsored by Ali at Skeins Her Way.
http://www.skeinsherway.com/2007/05/pre-summer-contest.html is the link to her page about the contest. My knitting goals for this summer are:

1) Try sock knitting with Magic Loop or two circulars using a toe-up pattern. I will probably use some of my Wilton dyed yarn for this project.

2) Knit the Shapely Tee by Joan McGowan-Michael for myself. http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/fbd.html I started this project Friday night using Lion Brand Microspun. I am using black at the bottom and turquoise on top.

3) Finish the three pairs of socks I started (Moda Dea Sassy Stripes, Jawoll Cotton, and Fostissima 6-ply)

Frosting

I've always liked the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". There is a line that is "Frost Yourself" referring to a proposed diamond marketing campaign aimed at women. However, I can't afford diamonds so how about Wilton Frosting colors and sock yarn?

The sock yarn is from Knitpicks http://knitpicks.com/dye+your+own+knitting+yarn_YL300110.html and is a gift for my birthday from my Dad. The yarns are all called "Bare" and a fingering weight:
1) 70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk
2) 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon
3) 100% Merino Wool



I have learned a couple of things doing this project. One, when attempting to reskein yarn to be a longer length, don't, I repeat, don't forget to roll it into a ball first. Should you try to do this outside by winding from one crossbar of the clothesline to the other and end up with a tangled mess which takes an hour to straighten out, make sure the neighbors aren't out. My dad's neighbor was quite amused when she asked me, "What the heck are you doing?" When I finally got that first skein tied up and removed from the clothesline, I decided that the other skeins could be dyed just fine the way they came from Knitpicks. In the photo above, the clothesline skein is the one on the left. That skein is also featured in the first photo. Kind of a rainbow look.

The yarn didn't quite come out the way I had envisioned it. The colors are more landscape and sky colors than if I had used Jacquard dye. I used Wilton dye because it's cheap and I can use the containers and microwave after I use them. I will have to wait a couple of days while the skeins dry and then I will take another photo for you.

Socks a plenty

On Monday and Wednesday nights, I went out to knit with the groups I belong to. I worked on the purple socks out of Jawoll Cotton that I bought at Mission Rose Quiltery.

At home, I've been working on the 6 ply Socka Colori Socks. This view is from the front. I like the way it's knitting up.

Sock and Trips

I finished the Cascade Fixation socks on Tuesday night. They are here.

Last night, I went out with the Syracuse Meetup.com group to Panera. There were three of us, but it was a lot of fun. I think I reknit the same two inches of sport weight sock three times.

I came home from work sick today and am just working on sewing up spring sweaters tonight while watching tv.


I am looking forward to summer being around soon. I have blogged about Fingerlakes Fibers in Watkins Glen, NY. They have information about Fiber Tours up on their website http://www.fingerlakesfibers.com/tour.php

Fixated on Socks

You may not remember this sock. (yes the photo is upside down - the sock looks better that way....) It's Cascade Fixation (cotton with a small bit of elastic). I am using a Cascade pattern called the Lacy Cable Sock. I knit the heel flap, turned the heel, and have started on the gusset. The pattern calls for the cables to be carried down each slide of the heel flap. Very pretty. I am using Crystal Palace bamboo double points US 5.

I sat out in my father's backyard on a Sunday afternoon enjoying the sunshine. Last Monday, our area had power outages because of the heavy snow (12 inches in some places). We have a saying about CNY weather, "Wait 5 minutes, it'll change." Enjoy the crocuses (or croci) in the back garden as well!

One Sock, Two Sock

Okay, it's only really one sock. I kitchnered (is that a word?) the toe on Wednesday night while watching Lost on tv. The other sock is on the needles and I'm past the ribbing. I am using US 1 double points. I am a very loose knitter. Just to remind you, this is the Jaywalker pattern http://www.magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/jaywalker.htm

On Monday and Wednesday nights, I went out to knit in public. Monday was the Knitorious Chicks with Sticks (Syracuse, NY). http://groups.msn.com/KnitoriousSyracuseChicksWithSticks Very cool group of ladies with beautiful yarns and projects. We met at the local Wegmans (cool grocery store/candy store/coffee bar/oh they have knitting magazines!!!)

Wednesday night was the new Meetup.com knitting group (Syracuse, NY). A group of 8 showed up for the first gathering at a local Panera. Many different levels of experience and again, beautiful yarns and projects. The group is hoping to meet once a month.

It's been a lot of fun. Knitting can be a little solitary and it helps to get out with people who share your obession. As I said to someone at the guild meeting on last weekend, we want you to join the cult......lol

Diet is Die with T

Okay, I admit it..... I bought sock yarn (2 skeins - only 1 is pictured below)
1) It's pretty (purple is my favorite color).
2) It's spring sock yarn (cotton/wool/nylon). I don't have any sock yarn except 100% wool in my stash.
3) I haven't been to a yarn store for 8 months. I spent way to much time picking up and putting down many skeins of yarn. (Online sock yarn, Claudia's Handpaints, Lorna's Laces, and Schaefer). I think I was very restrained.
4) It comes with free reinforcing thread.
5) Wendyknits.net "rules" allow sock yarn.
6) It cost $15. Cheaper than a movie and popcorn these days.

Okay, enough rationalizing. It's Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Jacquard (49% wool/35% cotton/16% nylon). AND IT'S MINE, MINE, ALL MINE!!!!

Jaywalkers Continued

I celebrate Easter and enjoyed a family dinner. My cousin's daughter received her knitted gift from me. The shrug I was working on just didn't get finished in time or look just right. I gave her the Farmhouse Yarns Poncho which she really liked.

I am still working on the Jaywalkers and have turned the heel. I have picked up stitches for the foot and will be working the gussets. Here is a picture:

Weekend Knitting

I have been working on the Jaywalkers this past week and I am about 1/2 inch shy of the heel.

I have also been knitting a shrug for my cousin's daughter who just turned 18 and was the lead in the spring musical at her high school. The shrug pattern is free from Caron in Shadows in the color Martis Grey. You can find the pattern here:
http://caron.com/projects/shadows/sss_shrug.html

Pictures!!

I have been knitting away on the Jaywalkers. The SWTC Bamboo Lace Scarf is almost completed. A friend at work gifted me with a digital camera she and her husband no longer use. I thanked her profusely and am planning on posting lots of photos to this blog.

Ock! More Socks!

I started working on Jaywalkers by Grumperina http://www.magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/jaywalker.htm. It is fairly easy to memorize the leg ripple patterning. The yarn is Lana Grossa Meilenweit Fun & Stripes Color 619. The yarn is fingering weight and I am using US Size 1 needles. Luckily, the yarn has fairly long color repeats so the pattern is showing up quite well.



The other pair of socks I started working on is a pair in sport weight yarn with US 3 needles. The yarn is Fostissima Colori 6-strand in color 4007. I am knitting a plain 48 stitch pattern although I may take it out and recast on in a 56 stitch pattern. The needles I am using are my favorite type for double points. They are Bryspun from New Zealand. They are flexible and very comfortable. I got them several years ago at Village Yarn Shop in Rochester, NY, but they are available at a lot of LYS and online at elann.com.

SWTC Bamboo Scarf

This is a scarf I have been working on for about a month on and off. The yarn is South West Trading Company Bamboo (100% bamboo). You can see their website at www.soysilk.com.
The pattern is a simple lace pattern that a mother and daughter who attend my knitting guild were kind enough to share with me. I admired the scarves they were both wearing at a meeting several months ago and they told me the simple pattern. It is a basic feather and fan pattern.
I am using US Size 10 Takumi Bamboo knitting needles to knit this scarf.




These are the finished Patons Kroy Country Jacquard Socks with the short row heel. They turned out pretty well.

I have started another pair of socks for my aunt who last weekend said, "Uhmmm I had to darn the toe of the socks you gave me a few years ago. Could you make me a new pair, too?" I told her not only will I make her a new pair in wool/nylon, but I will be giving her the Sockotta Socks I knitted. They are 60 stitches around and too small for my feet. I always give knitted objects to people who appreciate them.

Yarn Stash Inventory

After 3 evenings of inventory, I can say that I didn't know I had this much yarn. It's confined to a smaller number of bins now. I won't have to buy yarn for at least a year. My official total is 56,700 yards (51,846.48 meters) not including UFO's. How does my stash compare to others out in blog land? Any comments?

I have decided not to inventory the magazines, patterns, and books. I store magazines on my dresser top and small bookcase in magazine holders. My books are in my closet on shelves or on the bookshelves.

Well, for now, I am somewhat organized. Scary isn't it!

Yarn Inventory

I have decided to inventory my yarn stash. The process began last night. I have so far documented my wool, sock yarn, and cottons. I am using a simple spreadsheet. Here is what I have so far: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pyJnzSCzuSivPkn9lqiiRBw

My favorite yarns so far are the Opal Sock Yarn, the Alpaca Lite Sock yarn, and the Farmhouse Yarns (Grapes on the Vine - I love that color name!). Here is the link to the color card for Farmhouse Yarns http://www.farmhouseyarns.com/roxannescolorcard.html
The color of the Opal Sock yarn is 1079 as seen here: http://www.ptyarn.com/elements.html
The alpaca yarn is from a kit for some Nancy Bush designed socks which I bought at alpacapolooza several years ago when it was held in Syracuse at the NYS Fairgrounds. It looks like this event is usually held in October so I may have to check it out when it rolls around again this year. There was one room where the yarn and products were sold. Of course, I could just buy from one of the local farmers as well. Here is a link to the list for Central New York http://www.empirealpacaassociation.com/MemberFarms/

The Sock has been Heeled!

I have been working on the Patons Kroy Country Jacquard Socks for a couple of weeks now. If you remember, I tried the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts heel and didn't like the looks of it. I've switched to a plain short-row (wrap and turn) heel which came out pretty well. I don't think I would try this heel again. I like the heel flap with turned heel.

From 2007-03-04

This photo is a closeup of the heel I used in the reworking. The next photo is of the lunar eclipse on Saturday night. I used a digital camera and took it by holding the lens of the camera up to the binoculars. The rubber gasket of the binocular eyepiece fits over the lens of the camera.

From 2007-03-04

What a Heel

From 2007-02-25

I have been working on the Patons Kroy Country Jacquard Socks. The heel is the first short row heel I have ever attempted. I used Simply Socks by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Unfortunately, I hate the heel. It was ripped out at least twice until I got the yarnover things at the end of each row. However, on the front of the sock near the end of the short rows, you can clearly see larger stitches as I started knitting around to connect the heel to the rest of the sock.

So I ripped it out. I figure, if I don't like it, too damn bad. I am now using the heel from Wendyknits.net generic toe up sock although mine is cuff to toe. We will see how this one goes.

2007-02-25

I am starting to work on another pair of socks in Sassy Stripes by Moda Dea. The yarn is 100% acrylic but I like the colors.

The agony of the feet

It is still very cold here in Syracuse. I have made some progress on the side to side cardigan. However, an overwhelming urge overtook me to knit another pair of socks. My sock yarn drawer is full to overflowing and I found two skeins of Patons Kroy Socks in the Country Jacquard colorway.

Last weekend, I also went through my knitting magazines pulling out the ones I no longer wanted. My plan is to take them to this Saturday's meeting of Twisted Stitches of CNY Knitting Guild. Someone will be sure to want them and now I have a little more space for organizing my books and remaining magazines.

While reorganizing, I came across Simple Socks Plain and Fancy by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts. I decided to do her version of the short row sock from Top to Toe. I am going to be what Elizabeth Zimmerman used to call a "Blind Follower" of the directions in this book as I have never attempted this heel before. I had recently seen an example of a short row heel on Shay Pendray's Needlearts Studio with Linda Pratt from Westminster Fibers.

Cardigan

I listen to Brenda Dayne's Cast On podcast http://www.cast-on.com/. One of her sayings is "Put a sweater on, that's what they're for". It's still very cold in Syracuse. With the wind chill, it feels like 10 degrees below zero.

So I went into my box of UFO's again and dug out a side to side cardigan I was working on about two years ago. I bought the yarn at Michael's on sale about 3 or 4 years ago for a dollar a skein. The yarn is Lion Brand AL*PA*KA (30% alpaca/30% wool/40% acrylic) in Oxford Tweed and Black. This yarn has been discontinued, but you can see the colors here http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/alpaka.html
The pattern I am using is found in A Knack for Knits from Leisure Arts which can be found in most craft stores. I am knitting a series of stripes in 1 and 2 row combinations. It's coming along quite nicely.

Farmhouse Yarns Poncho

From 2007-02-03

I have almost finished the second of the Patons Kroy Winter Eclipse
Socks. They are knit using an Ann Norling pattern. The pattern
is very good because it gives instructions for knitting socks in fingering,
sport, and worsted weight yarns.

From 2007-02-03

Here is the Farmhouse Yarns poncho I finished last week. The colors are
beautiful and the pattern is easy. I chose not to add fringe as the pattern
directed, but finished the bottom edge in garter stitch.

Farmhouse Yarns Poncho

I have finished the Farmhouse Yarns Poncho. It is a simple pattern which shows off the colors of the yarn beautifully. Photos will be posted in the next few days.

Last night, I finished one Winter Eclipse Sock. The second sock has been started. The ribbing is done and now I am on the stockinette section of the leg.

Winter Eclipse Socks

I found myself thinking last night, "Self, what do I need the most right now?" As the temperature last night in Syracuse was about 8 degrees, the answer was fairly obvious: SOCKS. WARM WOOL SOCKS. Then, I remembered that two years ago, I had bought about 8 balls of Patons Kroy for a dollar a ball when a local yarn store discontinued carrying it. In my drawer of sock yarn and projects, I found a mostly completed sock in Patons Kroy Socks Winter Eclipse. The pattern I am using is Anne Norling Pattern #12 Basic Adult Socks Designer: Deridre Wallace. http://www.muenchyarns.com/pages/patterns/norladult1.html

A Day at the Yarn Store.....

Okay, I know what you're thinking....How can she go to a yarn store and not buy yarn?

This is how....A.C. Moore(www.acmoore.com) held a Warm Up America knit and crochet event. I went and knitted squares for 4 hours today. The store provided tables, chairs, instructors, and yarn. Participants only had to provide needles or hooks. You can find patterns for squares at http://www.warmupamerica.com/

Two people who knitted or crocheted the most squares got prizes. I won a prize! The bag was filled with US Size 19 Takumi Bamboo straights, a Knifty Knitter,
11 skeins of Moda Dea Flip, a magazine, and a pair of scissors. Thank you for everyone at A.C. Moore who provided a lot a laughs and instruction (I now know how to do the Magic Loop Technique!).

I am still debating what buttons to use for the Hippy Chic Cardigan, but here it is.

Toe be or Not Toe Be

I am ready to knit the toe on the second of the Sockotta Socks. The next UFO to tackle is the Cascade Yarn Fixation Socks. The pattern I am using is CYPW135 #2 Cream Lacy Cable Socks. If you want free patterns from Cascade Yarns for Fixation yarn, look at their website page cascadeyarns.com/patterns_fixation.asp

Round and Round

I am done knitting the Punta Scarf. I am almost to the toe of the second of the Sockotta Socks. I am using the pattern from The Knitter's Handy book of Patterns by Ann Budd.