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.

Punta Taken. Sock it to 'em.

I've been working on the Punta scarf throughout the weekend, including at the Twisted Stitches Knitting Guild meeting on Saturday. Esther Bozak did a wonderful presentation on the mathematics of knitting. Her website can be found at http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~ebozak/knit/. She is a gifted teacher, designer, and knitter.

The Hippy Chic Cardigan has been sewn up and is finished except for the buttons. I have to find the right buttons first. The cardigan turns out to be more of a spring close fitted jacket. (pictures will be posted next weekend).

Socks are my next UFO's to go hopefully to completion. The first set is knitted in Sockotta on US 1 needles.

I had planned a day trip to Rochester, NY about 3 years ago to coincide with the Lilac Festival at Highland Park. The weather was slightly overcast on a Friday and I headed first for Spirit Work. The owner, hearing I was from Syracuse, asked which yarn shops I had planned to visit besides her shop. I replied that I was going to go to Knit 'N Purl. She said, "You have to go to Village Yarn Shop, too" and hopped on her computer and printed me out directions to downtown Rochester. I bought the Sockotta yarn at her shop. Beautiful fibers, artful samples, and lovely service.

I then headed for Village Yarn Shop. Now, keep in mind, I had never driven in downtown Rochester. There is a parking garage beneath the Midtown Plaza, so parking is not a problem. Village Yarn Shop is inside a book store. Yarn everywhere you turn. Lots of patterns and every knitting book you can imagine. I was very very good and bought some Bryspun double point sock needles. They are some of my favorite now for knitting sport weight socks.

The third stop was Knit N' Purl which is very near to Highland Park. I bought some beautiful Koigu Merino. This yarn store has good service and yarn that reminds me of candy (you can't choose just one and it all looks soooo good). For links to all three of these yarn shops, see the Rochester Knitting Guild's site at http://rochesterknitting.org/MemberShopInfo/MemberShopList.html

Another pair of socks I want to work on is Cascade Fixation socks with cables in the pattern. If I remember correctly, I bought the yarn, pattern, and Crystal Palace Bamboo Double Points at Mission Rose Quiltery in North Syracuse, NY. Nice service and current patterns, classes (shameless plug for some of my fellow knitting guild members who teach there), and lots of natural light to show the true colors of their current yarn collection. See the store's website at http://missionrosequiltery.com/ .

I am already having fun with the stash knitting concept. My journeys are remembered through my yarns.

I had a punta here....

My ongoing project is the Hippy Chic Cardigan. I have the second sleeve almost done except for binding it off. Then, I have to sew up the cardigan.....

The next project is my scarf on US 10 1/2 needles. The yarn is Punta purchased from Northwind Yarns in Oswego, NY about two years ago. If you are ever in the area, visit. Oswego is on Lake Ontario and the store is located on a street with on-street free parking next to restaurants and beautiful shops. The store is huge and the owners are just nice people. They also have weaving supplies. http://www.northwindyarns.com

Knittin' and Hopin"

I am still working on the Hippy Chic Cardigan from 2002 Knit It. I got a sleeve done this week and have started the second sleeve. There is hope yet.

Next project to work on is from Farmhouse Yarns Lacy Poncho which is about half-way down the page, http://farmhouseyarns.com/patterns.html

The owner of Farmhouse Yarns had come to my knitting guild, Twisted Stitches of CNY last year and done a presentation and sale of her yarns and kits. They are beautiful colors and very soft lovely yarns. She also did some hand spinning while she was there. The poncho kit had beautiful colors which I can't begin to capture with my cheap camera, but here it goes.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life - after Christmas

The Irish Hiking Scarf is now adrift in the frog pond. The yarn was, in fact, so old that it began to unravel as I was knitting it. Probably is going to be thrown out. I have some Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool that I will use in place of the Bernat.

I got the front, back, and sleeves down to the raglan sweater of Red Heart with Wool. The Bond USM is good for boring stockinette stitch construction. I will add the neckband by hand knitting and seam the sweater together.

Next project for myself is completing the Hippy Chic Cardigan from Knit It Magazine (2002). I was using Lion Brand Woolease in Chelsea Twist (color is discontinued) cache.lionbrand.com/yarns/woolease.htm. Of course, I ran out of yarn I was using after I finished the fronts and back. I am going to knit the sleeves in Lion Brand Microspun Purple cache.lionbrand.com/yarns/microspu.htm. The picture shows the Chelsea Twist in the background and the Microspun in the foreground. The yarns are showing up blue in the photo, but actually more concord grape purple.