Mini Yarn Crawl

This weekend was the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl - it started on Friday and continues through today.  So in the pouring rain on Friday I made a mini yarn crawl and explored 2 yarn stores close by.

First I went to the Island Yarn Company in Waltham.  It's a small storefront in a strip mall and they dye their own yarns (in addition to carrying a lot of commercial yarns).  I fell in love with their colorways and found myself walking around holding skeins of yarn.  All of their yarns were 20% off - so don't look at anything else just their lovely dyed yarns.  I ended up with a skein of fingering single ply merino - I don't know the colorway name but that's okay it's lovely.

Then I received a free pattern and a bag of mini-skeins.  They have a contest where you can post things you knit with the mini-skeins...I see some fun mini-sweaters being made soon.

Then I found another store in Natick called the Iron Horse.  I was wary heading to Natick as it mostly is a mall/box store town.  But as I drove I found Natick Center which was lovely and this store was right off the town center.  It was a wonderful, welcoming store with an excellent variety of yarn brands.  They too were having a sale of 15% off yarns and 10% off books.

I picked up some Berroco Remix to make a baby sweater pattern I've had floating in my head.

And then I found a 50% off bin and couldn't resist this Fibre-Isle Pearl Bison in a lovely Cranberry Pearl colorway.  Each skein has 218 yards so I can get something lovely out of this...they were originally $25 each.  Got to love 2 skeins for the price of 1!

I'm tempted to go back out today and find some more bargains but I'm being prudent and staying home.  I love what I got and enjoyed finding two new stores to add to my repertoire.

Now I get to think about what to knit - unfortunately, I have so many things I'm working on right now that I can't start anything for a while.  I'll do a WIP Wednesday this week so you can see what I've been up to.

Fenway Firsts

My lovely cousin had tickets to go to a Red Sox game...she couldn't use them so she gave them to my family.  None of us had ever been to Fenway - a first for everyone.  Camera was packed, knitting was packed, layers were donned and we head out.

It was a lovely fall night last night and the house was packed as the Red Sox went up against the Rays. I have to share the knitting part of this though...

While discussing with my husband our plans to go to Fenway for a game, I told him what knitting I had ready - the conversation was as follows:
DH: Are you sure you can bring needles into the park?
Me: Yes, in fact some parks have special knitting nights called "stich n pitch".
DH: Really?
Me: Yes, Bridgeport Bluefish has an event every year. Also, Major Knitter always brings her knitting to Mets games.
DH: You know they should have a league wide annual event where knitters go and are given free yarn at a game...then they get tickets to come back later in the year and show what they made by walking around the bases holding it up....(then more ideas keep coming).
Me (after listening to another minute or 2 of ideas): My love, you'll always be a marketing guy and you've been married to a knitter for a very long time.

Self Timer Spot

Most of you know I had my classic spot for my self-timed photos of my hand knits.  It was taken leaning against a door while the camera was on a desk.  Here's a classic one:

Well, we moved and I haven't found my new spot - the key is getting the right height for the camera.  I used a different desk which is in our living/dining room and here's the shot.

Not my new favorite spot - I need the lean for the look and you can't lean here.  I'm working on it.  The usual desk is in the basement which looks like a disaster area.  I'll keep at the location.  Anyway, this is my Perry sweater by Michele Wang.  I used Cascade 220 and I love it.  I also used the great button band technique.

Almost 100 - A Contest!

When you design patterns and put them on Ravelry there are some cool tools that help you keep an eye on how your patterns are doing.  While my for sale ones aren't doing gangbusters, I have 2 free ones that have lots of "hearts" (favorites).  My Farfalle Cardigan has 91 favorites!  It's almost to a hundred!

Now, the advertising person in me gets thinking.  It is to 91 (with only 5 projects)...how do I improve these numbers.  A contest!

Whoever makes the Farfalle Cardigan hit 100 favorites will be gifted one of my for sale patterns...I hope to have more soon.

Wait - I'm not done yet!  Whoever knits any of my patterns by end of year (should be easy as they are small) will be entered in a drawing.  What's the prize?  Let me work on that one...I'll get back to you.

So go to my designer page, check out my patterns and get knitting (shameless plug, huh?).

Little Knits

This past Saturday we were supposed to attend the ordination of our youth minister.  Josh is a special person in our lives and his wife, Hannah, and his daughter are special to us as well.  Hannah and Josh just moved around the same time we did which made parting a little easier for all of us.  Hannah was due with baby girl #2 in October.

We got a call 2 nights before the ordination that Hannah was in the hospital - her placenta was failing.  So the eve of Josh's planned ordination, they became parents for the second time - baby and mom are fine.  She's 6 weeks premature so I figured they needed something for her to wear.

I dove in my stash, found some Sirdar Baby Bamboo and found the Paxton pattern for preemies on Ravelry.  I wanted the blue sweater to be girly so I added an eyelet bit at the edge and got some lovely buttons with flowers.

A little knit for a little angel.

Found Among the Unpacked Boxes

This little guy was half done - he had his body but no head as I ran out of fiberfill as I was making him. I never got to the store last winter to finish him off and he got stuck in a bag which I found while rummaging among the boxes in our basement.

So in my errands yesterday I found an AC Moore, got some fiberfill and finished him off.  Now I want to make more.  Last year Jennifer made a whole slew - they really are fun to knit.  The pattern is called Let it Snowman and it is free!

Time to get some more white yarn - I used a soft white not pure white - kind of prefer that.  Then for the hat and scarf I grab any old leftover little bit of yarn.

There's time for everyone you to make one for everyone on your Christmas list - better yet, you can put them on wrapped presents as a decoration that later goes on the tree.

Between Project Knitting

After finishing my daughter's sweater, I felt a lull and lack of inspiration to start a big new project.  I have lots of ideas but I needed some "go to" knitting.  So I cast on a few Christmas ornaments.  These are earmarked for a silent auction for the kids' youth group back in CT.  They will decorate a wreath which I hope will do well in bidding.  I need to whip up a few more but I had fun making them.  I'm including a close up of the 2 sweaters - I used to follow mini-sweater patterns but now I make up my own.  Good way for thinking of future sweater inspiration.

Finally an FO to Show!

I just finished this for my daughter - it is in Nashua Creative Focus and it is Peabody which is part of the Brooklyn Tweed Fall 11 collection.  She asked for longer sleeves and it fits her like a dream!

When in Doubt - Post a 10 on Tuesday

This post is an easy one for me - maybe harder that I didn't get enough beach time this summer but I think it will write itself anyway.  Ten Things to Do At The Beach!

1.  Read - I read at the beach a lot...summer reading is my favorite.  I now have to wear granny glasses over my sunglasses but that doesn't stop me (yes I know you can buy bifocal sunglasses but it isn't in the budget).

2. Look for seaglass - after a nor'easter I can spend hours doing this.

3.  Swim!  Diving through waves and riding them is a family favorite.

 4.  Nap - nothing beats a nap on the beach - you get lulled by the sound of the waves and the warm sun and before you know it you're drooling all over your beach towel.

5.  Talk - best conversations are had on the beach.  Hearts are poured out, tasty tidbits are exchanged (read gossip), tales are told...all perfect.

6.  Build sandcastles - always a favorite and you need to decorate them with shells, feathers, and driftwood.

7. This is for kids - get army men and set up a battle.  Hours of this game have been played by our kids.

8.  People watching - it is de rigeur on the Jersey Shore - the tattoo factor and the bathing suit choices are amazing.

9.  Walking - not to be confused with looking for sea glass which is a MUCH slower pace.

10.  Knit!  Yes, I finally knit on the beach now...I didn't for years and now do.

LOVE this theme and can't wait til I'm next at the beach!

The Yarn Made It Safely

No pictures, not knitting but a good yarn for you...
I carefully packed up my yarn in a large box and marked it and put a note on it that it should go to the office and not the basement where I asked the knitting books and other knitting stuff to go.  I mentioned to my DH that I was worried about my yarn going on the moving van and he gave me this look like I was crazy - a look I saw quite a bit when the moving guys were unpacking the truck.
The van arrived on Wednesday morning and the entire day was spent directing 4 guys where things were to go and solving problems like which rug pad went with which rug (they didn't label the rug pads but did label the rugs).  On occasion I'd visit the stacks of boxes in the basement and around the house checking for my yarn.  I then mentioned to one of the movers who was this nice college kid that I still hadn't seen my box of yarn (eyebrows up and a response of "yarn?").  The truck was almost empty and no yarn...I wasn't frantic but I was concerned as all the other boxes of knitting stuff had made it off the truck.
At this point my kids were asking what would happen if my yarn was lost - perish the thought.  I told them the moving company would replace the yarn (and then I mentally tried to think of what was in the box).  The kids know I have one skein of Qiviuk and they know it is cherished and expensive to replace.  They suggested if I have to replace my yarn it should be all Qiviuk and then started wondering  exactly how one gets the underbelly hair of a yak...so glad I could amuse 2 teenagers on moving day.
Then just as I was getting more worried and mentally setting up an order at Webs, the yarn walked in the house.  My joy was great and the look on the college kid's face was priceless.  It is now in the office right near me and waiting to be unpacked...it will have to wait as I think clothes, dishes, glassware, etc are a little more important.
Oh, I finished my Perry sweater - it just needs buttons...that will be my next post I think.

Vardon Vest

Sometimes I surprise myself - I didn't think I'd be done until August but in the midst of packing boxes and cleaning the house, I found time to publish this pattern - presenting Vardon Vest.  Available on Ravelry for $4.50...comes in 3 sizes (3, 6, 12 months).  

Radio Silence

I'm busy packing up one house to move to another.  My husband started his new job in Massachusetts on 6/25.  We got a renter last week for our house here who asked to be in by 7/31.  So, the kids and I went school shopping then rental shopping and landed everything in a few days.  The moving van arrives in 16 days.  Lots to do and not a lot of time so I'm taking a bit of a blogging break.  I'll be back with news of a new home and town and give you a picture of where I'll be knitting when I can get going again.  I do have a test knit going on that is looking good.  Hope to publish by end of August.

Happy rest of July and I'll be back in August when the dust settles!

Sneak Peek

I've been designing and having fun with color and texture.  Have written up the pattern and am putting it out to test knit.  More to come.

On the move front...still in limbo as we're trying to rent our home.  Found several good towns/schools to show the kids soon.  This limbo is killing me though.  I like to have a plan and can't stand when I don't know what is next.

Guess knitting is next, huh?

Ch..ch...ch...changes

Well, after a 9 month period of ups and downs and stress and frustration, my husband has landed an amazing job in the Boston area.  He starts in just over a week.  Which means a move is in line for us this summer.

When delivering the info to our two high schoolers (they had an inkling this was coming), they both had their concerns and wishes for the area.  Our son wants to keep pole vaulting and our daughter wants to keep riding.  I told them not to worry - I wanted to keep knitting and had already googled knitting stores in the area.  That at least made them laugh for the moment.

Lots to do in a little time...tears of joy, tears of sadness all around.  This space might be quiet but I'll post as I can.  I AM knitting - I cast on the Perry cardigan with some Cascade 220.  I'm also designing another baby sweater - a boy's vest.  I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I'll take all good thoughts (outside of Boston knitting store recommendations!).

My First Sale

I put a pattern up for sale on Ravelry on Sunday and last night I got an email that I sold my first one!  Can I tell you how excited I was?  I've wanted to do this for ages but have been filled with self-doubt that anyone would want what I think is pretty or functional.

The pattern is called Bamboo Shoots Blanket...it is lacy and lovely and perfectly soft and wonderful to wrap up a cherished baby.  You can link directly to it on my sidebar.

Now my brain is brimming with my next pattern idea...this is so fun!

Close up detail

Larger view

Crisp and clean when folded up