"I can resist anything but temptation." - Oscar Wilde
"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to give in to it." - Oscar Wilde
I bought the Rona lace shawl pattern and yarn. taps fingers, waiting for order from Knitpicks.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Lace love
I'm totally in love with the Rona Lace shawl from KnitPicks.* The full link is here. I love blue and something about this shawl just calls out to me. But realistically, I'm not a shawl person and I have about a bazillion WIPs and queued projects already. I'm so tempted to get the yarn for this project, but I know it'll just gather dust in my stash...
I'm showing such restraint......
*I didn't want to link to their photo and thus 'steal' bandwidth, so I've copied the photo here. It's KnitPicks photo, not mine so I hope I'm not breaking netiquette here in any way.
I'm showing such restraint......
*I didn't want to link to their photo and thus 'steal' bandwidth, so I've copied the photo here. It's KnitPicks photo, not mine so I hope I'm not breaking netiquette here in any way.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
You know you knit too much when
You see a bluejay on your drive to work and think about one of your knitting friends who is a birdwatcher.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Yarn: A mood enhancing drug
The last couple weeks have been busy. Busy at work and busy at home. I'm the kind of gal who needs a certain amount of time to myself to recharge my batteries, and I haven't been getting it lately.
The past couple Thursdays, I've debated whether I should even bother to attend my LYS's Sit 'n Knit. More people. More chatter. Not the quiet time I needed. That was just passing thought though, brought on by stress. The knitter in me knew that hanging out with my knitting crew was just what the doctor ordered to combat a case of stress-induced blues.
I started out the evening quietly, doing more listening than talking. But gradually I found myself laughing and chatting along with the rest of the ladies. And without fail, every Thursday night I walk out of my LYS wrapped up in the warmest feeling of camaraderie and contentment. That feeling is just so magical. To spend a couple hours of pure enjoyment with new friends in lively conversation, doing something we all are blindingly passionate about.
I love to knit because it is a relaxing and creative outlet.
I am grateful for the people has brought into my life.
The past couple Thursdays, I've debated whether I should even bother to attend my LYS's Sit 'n Knit. More people. More chatter. Not the quiet time I needed. That was just passing thought though, brought on by stress. The knitter in me knew that hanging out with my knitting crew was just what the doctor ordered to combat a case of stress-induced blues.
I started out the evening quietly, doing more listening than talking. But gradually I found myself laughing and chatting along with the rest of the ladies. And without fail, every Thursday night I walk out of my LYS wrapped up in the warmest feeling of camaraderie and contentment. That feeling is just so magical. To spend a couple hours of pure enjoyment with new friends in lively conversation, doing something we all are blindingly passionate about.
I love to knit because it is a relaxing and creative outlet.
I am grateful for the people has brought into my life.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Too much of a good thing
After my knit retreat (more about that in a later blog), I needed a bit of a break from knitting. Apparently you can have too much of a good thing. I'd tried to work on my Primavera socks while I was away, but couldn't bring myself to do it.
I found myself drawn to my mitred square blanket (MSB) instead. The MSB is a truly indulgent knit, which I often don't have time for at home. It requires me to pull out about 15 balls of the Noro Silk Garden and spread them out in a rainbow of colors. I'm being very careful to select just the right color placement, so it's not a quick knit project.
On my mini-vacation I hit up Sheepstrings and scored 10 balls of colorful Noro Silk Garden for my MSB. The 10 balls are all the same colorway, but after a moment's contemplation I realized I could wind some balls from the center and some from the outside, to vary the order of the colors. Then, with the scent of fresh Noro in my blood, I searched eBay and found a lot of 10 Silk Garden in complementary colors, which I promptly snapped up.
This blanket, when all is said and done, will have consumed at least 30-35 balls of Silk Garden. But I have a feeling this is an heirloom in the making.
I found myself drawn to my mitred square blanket (MSB) instead. The MSB is a truly indulgent knit, which I often don't have time for at home. It requires me to pull out about 15 balls of the Noro Silk Garden and spread them out in a rainbow of colors. I'm being very careful to select just the right color placement, so it's not a quick knit project.
On my mini-vacation I hit up Sheepstrings and scored 10 balls of colorful Noro Silk Garden for my MSB. The 10 balls are all the same colorway, but after a moment's contemplation I realized I could wind some balls from the center and some from the outside, to vary the order of the colors. Then, with the scent of fresh Noro in my blood, I searched eBay and found a lot of 10 Silk Garden in complementary colors, which I promptly snapped up.
This blanket, when all is said and done, will have consumed at least 30-35 balls of Silk Garden. But I have a feeling this is an heirloom in the making.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Difficult decisions
Sunday I had to make some choices. Not quite life or death, but close to it for a die-hard knitter (no pun intended). What knitting projects should I bring with me on my knitting mini-vacation?
Overcome with work stress, I had booked 3 days off work and made reservations at one of my favorite lodges up North. My plan was to spend some solitary hours doing nothing but knit, relax, and let others cook for me. My hubby was all for it, especially since he'd been away at a work conference back in February. He knew I had some me-time coming to me.
So what knitting to bring? Like some, I have several WIPs, hopping from one to the next depending on mood and opportunity. Do I knit for my daughter? She's been asking for a doll, a gingerbread man and a ladybug. I'd also started a poncho for her, after discovering the perfect cotton for a pattern I bought a year ago.
No, I decided that this was my retreat. My chance to knit the things I didn't get around to at home for various reasons. The lace scarf that's been hibernating for months? No, too fiddly. I wanted to relax...
I knew I would pack too many projects, but I wanted to have options depending on my mood. After much debate, I decided to pack:
Overcome with work stress, I had booked 3 days off work and made reservations at one of my favorite lodges up North. My plan was to spend some solitary hours doing nothing but knit, relax, and let others cook for me. My hubby was all for it, especially since he'd been away at a work conference back in February. He knew I had some me-time coming to me.
So what knitting to bring? Like some, I have several WIPs, hopping from one to the next depending on mood and opportunity. Do I knit for my daughter? She's been asking for a doll, a gingerbread man and a ladybug. I'd also started a poncho for her, after discovering the perfect cotton for a pattern I bought a year ago.
No, I decided that this was my retreat. My chance to knit the things I didn't get around to at home for various reasons. The lace scarf that's been hibernating for months? No, too fiddly. I wanted to relax...
I knew I would pack too many projects, but I wanted to have options depending on my mood. After much debate, I decided to pack:
- Suzy's poncho. Mother's guilt at leaving her made me promise that it would be done when I returned. And it was stockinette, a nice simple, relaxing knit.
- the sock I'd started using Knitpick's Felici. This stuff is so soft and scrumptious. And the putty color I'd picked was knitting up beautifully in the Primavera pattern. Primavera is a 6 row repeat that's super easy to memorize. The Felici strips up perfectly, with each color taking up exactly 1 repeat of the pattern.
- Some Knitpick's Essential sock yarn for a pattern I've been percolating in my mind.
- My mitred square blanket which has been languishing in the back of my knitting queue. Again, a simple pattern but rich with color.
- A pattern that I'm experimenting with. Shhhhh! It's a secret.
- A few other bits and bobs.
So what would you bring with you for a knitting retreat?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Embossed Leaves for Caroline
I have one of the most precious gifts a person could have: a knit-worthy friend.
Caroline is truly one of the most giving, caring, kind and generous people I have ever met. She has literally given me the shirt off her back, simply because I admired it. (Granted, I've given her clothes too. But heck, one day I complimented her shirt, the next day it was wrapped up and sitting on my desk at work.)
Caroline is a person that others flock to instinctively. A typical weekend at her house will see a stream of visitors dropping by and an army of tweens and teens trooping in and out (she has a 10 yr old girl and 16 yr old boy). Everyone is greeted with a smile or hug in welcome. She doles out food and drink while keeping up a constant stream of happy conversation.
If anything could make me believe in a higher power, karma or what-not, it would be Caroline. The more she gives, the more she receives. She is one of the luckiest people I know. While she is perfectly content with what she has, she seems to always be the recipient of some beneficence.
To be around her is to be enveloped in a warm circle of friendship and happiness. She is wise with her counsel. Caroline has that rare gift of knowing when to offer advice and just how to phrase it in a positive and encouraging way. She has helped me through one of the roughest patches in my life. And I am eternally grateful to her for that.
So I struggled with the question of what to give Caroline for her birthday. She had recently gifted me with what I consider to be one of the best and most generous and thoughtful of birthday presents, on a day that I had desperately been in need of cheering up. What kind of present could demonstrate the gratitude I feel for having her in my life and show how important she is to me?
Socks, of course! But as any knitter knows, these aren't just socks. I could've just bought socks at Costco if I wanted to give her socks. These are hours and hours of my time spent making something. These are approximately 18,000 stitches and therefore 18,000 times I thought of her. These are 2 cozy pieces of wool, alpaca and nylon (for strength!) to keep her feet warm.
Happy Birthday Caroline, my most knit-worthy friend.
Caroline is truly one of the most giving, caring, kind and generous people I have ever met. She has literally given me the shirt off her back, simply because I admired it. (Granted, I've given her clothes too. But heck, one day I complimented her shirt, the next day it was wrapped up and sitting on my desk at work.)
Caroline is a person that others flock to instinctively. A typical weekend at her house will see a stream of visitors dropping by and an army of tweens and teens trooping in and out (she has a 10 yr old girl and 16 yr old boy). Everyone is greeted with a smile or hug in welcome. She doles out food and drink while keeping up a constant stream of happy conversation.
If anything could make me believe in a higher power, karma or what-not, it would be Caroline. The more she gives, the more she receives. She is one of the luckiest people I know. While she is perfectly content with what she has, she seems to always be the recipient of some beneficence.
To be around her is to be enveloped in a warm circle of friendship and happiness. She is wise with her counsel. Caroline has that rare gift of knowing when to offer advice and just how to phrase it in a positive and encouraging way. She has helped me through one of the roughest patches in my life. And I am eternally grateful to her for that.
So I struggled with the question of what to give Caroline for her birthday. She had recently gifted me with what I consider to be one of the best and most generous and thoughtful of birthday presents, on a day that I had desperately been in need of cheering up. What kind of present could demonstrate the gratitude I feel for having her in my life and show how important she is to me?
Socks, of course! But as any knitter knows, these aren't just socks. I could've just bought socks at Costco if I wanted to give her socks. These are hours and hours of my time spent making something. These are approximately 18,000 stitches and therefore 18,000 times I thought of her. These are 2 cozy pieces of wool, alpaca and nylon (for strength!) to keep her feet warm.
Happy Birthday Caroline, my most knit-worthy friend.
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