10.31.06
Posted in Knitting, Photos, Socks at 5:48 pm by delipics
Presenting my second pair of socks ~
The Kauai Tropical Blue Socks!
Specs:
- Yarn: Koigu KPPM, 100 % merino wool
- Needles: Clover bamboo double pointed, size 0
- Pattern: Koigu Fun Socks Master Pattern
This time I knit this socks a smidgen longer in the foot than my last pair to give myself more toe-wiggling room.
I hope you can notice this . . . see the top of the sock? See the difference of gauge between the top inch and the rest of the top of the sock? It goes from loose to tight. I realized later why that happened. The top of the sock is knitted while in Hawaii (I’m relaxed / I’m on vacation / I’m having a great time) and the rest of the sock is knitted in NYC (I’m on the subway / get out of my way / stresstresstress!)
But back to Hawaii - for a comparison of blues, a photo of the ocean off the Na Pali coast.
Perhaps a big more greeny-blue in the actual water, but considering I picked the yarn before I went to Hawaii, I think I did a darn good job matching colors. Everytime I wear these socks through the upcoming winter I’ll sigh and think longingly of paradise.
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10.30.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:58 pm by delipics
Who am I?
Pugsley: Are they dead?
Wednesday: Does it matter?
Happy Halloween!
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10.27.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:48 pm by delipics
We’ve got two links -thanks to Miss Artemis King (not her real name - could ya guess?) for the links!
The first Friday Fiber Thought - Geographically Influenced Knitting Pattern Differences:
Miss AK is part of my KB@W group and we had a chance to meet during lunch. She’s been persevering through her first baby cardi and sooo close to being done. She is following a pattern by a British author. Has anyone noticed the difference between American and British pattern instructions? When I’m reading a British pattern, I feel my brain make a switch. I can’t describe what exactly the difference is but I know I have to think differently. It’s almost like doing a left brain / right brain flip-flop. It’s not always an easy thing.
The second Friday Fiber Thought - a great knitting story:
Another KB@W knitted a warm and cozy cable sweater for her child and now that sweater is being worn by the third generation of her family - I love that! Whenever I knit a baby project for friends or family, I like to think maybe something I made will be passed on with love to the next baby.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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10.25.06
Posted in Knitting, Socks, Yarn at 4:56 pm by delipics
I have reached the instep.
I worked on these last night while hanging out with Alex at The Point. We sat at the window table knitting and eating with very interesting results. People are drawn to the shop window - one guy videotaped us, others wave and point, some stare, most people smile and look happy. My method of dealing with this was to ham it up with exaggerated knitting and eating motions. Next time, Alex says we will have a sign, “Knitters in their natural habitat. Please do not feed them.”
While we had a great time and plan to do this again and again, we did have ulterior motives - 20% off baby! Loving the coupon! We both went through our yarn color choice angst - but what about this color? No, wait, what about this color?! Alex had a spontaneous color consultation with a group of knitters who were there to knit and bitch. I went from olive green, to a deep purple, to natural white and then back to the purple.
This is the yarn for my Blue Sky Alpaca Cropped Cardigan. I am refraining from starting my gauge swatch because I really want to finish my socks first. I also need to do some spinning - my cashmere fiber has been neglected. Plus, there’s that beautiful Golding just sitting there waiting for me. Oi, there are too many fiber choices!
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10.22.06
Posted in Fibers, Photos, Rhinebeck, Spinning, Travel at 2:14 pm by delipics
What makes mine different from all other posts about Rhinebeck?
I went with Miss April of the Knitty 2007 calendar and her super-great boyfriend who drove, took photos and learned about spinning yarn. It was her first time to Rhinebeck, my third. Here we are reading the directions but a distracting conversation on Beethoven (?!) caused caused a missed exit.
It’s okay, we had snacks to keep us occupied.
We got there around 1-ish and the parking lot was packed! We found a spot at what seemed to be the end of the grassy field. Once inside, we thought about eating lunch first but the lines for the food were crazy long. So we separated for our own wanderings through the vendor barns and met again after an hour. I staked out a claim on the line for the lamb burgers - one of the best food deals at the festival. Ya can’t beat $2.50 for a burger with optional peppers, onions or cheese. It was tasty and yummy, until half way through I realized they didn’t cook my burger all the way! I thought about going back but not wanting to deal with the whole thing I assuaged my hunger with lamb stew from the 4H booth. I always like going to the 4H booth - the teenagers who man the counters are so polite - a refreshing change from some of the city teens I’ve dealt with.
You can’t help but run into friends while there (and I forgot to take photos of everyone, like Elizabeth and her cutie son, Caroline and her pals) -
Maria scored at the fleece sale! She is such an awesome fiber chick. I caught her in the act of weighing her purchases. I admire her fiber expertise - she knows a lot. Hey M - did you find the nostepinde?
Here’s a group of us flashing our purchases -
That’s Tania standing next to me - also her first time to the R&SW and her friend (sorry I forgot your name!). They were staying for the whole weekend. One of these days I’m going to do that. I know I can’t see it all in one day. I can’t help but think I am possibly missing the most fabulous yarn or fabulous sale or something! The ideal Rhinebeck trip would be go up Friday night, stay at a charming B&B, go to the festival for a couple of hours, spend the rest of the day wandering through the town of Rhinebeck, go back the next day and leisurely check out whatever vendors I didn’t catch the first time.
Next up, obligatory photos of animals - decided to go with the goats this time instead of the ubiquitous sheep.
But wait, what did I buy at the festival? Fibers for spinning -
The photos do not do the colors justice. On the left is a half pound of merino/tussah blend from The Sheep Shed at Mountain View Farm. I was immediately drawn to this colorway. The label has no name but it makes me think of vanilla ice cream with a blueberry stripe. On the right is 4 oz of a merino/wool blend called Autumn Maine Wood from Persimmon Tree Farm. I couldn’t resist the glittery angelica that sparkles amidst the gorgeous coppers and greens.
A practical nostepinde from The Fiber Kingdom -
Love at first sight -
My new Sweetheart Golding Ring Spindle. The whorl is two inches and the weight is 0.9 oz. I bought this size because I want to spin laceweight yarn. There were so many beautiful spindles on display. I had a tough time deciding on the style and the color of wood. I tested it on a wisp of my Sheep Shed fiber - the spindle kept spinning and spinning and spinning - amazing!
I bought this spindle near the end of the day, which coincided nicely with the end of my money. I set a budget for this trip (I’m still recovering from Hawaii!), and I’m very proud of myself of staying within budget. What’s strange was I did not buy any yarn on this trip. I really just want to spin right now, hence only fibers. I had planned on buying hand carders - that will have to wait. I looked at spinning wheels, but that’s just so beyond my budget right now.
Now that Rhinebeck has come and gone, whatever will we do next?
Well, we’re going to buy more yarn! We have to use our coupon at The Point before October ends.
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10.19.06
Posted in Knitting, Sweater(s) at 4:22 pm by delipics
I’m doing a little dance - I finished knitting the L.A. Baby Sweater! (I’ll show photos after it’s mailed.) It’s blocked and drying as we speak. To motivate myself through the last rows, I went to my favorite neighborhood cafe, ordered a chocolate & peanut butter brownie, and knitknitknit to the end.
To continue the celebration, I made this tonight - yum!
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Posted in Knitting, Socks at 4:21 pm by delipics
Congratulations are in order to the ultra-fabulous, multi-talented, sock-maven-extraordinaire, my very good friend, Alex, a.k.a. Miss April Knitty 2007!
She called me today to tell me the big news. Years from now, while reminiscing about knitting celebrities, I can say I was there when she came up with the idea for the photo. Yes, I knew her when.
I told her she should have a t-shirt made that says, “I am Miss April for Knitty 2007.” She can wear it to Rhinebeck, and I can brag all about her.
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