I Was Not Kidding

when I said a couple of weeks ago that this was the Summer of Shawls.  It seems that my eyes and wallet keeps gravitating towards shawl yarns and shawl patterns.  Yesterday, I could not resist a kit and yarn yesterday at the shop.  Evidently, earlier this week there were a lot more of them so I was left with a pick of a solid green or this pretty.  I have a couple of turtlenecks that will look just fine under this one.  I wasn't super crazy about the pattern included but I went to my collection of patterns and I think I have found one that will fit the bill.  Only problem is I really want to cast on for it and I am really trying to not do that until I get something off the needles.  Thats my new thought.

Just a week ago, we saw the pictures of these next two shawl patterns, one is for fingering weight, the other for sport weight.  The gals who went to TNNA brought them back with them, so they were both waiting for me when I went in yesterday.

Both of them really need a solid or a tonal yarn to show off the lace and it would seem that the Yarn Room doesn't have a lot of these to fit the bill.

Except for this little pretty, which just so happens to be enough for one of them AND is almost solid AND is my color.  I bought it from Jenny the Potter a couple of years ago at Knit Camp.  And I really want to cast on for this one too, but I must wait.  That is the deal I have made with myself.

There are so many little shawls that I want to do, that I had to put them in their own special bag so I can watch them and remind myself what I want to knit on.  After, of course I get a project off of the needles.

We are having a beautiful sunny, relatively cool Sunday here in Central IL.  I have finished my semi-annual big cleaning today, which always makes me feel good.  I am only working three days next week and then on vacation for two whole weeks, so I am feeling pretty darn good today.  I hope you are too!

Tour de Fleece

Today starts the Tour de Fleece.  It is modeled after the Tour de France that also kicks off today.  The idea behind Tour de Fleece, is to spin every day that the Tour de France rides and only take two days off as they do.

If you have been following the blog a bit, you will remember I have dabbled in Spindle spinning several times but never really followed through.  Oh, I have some fiber, but the bug only resurfaces when it gets close to camp and when the Tour de Fleece kicks off.

Now, I know that in my mind that spinning on a spindle for me is just not going to yield a whole lot of yarn, but it could be interesting to see a batt turn into something and it is portable.  Every once in a while I get the urge to check out the spinning wheels, but right now, the Yarn Room just will not hold another hobby.

The cool thing is I can participate in Tour de Fleece in a couple of ways.  If I want to spin every day, thereby getting better at the skills I can be a part of the Fiber Universe Tour de Fleece group over on Ravelry and one of my local yarn shops.  Erin even invited me to come spin with them and get help.  How cool could that be!

And I am already a part of the Tour de Fleece over on the Briar Rose Fibers group on Ravelry.  It is a loose Tour de Fleece as knitting can also be your spin of choice.  So, I am going to be a part of that one, and am pulling out my Eadon out of Abundance that I started last Winter for my project.  For the next month or so, I am going to knit on it everyday.  Who knows maybe by the end of the month I'll be closer to having a sweater I can actually wear this Fall/Winter.

And so it begins.

Hi My Name is Penny

and I collect knitting needle interchangeable sets.

No, I didn't need them, but I finally did it.  I bought the new Chiagoo Red Lace Interchangeable set.  Yes, they were pricey, but I really am liking the Chiagoo Red Lace needles for knitting.  And yes, I still love my Knit Picks interchangeables, but I just had to have this new set.

I was having a little trouble with the drag on my Folk School Shawl now that I have more than 400 stitches on the needles, so I decided to switch the shawl over to the red lace needles on a longer cable for the rest of the shawl.

  On the shaft of the needle, there are both the life line holes and a larger hole that I can use my little tool to tighten them up a bit if I want, without worrying about twisting the wood since it is metal.  Initially to connect them, they screw together.

This is a nice new addition to my interchangeable knitting needle collection.  And I am okay with that!

Finished But Undercover

For now.  I finished my Knit Camp contest entry tonight.  But, you all will have to wait a couple of weeks to see it, because I am keeping undercover.  Lets just say, I love it.  It is just what I was going for  when I started thinking about the idea on my way home from work.

The yarn is super soft and I love it.

Stay tuned for the reveal in a couple of weeks after knit camp.

Wedesday Website

http://www.missbabs.com

Whatcha Doin This Summer?

It is officially Summer, so what is on your bucket list before Fall rolls in?  Me, first of all is back to Weight Watchers.  In the Fall, I am going to have a little surgery and I want to be on my way to goal weight by then.  Today, was my last day to fool around, tomorrow morning, it is back at the exercise and back paying attention to the WW program.  What is your Summer exercise plan?

I've got my Summer reading all laid out on the chest waiting for me.  Other than a Cardinal ballgame, the knitting t.v. programs are pretty dried up for me this Summer, so I'll do a bit of reading while I knit this Summer.  What is on your recommended reading list for this Summer?

I'm going to start tracking my stash.  Any yarns that go into the yarn room from today on, are going to be logged in My Stash first.  One of my knitting friends has hers all on paper, and when we are at the shop and someone might need a stray ball of yarn, she hauls out her list  and checks it.  Me, I think it would be so much easier to have ready access to it online.  Do you have a fave way of keeping track of yours?

Quelle surprise!  I have a list going of projects that I really am going to concentrate on this Summer.  So far, I have finished one on the list and added one to the list.  What are your Summer knitting plans?

 And Shawls.  I am knitting shawls this Summer.  I have switched the socks out of my purse knitting and substituted it for a shoulder shawlette.  Another of my knitting friends knits tons of shoulder shawls and wears them all the time, year round.  She makes them work!  Which got me to thinking about all the sock yarns I have and how a couple of winters ago, I started knitting shoulder shawlettes for the many colors of turtle necks that I have.  So, summer shoulder shawlettes are back on the list.

But, also, big shawls.  I love those shawls you can practically double wrap yourself in.  And I definitely need one to throw in the car for those times when in the air condition that is cranked up for the 90 degree weather.  So, there is going to be at least one more of those besides my Folk School Shawl that I am knitting right now.  Do you have any fave shawls that you like, be they shoulder or otherwise?

Oh, and most importantly of all, in a week and a half, I'll be taking a two week vacation!  Two whole weeks!  We will be over celebrating with Mona Lisa for her 1st birthday right after the 4th, then we will come home and I'll be getting ready for Meg Swansen's Knit Camp!!  Then after camp, I'll come home and have a few days just for me!  Two whole freakin weeks...I'm stoked!

What kinds of things are you doing this Summer?!

Wednesday Website

The Fiber Factor

Knitting In The Dark

It has not been super hot here in Central IL, but the last couple of nights it has been just a tad bit muggy.  So after dinner, I sit in my chair and try to keep the lights off as long as I can with just the t.v. for  a little light.

Cheryl's Folk School Shawl is a great knit for the dark and I have been having a bit of fun knitting on it.  I probably started knitting it a couple of years ago now, but am hoping for a finish in the next couple of weeks and be able to block it when I am on vacation in a couple of weeks.

It is going to be a great shawl to throw over the arms this Summer when in the air condition and the creamy white will go with everything so I can grab it and take it to the shop with me on Saturdays when it is hot outside and cool inside.

We are knitting this over on the Knitaway Group on Ravelry, come join us.  Mine is out of Just Beautiful Alpaca, and you know how I love Alpaca.  

I

One And Only

It was a great thought, when I read about Camp Loopy.  I bought the first month's yarn, I found a pattern or two to knit with it.  I knitted something, Wendy Johnson's As You Like It Scarf.

 It did not take the whole skein.  Well, maybe it would have it I would have went with a larger needle.  But 3/4 of the way through it, I was anxious to be knitting on my other projects, so it became obvious that I would not make it through all of Camp Loopy.

I've moved back to must knit items.  And I'm okay with it and I love my one and only!

Yes It's Father's Day

I have said it before, but my Dad would be so proud of his grandsons and the men they have become.  He would have been so fun to watch with his great granddaughter if he had been here.  I'm sad for them that they missed out on his love.  They would have loved him so much and looked up to him.

Happy Father's Day!

Wednesday Website

http://blog.berroco.com

I'm becoming a fan of Berroco yarns and the Berroco blog.  Have a look.

Making Progress

I just love my Camp Loopy project bag.  It makes me smile.

I am making some progress on my project.  I should finish it in the next couple of days.  

It is going to be a fairly narrow scarf, but I'll wear it later this year.  I probably won't do the rest of the Camp Loopy projects for the Summer, as my yarn acquisitions have been totalling up and I really want to be knitting on them and wearing them yet this Summer.

I just love this little stitch marker that I am using.  I sure wish I knew where I got it.  It probably was a freebie with some yarn that I bought, just wish I knew where!

This one is a keeper, I'll have to keep tabs on it!

This Is The Week

Where are you knitting in public?  Today, I knitted while getting my pedicure!

It Would Seem

That if you wanted to buy me yarn, you would know exactly what color to buy.  You wouldn't have to guess, would you?  A couple of days ago, I got my shipment of Plucky Knitter yarn for Meridien . 

 It became quite apparent that I like the shade, because when I took a little gander around my chair, here is what I found.  For my Camp Loopy Project, I have my sock yarn that is being newly repurposed to be a pattern from Wendy Johnson, that I am pretty certain I can have done by June 30th, the deadline.

Then an ongoing KAL from Mel over on Single Handed Knits Board on Ravelry has a very close shade of this colorway going....

And finally, yesterday with the help of Debbie and Erin down at The Fiber Universe, I have multiple shades of it to make my Aranami out of.  

So it would seem for the time being, you know what colors you will be seeing on this blog for a while...it is nice though that I have a purse or two that matches what I 'll be knitting...I wonder about shoes?!

Just In

Just got this book today at Knit 4 Together.  It has some of the coolest baby blankets I have seen in awhile.  There are many, and I mean many I would like to knit.  Unfortunately, right now, I only need one baby blanket.  But, hey, I figure I can always get a head of the game!  

And then I wasn't going to do this, but I had to pick up this book from down at the Fiber Universe.  They had it knitted in Simplicity which I have never worked with before, but it felt so soft and comfy.  They are ordering it for me in a pretty lime green.  I figure it can go either way boy or girl.

So, now I have some baby blankets to add to my knitting repertoire, but not until I finish the two shawls I have in progress.

Happy Birthday Jo!

When Gauge Tells the Truth

Sometimes you just have to beat the truth out of your gauge swatch.  Awnd then you have to trust it.  Yesterday, I ripped back my sweater all the way to the break at the sleeves.  About two seconds into the measuring of my new swatch yesterday, I had a sinking feeling that I had made a mistake by ripping it out.

After I took it out of it's bath, I really started to think I had made a big mistake.  The swatch was growing with both size 7 ad 8 needles.  I had a feeling that I should have just continued on knitting size 6 needles and wet blocked it and it would have been just fine.

But then tonight, I tossed it in the dryer with a towel and said what the heck, what will be will be.  I have a swatch that I trust and really like what happened.  I made the right decision by throwing it on a size 7 and that is what I am going to stay with until the hip area where I'll switch it out for the 8 to create some shaping.

I learned a bit about gauge this weekend.  Things I really didn't expect to learn.  Now, I can knit in confidence that this is really really going to fit!

When Gauge Lies

Oh, yes it will.  And when it does, just like any relationship, you will stand back dumb founded.  At first, you will not believe it has done it to you.  After all you were committed from the beginning.  You swatched a nice big swatch.  You used several sizes of needles.  You wrote it all down.  And went with the best needle.   The end.  

You believed and set forth on a nice little sweater that you were really quite proud of.  Never once on your friendly little jaunt did you ever give thought that perhaps your gauge had lied.  You are the queen of swatching!  You always swatch.  You would get on your soapbox in a New York minute to tout gauge swatching!  Why oh why did you not double check it as you were merrily knitting along?  Just how long have you been knitting???

So, even in the wee hours of the morning, when you tried the almost finished (as in collar on and one really nice front band picked up) sweater on, did you even think then when it was a tad snug that perhaps your dear gauge swatch had lied?  Why was it not until the almost clear light of day when you were congratulating yourself on a really nice picked up front band, did you say to yourself  "Self, Gauge has lied to you and this just ain't gonna fit."  Not even if you extend the front bands to a couple of inches.

So finally, you get out the ruler and low and behold, you are at least one stitch off which is making a somewhat small sweater AND even if you get 40"  at the top, there is no way in hell is that going to fit that 45" ish hip...what were you thinking?  Did you think overnight that the hips melted away?  How long have you been knitting?

It's Karma.  Not to go into the gory, long details, but I am eating my words and thoughts of yesterday while at the shop.  And my mother comes to mind about how that would be my downfall if I were to get too big for my britches etc.

Ah well, so as to not have to tear it all the way back to the beginning, I only had to rip back to under the arm, (because the smaller needle and gauge is needed for my first quarter measurement), I've went up two size needles and have started the long trek down the body again.

The first time I did some shaping through the waist, but I think this time, I'll just drop down to the size 6 needles.   Because I have knitted almost a "gauge sweater" and know that that is just the size I need for my waist shaping.  So, EZ knits a gauge hat, guess I'll be knitting gauge sweaters!


The light at the end of the tunnel!  It has stopped raining in Central IL....for today.

Camp Loopy

Like I need to start one more you know KAL, but somehow I just cannot help myself.  When I saw over on Ravelry, there was one starting for the Summer through The Loopy Ewe in Colorado, I just had to see what it was all about.  And of course I joined.  It is a summer like virtual camp and each month, there is a new project to be done.  The project will be different each month and I suppose we will find out what July's is later this month.

June (starting today) has to be a project out of one skein of yarn that you have never knit before and the yarn has to be a yarn that The Loopy Ewe carries.  Of all the yarns they have, there a plenty that I have not used before.  But, it was tough to decide on just one.  I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to do some sort of shawl out of a fingering yarn so I chose Top Draw Socks from Skein.  Mine is in the color way Puddle.  Don't you just love that name!  The yarn is from Australia and is a 85% merino and 15% Nylon.

I cast on Magrathea this morning in the early hours.  I am pretty sure that is the shawl I am going with since it has been in my queue for sometime.  I am a collector of Martina Behm's pattern, the Hitchhiker being among them.

I could not resist the little project bag that I could order when I ordered my yarn.  It is like a back pack and will be perfect to house my Camp Loopy project and of course the color was not hard on the eyes either!

I have to say those people over at the Loopy Ewe have it going.  Look how cute even the box it comes in is.  Just made me smile before I even opened the box of goodies they sent.

I hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend and having some fun, even if it is raining again!  Very soon, the sun is going to shine, I just feel it coming.