No, This Isn't All Of It


I don't want to overload with too much, so I am posting just a bit of the weekend's new yarn/projects. Meg's is a different kind of experience of yarn, but one tht makes you still want to start something new. With 60 men and women in a group, there are all kinds of avenues to explore.

Yes, yarn for another jacket from Cheryl Oberle's book. Did I mention I am working my way through it?

No other book since the Shetland Books has enticed me to make more than one thing from a book like this one. Well, may EZ and Meg are the other ones.

Okay, so here is another one. But, in my defense, I bought the turq last year for a shawl and as it vegitated this year, it really decided it wanted to be this jacket from Cheryl's book.

I just bought the black Shetland Jumperweight to go with it this year.

This was the shawl the turq was going to be, but after seeing the real shawl in person and trying it on, I thought I would get a lot more mileage out of the grape.

Little did I know that I also had picked out a similar color in a little heavier weight for a group Radical knitting project!

And this really isn't new either, just needed to pick up a couple of extra skeins literally on my way out Sunday night.

I had bought one skein for the Sock Knit Along last winter, and never got to it, so I decided to put it towards yet another shawl that is popular at not only Meg's Camp but I actually took a class at Arnhild's last February as well.

Oh yes there is more, but I'll show those tomorrow. And Sandy, don't tell the tall guy, lets keep this between ourselves. :)

Where To Start?

There is so much to show and it is hard to decide where to start. So, we'll start with vendor day on Saturday. I did the least amount of damage there, but what I did get I thought was kind of spectacular.

The Bohus Hat kit from Kimmet Croft. This is just enough yarn to either wet my appetite for Bohus knitting or cure me from ever wanting to do it again, without the investment of a major sweater.

Kind of hard to see, but I bought new yarn from Cheryl for either a shawl or if I can talk Char out of her two skeins, a jacket from the Knitted Jackets book.

I might have to order it from Cheryl since at the moment I am really leaning towards the jacket.

New pottery from Jennie the Potter. This bowl is going to the yarn room if nothing else for decoration. I do like the concept though. What you can't see is that it has a sheep in the inside as well.


I have a mug that I ordered two years ago from Jennie, but I could resist another one this year.

This is a little different shape than what I had before.

Last but not least, and yes, I have plenty of sock yarn, but this one is special since it is by Jennie as well and of course my special color. Who could resist?

It's Almost Time

Today is going home day. We have had so much fun it's hard to describe. There are so many new things I want to try some with new yarn I bought, others with yarn I have at home.

The real pitts is that I have to go back to work tomorrow at noon and won't have time to play. Next week I'll bore you with lots of pictures and more knit camp talk.

Last night we had a great dinner with fellow knit campers Linda, Nancy, Rollie and their spouses at a Japanese steakhouse. What a great show and dinner to boot! Then back to the big room for knitting one last time.

This morning it is breakfast with group and settling up with the Schoolhouse Press staff. What a great job they have done!

Live It's Sunday Morning.


Sorry there are no pictures, you will just have to wait until next week, when I will bore you silly with them from the big camera.

I cannot believe it is almost over. I do want to get home and try some new things out, but will be really sorry that it is over. We are making some new friendships this year and learning new things about old friends. I cannot explain it fully, it is something you just have to experience.

Yesterday, we saw again some unbelievable show and tell. This weekend, the three of us have definitely discovered some new ways to use the Kauni yarn we all three bought two years ago. I think it is unanimous that we are ripping out the sweaters we already started and doing something else.

In new projects, the three of us have decided that we are going to do a group project and bring it back next year as our show and tell! The pattern is from a Spun Out and we are going to modify it into a cardigan so I can actually steek.

This year, my focus on my knitting has been from Cheryl Oberle's book Knitted Jackets and I got to show my four finished jackets to the group. Cheryl asked me to help moderate the group on Ravelry for Knitted Jackets and I was really felt honored that she would ask! Of course, I said yes.

Today is the raffle and I am shameously going advertise Knit 4 Together and have put my raffle into one of their large shopping bags. Also, today is Contest Day and I am pleased that I have mine to show.

Oy, there is so much to say but for now, gotta go get dressed!

We're Here!
Aren't you all wishing you were here? We are just sitting here relaxing. Linda and Char are knitting and I was doing a little work.

We had a great reuben at the Pioneer Restaurant in Westfield.

As Linda said we are getting pretty good at this stuff! More later.

Off to Camp?

Yes, tomorrow bright and early we will be making our way to Meg's Camp. I am planning on blogging from camp and posting pictures. My bags are not packed and I am still unsure as to what to take to knit on. You know I'll be gone a whole 5 days and there are tons of sweaters that I can knit on while I am away.

Last night the yarn was going in the spare suitcase and then this morning the yarn came out of the suitcase. What to do, what to do. As a fellow knitter and co-worker said to me today...take whatever you want to, you would just hate yourself if you left something at home and decided you want to use it while you are at Camp. So, back to the drawing board there.

Yes, I am off from work, but one of the deals of me being gone is that they have access to me if they need me. I hope they don't, although I have already been responding to a couple of emails. If nothing else to keep my mailbox from over flowing.

Today, I worked a bit at work and then took off for some errands, so now as it is after seven, I'd better get moving on the packing!

Happy Birthday Linda!

Gearing Up

Sorry about the lack of blogs, but I have been busy knitting on the Wrapper. It is finished and going to camp with me. I have not had a chance to take pics of it yet, and hope to get that done before I leave on Thursday and post.

Also, I am working on my contest entry. Not sure if it will make the contest but we'll see.

Lots to do in just two days both at work and at home. I've never been quite this disorganized for a trip. It will come together, I'm sure!

Happy Friday!

It's a holiday for me from work, but I have plenty to keep me busy. Taking care of some business, grocery shopping and then home to clean for the 4th of July Annual Lunch. Mom and my aunt have been coming down forever while the Tall Guy cooks.

This year, it will just be my Auntie who is 89 years young. I should be so lucky to have inherited her genes. You would never know she was 89. She is no longer driving do to macular degeneration, but other than that almost nothing gets her down.

She is going to help me tomorrow go through some great old pictures I found and let me know whe they are. Also, there were a couple of boxes of knick knacks that I need to know if they mean anything. The only thing I remember about some of them is that as a kid, I had to dust them, so I know they have been around since then!

After I get my chores done today, rather by tonight, it is time to enjoy the weekend! That and I brought work home, to see if I can get ahead of next weeks work before taking off for camp on Thursday!

The Wrapper

One sleeve to go. The collar is on too. Hoping tomorrow night at Knit Night, I can get a bit of it done and then finish up on Friday so I can see if the hips will block about a bit.

The couple I have seen on Ravelry and in the book don't come all the way closed either, so maybe it isn't me, but the way it was meant to be styled.

I am anxious to be onto another jacket to work on before camp next week.

Knitting Software

I bought some software and downloaded it this afternoon courtesy of yet another Raveler. KSKI talked about it and I downloaded the trial version and said what the heck. Downloaded it straight to my lappy so I can take it with me.

Oy, I am getting founder of this laptop everytime I turn around.

Now, if I could just find an extra battery that isn't so expensive, I'd be real happy!

Knit Networking

Every once in a while I become unfocused and start to go off in tangents. Part of it is because I go into the yarn room and see just how much I have and think I get to get a handle on this.

The other part is I knit at Knit Four Together in Dunlap IL almost every Saturday and then last Thursday night as well. We had at least 20 people there and Christiane had to borrow chairs from Joe's across the street.

The things everyone was working on just makes me want to knit more. Take for example Karol, Tosca and Christiane. They are all working on this tank.
Guess what? I started that same tank at least a year ago. It's not done, but just seeing them working on theirs makes me want me to hall mine out and work on it. So I did!

Mind you, I can't work on it to completion right now, because I am busily knitting on The Wrapper so I can take it to Knit Camp (among other things).

Then there is a tank that Sue W got me interested in. She is using a strand of Ironstone and a strand of cotton sock yarn. That one has had be lusting after it for several weeks. My other friend Sue happens to have some yellow Ironstone and she said on Thursday how good it would look with a sock yarn I have eyeball on. She is bringing it today for us to check it out.

But, I also have a notion that I need something to go under one of three jackets that I have for work and I might want to pick something out for one of them. Since I like to wear them but each of them uses a white top from my closet. And I start to look like I don't own anything else but white tops. So, I am taking them with me today to pick something else out to make one to go under one of them.

And finally, Karol has been working on a sweater for awhile and I think I need to make it. I think White is what I am looking at. I don't have a white over sweater and I think that might be useful for several other possibilities.


Can you see how this Knit Networking can be tough? On the knitting list and on the pocketbook.

Bummer!

A friend of mine lost her job today. It was unexpected and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. This is the third friend in less than six months. The other two had an inkling that they might not have jobs, but the one today just came out of the blue.

And we wonder why we are stressed and having health problems?

Rippin Out

It just wasn't working for me so I ripped it out. Now, I just need to decide what to do with it. I wound the two yarns together, so they need to stay together. I just need to come up with an alternative plan for it, and fairly quick.

Right now it is sitting on the floor of the yarn room mocking me.

The Birth of A Sweater or The Gestation of A Sweater

This Ravelry thing is amazing. Take the thought of a new sweater. I know the yardage and weight of the yarn that I need/want to knit something out of. Make a list of potential patterns the yarn may want to be. Put next to them the yardage that it would take to knit each of them.

Go on Ravelry. Research on the board topics to see if the sweaters are listed. Click on ones that might pertain and read the posts. This may take you on a whole different tangent.

Search on the pattern. Search the list and see what other yarns are being used for each of the patterns...this could take you off on another tangent.

Go back and look at those who have made a pattern you might be interested in. Look at the details of their projects. Definitely, look at their pictures of the sweater. Hopefully, there is one that is wearing it. How does it look on them? Is this the look you are going for? Can some alterations help? Or should you just give it up?

And finally, post on a group and see what comes back.

I must have been a researcher in another life.

Sweater Thinking

I am addicted. To yarns. To sweaters. To planning.

A few weeks back I bought some Venezia from Knit 4 Together. The plan was to do a sweater from the latest Knitter's magazine. I still may do it, but I got to rethinking it. A mistake of mine I often make. Thinking too much!

I did a swatch and was pretty sure that I wanted to make said sweater. After taking Judy Chan's Knit to Fit Class I thought maybe I should make a swatch in the round to make sure of my gauge. Thats when I started looking at the pattern again and wondering if the motifs on it were really a good look for me. I figured I could move them up a little and it might be a bit more flattering.

In the meantime, I have let the idea veg for awhile. On Saturday, I started searching the yarn on Ravelry and seeing what others have done with it. I came up with a couple of possibilities for the Venezia - the February Lady Sweater, Clapotis and the Minimalist Sweater. All of these are ones that I have looked at before. Most of the three would not use up the yarn that I bought and wound for the Knitter's sweater. Which would leave me with leftovers - something I don't need more of.

The thought from there takes a life of it's own - what if I did the Clapotis and used the rest for a tank that I have been looking at. If I needed more yarn, I could get some more. STOP! WAIT! I am trying to use up yarn NOT buy more.

So I sleep on it! Wake up on Sunday and starting looking at more possibilities - the Chic Knits Hoodie, CeCe, Sandrine. I even go so far as to post a note to Bonne the designer of Sandrine to see what she thinks. Swatch she responds, the fabric may be too dense for Sandrine. Shoot!

What have I decided? Keep knitting on the Wrapper for camp. Let the Venezia veg for a little while longer and keep getting ready for camp!

Happy Fathers Day!

What A Find!

Last Sunday, while making room for some things I brought home from Mom's I had a find. A sweater/coat that I knitted I don't know how many years. Some of the Radicals will remember it because I bought the yarn from Joy at the end. The pattern was from the Shetland books that we all bought and the yarn is the actual yarn that the pattern called for.

It is mostly done except for the sleeves. Now, finding it did not make it to the top of the list, but it might surface closer later this summer.

The cool thing was there in the plastic envelope is the pattern, the needles and the swatch for it. I know exactly what I was doing and where I left off. When I do decide to finish (maybe in time for this Fall) I can pick it up and go right back at it.

What a find!

Helmet Liners

If you are so inclined, how about knitting helmet liners? It just takes a skein of yarn in black, brown or drab green and a little time.

A friend of mine is the local collector for liners so I said what the heck, I can knit one.

The pattern is a free one, just search on the internet under helmet liners. There are collectors all over the US, there may be one near you.