Wee Tiny Noro Sock

My friends Kelly and Stacey sent this swap my way -- the Wee Tiny Sock swap.

There's certainly no shortage of leftover sock yarn in my house, and this looked like a fun way to use some of it, and meet new knitters.

Presenting the Wee Tiny Noro Sock:

I love this cute little pattern! I did make a couple of modifications to the toe -- I prefer a more rounded toe and so didn't knit a row between the decreases. ('Cos it's important that the wee tiny sock has a rounded toe instead of a pointier one, right!? I don't know why that mattered to me -- it's not like anyone's going to be wearing it).

Actually the sock went through a couple of evolutions before I made one that I feel happy sending to my swap pal. Now I need to come up with creative ways to use the 'test' versions. Something like this maybe?

The wee tiny sock will go out in the mail tomorrow. If only I had a mini sock blocker to go with it ;o)

A Knitted Peace

Stop 6 on the Colorado Yarn Tour is A Knitted Peace in Littleton.

A Knitted Peace was one of the first yarn stores that I visited when I moved to this area -- it is beautifully outfitted, has a wide variety of yarns, and an extremely talented and friendly staff. I'd definately put it on the 'must visit' list if you are in the area. And if you are looking to learn some new techniques, I can highly recommend their classes.

But ooh the yarn selection... between the Rowan, Habu, Kauni, Mirasol, Noro, Koigu, Elsbeth Lavold etc etc a knitter could happily get lost for hours. And that's exactly what I did today. I arrived early, hung out for the day, and at about 3pm decided that it was about time I left. But only after spending an obscene amount of money on investing in some more yarn. Good thing Joe had taken the in-laws out to the auto show so that I could smuggle my sacks of loot back home without the usual line of questioning: 'Is that MORE yarn?' 'Did you ever finish (insert the name of a WIP here)?' 'Don't you already have some yarn like that in the basement?' ;o)

Amongst the piles of Noro Kochoran and Elizabeth Zimmerman books that I splurged on today, I also picked up another skein for the Colorado Yarn Tour afghan -- this time in a cream and rusty orange colour. I'm thinking that this might be a nice addition to the beiges and duck egg blues. A little pop of contrasting colour.

As the weather warms up here in Colorado, I'm looking forward to dragging some of my knitting buddies to venture further afield and check out some other Colorado yarn stores...

I'm in luck

Just a quick update on the slimline: I found the cashmerino astrakhan yarn in elusive dyelot 32!

There is a store in Oregon that had 1 skein left... and that's all I need to finish up the collar and sew together. Phew!

I think they must have sensed my desperation to get my hands on it because they shipped it out immediately and it arrived in my mailbox yesterday.

Expect to see FO shots soon....

Easter Blessings

So far the day has brought some wonderful news...

My brother phoned to tell me he got engaged to his lovely lady. I'm thrilled and couldn't be happier for them both.

I love how he surprised her: he hid the ring inside her chocolate Easter egg! (It's a big deal to swap chocolate Easter eggs in the UK -- they are chocolate shells, that are filled with sweets and then wrapped in decorative foil.)

He had unwrapped the foil, heated a knife to cut a hole in the egg, so that he could hide the ring in it, and then resealed with some melted chocolate before re-wapping and packaging the whole thing!

I'm sure she must have been blown away to find the sparkler beautifully wrapped and hidden in her egg and my brother on bended knee! Too cute!

And if that wasn't enough to have me beaming from ear to ear, I also learned that my cousin had a healthy baby girl! Oooh let the girly baby knits begin!

Wishing you all a Happy Easter,
Sam :)

The good, the bad and the ugly

Bad news first: I did run out of the yarn for my snuggly soft slimline last night. I literally reached the row before casting off on the 2nd shoulder to see this little bit of yarn left:

The good news: I was able to scoop up enough from the 'ends' (you know where one ball finishes and the next starts) to finish up the 2nd sleeve. Phew.


The Ugly: I still have the collar to knit!

My MIL was saying maybe it didn't need a collar and DH thinks that I should add a fur collar... 'errrm no' on both counts. I'm thinking that picking up some of this yarn in a different dyelot might not be the end of the world as it's just for the collar. And if there's a bit of difference in the shade it might be ok. (Better the collar than the top of the sleeve, right).

But before I resort to that, I'm going to continue the hunt for colour 31015 in the elusive dyelot 32.

We (may) have a problem

I've been working on the Debbie Bliss Slimline Jacket again. In fact I've only got a shoulder and a collar left.

But I'm rapidly running out of yarn!

The creative directors are concerned too:
Running out of yarn you say? Let me inspect...

Hmm very worrisome indeed
(check out the furrowed brow!)

So, I've hit the usual suspects - Ravelry, eBay, Google and put out a couple of feelers... Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Some more socks

I've started on another pair of socks (to try and make a dent in that ever-growing stash of sock yarn). With summer coming up I decided on the Lacy Summer Socks from Knitting Lingerie Style.


I love this pattern; that the sock is working up so quickly and I'm learning a new approach to sock knitting (yes, another attempt at toe up).

I've never done a toe like this - where you have a provisional cast on, knit one side of the toe, then knit the other before picking up all the stitches to start working in the round.

Ooh and the yarn -- Socks that Rock in Little Bunny Foo Foo colourway (maybe they'll be my Easter socks?)

Noro socks

The Noro socks are finished:

• Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock
• Needles: Size 2 dpns
• Method: Cuff to toe
• For: Me!
• Size: 8 foot (US) 6 (UK)

Pattern: I used a variation of my basic sock recipe, with the following modifications:

• Size 2 needle
• Cast on 66 stitches
• Stitch pattern: Rows 1-3: (K2, P1) repeat to end. Row 4: (CR2, P1) repeat to end.
• CR2 = Knit into the 2nd stitch on your left needle (and leave it on the needle), then knit into the 1st stitch on your needle. Slip both stitches off the left needle. (It's a baby cable without a fiddly cable needle)

And that's it!

Slow progress

So after a pretty productive week last week, knitting has almost slowed to a halt.

I'm still plugging away on the Debbie Bliss slimline cardigan. The plan is to try and finish this one whilst it's still cold enough to snuggle up in. And I'm also trying to finish the Koigu (oops I was having a brain freeze, thanks Wanda :) NORO socks, which are getting pretty close now:

Oooh and this lovely project bag was kindly gifted to me by Kelly. I love the little sheep on it!

And talking of new goodies, Bea tipped me off to check out NH Knitting Mama's yarn on Etsy. Oh yes, this could be dangerous. I went on the other day and purhased the following yarn that not only looks fab, but is also an Alapca blend. Yum.

Mission accomplished

It's been a week of hectic knitting to get the Shetland Triangle completed for my friend's 50th birthday today:

• Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark (from Interweave 'Wrap Style')
• Yarn: Hand Maiden Fine Yarn - Sea Silk (1 skein/400m). This is an interesting blend of 70% silk and 30% seacell. It's nice and soft, but what I love most is the subtle change in colour throughout the skein.
• Needles: Size 6 (4mm)
• Modifications: The pattern calls for 8 repeats of the body pattern. However at 8 repeats this non-stretchy yarn would have been barely large enough to be a headscarf! I did a little research on Ravelry and found that you can get 11 repeats out of one skein of sea silk, together with the neck and edging section. This is a much better size. (IMO)

I do love this pattern -- if you need to whip out a quick gift it's a winner. A very simple, easy to remember repeat that knit's up quickly (especially if you get a yarn that would stretch more, so you could get away with just doing 8 repeats of the pattern).

Now to find a nice box to package it in...

Spring is in the air

Today was a gorgeous day in Colorado. Joe and I took advantage of the good weather to take the B&B team on a looooong walk. I'm thinking Buster enjoyed himself:


I also started a new project in Handmaiden Sea Silk in this lovely warm coppery colour. I'd bought the Sea Silk with the intent of making the Montego Bay Scarf. But after starting twice and ripping it out (I simply didn't enjoy knitting on it) I decided to go with a tried and tested favourite of the mine -- the Shetland Triangle from Interweave's Wrap Style. I'm on a mission to complete this one quickly... more on that later.


I also received my latest Spring Season's mailing from Sundara -- it's a silk merino blend in shade Robin's Egg. If you've been reading my blog recently you know I've got quite the thing for this colour right now. Oooh what to make with this yummy skein of yarn?

Thuja

The Thuja socks for Joe are finished:

• Pattern: Thuja on Knitty.com
• Needles: Size 6 (yes, they knit up much faster on these big ole needles)
• Yarn: Cashmere Merino from The Knittery

I love the pattern, and the yarn is nice. But to be honest this FO isn't much to write home about -- I think the yarn just simply isn't chunky enough for size 6 needles. I should have either gone with something a little more substantial, or gone down a couple of needle sizes and increased the number of repeats.

But Joe is happy and so that works for me. :)

Next!

Goodies

There was a parcel waiting for me in the mailbox today. I galloped home because I knew the parcel contained some yarny goodness from Bea. Wow! She certainly knows how to spoil a girl:


Isn't it beautiful. And it is so very soft too with an insane amount of yardage -- 560 yards!

You can read the story behind the yarn here on Bea's blog and admire some of her other colourways. On reading this particular post this colourway immediately caught my eye. And then to learn that I influenced it in some way, well I was giddy with delight and wanted to get my hands on it.

Now if the yarn alone wasn't splendid enough there's more... I also received a matching project bag. Love it!


There were so many thoughtful details in this package -- the matching project bag; the coordinated tissue wrapping; the stitch markers. And don't you just love her label 'Yarn Pig'. There's a story there too. As you can tell, I can't sing her praises enough.

Thank you Bea - once again you made my day! :o)

Love

I just returned from a long weekend in Vegas with Joe and some good friends. It was fab! The highlight of the weekend was seeing the Cirque du Soleil show 'Love'; a tribute to The Beatles. I think Cirque du Soleil performances are spectacular, and this was enhanced by a great compilation of Beatles tunes. Loved it!


Other than that, I walked my little legs off - up the length and breadth of the strip. I'd never been to Vegas before and everything is mind blowingly massive. The hotels are essentially mini towns all under one roof. So large in fact that it's easy to lose your bearings in them. But, they are amazing to see and experience. It was such a fun weekend and a great way to spend Valentines.

A little knitting content: I did have a Noro sock for company on the flight. I fell in love with the colours in this sock yarn a little while ago and was lucky enough to stumble across some in a local yarn store recently.


And last but not least - the new Rowan magazine was waiting for me when I got home. Yay! Love it, love it, love it! Soo many more projects to add to the queue. Not enough time to knit them.

Hope you had a great Valentines weekend with loved ones,
Sam

Dougie Dog Hat and Scarf

The little boy hat and scarf are done:

• Pattern: Dougie Dog Hat and Scarf from Lucinda Guy's Handknits for Kids
• Yarn: Berroco Comfort (I know it's aaarghcrylic, but it's washable, and the scarf is for a little boy. Need I say more ;o)

I did make a bunch of modifications to the original patterns:

• I used a thicker yarn than called for and adjusted the pattern accordingly
• For the hat, I decided against the square, patterned top with the tassels and opted instead for simple decreases in stocking stitch - you know like a regular beanie.
• For the scarf, I used the pattern from the hat headband and just kept knitting 'til it looked like it would be long enough for a little kiddo.

I do love the stitch pattern on the scarf. As does Joe, who has put in an order for one (I'm guessing in more 'manly' colours ;o). Which is the perfect excuse to go stash diving to see if there's something lurking in one of my baskets that would do the trick. Assuming I don't stumble across a yarn store in the mean time ;o)

Fantastic Flower Hat

How cute is this pattern:


It is the Fantastic Flower Hat from Lucinda Guy's Handknits for Kids.

I'm thinking about cranking out a matching scarf. But first I want to make the Dougie Dog hat. Then I'll see if I've got enough yarn, and time, left to make scarves before Thursday (the gift drop off day). In my favour -- it is Superbowl Sunday today, which equates to lots of knitting time for me.

Other good stuff: I received a shipment of Sundara sock yarn. I love the colours she creates and the 'Navy Purple over Salmon' was my achilles heel this time around -- it just jumped off her web page screaming 'buy me'. What's a girl to do? It's not like it goes bad ;o)

Navy Purple over Salmon:


Navy over Cerulean:


Sea Water (I didn't do a great job of accurately capturing the colours in this one -- it has more turquoisey greens than you see here):


And last but not least - the pink in the mosaic blanket has been vetoed. That it would be 'too girly'. Maybe I do just stick with the blues, browns and greens?

Have a great Sunday!
Sam

Purls of Wisdom

Stop 5 on the Colorado Yarn Store Tour is Purls of Wisdom in Parker.


Jen opened Purls of Wisdom a couple of months ago and it's become a bit of a local haunt for me. (Thanks Kelly for introducing me!) What I love most is how open and inviting this place is -- anyone and everyone is invited (heck I'd even say encouraged) to swing by and plop in one of the big comfy chairs and knit to your heart's content. If you live in the area I'd highly recommend it. And if you have young children, check out this great little area that she has set up for them to watch movies:


And she stocks some lovely yarns -- there's some wonderful cashmere on the counter that just begs to be stroked each time you walk by. And she has a good selection of Rowan too!


At Purls I picked up some Berroco Bonsai for the mosaic blanket:


Speaking of the blanket, it feels like I need to add some colours to the mix. Trouble is (and if you read this blog frequently you'll know that) I can be colour challenged. I think I do matchy matchy ok. But contrast colours... hmmm.... help is needed. So I tore through a couple of my old magazines to see if I could get some other inspiration ideas and I put this collage together of images that contained duck egg blue.


You can see that I'm thinking pink might get added to the mix together with some lighter green colours. Think Amy Butler.

Will I be able to pull this off effectively, who knows? But it will be fun trying...

I'm in love with Odessa

Got to love the self portrait shot, right? ;)

I finished yesterday evening and it's not been off my head since. Which is perfect timing since it snowed all last night; we don't have a tonne of the white stuff but it is cooooold!

• Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina
  
• Yarn: Rowan Calmer

I love the calmer yarn for this project -- it has a lot of elasticity. Even better, I dug it out of my stash! That and the beads were just laying around the house waiting for some much deserved attention.

And speaking about just laying around the house... check out how the B&B team spent the day:

You know you've got too many projects on the go when...

...you don't have enough of a certain size of needle to knit them!

It seems that I have a serious bout of startitis at the moment. And I've been convincing myself that they are all 'needed'. Yeah ahem, right.

1. Odessa Hat


As I was bundling up to go to Breckenridge this last weekend I swiped one of Joe's store-bought hats. Joe was in disbelief -- a knitter should own at least one handmade hat. So I cast on for Odessa yesterday. And I even delved into my stash to make good use out of some Rowan Calmer that I'd squirreled away for a rainy day.

Thuja was temporarily placed on a circular needle so that I could use the 6 dpns for this project.

2. Fantastic Flower Hat


3. Dougie Dog Hat & Scarf


A colleague has adopted a little boy and girl and I wanted to make a little something for them. I've had the Lucinda Guy book on my shelves for a while now and this is the perfect excuse to make a couple of the adorable projects in there. I did go out and buy some of the Berroco comfort that I'm subbing for the Rowan yarns -- because it's machine washable and was available in the colors shown in the book (yeah, zero creativity on my part). So before I cast on I'll need to figure out how to adjust the pattern from the dk weight that it calls for to the worsted weight that I bought.

I'm hoping to post some FOs soon....

Snow Sculptures

This weekend there is the International Snow Sculpture Championship in Breckenridge, Colorado. Fourteen teams from around the world compete to create mammoth works of art from 12-feet-tall, 20-ton blocks of snow.

Joe and I bundled up (it was verrrry cold!) and made the drive up to the mountains. It was well worth it -- the sculptures are amazing:




More pictures here.