Portable Knitting

knit fix

I was in San Francisco last weekend, visiting family. I didn't bring any knitting with me, rushed packing last-minute for me and the baby. Of course I couldn't make it a whole weekend without my knitting.

We stopped at Noe Knit and I came across some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in some new shades - a rich tomato, a deep chocolate, a pewter and then some ivory. They seemed perfect together, perfect for a striped scarf. I also picked some rosewood needles, straight needles as most of mine are circs. I cracked one not five minutes later, as I was trying to load the baby into his car.

I've got about 22" done of a variagated striped scarf using Mistake Rib pattern.

Buttons and Yarn

Here are my little purchases from France.

Mother of Pearl buttons -- found at this antiques market near the Place de la Bastille. The card wasn't bent when I got them but while packing to come home I accidently jammed a couple magazines on top of it inside the pocket of my laptop case so there you go.

They had cool other things there like old laces, tablecloths, movable dolls eyes, blue glass bottles, and lots of botanical prints but I wasn't in the mood to buy them all  and it wasn't like I needed them all either. I'll just keep them in my memories.

Here's some Anny Blatt (red) and Bouton d'Or (orange) that I bought in the Marais. They kept the shop open so I could hae a look. I'll make a little baby sweater or something with it. Maybe I might even knit a shrug or something like that.

Seattle Yarn Shop Hop - May 19-21

There is going to be a Yarn Store Shop Hop on May 19th-21st, where you can visit yarn shops all around Seattle, including:

Village Yarn & Tea Shop
Great Yarns!
Wild Fibers
Cultured Pearls
Hilltop Yarns
The Weaving Works
and half a dozen more.

Friday May 19th 10am-9pm
Saturday May 20th 10am-5pm
Sunday May 21st 11am-4pm.

For more information please call Village Yarn & Tea at 206-361-7256

I learned about it on Caitlin's blog. Thanks!

Stopped by the LYS

I needed to get some #7 and #8 double pointed needles as their lack has prevented me from knitting hats and socks with my large stash of accumulated Cascade 220 and other worsted yarns. I decided to go to The Weaving Works as it was near a dance shop so I could get some new ballet shoes while I was out shopping.

At The Weaving Works I was overwelmed and totally jonesing all the fabulous fibers including Koigu, a nice boucle from Jo Sharp and some tufted  Big Wool from Rowan in petal pink. I held back and just got a couple of skeins of Manos to make a scarf for my friend and then made sure that I bought the Brittany needles as well. I looked over a few books about knitting aran patterns but wasn't ready to buy yet, I'm not sure why.

Today I'm working on a new Airy Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts in Grana Mohair and also I'm going to wind up some Cascade 220 in a black-dark green twist to make Topi from the new issue of Knitty. Yes, life has settled back down so of course I'm going to knit.

Zipper on the way

I finally ordered the zipper for my yellow cardigan I knit last Fall. I had to order online since they didn't stock what I need around here. I'm glad for knit bloggers because it was someone who replied to my post months ago that told me about ZipperStop.

#3 Molded Plastic Separating~ Sweater Zippers

Idea

I bought some Rowan Wool Cotton on sale a couple months ago and I have this idea in my head about subtle stripes with tomato trim. There's a soft yellow and a very light yellow green in the pile there. Perhaps a cardigan, or a baby afghan. What do you think?

Oh Mother (of Pearl)

I dropped by a little antique mall while in Everett, Washington yesterday and dug through a bowl of buttons and found this cute little bag of shell and mother of pearl buttons in wee sizes.

That often happens to me that I'll leave with nothing more than a handful of mother of pearl buttons from antique stores. I just love the way they look and feel and the history they represent. I've got loads more, and I really should get a box or something to store them in as they are just in envelopes right now.

If you aren't jiving with a color of yarn, just throw more color at it

I've had a cardigan's worth of beige Tahki Cotton Classic in my stash for years. It was once a 3/4 complete cardigan knit in a lace pattern but there were some serious shaping issues -- not to mention that trick that I didn't know before I started about knitting the lace opposite on the two side so the front edge would come together properly. After all my struggles with this yarn, and its overwelming beige-ness I've been trying to figure out what to do with it. So the other day while shopping at So Much Yarn I was inspired to try fixing the problem by throwing more yarn at it. In colors that reminded me of summers on Martha's Vineyard as a teenager. It might work, if I can figure out what I want to knit with it.

Chicago is...

I was in Chicago this past weekend, visiting a friend and hooking up with another friend -- a knit blogger as it would happen. We all went to a nice yarn shop in a neighborhood near Andersonville (I don't remember the name just now -- Hilde help me out here) and I got some nice Malabrigo in a shade called Lime Blue -- yum! We put a call into our other friend Jen which was super fun to do. I like that the gals that I've connected to online are just as fabulous, if not more so, in person.

At that knit shop in Chicago I pulled out my WIP and commented on the curling bottom edge, the gal at the shop said that Debbie Bliss starches her knits to get them to lay flat. Starching handknits? What craziness. Have you ever starched your handknits?

I finished the front of the little pink Matinee sweater last night on the plane back to Seattle, and then cast on for the sleeves. I'm hoping to get it done this week.

Oh, and I bet most of you didn't know that Chicago does its tree lighting (street trees that is, on Miracle Mile -- the main shopping drag in downtown) the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was a mad house, and we were just two innocent tourists meandering around Chicago this same weekend. There was a short parade and also a fireworks display over the rive. Very cute overall, family friendly and good spirited over all and it really did seem to kick off the holiday spirits for Chicago.

Just what I need

Does a gal with too many projects going do on a Tuesday night? Go to the LYS of course to pick up the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino and a the Ann Budd Handy Book of Patterns (or whatever its called).

I was so tired from work and being around all the lovely yarn and colors, it was hard to resist buying way too much. I did sneak in a couple balls of Rowan 4-ply Tweed, but that was to help me get moving on some navy and green 4-ply my sister gave me as a gift a couple years ago. I needed a little citron color to liven up the mix a bit.

At home I ate my dinner and totally vegged out on the couch. At 10pm I should have gotten into bed but instead I went upstairs into my studio and cast on for the Matinee Cardigan. She's a growing girl and I want to make sure that she's able to wear it for a few months.

I am knitting this baby sweater in the same color as shown in the pattern book, my sister-in-law thought it would complement my niece's coloring the best. That reminds me, at the LYS a couple months ago when I ordered the yarn for this sweater (they were out of this color), one of the gals at Hill Top Yarn mentioned that something like 80+% of knitters will knit a pattern in the color shown. How very odd that seems to me, since from my earliest garments I've been switching out colors, yarns, gauge, etc. I guess some people just like to follow along and not think at all. But from looking around at all the great knit blogs, it seems like lots of us enjoy the challenge and thrill of making a pattern our own.