Wedding knitting <3

My time has been consumed with my sister's upcoming wedding this January.

This Sunday is her shower and I am so excited! My present to her is currently blocking on my living room floor. I was waiting until I got my Knit Picks blocking mats in the mail. Unfortunately it still wasn't enough room so I had to seperate them and use them as best I could. I think it worked out. I may steam block the edge.

Pattern: Hemlock Ring by Jared Flood (but I used the Rainey Sister's updated version)

Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool #8010

I will post better pictures once it's dry.

I also received the Swish DK yarn in my Knit Picks package for the cabled bolero by Norah Gaughan that I want to make for my sister to wear on her wedding day. So I will be obsessing over the pattern for a day or two and swatching and hopefully finally casting on for real this weekend. I am anxious about the sizing but also super excited. It's a huge honor to make something someone wants to wear on their wedding day.

Charity Knitting

Last year my knitting group made some blankets for the veterans at our local VA Hospital. It is actually a very large hospital and they have a Salvation Army homeless shelter for homeless veterans there as well and I just found out that they received one of our blankets and are using it in their welcome room where homeless vets spend their first night. :)

Well, we're at it again this year and we've got a lot more people interested. A few of us are knitting our own individual blankets to donate and everyone is knitting squares to be seamed together and donated. The support for the project this time around is really heartwarming. Last year about 4 of us participated and this year there's at least 11 women I can think of off-hand.

I am however getting quite sick of working on my own blanket, but mostly it's due to the acrylic yarn (donations must be easy care) and having to knit super tight (I end up with lots of ugly rowing out if I don't).

Here it is so far:

Pattern: Loom Patchwork Blanket by Claire Montgomerie from the book "Knitter's Yarn Palette"

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Eco in "Wine Country", "Forest Floor", "Chocolate" and "Denim Wash"

I also am very excited about a knitting kit I just ordered from Ireland. My Dad has always wanted an authentic, hand knit, Aran sweater from Ireland so I have decided to knit him one. I am getting a kit from the Aran Sweater Market located on the Aran Islands. I am getting the pattern that goes along with our last name. They get their wool from a local mill, Kerry Woolen Mills so everything is authentically Irish. They were so wonderful to work with and they are even getting me the pattern in a special larger size that they don't offer on their site- although it's going to take some time. Expect a picture-filled post when I finally get my package from Ireland!

It's been way too long.

I am so sorry I haven't posted in so long. I don't feel like I have very exciting knitting news because most of my projects are on-going and I've already introduced them.

I did finish my sister's beret but it came out too big so it is waiting to be frogged and re-knit at a smaller gauge. It looks great otherwise.

I also helped my sister move into her first apartment and made her these ballband dishcloths as a gift. She is using red and white as accents in her kitchen.

Pattern: Ball Band Dish Cloths

Yarn: 1 ball Pisgah Peaches & Creme Solids in "Red"; 1 ball Pisgah Peaches & Creme Solids in "White"

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I am also working on some top secret Christmas gifts.

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I went to a yard sale recently (it was all knitting stuff) held by a woman whose mother passed away (her mother was a professional knitter). I went to another one (same woman) in June and posted about it. I didn't find much yarn that I liked but I could not pass up the books and magazines. I picked up a bunch of issues of Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting and Knit1 for 25 cents each. I also got some books including "The Celtic Collection" by Alice Starmore, "Vogue Knitting American Collection", "Folk Vests", "Hollywood Knits" and "Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers" (for my mom) all for $2 a piece! It was a very happy day!

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The best part was that I am planning to make this cabled bolero by Norah Gaughan for my sister for her wedding day in January. I was just about to shell out the $6 on Ravelry for the pattern because I don't have that old issue of Vogue and there it was sitting in the pile at the yard sale with the cabled bolero right on the cover for just 25 cents! I was so happy about this find.

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I am worried about making this bolero though. A lot of people on Ravelry have had trouble with the sizing- it calls for worsted weight yarn and apparently comes out ridiculously big. I am going to follow someone's mods that got good results and knit it on smaller needles with DK weight yarn. But I have been having a heck of a time finding white wool yarn in a DK weight. I really want it to be wool because anything else (including a mix of cashmere or acrylic) has a sheen to it that I really don't like for this project. It also has been tough because in wool most whites are more of a "natural" colorway which means they are not pure white. A natural colorway is not going to look good against my sister's snow white wedding dress. It's going to look dingy.

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My solution is to wait for Knit Picks to release the DK Swish yarn in the "white" colorway. It doesn't come out until 10/16. It's the only pure white DK yarn I can find. Honestly I'm not crazy about it being superwash because that can give it a sheen as well, I'd rather it was just wool but I think it is the best I can do. If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it I've been spending way too much time agonizing over this!

Fiber Fest

It was so neat to have a mini fiber fest right here on eastern Long Island. On Saturday a few people from my local knitting group got together at the Tea Time Cottage for lunch and then we headed over to the fiber fest together. I picked up some dyed merino roving to spin up on my ladybug wheel and possibly ply with my first spool of yarn. I also picked up some undyed sweet grass targhee to spin on the antique wheel my in-laws just bought. (Which I promise to take pictures of at some point.) The fiber fest was nice and I definitely showed a lot of restraint because we definitely don't have money for fiber, probably because we spent all of our money on a spinning wheel!Here's a better shot of the dyed merino. The colorway is "green goddess":

Here is my first single spun on my ladybug spinning wheel, I am so proud of it:

I also cast on for that beret for my sister that is going to be a Christmas present. It is the yarn that I dyed with kool aid and described the process in a previous post. I call the color "Come on Eileen" and I love it. The pattern is Lisa's beret. I even knit a gauge swatch!

Other than that I'm just trying to work on projects I already have and not get too crazy with new ones. I guess that's why I haven't been posting so much. Oh, and I saw "District 9" yesterday, everyone go see it- it's such a great movie!

Happy Birthday!

I went to two knitting groups this weekend and I think that explains why I was able to finally finish some WIPs that have been on the needles for a while.

First I finished the Charade socks that I started about a year ago. The yarn is knitpicks bare that I handpainted with kool aid. I call the color: Sunshine Superman. I really like the way they came out and I am glad I paired the yarn with this pattern.

Then I finished the Hemlock Ring blanket I have been working on as a wedding present for my sister. I will block it when I am closer to actually giving it to her (and when I actually own a blocking board and pins...)

I also finished the baby poonam. It took me forever to pick up the stitches for the sleeves I just never felt like doing it. It still needs button but I think it is super cute.

I'm organizing some knitters here to knit squares for "blankets of gratitude" for the veterans at our local VA hospital. We did this last year, but this year I am getting even more people involved. We donate them right before Christmas and they go to veterans who have to spend the holidays in the VA Hospital/Nursing Home. I am so excited that so many people seem to want to get involved.

I also shared a birthday with President Obama! You have to be awesome to be born on August 4th it seems. :)

My husband got me the best present: a schact ladybug spinning wheel!!! It's not assembled yet our day was just too busy but I can't wait.

Here's my ladybug:

My sister and her fiance got me some awesome knitting books. And she made me those earrings that are on top of the yarn harlot's book. I love 'em!
It was a wonderful birthday- I wish I could be the birthday girl every day!

Fluffy Stuff 2009- East End Fiber Fest!

We are having our very own mini-Rhinebeck here on eastern Long Island next month. It's at a local organic farm where my spinning group meets in the nicer weather. It's being hosted by a LYS- Now and Zen Yarns in Greenport. Very exciting- I'll have to save some birthday money.

Yarn makes the best souvenir!

My husband and I celebrated our third anniversary with a long weekend in Maine. (Don't worry new yarn pictures ahead as well!) We got in some kayaking on Swan Lake:

Then we went into nearby Belfast. They were having an art show on the waterfront. I spoke to a woman who was spinning on a wheel and was selling woven scarves. She was really nice and we had a nice chat about how I'd really like to get a spinning wheel some day and she showed me the fiber that she had dyed naturally.

Then I stopped at the LYS in Belfast, Heavenly Socks Yarns. The owner was really nice and they had a really good selection. All of the yarns you would expect, prices seemed good. They also had an awesome selection of local Maine yarns. The owner seemed super supportive of other local businesses which is great. Here I am with my souvenir:


I could not resist this organic fingering weight merino. It's brand new to the market and made locally in Maine so it's not even in Ravelry's database. It's spun locally in Maine and dyed locally with organic dyes. It's made by a company called Swans Island Blankets.

It's got good yardage: 580 yards so I am thinking of making a lacy scarf with it instead of the usual socks. I love the color and the variations in the purple.We also went to the Skowhegan drive-in on Saturday night. This is a big deal for a New Yorker where land is too expensive to be used in this way anymore. I haven't been to a drive-in since my parents took me to see "Big" with Tom Hanks when I was 5 years old.

We saw "The Hangover" which was just about the worst movie I've ever seen. I swear I didn't laugh even once. Super old jokes that have been done a million times and really offensive as far as gender politics, racism and jokes about pedophilia. It honestly scares me that people find this movie hilarious. I would've left if we weren't at the drive-in which I've wanted to do for so long.

The next day we went to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. Here I am at the top of Cadillac Mountain:

Here's my husband dancing on a cliff:

Then we went into Bar Harbor and got some lunch at this lovely restaurant. That's our table below (the empty one in the middle slightly to the left). I had the crab meat quesedilla, yummy. We were in coastal Maine so it was a seafood filled weekend.

We had such lovely views from our table. Everyone should go to Acadia and Bar Harbor. It's just beautiful.

Ah...vacation...I miss you so much on this Monday morning.