You Might Think

By the time I had the third Palette sampler box, I had amassed a great list of reasons for having all three.  Not the least amongst them would be that I would know exactly what each color looked like and when ordering new balls of Palette, I would order the correct one.  No more frustrations caused by the difference between the photo and its display on my screen not matching real life.  That makes sense, eh?  

Fast-forward (or rewind, depending on your perspective) to a Knit Picks gift certificate I received for my birthday.  When I finally got around to using it, I filled in the order with a few balls of Palette.  I knew I needed a ball of a plain orange.  Well, orange is not as simple a color as you might think.  I ordered Orange, but I should have ordered Cayenne.  

The Palette sampler as color card tool only works if you consult it.  Who knew?

That being said, when I do get out the mini skeins of the samplers, I have fun.  Just looking at all the colors is a joy.  There are so many colors that I don't have (outside of this collection) but that I could see buying full skeins of in the future, perhaps.  While I do have quite a few colors, it amazes me all the ones I don't have.  

Speaking of the colors I do and do not have, amazing isn't the right word to describe a recent experience.  I was playing with colors, trying to find the right ones, (pinks and oranges, if you were wondering--pinks and oranges if you weren't wondering) knitting from a bag filled with little balls of yarn I have wound off from the full skeins of Palette to knit little things.  Anyway, one of those pinks worked well, and when I had used it up, I went to the craft room for more of it, and could not find more.  Then I compared the scrap to the pinks in the sampler to figure out which it is.  It's Cosmopolitan, and that solved one mystery, and another mystery started.  

There was no main skein of Cosmopolitan in the stash.  I cannot recall ever knitting up a full skein of it, nor do I have any finished items composed of it.  Still, I must have had it, otherwise I couldn't have that small ball of it in the knitting bag.  I spent way too much time searching, but I don't have it.  The bin where it should be seems pretty full, but maybe there is a missing bag of pinks and purples that I failed to put away properly.  If so, I have a happy reunion in my future, eh?  In the end, it prompted me to wind off a couple yards from the sampler mini-skein to use now.  I mean, the mini-skeins aren't just for admiring, and once I did that, it freed me to do the same with a few other colors I wanted to try, and try I have.  I will try to remember that feeling, and not continually set things aside for the "right" "special" "perfect" time.      

Since We're Inside All the Time

I'm a homebody, for sure.  It's just a bit of luck that my history, personality, and brain chemistry have made staying home somewhat less difficult for me than it has been for some people.  I mean, that's all I can really call it.  Sure, there are moments when I might have had a boost if I could have convinced myself that it was some sort of intense feat of discipline and superior moral character, but I know that wouldn't be true.  

Still, there are things I have missed while adhering to the best guidelines for staying as safe as possible during the pandemic.  Looking out our windows is nice, and I'm very grateful for it.  That doesn't keep me from wanting to see other landscapes.  It's also a flimsy pretext for another yarn purchase.  What, like I'm going to get only two of the three Palette sampler boxes?  Of course I got the Forest and Ocean set.  There are so many gorgeous blues and greens, from light and bright to dark and deep.  Maybe I'll knit a grove of tiny trees, or perhaps just a horde of sickly looking zombies. 

Stocking Up

That advice to have two weeks worth of food and supplies during the pandemic is, generally speaking, pretty sound, wouldn't you say?  We've never had so much food in the house.  I find it by turns comforting and anxiety-provoking.  It is good to know that we are prepared, but the very real reasons to be prepared this way is not so good, and that's just part of what I think about and feel when I look in my kitchen.  

For a moment, let's move to a different part of the house.  Now, pre-pandemic, it had been quite a while since I had bought yarn, and when I did, it was not much at a time.  I already had an abundant supply.  For the people who guessed that being home all the time would increase knitting output, they guessed incorrectly.  The stress of *gestures broadly* has left me knitting significantly less.  I've noticed that with a lot of other knitters, too.  So, yeah, what I'm saying is, over the course of these months, I have acquired more yarn.  While it makes me a bit uncomfortable (for a number of reasons) to show these purchases and gifts, I'm going to do so anyway.  Perhaps the yarn has been waiting on its blog debut before it could make its way to my needles.  Yeah, I don't believe that either, but we'll just go with that for now.  

At any rate, it's a good excuse to blog a bit more, and now that I've taken pictures, I can add a photo, blather on, and hit publish.  

First up, is a Palette sampler.  I am a fan of Knit Picks' Palette yarn.  There are so many colors, it is reasonably priced, and versatile.  It is what I use to knit my many tiny things.  This is the Sunrise and Sunset collection.  There are so many beautiful colors.  I love these reds, pinks, purples, oranges, and blues.  Now I just need to stop gazing at the nicely boxed up set and get to knitting. 

       

Previously, on...

Remember that little sweater I knit?  Of course, you do.  All that I knit, document, and write here on the blog is of endless interest to you and completely unforgettable.  

Anyway, when I first spotted the pattern's incorrect chart, I popped on over to Ravelry.  I checked to see other projects, and one noted that the chart was wrong.  I wrote to that Raveler, but, alas, that knitter did not have a corrected chart for me.  

I also wrote to Knit Picks.  I received a quick response, that yes, the chart is wrong, along with a promise for corrections when the design team fixed it.  

In the meantime, I started to work on the problem myself, and as you saw, I solved it.  So, I took some pictures, and I wrote back to Knit Picks.  In that note, I wrote something to the effect that they could go as wild or mild as they wanted to with the sampler of Palette that they would send to me for my help.  And you know what?  They did, and they even complimented my suggestion of sending me yarn.     

Being appreciated and acknowledged rocks! 

Thirty

I received a lovely surprise birthday gift of yarn and the Fall issue of Interweave Knits.  I have been smiling all day just thinking about the name of this colorway.   

Twenty-Eight

Well, I think my lace plan can proceed.  I just need to figure out where I was in the pattern.  It is probably too much to hope that I took notes. 

Sixteen

This evening it became even more apparent to me that I need to spend some time working in the craft room.  I wasted way too much time trying to locate my pencil box of dpns, and never achieved success.  I thought picking out the yarn was going to be the tough part, but I was wrong.  Eventually I decided to give up the search for the night because I just kept retracing my steps.  For a brief moment I tried to think of someone to blame for my predicament, but I am the only person to go in that room.  I still think there is a good chance that the box is hiding in plain sight, but that is really just more reason to walk away for now.  

Well, I am still waiting to see if my lace plans will work, so I do not want to start anything big.  I came across a special skein of yarn, and now I am trying to figure out which pattern to knit.  This is the prize my mom brought back for me from her Big Alaskan Adventure.  I am thinking cowl or mitts, but I haven't figured anything out yet.  

UM...Decided and Undecided

When I heard about the Emily/Emily2 knitalong, I knew that I wanted to play. Then, I thought that it would be a great gift for a friend, and worried that my participation as a knit-along-er would be terrible if I could not show my progress. At that point, I realized I had gotten ahead of myself, and there was much I needed to do before I could join in on the fun and games. So, I set to the tasks of finishing one project and making progress on a couple of others, and then deemed myself eligible to play with friends. I seriously think I have earned this, as I even made a decent dent in my Chalet Sock from PSCNeverHappened2009.

Next up was yarn selection time. I decided that I wanted to use the alpaca/silk yarn I spun for the TdF 2009. I thought it would be a great choice for the pattern, and I had wanted to knit it into a gift for my friend for quite some time. Then, I could not find it anywhere. I searched high and low, and began to wonder whether I had given it away. Somewhere in my brain, I remember getting the yarn out to see if would work for some project, but that was my last memory of it. Finally, I unearthed a knitting bag that has not seen much use for quite a while, and lo and behold, I found the yarn.

However, at this point, things had become a little bit complicated. First, I became quite enamored with a few other yarns in the stash. One of them led me to think about knitting Emily2 for yet another friend. It would also be a bit of a different experience, and a bit of a gamble. However, it would not require me to use beads, although it would not rule them out, either.

So, all I know for now, is that I am going to knit Emily2 whenever the kal begins.

Judge :: Mental
Safe :: Haven
Boulevard :: Wander
27 :: March
Next :: Time
Ma’am :: Yes
Desktop :: Clutter
Club :: Caveman
Violet :: Favorite
Enamel :: Nail

New York, New Yarn

We are back from New York, and it was wonderful. I still have more laundry and a bit of unpacking left, but we are pretty close to being settled back in at home. There was so much to do and see, but I will spare you much of the travelogue for now, and get straight to the yarn.

We made it to two yarn stores, Habu Textiles, and School Products Yarn, and I was able to enhance the stash a little bit. I wish I could show you the yarns better, and even more, that you could meet them in person. As usual, most of the colors are way off in my photos.

From Habu, you see (left to right) bamboo, bamboo/copper, wool/stainless steel, wool, silk/stainless steel, merino wool, bonus sample gifties (silk, mohair/silk, linen/silk), and then handspun silk at the bottom.

At School Products Yarn, I picked up (from top to bottom) cashmere/mohair, silk/cashmere, and merino/cashmere/angora yarns. The blue 70% silk/ 30% cashmere yarn is four strands wound together into one cake, so I have a bit of work ahead of me to separate them into separate skeins.

I do not have plans for the yarn, but am pleased with my selections. I wanted to get yarns that I do not have available locally, and I did that with all of these yarns. While I think I will knit some of these yarns into gifts for others, some of them might become lace for me.

Bursting Box

Recently, Marcia had a contest over at The Attic, and I was the winner. She put together a wonderfully generous package, and I am already enjoying the contents. There was not enough room in the photo to show all of the lovely Shetland fiber. I cannot wait to start spinning it. The colors of the sock yarns are so bright and fun. Since my Skew socks are going so well, it gives me hope that I might knit more socks in the not-too-distant future. The purple Border Leicester/Angelina yarn has been whispering that it is going to become a new scarf for me, and that I should start looking at patterns right away.

Starting the lovely Shetland fiber has waited patiently while I finished spinning the alpaca for Bitterroot. I went ahead and spun the rest of the pile of alpaca fiber, and it gave me a chance to use the fancy new orifice hook that was also in the prize package. Right now, the hook is resting in that cute little basket and hanging from my wheel, just waiting for me push everything aside to spin some more.

Random--Not Just for Wednesdays

This has not been an ordinary week. It has not been my favorite week, but it has not been completely horrible. However, when I type it out, it seems much worse.

There was a close encounter of the aviation kind. On Monday, a plane crashed very close to my brother's house. The news vans were stationed at the end of their driveway for a couple of days.

There were close encounters of the wildlife varieties. This included two skunks (one in our yard), a coyote, and a possum (not the cat).

We had extended family sadness. This roused a sleeping, ancient, family drama llama, but it will probably drift back into slumberland soon. It is just sad. Slowly backing away is probably the best answer, although far from being a good one. Some things cannot be fixed, and some things are not ours to fix.

There was a surprise tornado. It was not near our home. We had eerie, shining sun combined with rain and a bit of hail.

There were good things that happened, too. There was a birthday. My nephew turned eight. The party included plenty of bowling, silliness, and chocolate cake.

There was a good time with a friend. While my camnesia leaves one item undocumented, I can show yarn that I received. I have never worked with Jojoland Melody sock yarn, and Hoobody Fibers sock yarn is new to me, too.

I have also been knitting the Prairie Rose Shawl. I only have about sixteen more rows to go, so I will wait to take photos.

Oh, and I had an amazing shopping trip, bargain-wise. You need toilet paper and caffeine-free Diet Pepsi? We have it here.

I'm Covered in Bunnies (and Distractable)

Yes, it is winter, and colder weather is not a surprise. Others scoff and note that it is colder elsewhere, and they are right, but it is cold for this area. We are in the midst of colder-than-average temperatures, and their effects are compounded by what is predicted to be at least a weeklong stretch. However, I do not mind the cold, but rather am enjoying the chance to use more of my warmer handknits. A too-long retail endeavor was a bit less unpleasant as I noticed an increased number of handknit scarves worn by other shoppers. My handspun, handknit Shetland/Angora scarf really makes a difference against the chill. Perhaps I look like one of those fiber festival people attempting to display everything knit since last year, but I am warm.

Casting on for a new something on New Year's Day seems like something of a knitterly tradition, and I decided that was a good enough reason for me. I had been trying to decide between an EZ Spiral/DairyQueen/Snail Hat and Quincy. Then the idea to spin the yarn for the EZ hat came to me, so Quincy automatically won the honor of this year's first knit, and I love it.

I had already selected the yarn I wanted to use for my new hat. It is GGH Lamour (50% Extrafine Wool/33%Angora/17%Nylon), and it is so soft. It had lived in the stash for years, having been given to me by a knitter thinning out the stash before moving to a new home. Several times, I had swatched with the yarn, but nothing was ever right. It was a joy to pet, and the color always pleased me, but each experiment ended with its return to the yarn bin.

I hoped that the yarn would finally find its match with this mostly garter stitch pattern, and as I knit, it appeared to be working. By the time I completed the i-cord and garter portion, I was sold on pairing of yarn and pattern. This was a quick knit, and I love my new hat. If I were to make it again, I would make it a bit larger because my head is big, and so is my hair. The finished hat got a thumbs-up from Brucie. He later told me that he was not too impressed with the picture in the booklet, and that my hat is better. Yep. He's a keeper.

Yes, I need a new staff photographer. If anyone can point me to a tutorial on how to train wild, stray cats in photographing knits, it would be greatly appreciated.

Speaking of New Year's traditions, I did have black-eyed peas. Cookie asked how I planned to prepare them. I was not sure. I have been working these past few months to gain experience and improve my preparation of legumes. I think Nora might have thought I was not being serious when that was my comment on her post about learning, but it really is true. When she asked, I had no answer for Cookie. Also, what is up with this spell of mine having trouble responding to comments? I must be a terrible person. Anyway, a good chunk of the legume-preparation instructions goes something like this:

Pour legumes on counter and sort out rocks and rotten pieces
Rinse legumes and soak in water overnight
Drain off soaking water
Boil legumes and pigs until desired tenderness is reached

Still, that is not all of the information available, and I ended up using this as a jumping off point. It gave enough inspiration to help me throw something together that we enjoyed. I think that along with some cornbread, it might have been all we ate that day. Oh, yeah--Happy New Year!

Good Company

It would seem that I am not the only person who has difficulty with mailing packages. A friend who moved away earlier this Fall says she also struggles with this. However, I think she waited on purpose. She waited to let my birthday celebration stretch out a bit longer. She waited to secure a personalized autograph copy of a fabulous book. She waited a bit longer to give me a much-needed boost during a difficult patch.

When I wrote to thank my friend for the thoughtful gifts, she wrote back that she knew that I would love these, and that I was unlikely to purchase them for myself. She was right. I may be a bit of an emotional wreck, but these tears of love and joy have been refreshing.

Now, I pet my lovely cashmere, and look through this wonderful book. There are such classic, timeless patterns. I could have almost immediately queued the entire book, but I stopped after adding two. Bridgewater and Quincy will be fabulous knits.

A Knitter's Prerogative, aka, Oooh, Shiny!

The flash of inspiration came and went quickly. The mountain of mohair appeared to be in danger. I put it back in the bag, placed it on top of the books, and brought it to the stash staging area in preparation for putting it away. Then, I did not sleep. I almost caught up on blogs and email. Then maybe there was some kind of magic that eludes recall, I had the same pile of mohair back in the living room along with beads and a different book, and I am casting on for something new.

I am knitting the Beaded Cloche from Folk Hats. I remember that my sister liked this hat, and I wanted to knit a gift for her. Well, I am actually knitting a hat that is inspired by that pattern. Of course, I am not using the recommended yarn, and I am making several other modifications, chief amongst them being the fact that I am not pre-stringing the beads. The pattern calls for 910 beads to be threaded onto the mainly mohair yarn before knitting. I knew that was not about to happen. I also figured that I was going to have different gauge, looked at the chart, reduced the initial number, and decided to see what would happen. I know that is risky business when mohair is the main fiber, but I think it is working.

Already, I find myself thinking about knitting another, all the while mentally flipping through lists of potential recipients. Wanting to be able to give the knit to several different people all at once is always a good sign.

Mohair Monday: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Edition

With the secret lace back on track, it has become safe to allow my mind to wander. That can end poorly. However, I sometimes remember important things, solve problems, or have good ideas. Doing this while knitting lace is especially inspiring without allowing my brain to run too far. Today it found its way to a general list of to-knit items.


I have been planning to knit some lace scarves, but have not gotten any further than that. I decided to get on with process, and happened upon a theme. All of the yarns I selected have mohair as the main fiber content. Still unsure of what to knit, I reached for A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and Knitted Lace of Estonia from the bookshelf. Now all that remains is selecting patterns. Oh, and the knitting of course, but that is the easy part, right?

UM, Not Impressed, and Impressed

This guy looks like he has been to his share of fiber festivals. He took the crowds and cameras in stride. He did not mind our presence, or having to attend the gathering, but he was clearly not impressed by any of us.

Redskins :: Cowboys

Show :: Stopper

Smoker :: Turkey

Bad movie :: Horror

Play :: House

Jaguar :: Wreck

Click :: Through

Production :: Piece

Sand :: Evil

Foreign :: Film

Just to show it is not just about fiber acquisition around here, this is my latest finished spinning. I like the new yarn. For me, it seems like I keep spinning, and suddenly one skein shows my improvement all at once. This is one of those skeins. I keep petting it, and thinking of what I want it to become.

Fiber: Alpaca, KA Solar-dyed by me

Plies: Two
WPI: 19-20
Weight: 5.12 ozs (145.3g)
Yardage: 608 yds (555.9552m)

I Might Take That Bet

I won this gorgeous skein of yarn from Becky. She included a cute card with a nice note. In it, she wrote that she has a skein of this yarn, but bets that I will knit mine first. I have been lovingly petting the new yarn and thinking of what I would like to knit with it, but I believe it will have to wait. I think I am preparing to move into serious gift-knitting mode, with a side of UFO-finishing.

I am excited about some of the presents I want to make. Thinking about them sometimes makes me wonder about the possibility of family members who may have found the blog, but are keeping quiet about it. If that is happening, (beyond the one who was told about this space) people might find their gift-y surprises rather unsurprising. Of course, I could always keep the projects secret until after I give the gifts, but that is decidedly unappealing.

Another option would be doubling up the knitting and spinning so that I have more content for the blog. Yeah, that is not going to happen. I could have enough of a challenge finishing gifts in time. I am still considering the significance of a piece of information we received this week. The son was filling us in on the happenings of his life, (not a normal occurrence) and within this conversation, Bruce asked him whether things are getting serious with the girlfriend. For the first time ever about any relationship, the son replied in the affirmative. It makes me wonder whether she could be making her way onto the knit-gift-list sometime soon.

It also makes me want to stick my head in the fiber bin and breathe in the soothing wool fumes. Then I could calmly make a list of gifts I want to make, along with a schedule for completing them. Either that or I could sift through books, patterns, and Ravelry for the perfect pattern to use with my new yarn.

Taking Chances

As I have been knitting mainly from stash lately, its contents influence what I decide to knit. Sometimes I come across a pattern I want to knit, but am not sure whether the stash will support it. If I clearly do not have the yarn, I evaluate whether I want to purchase yarn and knit it now, or if I will just wait for later. That is actually the easier situation. The stash is lovely and I enjoy knitting from it. I do not feel deprived when I decide to wait to buy yarn to knit something. It also makes it all the more enjoyable when I do buy yarn. I am not against buying more yarn, but right now, reducing the stash is the right decision for me. Why, yes, I do realize that all this going on and on about knitting from the stash means I am pushing myself closer and closer to a not insignificant yarn purchase, but I digress.

The anxiety enters when I think I might have the yarn to knit something, but the yarn situation could be tight. Having been burned by recent yarndage issues, I have become even more nervous. While I so dislike the idea of running out of yarn, I receive quite a thrill when it is close, but works. With this in mind, I began the swatching. I got gauge. I checked the pattern and checked the stash. The yardage matched, but I was not yet convinced. I know how those numbers can have quite the plus/minus range.

Still, the pattern looks like such a nice, pleasant knit, that forging forward is the right choice. If I do not have enough yarn to finish it and cannot get more of it, this is not a tragedy. I think I would enjoy knitting it again when I do have the necessary yarn. That being said, I am getting ahead of myself. This yarn could be enough and work out just fine. In fact, it looks like it will. I have already finished the back and am about one-third of the way up the front left of my Golden Vintage Cardigan.

Kindness of Strangers

More yarn=more knitting=yay!

Taking a Breath

Thank you all for the encouragement and suggestions. Both knitting as fast as I can and holding my breath seem to be working. I am beginning to think this is going to work, but I do not want to jinx it with a photo. While the chronic oxygen deprivation seems to affect my speed, and the frequent blackouts also hinder my progress, I am getting the best ideas. After a few deep breaths, designing and knitting new Christmas stockings for everyone I know holds less appeal.

However, some ideas have stuck. I think it is time for some lace. I have been flipping through Knitted Lace of Estonia looking for my first project from the book. First off, I must say that this is a wonderful book, and a fabulous lace resource. There is so much information, many lovely patterns, and the stitch patterns in the back are inspiring. Anyway, I decided I would like to knit something for my mom, and I had already chosen the yarn. It is special yarn. I received a gift certificate from a friend, and when the yarn arrived, I knew it should be knit into a gift. It is GoGo Grassy Dream in Color Baby. I think this is perfect for Mom.

As I looked at all the possibilities, I decided that the Peacock Tail and Leaf Scarf is the perfect choice. With the finished dimensions of 15"x49" from 525 yards of fingering weight yarn, I think my 700 yards will make the perfect size scarf for her. I have never worked with DIC anything, let alone their Baby stuff. It is soft and nice, and it seems to me that it is between lace and fingering weights.

Now, I just need to keep from beginning the scarf. I think if I can remember that I ought have my wits about me before attempting to operate the swift and winder, I may be able to hold off for a few more days. If I cannot, I hope my husband knows to call knitting friends to help disentangle me.