Trish Knits.com

Author: Trish

  • Almost Big Enough…

    Ripple blanket in progress

    …for a shawl, if it were one. But since it’s not, as you can see, I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m not getting tired of knitting it, exactly, but I am getting a wee bit bored of not being able to knit anything else. However, my sense of purpose keeps me going, and I am at least fairly certain that I will not be working on this blanket for eight months like I did on the last one. I’ve found several things on the internet that I’d like to try:

    For the last one I am hoping to find a yarn with long color changes like Noro Kureyon, but that isn’t Kureyon, because I hate the way it feels. I’m thinking maybe a Trendsetter yarn. I’ll have to see.

    Ripple Blanket close up

    Here’s a closeup of the blanket today… couldn’t resist. More soon, I hope!

  • It’s an Addiction, I’m Tellin’ Ya!

    Namaste Laguna Bag, Turquoise


    I shoulda’ known something was up when the Namaste Executive Bags began disappearing a couple of months ago. I thought to myself, I had better grab one, now. So I did. Like an idiot. If only I had waited another month. How was I to know they were coming out with something even better?

    Introducing, my Namaste Cali Collection Laguna Bag! I loved my Executive, for about a minute, until I tried to jam my WIP afghan into it. It just didn’t really fit. I don’t know if it’s because this bag is softer, or what, but it holds the afghan, and my obnoxious, oversized wallet with shoulder strap, with actual room to spare. There’s even a zipper pouch in the middle — woo hoo! It’s big enough to hold all of my knitting notions. And they’re not going to fall out like they would have out of the inside pockets of the Executive. That one only has elastic on the pockets. (Yes, the Executive has a SIDE that is zippered, but that is where, presumably, one would put one’s wallet and personal stuff. My notions were in the other pockets and were constantly falling out because the bag wouldn’t close because my project was too big for it.) And it has a shoulder strap. So I can hang it on the back of my chair if I need to.

    Did I mention that the afghan fits inside, AND it still closes? A bag big enough for this had eluded me.


    Namaste Laguna Bag, with stuff inside

    Here’s a photo with my afghan tucked inside and my obnoxiously large wallet peeking out on the other side. No, it’s not even completely full. I am suitably impressed. Finding a bag big enough to hold my stuff has been a big challenge.


    Namaste Laguna Bag, closeup of magnet closure

    And here’s a closeup of the magnet closures. When the bag isn’t quite full, the top of the bag sort of folds over on itself. If it’s quite full, it is more completely upright, as shown in the first picture. Yes, even with the afghan inside, the top of my bag still folds over. I only propped it up for the picture.

    I think I am in bag lust! Help me!!

    And as if this day could NOT get any better, my Spring ’08 issue of Interweave Knits arrived today. Is this Nirvana?


    Namaste Laguna Bag, dimmer light and truer color

    Ok, last one! This photo was shot in dimmer light and is probably more true to the color of the bag. Thanks to the folks on Ravelry for asking!

  • Worms, Anyone??

    worm binder, front cover

    Ok, this is going to sound crazy, but on the Knit Picks discussion board on Ravelry, folks started talking about finding a better way to store their Harmony needles. Someone mentioned that they found a “worm binder” at Wally World and that it was a perfect fit. Now, I don’t go browsing the fishin’ pole section every day, in fact, never, so I had never even heard of one of these marvelous contraptions. Yesterday, I braved a throng of tween girls at the new Hannah Montana movie, and it just so happens that at this mall where my favorite theater is, there is an Outdoor World store, that includes a Bass Pro Shop. Lo and behold, there they were! But alas, the one I found in the store, and bought fairly immediately, is not available online — yes it is, here’s the link: Extreme Worm Binder (Mine is the “medium” size.). The bag is made of some sort of waterproof fabric, and includes lots of little ziploc bags (for fishing tackle) inside. The outside has a zipper pocket, and because the bag itself is soft sided, it is really very roomy.


    worm binder, inside, showing zipper pockets on inside front cover

    Here is a view of the inside front cover, showing two zipper pockets. They are the perfect size for my needle sizer, scissors, or whatever else I need to carry.


    worm binder, inside, showing zipper pockets on inside back cover

    And here is the inside back cover, which has quite a few small pockets, perfect for end buttons, stitch markers, the little “key” thingys that help tighten the needles, etc.


    worm binder, back cover

    And this is the back cover, which has a mesh pocket with a velcro tab for holding it closed. Overall, this bag is great! All of my needles fit in there, which is more than I can say for the bag that came with my Harmony set. (Ok, there’s enough room for one pair of each of the interchangeable tips in the bag that the set comes with, plus you can throw cables and stuff in the center section, but then where would I put my fixed circulars that are sized 0 to 3? especially since the 1’s and 2’s have two sizes each, and the needle sizer doesn’t have holes for each of these. I would have a devil of a time telling them apart. PLUS, I have multiple pairs of tips for my favorite sizes, and now they will all fit in the ziploc bag things. It’s great that I can keep all of my needles together.

    So, I highly recommend a fishing worm binder (also called a tackle binder or a bait binder) as wonderful knitting needle storage. I should have gotten more than one. The only thing is I hope I can somehow remove the Bass Pro patch off the front and replace it with something a little more “girly”…. My dad would be rolling his eyes at me if he could see this!

  • I’m So Weak!

    purple skeins of yarnOk, yes it’s true… my Yarnaholic Tracker does not lie. Last week, I caved and bought yarn. LOTS of yarn. What am I going to do with it? I don’t know yet. But it’s here. In my stash. That pile, you know, the one that’s overtaking my house.

    I shopped at Knit Picks, as per usual, and got Wool of the Andes in Amethyst Heather and Onyx Heather. My daughter has a lovely purple afghan that my step mother made for her a number of years ago, when her room was purple. So I got enough yarn to make myself an afghan and have some left over for some felted hats (of course).

    Then there is the not-so-small matter of the endless brown blanket for Miss Z. I am making progress. I am. I am. I am still enjoying knitting it. But there is the issue of that huge box of new yarn and I SO want to make something with it. The Miss Z. blanket cannot wait so I must remain strong. I must hold my resolve to finish that project first and to work on nothing else until it is done. Miss Z. needs it. I need to be able to give it to her. And I will. In a way I am glad she likes brown and I don’t. for a brown blanket, it is turning out BEAUTIFUL if I don’t say so myself, and if it were in colors I actually loved I might have a hard time giving it away. No, not really. I can’t remember the last time I knitted something with such joy and such purpose. It’s a cool feeling.


    charcoal colored skeins of yarnWanna know what else was in the box? A set of size 7 Harmony needle tips with a 24″ cable set, that’s what! IJ at work has been eager to learn to knit. About a month ago she bought herself a learn to knit book and I told her about KnittingHelp.com. She doesn’t live near a yarn shop so I offered to include starter needles and a ball of yarn in my big order, which of course she then paid me back for. She decided she would go home with her book, yarn, needles, and website and see what she could do on her own, then she’ll come to me with questions next week. I hope she has an easy time and can get going! I bet she’ll be fine. She seems like the kind of person who would be a successful self-taught knitter. I can’t wait to give her some pointers on Monday!


    Harmony Cable Needle Set The last item in my bag was the Harmony Cable Needle Set. Aren’t they just lovely? I usually prefer to cable without a cable needle, but there are times when the extra insurance is really helpful, such as with a slippery yarn or one without much give. I just love looking at them, and hope they will be not too slippery to do the job!

    All for now, talk to you soon.

  • OBU

    Multicolored brown ripple afghan in progress

    (Obligatory Blanket Update)

    Well, here it is, the latest photo of my ripple afghan in progress, for Miss Z. One or two more people added their work to the blanket this week, and I feel like I’ve knitted a LOT, but visually, from the picture, it doesn’t really look very different. I guess I’m entering that disappointing stage where hours and hours of knitting yield very minimal results. All knitters hit that wall with long-term projects. At some point. Right? Please tell me I’m not alone.

    So this week my kid decided that she needs to do five rows a day on the baby blanket she’s working on for her teacher. So far, she has stuck to it, except that tonight she is feeling a little punky so I doubt she’ll knit today. I hope this isn’t the beginning of a winter virus making its way through our house.

    I caved and bought yarn this week. Lots of yarn. 25 balls of Wool of the Andes in Amethyst Heather, and 20 balls in Onyx Heather. Not sure yet what I am going to do with it, but I was originally thinking maybe a blanket of some sort, or at least a couple of hats and mittens and scarves etc. We’ll see. Obviously I won’t be taking on any new projects for a while yet.

    Also in the box is a set of needles in size 7 for IJ at work. She wants to learn to knit! I can’t wait to teach her. I’m hoping she will love knitting as much as I do.

    Not much else going on around here. Brenda has a new episode of Cast On up today so I’m gonna go listen and knit. Ahhhh. Knitting and Cast On. Two things that make winter more bearable. Thanks, Brenda.

  • Knit Night at Trish’s

    Diana, knitting a garter stitch striped baby blanket

    Just another quiet Saturday night at my house… I had a lovely afternoon of knitting with my buddy Rhoda, and then Diana and I sat and watched a movie this evening and knitted some more. Here she is, working on a garter stitch striped baby blanket for one of her teachers. She figures that if she does 5 rows a night, she’ll have 150 rows done in about a month, and then she’ll be able to tell how much bigger to make the blanket. I think she’s doing a great job! Her stitches are nice and even, and very much improved from her first project.

    Me? I’m still knitting away on the brown ripple afghan. It’s looking good, and I think I can actually bump up my progress bar another notch tonight. More pics later this week.

    Ciao for now… gotta get back to my knitting!