I belong to a group on Ravelry for bloggers. The group owner had a great idea to host a Knit and Crochet Blog Week, and it is catching on!
Knit and Crochet Blog Week April 26 to May 2
Trish Knits.comHere’s how it works. You blog, every day, for seven days. To get everybody sharing commonalities among crafters, we have a specified subject for each day. To see a list of subjects, visit here: Eskimimi Knits, where the topics we’re exploring are explained.
I’m already planning my ideas for next week so I don’t miss a day. You all know I don’t blog every day as it is, so even doing it for one week will be a challenge for me. Still, I think the topics are interesting and I’m looking forward to writing.
The more the merrier! If you have a knitting or crochet blog, are a member of Ravelry, and would like to participate, check out this group: The Blog Hub. (What? You’re not a member of Ravelry? Well then, I’ll wait while you go sign up. Do it… now!)
I should have been in bed hours ago, but I have a sick boy and it’s been a stressful day. If he’s still feeling punky when he wakes up, we’ll be going to the pediatrician. Fun. It’ll be another “I’ll take a cup of coffee for each hand, please,” kind of day. Marv-O.
I’ve gotten several requests for a sweater update over the last week, so here it is. I am pleased with my progress! I’m still enjoying knitting it and the lace section is making it grow quickly! I still think it will be months before it’s totally done. But, I’m actually getting a good feeling about it that this might be a project that I finish. How cool would that be?
Most of my knitting gets done in the car on the way to and from work (no, I’m not the driver!), and with the days getting longer I have daylight both ways. And then, it’s American Idol season, so I knit while watching. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll be done by summer so I won’t put it down ’cause it’s too hot to knit a sweater.
Anyway, the update is short and sweet tonight. It’s been really hot here and I’m sleepy. I’ve been pretty bad with sleep this week so I’ve got to try to get to bed. More later this week… there’s other knit stuff to talk about that’s not related to my purple sweater, but you’ll have to stay tuned for that.
Today was a fabulous day. Spring is definitely in the air and I am counting the minutes until I can ditch the heavy coat for good this season, but today was not one of the days in which the cumbersome garment was required. For this, I am most thankful.
My kids are with The Nonni this weekend, another thing for which I am grateful. They’ve been sort of at each other the last week or so, and I think the change of scenery is probably doing all of us some good. But with the kids away, I got to do something really special this morning.
I belong to this wonderful e-mail listserver called “Knit Talk,” Which was started by Margo Lynn about 5 years ago, as a knee jerk reaction to some unpleasantness that had been taking place on another, much larger, knitting community. I had been experiencing some of that same unhappiness with that group, so as soon as I found out about Knit Talk, I volunteered to help. It’s a wonderful group, definitely about knitting, crochet, and a general love of all things yarn, but it also incorporates life into craft, the way some other, much larger, groups do not.
Not that Knit Talk is small; it isn’t. As of the moment of this writing there are more than 1,600 members. But it feels smaller, and cozier, and lots friendlier, too.
Anyway, so Margo Lynn contacted me about a week or so ago and said she’d be flying into town for the day–yikes! And she wanted to know if I could do breakfast, or dinner, on one end or the other of her trip. She has asked this before and I have declined–sometimes it’s just hard to get away when the kids are around and they’ve got to go here, or there, or whatever. But with them being away this weekend, the opportunity seemed perfect! And it was. We met up with Margo Lynn at the airport this morning and went off to breakfast at a local hotel. I think only in Maryland can you get a gorgeous breakfast plate with miniature blue crab cakes atop your eggs, but man, they were delicious! The liquid centers of the over-easy eggs blended so perfectly with the sweet crab meats and I felt like I was eating something really luxurious.
But the conversation was wonderful, too! Time passed so quickly this morning. Margo Lynn graciously gave me a skein of lovely yarn with yummy blues in it… and I’m already planning the scarf it will be incorporated into. We snapped a quick photo together before we left for the subway station, where Margo Lynn could get into DC and continue on with her day.
Margo Lynn and Trish finally meet
I wish I had gotten a good photo of Margo Lynn in that sweater; it’s made with Noro Silk Garden and it is just stunning!
By now Margo Lynn should be home and maybe even in her own bed after a long day and a long journey for some sightseeing! But I am so glad that she included me her plans and that we were finally able to meet.
I then came home, cat-napped for about an hour, shoved down a quick sandwich, and headed out for knit group today. Here’s a gallery of our photos. As always, click on the thumbnails to make with the biggie photos.
I love Yvonne’s shawl composed of swirly circles knit together.
Alice has quite a stack of books and magazines today!
Dina shows her gorgeous new hairdo, and her beautiful Lady Eleanor, which is coming along.
Julie, another first timer, is also working on sock–from her own handspun!
Kelli is making good progress on her sock.
This was Kerry’s first time to group today. Welcome!
Rhoda’s scarf from sugar cane yarn. Isn’t it lovely?
Tammy knits a sundress for her granddaughter with sock yarn
Tammy shows off her newly almost completed sweater. Gorgeous!
We had several new people today, including Julie (see, I remembered!) and Kerry. Welcome to you both! Poor Kerry… the sun was so bright coming in the window that every time I snapped her photo, her eyes were shut. I’ll try to do better next time.
Dina had a new hairdo and lots of progress on her Lady Eleanor stole to show off. Several folks were making socks or other things out of sock yarn, and Yvonne was making a stunning shawl out of interlocking circles with her Jojoland yarn. She was also working on a complex design with double knitting, and it was stunning! I wish I had gotten a photo but she put it away before I could.
Rhoda’s sugar cane scarf, which she cast on at group two weeks ago, was nearly complete, and it is gorgeous! And Tammy had a nearly completed sweater with bobbles and cables that was a real knockout. But then, everything Tammy knits is gorgeous.
As for me, I got less than one half of one row of my February Lady Sweater done today. I lost my place somehow on a lace pattern row (it’s an easy pattern to “read” and remember, so not sure how that happened), and when I tried to un-knit back to the place before I messed up, I started dropping stitches all over the place. At one point this afternoon I honestly thought I was going to cry. But then, I realized it was a beautiful afternoon and I was among friends, so I took a few deep breaths and eventually got it fixed. Phew.
After knit group I took the opportunity to try a new Mexican place in town with my husband. We love Mexican, and used to go to this hole in the wall place in town that has been long closed. There’s not much good Mexican around here that isn’t some chain restaurant serving something they’re trying to pass as Mexican. So we were excited to try this place. It wasn’t crowded, and wasn’t cozy, but the food was quite good and we’ll definitely go back. Not our same old place that we really miss, but not bad, either.
Yesterday, I was excited to receive a box full of new yarns from Knit Picks!
When Stroll Tonals became available last week, I had to order some! Now, I know y’all have heard me say that I am NOT a sock knitter. But, how could I not love this yarn? For me, it’s all about the colors. In fact, I loved the colors so much that I had a bit of trouble narrowing down my color selections. So, I got eight hanks. That sounds like a lot, but I have plans for them.
Stroll Tonals in blues and purples
Left to right are Royalty, Blue Violet, Blue Yonder, and Deep Waters.
Stroll Tonals, in bright, springy colors
Left to right are Summer Blooms, Queen Anne, Golden Glow, and Springtime.
So, what’s a not-sock-knitter supposed to do with such lovely sock yarns? Well. for starters I’m thinking of a couple of really adorable baby sets, with sweaters, hats,and yes, matching socks. I still have to do some sketching and planning, but I’m seeing a couple of things in my head right now that I think would make really cute baby sets.
Then, you know what else I’m thinking? Socks. Yep… socks. Soft and squishy socks with lovely contrasting heels and toes. Maybe even socks for me. How about that?
If I didn’t have a sweater to finish first, I’d start now. I love this yarn. It’s so… pretty.
Yeah, right. It’s rainy and nasty here today and I’m a real Grumperella. I suppose I should be happy that I’m telecommuting today so that I don’t have to be out in the rain, but I’m just not feeling it. What I really want… is to go back to bed. But since that’s not happening, I thought I’d start this day with a new blog post.
I’ve been making steady progress on my sweater! See? Have a look:
February Lady Sweater in progress
I’m really enjoying working on the lace section. It seems as if it’s going pretty fast! Other knitters have warned me that I would find the purl rows to be tedious. I guess they’re probably right, as it’s been about a day and a half since I picked it up, and of course, I’m in the middle of a purl row. These photos are actually from about Thursday of last week, but since I didn’t get a huge amount of knitting done over the weekend, they’re still pretty current.
Here’s a closeup of the lace pattern, which is really taking shape nicely:
Closeup of the lace pattern
The lace pattern is complex enough to hold my interest while knitting it, but it’s simple enough to do from memory, so I don’t have to look at the pattern anymore. I also love how the lace allows the project to grow so quickly. Is this the appeal of lace? The older I get I’m pretty sure that complex lace would make my brain hurt to do it, but these simple lace patterns can make knitting fun.
Well, I guess I’d better get myself geared up for work this morning. Long day ahead, made even more dreary by the gray skies outside. I’m planning on making a pot of chili for supper this evening, though, so perhaps that will warm my gloomy heart.
I hope there’s sunshine where you are. But if there is, don’t tell me about it. I just don’t want to know.
It’s been a kind of a weird week for me, so I haven’t gotten around to posting about last week’s group meeting until now. We met on the 20th, which, coincidentally, was the first day of Spring. It was a sunny, warm day to mark the occasion, too. Maybe that’s why attendance was slightly smaller than usual… folks were out and about and embracing the springtime. And we deserve it, too, after the winter we’ve been through here in DC. But, I digress.
I only snapped a few photos, because for once, I was pretty involved with my own knitting. But there are a few to share.
Sylvia proudly shows her first sock
This month our group started a knit along for first-time sock knitters. And here is Sylvia, proudly showing off her very first sock! I so wanted to join the other sock knitters, but I don’t want to lose my current momentum with my sweater. Way to go, Sylvia! We’re so proud of you for trying something new, and for having such fabulous results! You’re a sock knitter now! I hear that sock addiction is quite unavoidable.
Rhoda brought some yarn made from sugar cane
Rhoda brought along some yarn made from sugar cane. I’m not sure if it was this yarn or not, but whatever it was, it has to be some of the softest yarn I’ve ever had between my fingers. Perhaps someday I will add some to the stash, but I’ve been doing quite a lot of stash enhancement lately. (To be the subject of a future post, so keep your eyes out for future yarn candy photos!)
Jen and Heather winding yarnDeb knits a scarf–or is it a wrap?Alice with some luscious yarn
It was a great day, and, because I am a week late with this post, our next meeting is coming up THIS Saturday already. I can hardly wait!!
