Trish Knits.com

Category: Knitting

  • SABLE?

    (SABLE = Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy)

    I think I’m there. One of the other boxes that came this past week was from Webs, and you see, well, they’re having a huge sale on Cascade 220, and that is a weakness of mine, and, well… look:

    Cascade 220 in various colors (photo by Diana)
    Cascade 220 in various colors (photo by Diana)

    I got a bunch of single skeins in lots of different colors. Some of the things I’m planning to do with them include:

    In short I guess there are lots of things I could do with so many colors. I like collecting large amounts of many colors. It allows my creativity to flow!

    dark eggplant colored yarn
    dark eggplant colored yarn
    Also in the box was a sweater’s worth of eggplant-colored yarn for a sweater for me (someday). Did I mention that this yarn was on a HUGE sale? I felt like it was a good opportunity to get this yarn at such a good price. I have a fantasy of someday having a yarn room with a whole wall of shelves full of yarn in many colors. I think I’m on my way there…

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  • Saturday Sweater Report: Week 3

    Well, it doesn’t look any different, I’m sure, but here it is!

    February Lady Sweater, after three weeks of knitting
    February Lady Sweater, after three weeks of knitting

    This is the February Lady Sweater, after three mostly slow-but-steady weeks of knitting.

    I did at least get the second buttonhole done today! That was my knitting goal, and I actually made it for once. The second one doesn’t look quite as wonky as the first, but I still can’t help feeling that my buttonholes are just weird. I think I’m more excited about this sweater now because I’m thinking so much about my next one. Yet, I know this one still has miles to go…

    Perhaps I’ll feel better after I divide for the sleeves. It’s just that I have miles and miles (and miles!) of garter stitch to go before then. Sigh…

    44 Sweaters

    As if the thought of doing one sweater isn’t daunting enough for me, my new friend Heather told me this week about the 44 Sweaters Project. “Artmama” is doing 44 sweaters and donating them to charity in honor of our 44th President, Barack Obama. Some others have heard about the project and have donated some sweaters in support of the project. How cool is that? Check it out! The sweaters are looking gorgeous.

    I knit so slowly and so seldom (I try to get in a few minutes each day, but sometimes it really is only a few!) that I’ve had a hard time making things for others. I’ve done a few hats and one baby blanket for others, but to be my honest, selfish self I very rarely knit for others. I probably would do more charity knitting or gift knitting if I ever felt like I finished anything, but my FO’s are few and far between!

    What about you? Do you knit for yourself, or for others most often? And if you do knit for charity, let me know and I’ll post about the project sometime soon.

    Ciao for now! Off to pay bills. Argh.

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  • Random Friday

    It’s been a crazy long week here and I’m tired. I haven’t knit much this week, so there hasn’t been much to blog about. I haven’t even gotten to the second buttonhole on my February Lady Sweater yet. How lame is that? I am hoping somehow to be there by tomorrow. We’ll see.

    So, I thought I’d post an update on another project I haven’t shown in a while. I haven’t actually touched my mitered squares blanket in a couple of weeks, but it’s been a long time since I photographed it. So, here it is:

    mitered squares blanket in progress
    mitered squares blanket in progress
    In case you’ve never seen this before, I’m doing mitered squares a la Vivian Hoxbro, but for the layout of the squares I’m using the diagram from the Babette Blanket as a guide. I figured out that if I make the squares sized so that the stitches along the sides are some multiple of a common number, that it all works out and they fit together nicely. So, this will be my “go-to” project for probably years to come, for those in-between times when I’ve just finished a project, or lost my knitting mojo. I like it so far. It really has filled the void that often creeps into my knitting downtime.

    Thinking Ahead

    Last weekend the yarn bug bit me really hard. Thinking of course that I ordered from three different vendors, all with different customary normal shipping times, I didn’t think it would be too hard explaining it to the hubster when it trickled in in drips and drabs. No such luck! It ALL arrived on Wednesday. (gulp.) Here’s the first thing I got:

    Dream in Color Classy yarn in various colors
    Dream in Color Classy yarn in various colors
    This is a pile o’ Dream in Color Classy yarn with which I plan to make the adult version of the Tulip Sweater. I know, that’s probably crazy, given that I’m less than three inches into my current project. But it’s a bad habit of mine. When I sit and knit, I’m constantly letting my mind wander about what I want to knit next, or next-next, or even way into the future. Maybe 2009 will be the year of the sweater.

    We’ll see…

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  • First Saturday in April

    Well, it took me four nights to get the photos together for the post from last Saturday’s knitting group, and to the group, I apologize! I know some folks really enjoy seeing the photos. But, better late than never, and here they are!

    Yvonne and Alice are studying a pattern
    Lisa is knitting a vest
    Wanda told her sister Lisa about our group and they both came
    Lola is casting on for a shawl with her own handspun alpaca
    Marie gives Diane a knitting lesson
    Mia is crocheting a shawl
    Other Trish is making good progress on a scarf
    Rhoda shows her fingerless glove in progress
    Tammy shows her beautiful sweater

    As usual, click to make the pictures bigger.

    Saturday was a great day, as we welcomed quite a few new group members. As I was coming in the bookstore, I happened to see a woman browsing the knitting magazines. So of course I asked her if she had her knitting with her and if she would like to sit with us for a while. It wasn’t long before Alice fit right in as if she had been coming all along.

    Another bookstore patron, Diane, saw us knitting and said she didn’t know how, but wanted to know if she could join us. She then went to the nearby craft store and got a skein of yarn, came back and dove in for a lesson. I tried to help, but my own weird knitting method is hard for others to translate into something that works for them. So Marie jumped in to help. It was great!

    Wanda brought her sister, Lisa, for the first time, and Rhoda’s friend Kathy also came along for a bit. Ileana couldn’t be there, but her friend Mia came along for a first time visit.

    The group was wowed by Tammy’s beautiful sweater that she knit for her granddaughter. And then there was Lola’s beautiful handspun alpaca, which is destined to become a shawl for her mother.

    I really had a great time meeting so many new folks and chatting with other knitters for the afternoon. I’m already looking forward to our next meeting, which will be on May 9, so our group can go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Ah… Maryland Sheep and Wool. I think it’s my favorite day of the year–even better than Christmas.

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  • Saturday Sweater Report: Week 2

    Sweater in progress
    Sweater in progress
    Ok, in case you never believed me before, here’s actual proof that I am the slowest knitter in the world. This represents another week of knitting on my February Lady Sweater, and I still haven’t quite gotten to the second buttonhole yet. It’s ok, though, because I’m enjoying knitting with this yarn. I haven’t had any major knots this week so that’s a real plus.

    Today was knit group and I took lots of photos and even some video. I’m kinda tired tonight so I’ll have to try to get to the group report tomorrow. We had lots of new people, including one lady, Alice, that I happened to spy reading knitting magazines in the magazine aisle. I can’t wait to tell you about everyone tomorrow.

    I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. I’ve barely done two inches on my very first sweater and over the last two weeks I’ve bought yarn for three more. Plus some single skeins of Cascade 220 from Webs. (Pssst. In case you’re living under a rock and haven’t heard, they’re having a big sale. Check it out. It’s a good thing.)

    Well, I’d better get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin. I’m really BIG tired tonight.

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  • News from the Interwebs

    I don’t do this very often but there are so many amazing and exciting events coming up in the world of knitting, that I thought I would take a little space to mention a couple that stand out above the crowd.

    Sock Summit 2009

    Sock Summit 2009 Logo
    Sock Summit 2009 Logo
    Have you guys heard about this one? Sock Summit 2009 promises to be a knitting event like no other! The list of instructors reads like a who’s who of knitting. The instructor list includes names like Lucy Neatby, Nancy Bush, Cat Bordhi, Meg Swansen, Cookie A, and Barbara Walker. The registration opens in May, so keep your eyes open and watch that site. I’m sure they’ll be flooded when the time comes.

    Oh how I wish it wasn’t so far away! I’d give my eye teeth to be there, even though I am NOT A SOCK KNITTER. I’d be one, just for that. So many knitters I admire, but the trip is more than I could do. Still I am hoping that many of my knit buddies will go and tell all about it. I can’t wait to hear.

    A Radical Act of Knitting in honor of Mother’s Day!

    From CODEPINK:

    “Calling all CODEPINK knitters! We are creating a beautiful, quilted cozy to cover the fence in front of the White House to honor Mother’s Day. The message will be “We will not raise our children to kill another mother’s child”-inspired by Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation. We’ll be piecing it together from individual squares knitted by YOU as part of the 24 hour Mother’s Day vigil for Women who live in War Zones. The best part is you don’t have to be an experienced knitter to help! This is perfect for knitters of all skill levels—and a great opportunity for those who want to learn! Celebrate the time honored tradition of the radical act of knitting.” Read more about this event here. This sounds easy enough that I think I will participate by making a square or two.

    Worldwide Knit in Public Day is June 13

    I’m thinking of hosting an event in my hometown. I’ve never done it before but I will be talking to my knitting group this weekend to see what they think. Visit the Worldwide Knit in Public Day website to find an event near you!

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