New Year, New Skill, New Yarn, New Swift

Swish DK, Coal

When I first started knitting -- back in 2005, maybe? -- I did it as a new year's resolution.  I wanted to try to learn something new.  So I did.  The next year, I made a resolution to knit a pair of socks, and I did.

This year, I think I want to try to improve (or create) some knitting with color skills -- maybe fair isle?  I've purchased two books:  Color Knitting the Easy Way (Melissa Leapman) and Mastering Color Knitting (also by Melissa Leapman).  I think these will make a good start.



In order to try some practice knitting, I picked up a couple of skeins of Knitpicks Swish DK in Coal and Dove Heather. 

Swish DK, Dove Heather

While I was placing a Knitpicks order, I took advantage of a sale on their yarn swift as well as replacing my ball winder.  This has made winding yarn incredibly easy, and much faster.  Great!

Asheville Stash Building



Yarn Paradise, Asheville, NC

I've been posting about our trip to Asheville in relationship to the Traveling Scarf, so I thought I would post about the yarn portion of that trip.

We were very leisurely about our visit to Asheville, sleeping as late as we wanted and not keeping any kind of set schedule.  It was great! 

Before we went into Biltmore Estate, we stopped at a great yarn store called Yarn Paradise.  I enjoyed the store.  It is located in Biltmore Village.  Next time I'm there, I would love to spend some time in just that shopping area.  It looked great!

 While at the store, I bought lots of yarn.  You can match the list with the pictures in the collage.  Count the squares starting from the top left corner and counting across.  Pictures 1 and 2 are the top row and so on:

• I picked up two skeins of Cascade 220 -- 100% wool yarn in red and a red/black combination.  I have since used this yarn to knit a Red Scarf for the Red Scarf project.  (pictures #7 and #8)



Yarns from Yarn Paradise

• I bought three skeins of Malabrigo Twist -- one each of Cookie (#2), Velvet Grapes (#1) and Liquid Amber (#3).  I've since used these three skeins for a Christmas present scarf (post coming).
• I bought two skeins of Koigu -- one in a mainly blue combination (Koigu 470 - #5) and one in a combination of teals (Koigu 581 - #6). 
• I also picked up a Claudia Handpaints in Plumicious (#4).

Knotty Gloves

As I finished the Seasons Shawl, I had a yen to knit gloves. I found a pattern of Ravelry called Knotty Gloves by Julia Mueller -- free pattern for some very attractive gloves. She knit the pair in the pattern using Socks that Rock yarn in a color called Grawk.

I like Socks that Rock yarn, so I opened up the computer and went searching on their website for yarn colors that appealed to me. Have you ever done that? Do you know how long you can look at pictures of yarn on the Socks that Rock website?

Hours later, I placed an order for one hank of Spinel and one of Corbie. Spinel is a shaded solid color -- one color, dark into light and back again. Corbie is part of the Raven clan group of yarn -- black yarn overdyed with other colors (Grawk is also one of those). I used the Spinel to work on the gloves.

I started them on the way to Kansas City as a traveling project. One the flight to the city and then while in town, I finished the hand and one finger of one glove. Knowing that knitting gloves requires snipping the yarn and starting another finger, I put the first glove aside and started on the second one for the flight back -- no scissors required.

So far, the second glove is finished and I have two fingers and a thumb to finish for the first glove. A very strange way to knit gloves!

Image: Glove on the base of the John Wesley statue at WV Wesleyan College (although you can't tell).

Stash and Shawl Update

I recently placed an order with Knitpicks. What did I pick up?

• A skein of Stroll Tonal in DeepWater. I love the color. It is HOT and BRIGHT outside today, and I think my pictures of rather overexposed -- the colors look lighter than they really are. The Deep Waters is darker than the picture seems. It's a lovely combination of blues and purples.
• I have been thinking of a scarf that would match my red and black jacket. Most overdyed yarns I find are not those two color combinations. I found Shamrock at the Knitpicks site. The Kavanagh colorway has a red main color (3 ply) with a fourth ply of black/gray/white. I was going to a couple of movies Friday, and wanted to be able to knit while I watched. The cable shawl is too complicated to knit in the dark, so I took a skein of the Shamrock yarn and needles with me. I cast on (30 stitches) at lunch and knit in the dark -- the whole skein. It wasn't until after the movie that I was able to look at what I had knit. Kind of a cool experiment. It's the Yarn Harlot's One Row Scarf pattern (not really a pattern, but a fun and easy knit that results in a fabric I like a lot. Details of the pattern are at my Missouri River Scarf page. In that one, the colors in the overdyed yarn kind of zigzagged. They are doing that in this scarf, too, which I love.
• Knitpicks put out a new pattern called the Seasons Shawl (Ravelry link). I bought it in Fall/Winter. I think it will be my next project after the Kilkenny shawl is finished. The yarn that came with the kit is all Knitpicks Shadow. Below (lighter than they really are), are, from left to right: Basalt, Nocturne Heather, Vineyard, Forest Heather, Sunset, Persimmon Heather and Midnight.

Speaking of the Kilkenny Cable Shawl, it's moving along. I have between 24 and 25 inches finished. It goes to 28 inches. I'm very ready to be finished and to block that baby!

Beach Stash Enhancement

While at the beach this past week, we went to Island Knits in Murrells Inlet.

There was stash enhancement:

1. Two skeins of Mille Colori by Lang. The shop owner had a scarf knit on large needles with this yarn; I liked it.
2. One skein of Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet.

Alaska Stash

We have spent the last week on a cruise to Alaska. It was a wonderful trip! We had three ports of call -- Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. In Juneau, I stopped at a bead store (Peer Amid Beads -- close to the cruise ship dock). I don't have a picture of the beads I purchased. I'll post those later, but it was a fun store with a friendly shop owner. I asked her about nearby yarn stores, and it just happened that there was one just around the corner, called Skeins. Unfortunately, it was closed. :-(

On to Skagway. I stopped and asked the same question. Yes, there is a yarn store in the downtown area called -- well -- it seems to have three names. The Rushin Tailor (isn't that cute?), QuiltAlaska and Changing Threads. All three are in the same building, and I'm not really sure if they are different stores or not. I went back and took some pictures. Look in the background. Wouldn't that be a wonderful view from the doorway of your shop?

They had beautiful, hand-dyed yarn from two companies (at least) -- Raven Frog Designs and Rabbit Run Designs. I brought three skeins from Rabbit Run: two worsted wool and a 75% wool/25% nylon. The two worsted wool yarns are from the Water colorway and the Wildberry colorway. They match beautifully, so I think I'll knit a scarf that alternates between the two.

I brought a skein of wool that was greens and lavender - called hyacinth. Socks, I think, although it will be a thicker sock yarn. I like that!

The fourth skein is from Raven Frog, and it is a superwash merino. The colorway is Princess Matsoutoff's Gown -- green, royal blue and purple. I bought it because I loved the colors. Another scarf? Maybe the Yarn Harlot's one skein scarf? Who knows? I may just look at it.

If you look at the picture, taken on our cruise ship balcony (what a joy in itself!), all four yarns are there. The one at 12:00 is Water, the one peaking out at 2:00 is Wildberry. The blue/purple/green on is from Raven Frog Designs, and the Hyacinth yarn is pointing to about 8:00.

As for my current project, I am still working on the cabled shawl from Folk Shawls. I like it. It's enjoyable to knit, and the pattern was easily memorized. Just four rows, repeating across the wide width of the yarn. It's dark blue. I can't knit it in dim light, but otherwise, it's pretty simple. Lots of cables. Not boring.

Beach Yarn

While we were at the beach in July, I went to Island Knits yarn shop in Pawley Island, South Carolina. And, yes, there was some stash enhancement.

The black yarn in the first picture is VERY soft. It is from the Plymouth Yarn Company and is called Buckingham. It is 80% Baby Alpaca and 20% Silk. I found it with her sock yarns, but I think it would also make a really pretty scarf, and in fact she gave me a free lace scarf pattern when I bought the yarn. The color number is 500.

The next yarn is from the Ester Bitran yarn company and is called Talinay. It is a bulky weight wool yarn. She also gave me a scarf pattern with this one. I liked the model she had in the shop, so I'm anxious to crank out this scarf. It is color 220 -- tan, pink, blue and brown. It probably isn't a colorway that I would have chosen for myself, but I imagine it as a gift.

The third yarn is a sock yarn from Araucania Yarns called Itata Multy. It is 70% superwash wool, 15% silk and 15% bamboo. The colorway is 1002, and it is a mix of blue, purple and green. There are 430 yards in the skein.

Yarn purchases

How about some talk about stash enhancement? Here are two yarns I recently purchased. The first is a skein of Socks the Rock, mediumweight, in Fire on the Mountain. It will become socks, although I'm not sure what pattern yet.

The second is a skein of Noro Kureyon, in color #187. It's very rainbow-ish. I think it, and the other two skeins of it that I bought, will become another stripped scarf, this time in a 2X2 ribbing pattern.

New Project -- New Needles

Wow. No entries in a while. There's a reason for that -- no knitting for a while.

I stopped at Knit-n-Hook, my LYS, the other day and picked up a skein of Cherry Tree Hill yarn -- Ariel. It's a cotton blend with a lot of texture. The skein has over 400 yards -- lots of yarn to play with.

She was well stocked with various colors, but the first one which caught my eye was Champlain Sunset -- fushia, blue, gold, lots of nice color combinations.

With the high texture value of this yarn, and the many bright colors, I decided to do a very simple garter stitch scarf. I cast on 375 stiches -- I'm knitting it the "long way." I used US size 9 turbo circular needles, but came to the conclusion that the points weren't sharp enough. I pulled out my Knit Picks needles, put a 30 inch cord on each one with an end cap on the free floating end, and then knitted the work to the sharper needle. I thought I would show you a comparison of the needle tips. I'm enjoying the knit picks needles.

Knit Picks needle on the right -- Addi Turbo on the left.

Knitpicks Options needles

Temptation began as a catalog. I received the KnitPicks catalog in the mail -- you know the one -- the one announcing that KnitPicks is now carrying their own brand of needles (see them here).

"Hmm. Those look interesting, I thought."

Then I read the review last Thursday from Clara at Knitter's Review. I should label Clara an an enabler, because I pulled out my credit card and ordered a set. Not that I wouldn't have done it anyway, but I might not have done it at right that moment in time.

Why do I think this would be a handy set to have?

1. The cords look flexible. That's one of my favorite characteristics of Addi Turbos -- no steaming of the cords.
2. The points look sharp. I don't like dull points.
3. I like the idea of having every size available to me. I have tons of needles, but I always seem to NOT have the size I need.
4. I like that I can add to the set as desired (note I did not say as needed).

So my only problem now is the backorder state of the needles. Here's hoping they come soon.

Scarf progress and new needles

I'm still working on the cabled seaman's scarf from the 2006 Pattern a Day calendar. Pardon the blurriness of the photo, but the flash just didn't highlight the cables, which is the most interesting part of the scarf. I'm enjoying this scarf, and I am learning the "workings" of cables -- which way they twist, etc. Fun!

We're in Lexington, and I bought a pair of Lantern Moon rosewood needles, size US7. These are the smallest rosewood needles I have. I am constantly worried about snapping them in half. Not very relaxing to knit and worry about your needles. Anyway, I switched the scarf from my US7 addis to these rosewoods. In her new book (Knitting Rules!) the Yarn Harlot mentions that she likes to knit with staight needles because it links her to all the knitters who have come before. Using these wood needles and wool yarn, I can see what she means.

Yarn and needles

We went to Lexington again this weekend, and I made a trip to the yarn store. I purchased Encore DK weight yarn in color 455 -- it's a mix of green and black -- 2 skiens. I thinking another pair of gloves for a Christmas gift. I also bought a pair of Lantern moon ebony needles, size 15 (a splurge) and an Anne Norling pattern for scarves.

Cherry Tree Hill Stash Enhancement

While at my LYS shop today, I bought a skein of Cherry Tree Hill yarn. It is froth in colorway water. It is a "boucle blend of mohair and a touch of wool worsted weight with a put up of 8 oz / 650 yards. Gauge: 13 st to 3" on size 7 needles." She had used in in a garter stitch wrap that I want to try.

Storm Merino style

Isn't it interesting how color monitors and different cameras and who knows what can change the color of yarn? This is the color of yarn I ordered for my Highland Triangle Shawl. It's Merino style and is the color storm. This kind of looks like the color I received (this picture is from the Knitpicks web page.) On the web it looks lighter than in the catalog. The pictures of the shawl in progress I've put on the blog are a different color completely. I think the one from Knitpicks is probably closer to the actual color of the shawl, but really, neither are exactly right. And I was actually hoping for something darker.

I have TONS of yarn available right here at my desktop, but I can't see its real color or feel it. Oh, well, I order it anyway. I do like this yarn. It is knitting up very nicely. No yarn "vomit" as I use the skeins. Only a very few knots.

Yarn stash enhancements from Lexington.

Finished Object and Stash Enhancement

Branching Out is finished and blocked. Final stats --> It took a little more than 1 skein of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in charcoal. I don't know how much more exactly because the I had already used a little of the first skein. I did 28 repeats of the lace pattern on size 8 (US) needles.

To see all posts related to Branching Out, click here.

On to stash enhancement and my next project:

My KnitPicks order came today. It includes the yarn in the photos below. First is 10 skeins of Merino Style in storm. I will use this for my next large project, which is the Highland Triangle Shawl from Folk Shawls. I also ordered five different skeins of Wool of the Andes in Stream, Winter Night, Cloud, Cranberry and Spruce. I picked up the Elizabeth I lace scarf patterns and two hanks of Alpaca Cloud in Midnight (my favorite of the lot) and Autumn. All yarns are yummy soft. My only problem with them is that they are generally lighter in color than I expected. It's really hard to tell on a computer monitor, isn't it?

I joined The Knitter's Guild of America today. I've been thinking about it for a while, and thought I would give it a try for a year.

KnitPicks Merino Style in Storm for Highland Triangle Shawl.

Yarn from KnitPicks -- Wool of the Andes in Winter Night, Stream, Cranberry, Spruce and Cloud. Alpaca laceweight in Midnight and Autumn.

Stash Enhancement

I should have mentioned in the entry following our vacation that I went to a yarn shop at Pawley's Island while we were in South Carolina. It is called Island Knits and is located in the Island Shops, right along Route 17. Take a look at the photos of their shop on the web page. The setting is just beautiful. It is set among several other small shops, surrounding a creek with a pond. They have ducks and swans; my husband and sons even saw either heron or an egret while we were there -- right in front of them, hoping up on the railing before flying away.

The shop itself is very nice. It has a front porch with rocking chairs. Sample knits on the porch and all through the shop. The lady who was working when I was there was very friendly and helpful. I had a great time shopping. She invited me back the next evening for there Wednesday evening class.

I bought the yarn and needles that you see above. One of them is Ritratto by Tahki Stacy Charles. It is a mohair (28%), Viscose (53%), polyester (9%) and Polyamide (10%) blend. It is color #64. The other one is the Trendsetter yarn, Spruce in the Blue Calvin colorway. I bought these two yarns to make a "Spider Shaw" -- a free pattern that they gave me at the store. I also bought a pair of Brittany needles, size US 8. I just loved the ends of the needles; aren't they pretty? I would recommend this store!

Lexington Trip

We went on a surprise trip to Lexington, Kentucky last Saturday, which, of course, included a trip to the Stitch Niche. I have been wanting to try some Koigu yarn (made in Canada -- I didn't know that), so I bought two skiens of a blue colorway, number 818. I really like it, and have started a scarf from a Koigu book called "a rib lace scarf." It's done on US size 3 needles. I bought a circular set from Susan Bates -- Quicksilver. I don't like them for this project. They are too dull, and the cord is too short -- 16 inches. So I switched to my sock needles from Knit-n-Hook in Huntington. They are Inox needles -- only six inches long, but I keep a point protector on one end, and they are doing great.