Bipolar Knitting Frenzy and a weekend of firsts...

Gee, with this type of rapid production of finished objects, you'd think that I have no life and that I spend all my precious free time whiling away the hours in front of the fire, knitting away. Errr...umm--euh, right! Moving on...

The scarf you see the Darling Resident Marxist Curmudgeon sporting here represents a series of firsts. It's the first time I have put fringe on anything--I'm not normally a fringe type of person (if that type of person does indeed exist), but this yarn is so odd, somehow it seemed appropriate. It's also the first time I have ever done anything is garter stitch only. Strange but true! I am an avowed stockinette hag, and don't normally like the garter stitch look, but again, there it seems fitting. This scarf is also the first time I have made a scarf for the above-mentioned individual. "Oh wow, I love it. Is it for me? Thanks I'll wear it all the time, I really like it so much. Thanks Bunny!" (Yes, we have cutie pie nicknames, don't people like us make you ill?). After the outpouring of heartfelt gratitude, I didn't have it in me to disabuse him of the notion that I had actually made it for someone else, so it'll have to be another pair of Fetchings for the originally intended recipient! The scarf was made out of Zitron Turmalin that I picked up here. I knocked it off in a few hours and am pleased with how it turned out.




This weekend I was also able to complete the Lite-Lopi scarf from Weekend Knitting. I started it back in March and then, as per the dictates and demands of my usual attention span that is similar to that of a gnat, I put it down sometime later that month. I love this pattern so much, as you can easily memorize the pattern and be off and running. I thought it would be a good idea to make a matching hat, which is also pictured here. I was told by someone to cast on 90 sts for the hat. Which I stupidly did. I worked all Friday evening on it, and guess what? It came out frightfully too big. Now, along with Conan O'Brien, I myself am sporting a gigantic Irish head, but this hat was way, way beyond any head size I've ever seen. I was annoyed, but take the blame. So I decided to felt it, another first for me. I just threw it into the washing machine and let 'er rip. What you see pictured below is the result. I am thinking of making a series of them and calling them 'placemats' and giving them to someone for Christmas. I know, a shitty gift, but I'm desperate over here!!




At the yarn store on Sat., the tiniest kiddie winkie asked me if I'd make her a blue sweater with white snowflakes. Given that I am a terribly selfish knitter who has basically only ever made socks and mittens for her family, I felt that it was time to shed my self-oriented knitting ways and 'give over' as my Lancashire relatives would say. So I bought some Kraemer Summit Hill (love this stuff btw) and rocked hard on it all day yesterday. As you can see, I am far enough along to have finished one set of the fair isle snowflakes, which is exciting.



I'm going to enjoy this spurt of bipolar knitting production while it lasts, because let's face it, I can't keep this up forever. My house is filthy, the laundry is piling up, my cooking has taken a turn for the worse, and the student term papers are staring to trickle in...but for the time being, I am a maniacal knitting fiend.

Post-Thanksgiving this'n that...

Thanksgiving afforded much time for lollygagging around and klatsching (as my much adored MIL loves to say, she's from Joisey, after all). The highlight was seeing family from far away and of course, having lots o' knitting time. I finished my Big Print socks, and due to my father's freakishly thin ankles, I ended up giving them to my FIL, who was, "touched beyond words. Speachless." It's certainly nice to give a FO to someone who lavishes you with praise, that's for sure. Luckily I have a lot of Big Print, so yesterday I casted on another pair for my dad. Only 40 stitches! My parents brought with them another FO of sorts for me to feature on my blog.
Last Christmas I made my dad a Rowan vest that was, many might recall, Fred Flintstonesque in its' shaping. I include a before and after picture, just for laughs. Luckily in Minnesota there's an expert knitter around every corner, so my mom had her Scandihoovian friend Jean from The Yarnery in Saint Paul work her magic on it, and voilà, suddenly I appear competent and crafty! Speaking of crafty, have you seen the new magazine Craft, yet? It's put out by the same people who do Make, which is also a alt-DIY publication . I subscribed as I am a major lemming, and the first issue arrived, replete with projects like knitted robots and LED powered garments. I tried to explain to my très L.A. brother Bruce and his living doll boyfriend Jon that it's part of the whole indie crafster scene, but they were laughing too hard at my description of what it means to be a riot grrl knitter to really get it. In any case, check it out because it's super cool!

Land Speed Record!

Everywhere I go in the land of Knitting blogs that I peep in on, knitters are all hepped up about holiday knitting. This knitter is no different. The full-on family onslaught of both sides of the family begins tomorrow, and I hope to have the other sock in this pair for my dear old Dad finished shortly thereafter. I have completed a land speed record, as I cast that sucka on at 7 p.m. Saturday, and after a leisurely day of Sunday knitting, which included a three hour period of church knitting when I was working on the baby caps and helping others (it was a lot of fun but semi-exhausting), and minimal knitting this evening, it's finished. I used the same ol' sock pattern I always use (at this point, why even buy any more sock related books? I always seem to default to the tried-and-true memorized pattern anyway), but this time with a twist. I've discovered the key to speedy sock completion is to not use sock yarn! This was done out of Big Print on--get ready--size 5s! Socks on biggish needles, a minor revelation. Now don't get me wrong, I am still a major floozy for your Opals, your Koigus and your Trekkings, but it's just a nice feeling to finish a sock in a 36 hour period once in a while...speaking of Trekking, our little pal the Lone Knitter has a fabulous tale of lust to tell on her blog regarding #126 and the inexorable attraction normally sane knitters feel for it. I can relate to her mania, as I am frequently in the grips of a similar obsession. I satisfied my own little Trekking fancy by picking up this skein earlier today at my LYS. It's #181, a color that just popped and begged to be taken home. It was still in the UPS box when the owner showed it to me, I felt like those kids in Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang when the childcatcher is luring them out of their hiding place with the lolly pops and sweets. I don't mean to suggest that my LYS owner is as dastardly as that nasty fellow, she's more of a playground pusher type. Ha!

In any case, I hope to be done with sock numéro deux sometime Weds. afternoon, just in time to start panicking about cooking the T-giving meal, and then shortly thereafter, beginning drinking...

Caps to the Capital

We are starting a knitting group at our church, and like any good knitting group, we needed a service project. So, after trolling around the web (my speciality), I suggested the Caps to the Capital project. And since I'm the person organizing the group, hey, it's my decision! You see it modelled here on my daughter's newly rediscovered American Girl Baby (she's been playing with it recently in an attempt to prove that she's still interested, so will I please-buy-her-another-one-for-Christmas?). The Darling Resident Marxist Curmudgeon would insert a commentary here about how it is indeed this type of excess that has utterly contributed to the misery of many in the developing world, but we'll leave that to your imagination.

Next Sunday afternoon we'll have our first meeting and hopefully teach some newbies to knit and make some caps. Today during the announcements our priest turned to me and asked me to say a few words about "...my new knitting ministry". I almost died (laughing? of shock? embarrassment?) at these words, but I did my best to hold it together and not totally humiliate myself as I tried to sound coherent and not like a weird person that you wouldn't want to spend time learning to knit from.

If you're not familiar with the initiative, the charity is organized by Save the Children and is an attempt to collect as many knitted and crocheted caps by January 2nd as possible. These will be distributed to newborns in underdeveloped nations where sometimes just the warmth of a hat will make a big difference. Click here to download the info kit.

I made my hat out of Ornaghi Filati Biberon on size 6 dpns, it took about 2 hours from start to finish. This wool is a merino, not unlike Polo, but without the microfiber. It's Italian (with a cute WWF pandaesque logo), I'd never seen it before, and got it at my LYS-home away from home, Stitch your Art Out, near State College, conveniently located on my commute. This hat will be a prototype to bring to the group, hopefully they'll be inspired to make a few as well. This project has the potential to be a major stash buster, so I'm looking forward to making as many as possible when I'm in between projects.

Yowza!

Sometimes I just love my little knitblogging pals.Marnie from Gingersnaps and I are constantly on the same wavelength regarding projects we're jonesing to begin...The Lone Knitter posted a pic of her finished Silk Garden Beanie and suggested it as a way of using an extra skein of Silk Garden. Well of course I am a copy cat extraordinaire and had to give it a whirl. I love this little beanie and sported it with pride to work today. Of course I made sure not to wear the Klaralund at the same time, because matching is, well, totally dorky. I have my tough chick reputation to uphold... The above pic is the beanie on top of our last pumpkin that isn't a festering mess, because that would be, well, totally gross. Below you see it pictured from above.



I also found out last week that I won a drawing over at Karen's Musings blog, so anyday now I will be receiving two handspun skeins in the mail. I LOVE getting parcels in the mail, just love it. And not because I have some pathetic thing for the UPS/Fedex/Letter Carrier. I just love the thrill of getting something in the mail that isn't a bill or a scary letter from the borough telling you that you are behind on your taxes (it's a Pennsylvania thing--the tyranny of the borough).

Here you see my most recent package. I ordered this on Friday and it came today, how's that for speed? I saw this yarn over on Samantha's Aquaknits blog and had to obtain asap...her brand is sKNITches and I love, love, LOVE it. One skein is a walloping 440 yards, that's a lot o' stichin' that's going to be going on. The colourway on the left is 'carousel' and it's a self-striping affair, whereas the variegated on the right has the enticing name of 'brown sugar'. I'm frantically trying to finish a Koigu sock from August so I can get this yarn on the needles.

Yarn Karma

No sooner had I written the phrase complaining about "patterns and the extra yarn left over" than I hit a road block with my most recent pair of Fetching(s). The pattern calls for one ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, and comes with the caveat that you will use the entire ball and have only a yard or two of the yarn left over, so you better unroll your gauge swatch (not a problem, didn't do one!;) in order to make it. Now, I like to live dangerously. I'm living a charmed life in many regards, but apparently my yarn karma is not so hot, because somewhere during the picot bind-off, I ran aground and had no yarn left with which to complete said bind-off. So, why don't you just go buy another ball? Umm, yeah, because I got the yarn in Pittsburgh and it was in the 35% off bin because there was only one ball left in the entire store. And when I bought I thought I was so lucky and vaguely had the feeling of getting away with something. Ha! The joke's on me! Well, luckily my stash contains a horn of plenty where yarn is concerned, so finding another worsted in a squint-and-the-color-looks-the-same kind of way wasn't a problem, thereby counteracting the bad yarn karma. Which means that maybe my yarn karma isn't that bad after all. So tell me, this incident has me wondering: what is your yarn karma like?

Best F.O. EVER!!

This here is without a doubt my best knitted garment (that is not a sock or wrist warmer, which is incidentally a bizarre item indeed, and caused the DRMC to say that I looked liked 'the Artful Dodger', but let's move on) ever. The Klaralund is a perfect example of a project that you grow so sick of, you put it away far out of sight, even though you only have--get this--5 inches of one sleeve to finish. Yes, this was my Knitting Olympics project, and you'll notice that I proudly display the Gold medal nowhere on my blog!! In any case, a few weeks ago I decided to pick this baby back up and knock it out.

Now, I cannot take all the credit, as my best pal Babs' mom, Big Babs, did the finishing on it....yes, you knew there had to be a catch somewhere, right? She did a phenomenal job. I went over to knit with the two Babses, who are the most fun knitters anywhere to hang out with--you enjoy their conversation so much that you forget you have a family and stay for hours and hours, and also to have her show me proper finishing techniques. Now, most people who know me will say 'Oh, right, once again trying to manipulate others with abusive emotional passive/agressive techniques into doing things for her', but I SWEAR that my primary aim was for her to show me, which she did...and then she offered to do it for me....and I am very, very happy with the end result and thank her again for her lovely work that is allowing me to sport my Klaralund with pride. Thanks Bib Babs ! And thanks Little Babs for lending her to me!;)
I did it out of Noro Silk Garden #84, which is a beautiful yarn. My only complaint about this pattern is that the errata sheet contains some pretty serious modifications, like, you need about 4 more balls of yarn than the pattern calls for. After I busted a** trying to obtain the same colorway, dye lot, etc., I finished the sweater only to discover that I had 5 balls of yarn left over. I have found that patterns tend to overstate the amount of yarn needed, or maybe I am a tight knitter. In any case I am very happy with my Klaralund as it is the perfect combination of japanese-swedish ingenuity!
This 9 month delaying technique was sort of perfect in that it allowed me to experience the thrill of finishing something with only a 1/2 day's worth of toil. Picking it up again makes me wonder what my problem was in the first place. I have a lot of projects in the delayed finishing queue, waiting to experience the last several hours of work that will transform them...Green Gable, there's hope for you yet!

Fetching cont'd

This pair of Fetching is brought to you courtesy of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, a luxurious blend of wool, cashmere and silk. Luckily I happen to have a ton of this stuff in my stash, and I can eek a pair out of just one ball. I am loving this pattern and am planning on making this my default Christmas gift for one and all. This weekend my peeps and I went to Pittsburgh and I finally got my grubby little hands on the yarn that this phat (sorry, my kids were watching Yo Mama! on MTV) pattern was intended for, some killer Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, and it was 35% off to boot!
When I was there I also picked up my newest fetish object--Blue Sky Alpacs 5" DPNS! From the moment I laid eyes on them I knew that they would be mine all mine (insert Lon Chaney Halloween laughter here). What was it about them you ask? Was it the special handy decorative tin with alpaca motifs and Taj Mahal designs on it? Was it the fact that they've been featured in every even slightly hip knitting mag this season? Was it the soft, sleek wood? Their diminutive stature? Was it their shocking price? (I won't reveal the actual number as the DRMC does read this blog from time to time and while he would be all in favor of the free trade practices of the company--these needles are "made in India by people who are treated well and fairly", he would faint at the price, let's just say they're the Colinette of the knitting needle world --wink wink!) Yes, it's all of those things. And they are the best dpns I've ever had the pleasure of using and now I want them in every size. Yes I always was a bit of a Veruca Salt type. Anyway, I am working on my third pair of Fetching in the DB Cashmerino on them and it is by far the most enjoyable pair so far. The gauge is smaller and the stitches have great definition. If you are experiencing a lull between projects I am strongly recommending this one, it's so fast and the payout is satisfying. I will be moving on to bigger things soon, like finishing the Top Down Cardi for the above-mentioned Marxist, but for the time being I am really enjoy these as they're making me feel like the kind of knitter that often finishes things...

Fetching

When this pattern came out in the summer Knitty I couldn't have been less interested. However a combination of the chill in the October air and reading other people's blogs has given me a serious attack of the lemmings and so I just had to try Fetching. The directions state that you can get the yarn after work on Friday and by Monday morning have a nifty pair of hand warmers for your Monday commute. I did indeed get the yarn after work on Friday (ok, out of my stash, but still!) and these little beauties are ready to go for tomorrow's commute! I used some Classic Elite Lush #4415 that I got on remainder last spring at Purl and that I'd completely forgotten about. I really enjoyed this pattern a lot, although the thumb was slightly tricky. I somehow need to figure out how to do this better on the next pair. On the left hand I stupidly did a knit cast on: You'll notice that it's curling at the bottom, hopefully blocking will take care of that. I did the recommended cable cast on (which happens to be my favorite cast on anyway) on the right hand and you can see what a nice edge it gives. Live and learn to read the directions more closely is the take home message... I love this pattern and can't wait to try it in the recommended Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran yarn.

Blue Ribbon, yee-haw!!

Let me just say right up front that I positively live for any type of competition. If the opportunity exists to beat someone else out, rip their heart out of the their tiny chest and stomp on it, well, I am so there. Much of this intense desire to win comes from several foundational moments in my childhood and adolescence.
1. Coming in dead-last in every event at Field Day in elementary school, and feeling so ashamed about it that I brought home the 'participant' ribbon and telling my parents that "I won". Yes, how sad.
2. Never being the top seller of anything, EVER. Mainly because I hate selling things. But still.
3. Making it all the way to the finals of the Minnesota State High School French contest. Grand Prize: trip to France! Blanking out on stage in front of at least 500 people, forgetting lines of Jacques Prévert poem and suffering utter and complete humiliation. Added bonus: getting beat out by the &*!$*&^* drama people, you know, those over-achieving over-actors that feel they must participate in any possible performance, even if they don't even particularly LIKE French in order to showcase their thespian ways...bitter much?
4. My family inexplicably winning a year's worth of Clark Candy bars when I was about 11. This meant that for one year every day after school, my brother and I ate about 7 each of these things. I know this seems like winning, but trust me, this had negative outcomes on the waistline and kept me in husky jeans throughout junior high.





Yes, these events have turned me into one twisted sister. But all I can say is this: Today the losing stops, because I am a blue ribbon winner. My hat won first place at our local community farm show! Yes, I beat out crocheted toilet roll dolls and kleenex box covers and brought home the bacon. So exciting. My prizewinnings top an impressive $4.

This was my first forray into the world of the community farm show, and let me tell you, it's serious business. People get VERY wrapped up in it. There are people there that you didn't even know existed in your town until seeing them set up their displays of giant gourds and preserved beets. I am not making fun of this event, but it was not at all anything I have ever experienced. I happen to know of two personal relationships that have disintegrated as a result of unhappy outcomes in the judging. These people are not fooling around, and even though my category was nowhere near as competitive as the Angel Food contest, I am still holding on to that ribbon for a long time!

A new fall romance

I have always loved the change of seasons, and perhaps no season augers better for knitters than fall. I am loving the new projects I've been working on and am so relieved to put some of those dastardly summer projects away. Green Gable, you were a gas for about 3 weeks in July, but frankly the romance is over and we'll have to pick up where we left off next spring--seeya! Ditto for you Lisa Knits Ribbed Shell. You're offically on ice and out of the rotation. Casting aside these erstwhile projects has given me time to devote to more long standing relationships. During the past several weeks I've rekindled my affair with Klaralund (where there's only remaining about 5 inches on one sleeve) and last year's Christmas sleeve is now a full-grown sweater, just delivered today to the finisher. Yes, I am an aristocrat... No seaming for me! I am really excited about my newest technique--Fair Isle knitting. I took a class at my LYS on Friday and made both hats over the weekend--yes, I said both hats. Both are in Peer Gynt, that retro Scandihoovian classic yarn that has not changed its label in about 50 years. Need less to say I am gaga over Fair Isle. I know that part of my interest stems from the fact that my great aunt owned a yarn shop in Manchester, England and was supposedly a master Fair Isle knitter. My mom says that as a child she remembers sitting at her feet watching her work all of those different strands without looking at her hands. In any case, I feel like suddenly my brain has opened up and knitting is brand new again. We learned the Philosopher's Wool yarn technique, which requires your left hand to knit Continental and your right hand to knit English. Sounds kooky, huh? At first knitting continental felt like driving on the wrong side of the road, but now I am in love with it. Out teacher was so patient and her kindness reminds me of one of the things I like best about knitting--the transmission of knowledge that happens between knitters. I enjoy being part of that. As you can see, I'm super excited about this new development and I'm sure it's only a matter of time until I become a major Kaffe Fassett hag.

Top down madness

It used to be that lit. crit. academic types like myself used to hear a term like 'top down' and immmediately think of some sort of materialist critique of political economic systems. Now as a knitter I hear the term and have a little frisson that has nothing to do with Marxism. I now know the real thrill of top down, it's not just for economists anymore! I am working on the Knitting Pure and Simple's Men's Top Down Cardigan and I am loving it. It's a similar vibe as that of the Green Gable, except since it's a cardigan, it's not knit in the round. It has the easy sleeve shaping and progresses very quickly. I'm doing it in Kraemer Yarns Summit Hill, which is a nice, springy machine washable worsted yarn from Bethlehem, PA. So far I am really liking this yarn, it had a beautiful hand and is looking like it's going to be a winner. I am also reveling in the lack of seaming involved with this sweater. I have sworn off seaming, for good. Luckily I ran into a woman who lives a block from me that does finishing on the side and charges about $25/sweater. I do have several WIPs that will need it, and I will not hesitate to darken her door. In any case, here's to hoping that the A.D.D. stays at bay long enough to make some headway on this project and that I don't loose steam. Pictured below are the baby socks that I finished about 15 minutes before I had to leave for the party where I was to see the nice girl from Iowa, who graciously thanked me for them and seemed to enjoy them. Knitting for appreciative Midwesterners is a true delight!

la rentrée, hélas...

It's that magical time of year when academic loafers such as myself are required to put down the suntan lotion, the gin and tonics and the knitting needles and politely report back for duty on the front lines of the American university system. I have to say that I am not displeased to return to the daily grind of work (hey, I was doing some work over the summer, people!) as summer vacation does get slightly dull at times. So it's back to school, c'est la rentrée!! I will still manage to fit in my knitting, no worries there, and I did manage to lighten my load by finishing Koigu sock #1 (picture above). Doesn't the Darling Marxist Curmudgeon's foot look positively, well, aristocratic? I also finished a baby sock in the Lorna's Laces from Purl for that nice girl from Iowa who is probably soured on the whole Sock of the Month Club and is silently wondering when the heck (Iowans don't swear) the next pair is coming her way.
I also frogged several summer projects that were bugging the hell out of me and finished the Blue Sky Alpaca Fitted Tank, a project that has me swearing off stockinette for awhile as a. it's so boring and b. every little mistake shows! So I am ready to undertake some fall projects. The DMC has requested a cardigan. Yes, a cardy! So that should be fun. He was wondering "..if I had any yarn in my stash for one". He used the word stash correctly in a sentence! Ladies, aren't you jealous? He's a keeper, this one...

Der Magic loop ist ausgezeitnicht!

I'm still running on fumes from my visit to Minneapolis and all my stellar acquisitions. Yarnzilla was still the primo stop, and Yarnzilla owner Linda made an interesting observation that got me thinking. She commented that "knitters should always try to learn new techniques to keep things new and interesting". In the spirit of her comment I got the Fiber Trends Magic Loop Booklet and decided to try this much vaunted technique. Having recently experienced several pesky breakages and unfortunate warping incidents with my wooden dpns, I figured I was ready for a change. You know I love those addi turbos and get a frisson every time I have an excuse to buy a new set. The directions were indeed very straightforward and in no time at all I was Magic Looping it to beat the band. I'll see how complicated the whole heel gusset scenario is and probably judge the Magic loop based on that, because I finally have that treachurous series of steps totally down on dpns and can turn any heel in my sleep, people. So this had better rock me, Amadeus, or it'll be Auf Wiedersehen to you, Magic Loop.
I'm using that Austermann Step mit Aloe Vera und Jojoba öl, and let me just say that I just love it when knitting allows me to break out my high school German! I'm glad to be learning a new technique and gratified that it's easier that I had imagined it to be. I am also curious: are there any techniques that you have been itching to try?

Twin Cities yarn blow-out: Uff-da!

If you've been to Minneapolis, you no doubt recognize the SpoonBridge and Cherry sculpture in the Minneapolis Sculpure Garden at the Walker Art Center pictured above. The garden is but one of the many spaces that make the Twin Cities such a miraculously pleasant place to live. This is the type of realization you have when you grow up and move away and live in a place that doesn't value art or green spaces, has no Vietnamese restaurants or co-ops and gives economic incentives to places like Wal-mart to thrive. In short, I love coming home and treasure everything about these two great cities, especially the fabu yarn opportunities!


My first stop was an evening visit to the Yarnery in Saint Paul. Let me just say that it was such a pleasure to do some yarn browsing at night, an activity that only metro areas seem to provide. As it turns out, one of my mom's good friends works there, although she wasn't there as she was busy judging at the State Fair, which anyone who knows anything about Minnesota knows that sacred space that that event occupies in the psyche of all Minnesotans. The Yarnery is a kick-ass yarn store, the staff is super friendly and they have one of the biggest selections of knitting books around. Major koigu scorage was had and I really enjoyed myself there, chitchatting with the Minnesota-nice employee who is as obsessed with Project Runway as I am. All in all, a great shop with very friendly customer service.
Next I hit Depth of Field , near the University and Needlework Unlimited, in South Minneapolis. Depth of Field occupies such a lovely space and has a beautiful storefront. They also have a fun sale loft that has many deep discounts and a great view of the store. I have a sentimental attachment to that place as when I was a student I alsways dreamed of being one of those smart, cool people who could knit and afford to shop there. So now that I basically am that person, I feel actualized and it feels like a mini-wish came true (except the smart, cool part, ha, ha!). Needlework Unlimited is such a massively gigantic store that basically has everything you ever wanted. Almost as if Ebay were a brick and mortar store and everything was immediately available. Because it's such a big place, the employees are always busy and you sort of feel like you're intruding by asking for help. One of these semi-surly employees is a mega Kaffe Fassett wanna-be, if you've been there you know who I'm talking about, he wears the needlepoint vests to prove it...anyway. N.U.'s selection is way above and beyond anyone else's, but the customer service leaves a little to be desired. Please don't hate on me for my observations, people!!

My favorite stop by far was Yarnzilla. The owner Linda has got to be the most freaking hilarious LYS owner I have ever met! She is super-helpful, witty and funny. She told my daughter that she might look like 'big bird' if she wore a ponco in a certain color, and another poncho made her look like 'she had a pneumonia thing going on'. So, so funny and helpful, she makes you feel instantly loved and like one of the gang. She has a huge internet business and offers huge discounts, so please check her out. Mad props to Linda and Yarnzilla!!
Hey, coming home is great, but now it's time to return to PA. and face the music. Summer is over and I will no longer have all day every day to devote to thinking about yarn. But that's ok, gotta earn some bank for my next yarn blow out!

Koigu, or yarn porn

There are many categories of yarn in a sock knitter’s stash. Some are tried and true work horses that you are forever turning to out of habit. They are dependable, trustworthy, a known quantity. For me, Opal and Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Multi fit this bill. I know exactly what I’m going to get when I cast on one of these two yarns, and I am never disappointed. I have many, many skeins on hand at a time and have no qualms about giving a skein or two away, either. Then there are those skeins that have yet to capture your imagination, and you can’t really say why. They are just there, in your stash. Taking up space. Waiting to be knitted. For me these would be your Meilenweits, your Regias and your Plymouth Sockottas. I’m sure they are phenomenal and produce a perfectly acceptable sock. I just haven’t bothered to actually give them the time of day, although I have many, many skeins in my stash. Another distinct category is that of the exotic specialty sock yarn. Maybe it’s a yarn that your LYS doesn’t carry and that you have to travel a distance to obtain. Perhaps it’s somewhat unusual and so you use it sparingly. For me Mountain Colors Bearfoot and Claudia’s Hand Painted are in this category. They are a little bit foreign and thus have an air of mystery about them.But they are still a known quantity.

And then there’s Koigu.

For so long this yarn has been something akin to the Holy Grail. None of my LYSs carry it. Until recently I never seemed to be in the right place at the right time to get it. All that has now changed. Now I have it and I cannot live without it.(See above picture for most recent addition to my stash). I even keep it in its own little special VIP section of my stash, cordoned off from the more pedestrian skeins. It’s become a fetish object. Sometimes I just want to pet it. I was afraid to knit it for fear of damaging its most perfect form. But now I have almost completed a sock (pictured above) in it and it’s just as I feared: it's absolutely divine and thus controlling my mind. It’s all I think about and I can’t stop. Help. me. please.
But, why? What's all the fuss about? Please, someone explain to me, what is it about it that makes it so darn appealing? Is it the colorways? The way it’s wound? The scarcity? The hype? Help me to name it and understand its power, then maybe I can break free…

Stitch n Pitch : Pirates beat St Louis 7-0!

Today was the much anticipated Stitch N Pitch in Picksburgh (translation for non-locals: Pittsburgh), PA. I brought kiddie winkie #2 and her sweetheart of a pal while the Darling Resident Marxist Curdmudgeon took #1 canoeing with a friend, and it's a good thing, because the sheer amount of Dippin' Dots consumed by the junior set would have made his hair stand on end!
Before the game we had a look at the exhibit table and saw our LYS owner as well as others who were involved in putting this very fun afternoon together. There were examples of knitting and needlepoint as well as a free bag o' swag for the Stitch N Pitch Stitchers.

During the game we met new knitters as well as saw some familiar faces. I made scant progress on the Green Gable, but as it was such a gorgeous day, I quickly became preoccupied with mandatory baseball game activities such as drinking beer, eating peanuts, staring at other fans (are tube tops suddenly appropriate again?) and yelling things like "throw the bum out!" (kidding). Our group was acknowledged at the seventh inning stretch and thankfully I was NOT on the jumbotron, as I am jumbo enough without the magnification that modern technology can provide. But our LYS owner was, and we were proud of her...All in all we had a great time, baseball and knitting go together very well indeed. The Stitch N Pitch schedule is only half way completed, and for those of you lucky enough to live in a city where your team will be sponsoring it, I recommend it highly.

So that's why you have an uncontrollable desire to buy yarn...

That Darling Resident Marxist Curmudgeon--when he's not busting my chops about turning up the burner too high when I make the Kiddie-Winkies their lunchtime Spaghettios or hovering outside the bathroom door in order to monitor the amount of water I'm using when I take a shower, he's making me laugh hysterically with his Dr. Freud routine. Why, just take the above-pictured half-torn ball band that he found stuffed underneath a cushion on the sofa. Examine it closely, notice its, umm, rather unusual shape? Does it suggest anything that Freudian types like my husband might find a tad telling when it comes to a gal like me who is ruled by her compulsions? He now claims that he finally understands why I'm so deeply compelled to buy yarn. Love that guy, seriously.
Tomorrow we're off to the Stitch 'N Pitch in Pittsburgh, it should be loads o' laughs. Anything with an 'n in the title that promises free knitting swag has my attention, can't wait!

Faith: Restored!

After last's week post of pessimism and negativity, the wheel of fortune has taken an upswing and I am back on a knitting high. Just after swearing off big projects to my LYS owner, my faith has been restored by a little pattern known to many as the Green Gable. Why am I so inspired by the Green Gable? There are many things to love about it, mainly the fact that it is worked in the round from the top down, hence no evil seaming scenario. It has an interesting, easy lace pattern that is done at the beginning, thereby keeping it interesting. When you're done with the lace pattern, it's just smooth sailing on the good ship stockinette and you can try it on as you go. Loving it! There's also a helpful KAL where everyone is nice and non-judgemental. It's so fun to do a pattern and have a way to avail yourself of others' expertise. I'm doing the Green Gable in Valley Yarn's Longmeadow, a perfect dk weight yarn that has the consumer friendly nice price of 3 and some odd change. Even cheaper if you buy enough to get the Webs discount...