Yarn Pr0n Friday!

In today's edition of Yarn Pr0n Friday, I present to you...


...Knitpicks (what else) Alpaca Cloud in Autumn. This is a 100% baby alpaca lace weight yarn. I'm attempting to make a simple feather and fan scarf with this. But I have to say, I don't think I'm a fan of the lace weight yarn. I'm using size 3 Bryspun straights, which are supposed to be great for the lace knitting. But I'm still feeling that this is some incredibly delicate stuff. It's also very soft stuff, though, so I'm willing to keep at it and finish the scarf. And I just love the color. What more can you ask for in a yarn?

So what's everyone's plan for New Year's? I hope you have more exciting plans than I have - I haven't made it to midnight in the last couple of years (which I fully blame on my child). But maybe this is the year. Or maybe I'll horn in on Knit Mongrel's Pajama Party Scrabble Tournament. We'll have to see what the weekend brings.

Happy Friday, all!

Can you feel the love?

I opened my front door Friday to the most thrilling discovery.

I have yarn fairies.

Not only do I have yarn fairies, but I have the most fantabulous yarn fairies in the history of the universe!

Let me explain. I opened my front door on Friday afternoon to get my mail, and there was a Whole Foods bag at the door. It contained gifts. I brought them inside, assuming they were gifts from one of my neighbors for my daughter. But, no! The gifts were labelled for me, courtesy of "Your Yarn Fairies." "Who are these yarn fairies?" I wonder. I was ever so curious to see the goodies inside, but like a good girl, I waited until Christmas morning.

What did my yarn fairies bring me? An umbrella swift and ball winder! I'm the happiest knitter in the world! I LOVE MY YARN FAIRIES!!!!!

After picking my jaw up off the floor and hurrying everyone else through the gift-opening process (no small feat, given the volume of gifts for my daughter), I got to work.

I am so thrilled with this gift and have warm fuzzies inside thinking of all the love I have from my knitting buddies. Especially since I've taken to ordering yarn online more and more (see previous post re: Knitpicks addiction), this will be used often. Even my daughter wanted in on the yarn winding fun!

In other news, sorry for not posting pr0n on Friday. My hubby had knee surgery (ACL reconstruction) on Friday, so I was otherwise occupied. Hubby's in some pain, but he's doing really well. So I'll be back on the pr0n train on Friday.

Hope everyone had a great Christmahannukwanzafestivus!

Sweater Trauma

After weeks of knitting, who knew that the foil in my knitting drama would be the seaming process? Well, I guess I knew. Or at least I had a strong suspicion. I knit all the pieces, blocked them, sewed the front pieces to the back, and then - I couldn't figure out how to sew the sleeves on the body of the sweater. Am I an idiot? Or perhaps a knitiot? Either way, I've decided to put aside the sweater for now and not stress about figuring out how it all comes together before Christmas. My sister's birthday is in April, so I can figure I can take the pieces to my handy knitting buddies and have them help me figure it out in time for it to be a birthday present. Sheesh - I'm pretty sure I won't knit a sweater again!

Yarn Pr0n Friday!

I think I need to find a support group for those who are addicted to Knitpicks yarns. Seriously, I contribute quite a bit of money to their coffers. Well, I guess not that much, since it is a discount yarn (or, at least, that's how I justify it). In any case, I need help.

But enough of my therapy requirements - onto the pr0n! Today we have some Knitpicks Memories in Redwood Forest and Cape Cod.


A closer view of the Redwood Forest...












...and the Cape Cod.












Don't know when I'll actually be able to get these on the sticks, but there's a chance one of these colorways will become Grumperina's Jaywalkers (I know, I'm way late to the party on this pattern).

For the good news for the week - I finished the knitting portion of my sister's sweater. The segments have been washed and are currently drying, awaiting some seaming. Hopefully I'll have some finished pictures to post next week. What's most exciting - I can move on to other knitting without guilt! So back to the Baby Cable Rib socks I started a little while ago. Life is good. :)

Moving right along...

So the sweater I'm making for my sister for Christmas is moving right along. I'm almost finished with the second sleeve (I'm going to make a big push to finish it tonight). Then just blocking and seaming left! Of course, the seaming part makes me VERY nervous. I've never had to seam so much for one project, so cross your fingers for me! Oh, and then I think I have to do some crocheting around the neckline, which I'm also not really looking forward to. But it will be completed! I'll post pictures when I'm finished with it.

I think what I've learned from the process of knitting my first sweater is that I'm just not a sweater-knitting kinda person. I'm a little nervous that, after all this work, my sister won't be that into the sweater. She probably wasn't the best person for whom to knit my first sweater - she can be one of those people who wears something twice and then forgets about it in her closet. But in any case, I just can't imagine doing another sweater - it's just too long of a project. And then you've got sizing to worry about. Yikes! I think I'll stick to socks.

Speaking of which, I received yet another Knitpicks order with some FABULOUS sock yarn. So I have some good stuff to post for Yarn Pr0n tomorrow!

Yarn Pr0n Friday!

For today's yarn pr0n, I present you some Knitpicks Gloss in Woodland Sage and Pumpkin.

This yarn is 70% Merino, 30% silk, and 100% DELICIOUS! I cast on for a sock in the Woodland Sage, and I am just adoring how this yarn feels when I knit. Wanna see a picture?

I'm using the Baby Cable pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. I started doing the Elongated Corded Rib pattern, but I wasn't feeling the love from the YO into a purl, instead of a knit stitch. So I thought I'd just go with something simpler that I know I can do. And I'm definitely feeling the love from this. And, while we're on the subject of things I love, I LOVE the Knitpicks dpns I'm using for these socks! I was a little wary of using metal needles, since I was afraid the stitches would just keep slipping off. But I haven't had any problems yet, and I love how pointy the dpns are, so that I can really get under each stitch super easily.

As much as I'm enjoying the socks, I feel I must return to the sweater I'm knitting for my sister, if I have any hopes of finishing it in time for Christmas. I just have the sleeves left to do, so I should be fine as long as I don't get sidetracked. Which may be difficult if I get my latest Knitpicks order (which includes more sock yarn).

By the way, can you tell that I'm a huge Knitpicks fan. :)

Happy Friday all!

Gotta love Ziggy...

Snow Fun

I'm glad my daughter berated me into taking her outside to play in the snow Friday. It wasn't nearly as cold as I thought, and I forgot how much fun it is to make a snowman. Or more like a snow kid. I also learned that my snow person making skills leave much to be desired. What can I say, it's been a while!

In knitting news, I've been naughty. I'm knitting a sweater (my first sweater - I'm using the free pattern from Knitpicks for the Tie-Cropped Cardigan) for my sister for Christmas (my sister, not being a knitter, will not be reading this blog and thus no surprise is ruined). After much confusion with the pattern (a subject for another post), I finally figured things out and have made good progress on the sweater. But now for the naughty part. I'm kinda sick of the sweater, so I've put it aside. And instead of doing some other holiday knitting, I've decided to cast on for some socks for me. I know, not in the selfless spirit of the holiday, right? But what can you do? Sometimes, you just need to knit socks. :) I'm going by one of the patterns in Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. I'll probably do the baby cable pattern, although I haven't decided yet (I'm still on the cuff). Once I have some progress, I'll post pictures.

My first Pr0n!

I'm so excited to participate in my first Yarn Pr0n Friday! Here I have 2 skeins of Touch Yarns 4 ply N.Z. Fine Wool in color 215 (blue/purple/green). This is the yarn my husband called "nice." I, in turn, call this "yarn-o-licious." It's super, super soft, and the colors are just gorgeous.

I bought 4 skeins of this from a yarn store in Ann Arbor, MI (I was there visiting my sister), and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it. It's actually the first time, I think, that I've bought yarn purely because it beckoned me. I usually am good and have a specific project in mind before I purchase, but this just called out to me. And who am I to ignore the commands of hand-dyed wool?

I think ultimately what this will become are the Pomatomus socks from Knitty. I'm not all that experienced a sock knitter, and I definitely think that pattern would be a challenge. But I think I can do it, and I think the pattern would complement the colors of this yarn really well (it's actually kinda similar to the yarn used in the finished sock on the pattern page).

Now I am hearing the beckoning of my 2-year old daughter, commanding me to get dressed so that we can go outside and play in the snow. Ah, youth. I remember a time when I just enjoyed playing in the snow, with nary a thought of how friggin' cold it's gonna be out there! I'm just thankful for North Face.