First FO of the year

Hedgerows socks
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I'm on the right track to keeping my knitting resolution of knitting 6 pairs of socks this year -- I present to you a pair of Hedgerow socks, designed by the lovely Jane, in the yarn it actually called for (Sundara sock yarn in "green over apricot").

I knit these two at a time on one circular needle following Melissa's book (and her class at the KR retreat). If you're going to do the same, just pay attention to the distribution of stitches for the heel flap before you start knitting. Since Jane cleverly makes the stitch pattern continue onto the heel, you might want to have the corresponding number of stitches on each side of the cord so that you don't need to move stitches around when you get to the heel flap.

Our trip to London and Paris was very nice. It was hard to come back to work and I still haven't full readjusted. I bought many cute buttons while travelling and purchased enough yarn for the two coveted sweaters at La Droguerie. The gilet a rangs raccourcis is fastened with a brooch so I bought all the pearls/buttons/wire needed to make a brooch and a matching necklace at Le Bon Marche (La Droguerie stand).

I have many pictures of London but their public transport campaign was so cute that I thought I'd share a couple of pictures with you. Just click here!

Putting your money where your yarn is

Fingerless mitts
Originally uploaded by miminh3

If you haven't listened to David Reidy's essay on how to spend your knitting money in these troubled times, do so now!

I'm not as eloquent as David but I have been thinking on how to be a responsible knitter during this recession.
- give money to charities like Heifer
- knit for charity and give extra yarn to charities
- knit from the stash as much as possible
- buy yarn only if it's special or one-of-a-kind
- buy from small indie producers and if possible, sign up for a monthly club (the regular payment is good for everybody!)
- ask for gift certificates to the LYS from lovely relatives (I got a gift card from my in-laws to spend at Knit a round!)

These rainbow mitts were a quick knit. I bought them last year as a kit from La Droguerie (the brown background is bamboo and the color stripes are alpaca). I would definitely put yarns from La Droguerie in the "special/one-of-a-kind" category since they're hard to get by for me. I'll be in Paris over the holidays so I have been thinking a lot about what I should stock up on there. I've been eyeing these two projects:
-Veste trapeze en alpaga et bambou
-Gilet a rangs raccourcis en alpaga et plumette

I give thanks to the KR retreat!

Williamstown
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The weekend before Thanksgiving was spent in Williamstown at the Knitter's Review retreat. Though it was my third retreat, I still have doubts when I go spend a weekend with strangers. But here's the thing, these people are not strangers! They're friends that I've met online or in real life (at sheep and wool festivals or prior retreats) or soon-to-be friends. Instead of an imaginary husband, I was accompanied by an imaginary roommate as Rho unfortunately broke her arm a few weeks before the retreat :(

I was lucky to get in the Thursday extension and this made a big difference for me. More time to relax, more time to get to know people, 2 classes instead of one, and the opportunity to see the "behind-the-scenes" (Jen from Spirit Trail and Barb from Foxfire fiber are probably tired of it, but I thought it was great to pack/unpack the booths for the marketplace!).

My list of knitting resolutions is more realistic this year so I'm determined to make it work!
- knit at least one charity item per month
- knit 6 pairs of socks
- finish one lace item (my New Beginnings project from last year!)
- finish one color item (this year's New Beginnings project: Kate Gilbert's Bird in Hand mittens)
- finish one sweater (the Kim Hargreaves top that just needs to be seamed...)
- knit one item from handspun yarn (not necessarily handspun by me)
- have a stash that I feel comfortable with

Finding the right sock

For the past two months, I've been exclusively knitting small projects for charity:
- hats and squares for the 7 Long Project from Stash and Burn. I even won a prize in their drawing, woohoo!
- hats for the KR retreat charity
- washcloths for Friday Night Supper (I am putting together some toiletry packages with soap, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrush,... and a handknitted washcloth!)

These projects make me feel very productive but it's about time that I go back to my favorite stand-by: knitting socks! So I am now on the hunt for the pattern to get back on track.

On a hat roll

Yesterday, I sent 4 basic hats and 3 squares for the 7 Long Project. Jenny and Nicole said that it would be an ongoing project so I plan on sending more hats throughout the year, but using varied patterns and always superwash yarn.

I also have hat #2 on the needles for the KR retreat. These hats don't need to be machine washable so I've been using baby alpaca, silk/wool, and cashmere. Hmmm, cashmere...

Boy and I are going to San Diego next weekend so I'm looking forward to stopping by an In-n-Out burger and escaping the rainy weather on the East Coast. I'll have a copy of the new Stephanie Pearl McPhee book to keep me company on the plane as well as my knitting, of course.

Back from the land of chocolate

View of the Matterhorn
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The trip to Switzerland was a blast: crystal-clear lakes, glaciers at 4,000m of altitude and awesome food. This picture of the Matterhorn was taken from our hotel balcony in Zermatt.

I was even able to do some yarn shopping! Some highlights were
- HandArt located in the lovely neighborhood of Niederdorf in Zurich
- Vilfil (also in Zurich) which was overwhelming by the sheer quantity of yarn available
- the crafts market in Luzern where I was able to purchase some handspun yarn (the fleece came from the local milk sheep).

I am currently knitting hats for the 7 Long project organized by Jenny and Nicole from Stash and Burn and for the KR retreat. Let's see how many hats I can knit by the end of November...

Yarn stores I mail-ordered from

For completeness, here's the list of yarn stores I've ordered from over the phone or over the web.

Brick-and-mortar stores

The Fold, Marengo IL
Jimmy Beans Wool, Reno NV
Knit-Purl, Portland OR
Lettuce Knit, Toronto ON
Loop, Philadelphia PA
Modern Yarn, Montclair NJ
Purl, Tustin CA
String Theory, Blue Hill ME
Three Bags Full, Vancouver BC
Webs, Northampton MA
The Yarn and Fiber Company, Derry NH
Julija's shop, Antwerp Belgium


Online yarn stores

Angelika's Yarn store
Knitty-Noddy
kpixie
Little Knits
Loopy Ewe
One Planet Yarn and Fiber
Pick up sticks
simplysockyarn
Sonny and Shear
The Sweet Sheep
Two Swans Yarns
Woolgirl
Yarnissima
Yarn4socks
Yarnzilla


Indie dyers

Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Briar Rose Fibers
Funky Carolina
Hello Yarn
Knitterly things
Solitude
Spirit Trail
Spunky Eclectic
Sundara
Sunshine yarns
Sweet Georgia
Tanis Fiber Arts
Tausendschon
Yarntini
Wollmeise
Wool Candy

Yarn stores I have been to

182 brick-and-mortar stores and counting... as of 4/15/2013

Alaska
Far North Yarn Co., Anchorage
The Tangled Skein, Eagle River
Skeins, Juneau
Mission Street Arts & Fibers, Ketchikan
The Point, Ketchikan
A Flying Skein, Seward

Arizona
Jessica Knits, Scottsdale
Tempe Yarn and Fiber, Tempe

California
Knit Schtick, Costa Mesa
The Sheared Sheep, Costa Mesa
Purlsoho.com warehouse, Tustin

Colorado

Fancy Tiger Crafts, Denver

The Stichin' Den, Estes Park

Connecticut

Knit New Haven, New Haven

DC

Stitch DC (Capitol Hill)

Looped Yarn Works (Dupont Circle)

Hawaii
Hanalei Music Strings and Things, Hanalei (Kauai)
Yarn Basket, Hilo (Big Island)
Tink and Ink, Kailua-Kona (Big Island)
The Needlework Shop, Lahaina (Maui)

Illinois
Loopy yarns, Chicago
We'll keep you in stitches, Chicago

Maine
Bee's Inc, Bar Harbor
Halcyon Yarn, Bath
Heavenly Socks Yarns, Belfast
Philbrook Fibers, Bethel
String Theory, Blue Hill
Purl Diva, Brunswick
The Knitting Experience, Brunswick
Unique One, Camden
Shirley's Yarns, Ellsworth
Pins and Needles, Farmington
Grace Robinson & Company, Freeport
Mainely Alpaca, Kingfield
Fiberphilia, Orono
KnitWit, Portland
Portland Fiber Gallery, Portland

Maryland
Knit and Stitch, Bethesda

Massachusetts
The Creative Needle, Amherst
The Knitting Room, Arlington

Abbott Yarn Shoppe, Beverly

Creative Yarns, Beverly
Yarns in the Farms, Beverly Farms
Windsor Button, Boston
Newbury Yarns, Boston

Stitch Boutique, Boston
A Good Yarn, Brookline

Gather Here, Cambridge
Mind's Eye Yarns, Cambridge
Woolcott and company, Cambridge
Sparks Craft, Cambridge
Stitch House, Dorchester
Coveted Yarn, Gloucester
The Fiber Loft, Harvard
The Creative Stitch, Hingham
The Sheep Shack, Holden

JP Knit & Stitch, Jamaica Plain
Colorful Stitches, Lenox
Wild and Woolly, Lexington
The Woolpack, Littleton
A Yarn Over Marblehead, Marblehead

Island Alpaca Company, Martha's Vineyard

Knitworks, Martha's Vineyard

Black Sheep Knitting Company, Needham
Three Bags Full, Newburyport
A Loom with a View, Newburyport

In The Loop, Norfolk
Webs, Northampton
Seed Stitch, Salem
Metaphor Yarns, Shelburne
Cranberry Fiber Arts, South Hamilton
Mt Laurel Yarn Boutique, Sturbridge
Knit Purl, Sudbury
Butterfly Yarns, Wakefield

The Island Yarn Company, Waltham
In Stitches, Weston

Another Yarn, Winchester

Michigan
Busy Hands, Ann Arbor
Flying Sheep Yarns, Ann Arbor
Knit a Round, Ann Arbor
Hampton Mills, Birmingham
The Knitting Room, Birmingham
Right Off The Sheep, Birmingham
Center Street Knits, Northville

Old Village Yarn Shop, Plymouth

Skeins on Main, Rochester

Montana
Camas Creek Yarn, Kalispell

New Hamsphire
Elegant Ewe, Concord
The Yarn and Fiber Company, Derry
Knit Pickings, Plaistow
The Yarn Basket, Portsmouth

New Jersey
Knitting to Go, Princeton
Pins and Needles, Princeton

New York
Trumpet Hill, Albany
Stitch Therapy, Brooklyn
Purl, NYC
Knitty City, NYC
The Point, NYC
Habu Textiles, NYC
Lion Brand Yarn Studio, NYC
Yarn Company, NYC [old and new stores]
School Products, NYC
Homespun, Ithaca
Knitting Etc, Ithaca

Oregon
Twisted, Portland
Knit-Purl, Portland

Rhode Island
Great Purls, Providence
A Stitch Above, Providence
Knit One Purl Too, Wakefield
A Perfectly Twisted Yarn, Tiverton

Utah

Desert Thread, Moab

Blazing Needles, Salt Lake City

Unraveled Sheep, Sandy

Three Wishes Fiber Arts, West Jordan

Vermont
Knit or Dye, Brattleboro
Kaleidoscope Yarns, Essex Junction
Green Mountain Spinnery, Putney
White River Yarns, White River Junction

Virginia

Fibre space, Alexandria

The Needle Lady, Charlottesville

Washington
Apple Yarns, Bellingham
Seattle Yarn, Seattle
Tricoter, Seattle
So Much Yarn, Seattle
Hilltop Yarns East, Seattle
Acorn Street Shop, Seattle
Weaving Works, Seattle
Fiber Gallery, Seattle
Churchmouse yarns & teas, Bainbridge Island

Wyoming

Knit on Pearl, Jackson Hole

Argentina
Milana

Australia
Wool Shop Direct, Melbourne

Bermuda

Stitches Etc, St George's

Canada
Urban Yarns (Point Grey), Vancouver BC
Three Bags Full, Vancouver BC
London Wul Farm, Lakeburn NB
Baadeck Yarns, Baddeck NS
LK Yarns, Halifax NS
The Loop, Halifax NS
Gaspereau Valley Fibres, Wolfville NS
GNK Marketplace, Charlottetown PEI

Biscotte et cie, St Bruno QC
Mouline Yarns, Montreal QC
Ariadne Knits, Montreal QC
Effiloche, Montreal QC
Fil et Fibre, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures QC
La Dauphine, Quebec QC
Moulin a Laine, Ulverton QC
Romni Wools, ON
Lettuce Knit, ON
Americo, ON
Knit Cafe, ON

France
Phildar, Paris and other cities
La Droguerie, Paris
Bon Marche (mercerie), Paris
Le Comptoir, Paris

Entree des fournisseurs, Paris
Lil Weasel, Paris

Iceland
Handknitting association of Iceland, Reykjavik

Isfold, Reykjavik

Vik Wool, Vik

Ireland
This is Knit, Dublin

Italy
Lana della Vecchia, Rome

Japan
Avril, Kyoto
La Droguerie, Tokyo (Shibuya and Ikebukuro)
Namura Tailors, Kyoto
Masuhisa, Nara

The Netherlands
De Afstap, Amsterdam

New Zealand
Touch Yarns, Alexandra
Ashford art and craft center, Ashburton
Artisan Fibres, Christchurch
Wool Yarn and Fibres, Christchurch
Wild and Woolly yarns, Devonport
Kiwi Gift Shop, Queenstown
Agrodome, Rotorua
Shearing Shed, Waitomo
Knit World, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch

Switzerland
Boutique Naturel, Luzern
Vilfil, Zurich
HandArt, Zurich

United Kingdom

Loop, London
I Knit, London

Late to the party - my BSJs

Two Baby Surprise Jackets
Originally uploaded by miminh3

You know how some people tell you about how great Battlestar Galactica/raw vegan food/(fill in with anything with a cult-like following) is and then it seems too much to you so you don't even want to watch/eat/hear it? That's the way I feel about Elizabeth Zimmerman, so I never read any of her books or watched any of her videos.

But I was interested in her Baby Surprise Jacket because it seemed like a great project to use small quantities of handspun yarn -- so I present to you two BSJs knitted in commercial yarn (very logical, right?). The top one used up two skeins of Manos silk blend, the bottom one (for a coworker whose wife is expecting a son) used up one skein of Sheep Shop 3. If I ever knit a third one, it will be with my handspun yarn :)

The Sheep Shop 3 was part of my loot when visiting Purl in Soho. My birthday gift certificate also brought 2 skeins of Farmhouse yarns Bonnie's Bamboo, 2 skeins of Fibre Company Canopy, and a project bag from Blue Sky Alpacas. If you're ever in NYC, you should visit Purl -- it's one of my favorite yarn stores. I thought it would be fun to keep a list of all the yarn stores I've visited so I'll start the list soon and keep it linked on the right-side bar. I'm pretty sure I've been to more than 50 yarn stores, I wonder how long it would take me to get to 100...

In two weeks, Boy and I will be on vacation in Switzerland. We will be travelling between cities by train so I should get plenty of knitting time. My travel project is a knitted gift for Jane so it's a secret, except for one big hint: it uses yarn from one of her favorite hand-dyers...

Catch 29

Here's a quick recap of the last few months:
- I knitted Patricia's shawl (a design by Lisa Lloyd) in Foxfire Cormo silk. It was going to be a present but I love squeezing it so much that I might keep it for myself.
- I knitted a Baby Surprize Jacket using Manos silk blend. I bought coordinating buttons -- as soon as they're sewn on, I'll post a picture.
- I'm done with the back of Jasmine, from Kim Hargreaves' Nectar collection. This top should be done by the end of July which gives me one month to wear it before the weather changes again.
- Boy and I went to Montreal so I *had* to stop at Ariadne Knits and Effiloche. Such lovely yarn stores... I wish they were local! (the food in Montreal wouldn't hurt either, it really reminded me of home, aka France)
- This is the last year that I'll be in my twenties (sniff). The pain of getting older was lessened by a lovely gift certificate to Purl from Boy. A trip to NYC is planned for later this month so I will definitely use it then.

Pas grand chose

Because of my impending exam, I've lost some of my knitting drive. But the new book by Kim Hargreaves "Nectar" is sure to change that. I ordered the book along with the kit for "Glisten" -- a nice summer vest should give me enough motivation to start and finish it before the end of the summer.

I've re-organized my patterns, updated my stash spreadsheet, made a list of my UFO's (5), and sent some yarn away to good homes.

By the way, if you know of an organization that needs yarn or a knitter who needs some fibery love, please let me know by email/PM through Knitter's Review. I'd be happy to share my humongous stash with people.

At last, a finished object!

Stash busting baby blanket
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The baby blanket for my coworker used up 17 skeins of sock yarn. Woohoo! The gender is unknown so I had to find colors that worked for both genders. This was a good stashbusting and mindless knitting experience. For once, I remembered to take a picture before giving it away (see Arleta?!). I just need to weave the ends in and wash it.

This gave me some motivation to knit myself a lap blanket so I placed an order with Briar Rose Fibers for some yarn. And I took part in this weekend's Woolgirl sale. And I signed up for all four seasons of Sundara's seasons club (talk about gluttony!). My stash-busting has therefore been totally negated by my yarn shopping :)

I am obsessed with these Ivy socks by Shibui knits. The kicker? I have the exact required yarn in my stash...

Three years already

flower1
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Boy and I celebrated our third wedding anniversay last week. Boy's parents sent us this beautiful bouquet, how nice of them!

The traditional theme for the 3rd anniversary is leather. I am looking forward to our 7th anniversary... the theme is wool ;)

Waiting for Godot

Milford Sound
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Sorry I haven't posted pictures from New Zealand yet... I still have to go through them, resize/rotate them, and add captions. Unfortunately, I have to work on something until early May so in the meantime, here's a picture of Milford Sound. "Milford Sound" was erroneously named, because it's really a fjord. To give you an idea of scale, you can see two boats on the water -- those are really big boats that take tourists on cruises but they look tiny, don't they?

Kia Ora!

Sheep, seals, and birds in NZ
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Click on the picture for a look at the large size and what do you see?
Sheep. Seals. Birds. The sea. All in the same spot!!

Boy and I are back from a trip to New Zealand where we visited a dozen yarn shops, went to the Ashford craft shop and museum (the birthplace of Jane's and Rho's spinning wheels!), and attended a sheep show at the Agrodome in Rotorua. I bought more yarn than I expected, including the sinfully soft Merino/Possum yarn from Touch yarns.

I'll try to post pictures on Flickr this weekend but in case you were wondering, the goal of the trip was not stash enhancement... We saw geysers, toothed whales, yellow-eyed penguins, bottle-nosed dolphins, glaciers, fjords as well as sheepies, sheepies, sheepies and more sheepies :)

Already February?!

New niddy noddy
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I played with my spinning wheel during December and most of January until my left foot met the corner of some hardwood stairs as well as a Bosu ball... but it's all fixed now so I can return to spinning.

I was tired of using my arms to make skeins of yarns so I bought a niddy noddy at Mind's eye yarns in Porter Square. The single ply you see is some South African fine also purchased at Mind's eye yarns. My singles look mostly okay now but I am still working on the plying part. I know, "practice, practice, practice"!

In an effort to destash, I have started knitting a blanket for one of my co-workers who is due in May. The blanket will be made up of 9 squares, each of them 12" by 12" in a different color. I'm using my humongous stash of sock yarn for this and so far, I've used up 5 skeins of yarn for three squares (purple, red, and yellow). Not bad, right?

And before I forget, here's my new love: Manos silk blend. 70% merino, 30% silk, Manos colors, 150 yards, and retailed at $11.50 for solid colors/$12.50 for variegated colors. Don't say I didn't warn you!!

Meet Victoria...

My first wheel
Originally uploaded by miminh3

my first spinning wheel. I say "first" because even though I have no intention of buying another one, I've heard that spinning wheels are a slippery slope, just like yarn stash and spindles ;)

I ordered this Louet Victoria S96 in Oak from Spunky Eclectic. It comes with 3 bobbins, a lazy kate, and a bag. Amy sent some free goodies (some brown wool blend and pink Blue Faced Leicester) -- you can see a close-up of the BFL spun up in my Flickr set.

I am still using the lowest ratio on the wheel but I'm planning on using the other ratios and trying my hand at plying before the end of the year. Talking about resolutions, here are some of the resolutions I wrote down at the KR retreat:
- knit 12 pairs of socks for myself
- try colorwork
- knit one sweater for myself
- knit one charity item per month
- have one handspun and handknitted item
- organize my knitting room
Let's see how I fare in the coming months!

The best gifts...

Socks from Mangokiwi!
Originally uploaded by miminh3

are from your knitting friends! Shaili (aka Mangokiwi) knitted a pair of awesome socks. They're made out of Cherry Tree Hill in this pale orange/purple mix, and the pattern is "Waving Lace" from IK Favorite Socks. This was perfect timing as snow came to Boston this week so warm handknitted socks are a must :)

Thanks Shaili!

En coup de vent

Just a quick note to say that I'll post about the Knitter's Review Retreat (lots of fun, a now-visible husband and big stash enhancement) and my trip to Paris (small stash enhancement) later this week.

Breaking news (you read it here first!) I ordered a spinning wheel and it should arrive by next week. Yipee!!

Pretty german yarns and other things

Socks in Sheepaints "Tulip"
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The yarn used in the picture is Sheepaints Bamboolaine in "Tulip". These are simple stockinette socks... but are they? no, they're not socks yet, right now they're tubes because there's no heel! I didn't know that the yarn would stripe so evenly but once I started the foot, it looked so good that I didn't want to perturb the stripes. So some surgery will occur and afterthought heels will magically appear over the weekend.

Sheepaints is one of the three German indie dyers that I stocked up on during the summer. You can buy directly from her (she also has laceweight and seacell yarn) or through Woolgirl and Sweet Sheep.

Tausendschon is the second dyer. Click on Sockenwolle > Handgefarbtes for the hand-dyed sock yarn. Four skeins including shipping from Germany only cost $60. It's a really good price, especially with the low low low US dollar.

Last, but not least, the blogosphere's famous Wollmeise. I got my yarn from the Loopy Ewe but starting this month, Claudia has her own online shop too if you're interested.

I've been knitting a lot of one-skein projects, for swatching/destashing purposes and to donate to charity organizations at the KR retreat.
- washcloths in Manos Cotton Stria. Whoa, this cotton is so soft that I take back everything I said about cotton hurting my hands. It's like knitting with little pieces of cloud!
- hats and baby socks (from Cat Bordhi's new book) in Filatura di Crosa Zarina. This yarn reminds me of Rowan 4 ply soft, but even softer. Unfortunately, it's handwash only so a little too high maintenance for my taste.
- scarf and hats in Sheep 3 Yarn. Silk and wool in beautiful colors...

I started a vest for my dad as a holiday present, it has cables and I'm knitting it with Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply. So I had to learn to cable without a cable needle. Grumperina's tutorial is perfect for that. I'll post pictures of the vest once the back is done.