Two FOs before I forget

I've been reminded that I forgot to post pictures of some recent finished objects.

Project #1: Morning Surf Scarf by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (free pattern here) using Funky Carolina's handdyed and handspun merino.

This was a very quick and easy knit and will make a nice spring/summer scarf to showcase the handdyed and handspun yarn.

Project #2: Elfine Socks by Anna Bell (free pattern here) using Sundara sock yarn in sea green over willow.



These are knitted toe-up with a wrapped short-row heel. I didn't realize how stretchy the pattern was so they are a little too big for me. I'm not 100% satisfied with how the short-row heel came out so I'll have to work on that in my future sock projects.

The Maine fiber frolic was great: glorious weather, nice vendors, and not too many people -- I even got to see a sock knitting machine in action. I made my planned stops at Spunky Eclectic (if you're a spinner, have you ordered Amy's book yet?) and String Theory (Karen just started a blog). I discovered a new hand-dyer, Dye Dreams, who was selling Blue Faced Leicester sock yarn. I've never knitted with BFL before (though I've spun with it already) so this will be a new experience.

May in a snap -- part 2

Roman forum
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The vacation in Italy was great despite the lack of knitting focus (unlike our vacation to New Zealand). But knitting is everywhere around us so when I saw this building near the Roman Forum, my first reaction was Koolhaas Hat!

While travelling by train between Rome and Florence and taking the plane, I started a pair of Anna Bell's Elfine socks with Sundara sock yarn in "sea green over willow". The first sock is almost done, I'm hoping to finish the pair by the end of this weekend after going to the Maine Fiber Frolic.

I'm also halfway done with La Droguerie's gilet a rangs raccourcis (i.e. short row cardigan). Not the most thrilling knitting project since it's all garter stitch but it is the perfect project for knitting in the dark because you only need to count stitches from the edge once in a while (which you can do in the dark by touch). The alpaga/plumette mix is highly squeezable too!

May in a snap -- part 1

Diagonal lace socks
Originally uploaded by miminh3

May went by quickly between the New Hampshire sheep and wool festival, an exam, a visit from my parents, and a trip to Italy.

The NH sheep and wool was a lot of fun. This time, I got to see the most experienced dogs during the sheep dog trials and they were very impressive. Almost perfect scores and plenty of time to spare. Of course, I didn't come home empty-handed thanks to stops at the Foxfire fiber, Grafton Fibers, and Ball and Skein booths.

It was nice to see Barb Parry again and have my copy of her book autographed. I discovered her yarn at the NH S&W two years ago and am always looking to get my hands on more of her yarn and fiber at the Maine Fiber Frolic, Massachusetts Sheep and Wool, Knitter's Review Retreat, and now her Sheep Shares Club. Can you tell I'm hooked?

Despite the flurry of activity, I finished my Diagonal Lace socks and am pretty happy with the fit.

One sock in April, one sock in May

My pair of socks for April/May is from Wendy Johnson's "Socks from the toe up": it's the Diagonal lace socks which I'm knitting out of Sundara sock yarn in "Denim over Prussian" acquired ages ago.

I'm knitting with 50 stitches rather than the recommended 66 stitches so there are fewer pattern repeats around the foot and I also had to fiddle with the stitch count for the gusset heel. It's my first gusset heel and I can't help looking at it thinking "a gusset heel for a toe-up sock is like a heel turn for a cuff-down sock". Put that together with "an afterthough heel is like a toe" and then you start thinking that foot anatomy is very strange indeed.

I accomplished one of my KR retreat goals: knitting with handspun yarn (no, it wasn't spun by me but by the lovely Carrie at Funky Carolina). After trying several patterns, I decided on the Morning Surf Scarf that I had seen in the Summer 2008 Spin-Off. I'll post a picture once it's blocked.

Mademoiselle Dentelle

Echarpe dentelle
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I finished this lace scarf a while ago but only got around to blocking it this weekend. It uses La Droguerie's Alpaga in "erables" (maple) which is fortuitous since the recipient is Canadian. The pattern is really just one row to memorize so it was the perfect knitting project to carry around.

Now it's time to choose a new sock project! I'll be poring over Cookie A's Sock innovation and Wendy Johnson's Socks from the toe up...

Trying something new...

crochet swatch
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Crochet. Who would have thought??

I'm learning the basic stitches so that I will be able to seam and finish my knitted projects painlessly in the future. This Rowan book is great for beginners like me.

Am I the only one who thinks that crochet is harder than knitting? I have to look up the description of every stitch as I tend to confuse them in my head. That, and I also can't remember if I should count the turning chain stitches or not on a given row. But as for knitting, I'm sure that I'll eventually get it :)

March Phat Fiber box

March Phat Fiber box
Originally uploaded by miminh3

What's better than getting yarn or fiber from an indie producer? Getting yarn or fiber from 20!

I was lucky enough to get a Phat Fiber Sampler for March after reading the review on Knitty. Plenty of fiber to spin (probably on one of my spindles rather than the wheel in order to get a better feel for each fiber), handspun or hand-dyed yarns to swatch with (maybe the cute crochet pattern that was in my box), a stitch marker, a yarny bookmark, a pretty notecard, and many coupons.

More knitting presents!

I just rotated to a new department but it was with a heavy heart that I left my coworkers of 15 months who are now my friends. They know about my yarn addiction and my knitting obsession (the KR calendar on my desk might have been a tip off) through my frequent mentions of knitting blogs, knitting podcasts, and knitting retreats. One of them, the only woman, is a knitter but the guys don't get it so I was really surprised when they gave me some wonderful goodbye gifts: "The Opinionated Knitter" by EZ, a skein of Jade Sapphire Cashmere (who doesn't love cashmere?!), and a matching pattern (Dragon Scale scarf by Bad Cat Designs). So now I have to plan some knitting gifts for them, though one of them already received the Koolhaas hat I was knitting during the last KR retreat.

Square 2 of the Barn Raising Quilt is finished: 2 down, only 40 to go! I'm hoping that the Rowan's Crochet Workshop will teach me some good crochet finishing skills so that putting the squares together won't be painful.

I'm almost done with a lace scarf from La Droguerie and will post a picture when it's done and blocked.

A Yarny Valentine's Day

zengarden
Originally uploaded by miminh3

or "Singles awareness day" as one of my friends likes to call it.

I received this lovely yarn bouquet from Boy. Why give flowers that will not last long when you can give yarn? ;)

True blue

Duet sock
Originally uploaded by miminh3

My February socks are a pair of stockinette toe-up socks with an afterthought heel in Duet sock yarn. This yarn is DK weight so it knits up quickly and will keep me warm and toasty this winter.

I'm planning on keeping my leftover sock yarn to make a Barn Raising Quilt. This first square is knitted out of Sundara sock yarn in "Denim over Prussian". Wouldn't a quilt made entirely out of Sundara yarn be awesome?!

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.

Reveal time

9 to 5 socks using Sundara sock yarn
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Mangokiwi got her socks so now I can spill the beans. By the way her picture is a million times better than this one, and she is modelling the socks so go there and look!

The yarn is Sundara sock yarn in "red red over tomato". Beautiful subtle variegation and just enough twist in the yarn to have the cables and stitches well-defined... one can't have enough of this yarn -- or at least, that's what I tell Boy.

The pattern is Nicole's 9 to 5 socks. I like the heel a lot: the cable continues on the sides of the heel and the half linen stitch is much nicer than the regular slip 1, knit 1. I might have misunderstood the instructions on how to show the selvedge stitches on the outside so I'll have to look at this again at a later time. This is a great pattern if you're knitting for someone else because the socks stretch a lot so you don't need to be paranoid about the size.

I'm always happy to knit for another knitter because he/she knows how much time and effort goes into the project :)

Still spinning...

Handspun samples
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I practiced with soysilk this weekend. That stuff is very slippery so I spun from the fold. The samples are from the same roving, I just split them by color so that there would be a gradient of color.

All done!

Handspun sample
Originally uploaded by miminh3

All the knitting yarn, books, and magazines are organized -- I'll take pictures later this week. It is wonderful to have everything in one place, though the experience was sobering in terms of stash enhancement (I have close to 200 skeins).

The socks for Mangokiwi are done. As soon as she gets them, I'll show you what pattern and yarn were used ;)

I'm following the advice on the KR forums and trying to spin a little every day. Today's handspun sample is silk from Funky Carolina (it's the top right roving on the picture taken a few weeks ago).

Closet in progress

Fiber stash
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Our new house has a little cedar-lined closet that I was planning on using for yarn and fiber. How do you keep the yarn/fiber in view while protecting it from moths? Well, until IKEA produces tightly-sealed glass bookcases, I'll be using transparent plastic boxes.

This is my fiber stash and spindles (two Bosworths, one Schacht, one Golding). For now everything is organized with a little card in each box.

Next step: organize (i.e. try to contain) the yarn stash and knitting library.

Sshh, I'm undercover...

Tuscany shawl
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The Tuscany Shawl from A. Singer's "No Sheep for you" is done and ready to fly to its new owner. This would be a good pattern for a lace beginner, the only modification I made was to have increases on the right-side rows rather than the wrong-side rows. The yarn is Yarn Botanika's merino/tencel in "mangoes and raspberries". It's silky, but not slippery to knit with. In other words, it's yummy!

My August socks are for Mangokiwi. She knows that but to keep a surprise element, I won't say which pattern I'm using nor the color of the socks. OK, just one hint: I'm using Sundara sock yarn.

If you're a sock knitter, read Clara's review, and get your copy of Cat Bordhi's new book.

If you're a lace knitter, get your copy of Evelyn Clark's "Knitting Lace Triangles"

If you like knitting podcasts, listen to Stash and Burn, my favorite knitting podcast. My workday wouldn't be the same without Jenny and Nicole, This American Life and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.

More little friends!!

Scrap bag from Funky Carolina
Originally uploaded by miminh3

My 26 new friends arrived by mail today, in a 8 oz scrap bag from Funky Carolina . Carrie was really nice and made a scrap bag of roving for me so that I can sample different fibers and colorways before committing to a larger spinning project.

I also received Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. This would be a great gift for a beginning sock knitter and the section on the sock anatomy is especially well written. I would recommend this over Sensational Knitted Socks. The only caveat is that she does not cover toe-up socks but it's full of great tips, it will take me a while to try them all!

Sorry Arleta, I don't have a picture of the Seasilk shawl... I blocked it the day before giving it to my coworker and totally forgot to take a picture. I'm thinking of making a pair of pyjamas out of seasilk, it's so soft and luxurious. I have another skein of Seasilk and will probably knit a shawl for myself later on.

The Ribbons Baby Blanket and Tuscany shawl are both done, ends are woven in so as soon as they're washed and blocked, I'll post pictures.

I'm off to watch Season 3 of Miss Marple on PBS. Bye!

Knitting Canadian

Blue Moon sock candy
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The Tangled up in Blue socks knitted with Blue Moon Sock candy ("Banded agate" colorway) are finished, courtesy of sitting in the back of a car for many hours on the way to Canada. I followed the pattern except that I continued the K2P2 rib on the heel flap instead of slipping stitches and I did not use the drop stitch pattern on the leg (it didn't look good with this colorway). I will probably give away this pair of socks because they're too big. It was a good learning experience though - it was my first time knitting cotton socks and my first toe-up heel-flap sock.

Even while on family vacation (aka 3 non-knitters and me) in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick I was able to stop at three yarn stores. In order to support the Canadian economy, here's what I brought back with me:
- Lucy Neatby's DVDs on sock knitting and two skeins of Celestial Merino
- patterns by Ilga Leja and Sivia Harding
- one skein each of Seawool, Woolie silk, and Cashlana all in the same "Lupin" colorway. I've wanted to sample these yarns by Fleece Artist/Handmaiden so I'll knit a shawl with all three yarns. If I can find a lupin lace pattern in Barbara Walker's treasuries, I might even design my own shawl.
- some spinning fiber (Polworth, Kid Mohair and South African fine top) from London Wul.

Did you know that effective April 1, 2007, non-residents of Canada will not be reimbursed for the HST they paid during their visit? This is a bummer considering the Canadian and American dollars are almost at par so getting the HST back was one of the incentives for shopping there.... OK, who am I kidding?! I'll buy yarn regardless!

I just learnt that one of my co-workers is moving to another department within our company in two weeks. She is really sweet and I noticed that she likes wearing scarves at work so I'm fiercely knitting a Knitted Wings Seasilk shawl for her.

I ain't dead yet!

Because of our move, I haven't had much time to knit and blog. We have some relatives visiting but after that, I will post some pictures of my WIPs:
- a baby blanket for a co-worker: it's the Ribbons Baby Blanket by Evelyn Clark, I'm making it out of three colors of Lorna's Laces shepherd sock and it's almost done.
- the Tuscany shawl from "No Sheep for You" in Yarn Botanika merino/tencel: 8 repeats down, 3 to go.
- my June socks are Tangled up in Blue made out of BMFA Sock candy.

Boy and I went to the Maine Fiber Frolic earlier this month. According to my symptoms, the spinning bug is alive and well. Consider my purchases:
- a Golding spindle
- some triple play BFL batt in "Nova Scotia" from Spunky Eclectic
- some cashmere/silk and camel/silk from Foxfire fiber
Ok, I also got some sock yarn but everyone knows that sock yarn doesn't count as stash ;)

Enjoy the warm weather!

What a day I had!

Quill lace socks in Lorna's laces
Originally uploaded by miminh3

but before I tell you about yesterday, here's a picture of my finished May socks, the Quill lace socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (mint stripe colorway). The lace pattern is easy to remember and I liked the eye of partridge heel flap, it looks more interesting than a slip stich heel flap.

Yesterday was a big day for me.

- Yesterday was my birthday (not one with super duper properties like a prime number but still....). Thanks Celia for the birthday wishes and same to you! (of course that's because we share a birthday)

- I got a house for my birthday. Seriously! Boy and I signed the papers for our new house (the one with the little yarn closet) yesterday and we will be moving in a couple of weeks.

Some knitting-related birthday presents:
- a knitting project pouch is coming my way, courtesy of Boy. The gals at Piddleloop are very nice and talented. I already have two of their project bags but they had one bag that matched my Honeycake needle case. It was also their last one in that fabric so that was clearly a sign.
- some Sundara yarn has been ordered, courtesy of Boy's parents.

In other news I have been bitten by the spindle bug. I will not confirm nor deny that a Maxi Bosworth spindle came back from the New Hampshire sheep and wool festival with me. Rumors that I have ordered rovings from the Woolen Rabbit are uncomfirmed at this time. I do not recall looking online about some Foxfire fiber cashmere and silk roving. That's to the best of my recollection considering I am one year older...

I've been tagged

Kim tagged me so here goes...

Rules
Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1 - I've watched "Casablanca" at least 20 times (sometimes I mouth the words at the same time as Boggie).
2 - I studied Latin for 7 years.
3 - I've read all of Agatha Christie's novels and short stories
4 - DH and I are the same height
5 - I stalk dogs (mostly Shih-Tzus and Yorkies) but don't have one (yet).
6 - No one calls me by my real name (except my parents and their relatives)
7 - I love creme fraiche ice-cream

Does it work if I tag someone who already answered these questions? Let's say yes, shall we? So I'm tagging Rosebyany, Arleta, Lanea, Rho
(I think all four already answered), Mangokiwi, Jane and Sheri.

I like green socks, I cannot lie

Seduction socks
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Is it me or do these socks look just like the Nautilus socks from last year? I guess I like green!

My May socks are Quill lace socks using Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in mint stripe (an exclusive color for Purl). Well, at least there will be some white in it...

April FO: Fay sweater

Fay sweater
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

I wish upon a knitting star

The knitting gods are smiling down on me.

Evidence #1: Yesterday I learnt that Kim had drawn my name in her birthday give-away and guess what? I won a skein of STR in "Smokey Topaz"!! (the *exact* colorway that I've been looking for ever since Blue Moon announced that they wouldn't take customer orders for now). Kim, thank you very much for this contest and Happy Birthday!

Evidence #2: This year's Knitter's Review retreat will take place in Lenox, MA (two hours from Boston) on the *very first* fall weekend that I won't have to spend studying. How serendipitous!

I finished three projects during April (pictures to be posted later). Full disclosure: I am not a fast knitter... two of those projects have been sitting in my knitting basket since last summer!

The seams are done, the buttons are sewn in, and all ends are woven in on both Kim Hargreaves' Fay sweater and Kim Hargreaves' Buttercup shrug. My conclusions are:
- Two thumbs up for Rowan 4-ply soft, not so much for Rowan 4-ply cotton.
- Small gauge is good for me, both as the knitter and as the recipient of the knitted item
- As long as I remember to have selvedge stitches, seaming is not bad at all
- I hate the picot cast-on and picot bind-off.

My April socks were Ann Budd's Seduction socks knit in Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Seduction" yarn. This is a 50% merino/50% tencel blend - the tencel gave a nice sheen similar to that of silk (wonderful on the hands) and the rib pattern was great to counter the lack of elasticity. However 400 yards/4 oz of BMFA Seduction costs $34 (ouch!). I was lucky enough to grab one skein marked 30% off when I visited Seattle's LYS Tricoter but if you're looking for a substitute, I recommend Yarn Botanika's merino/tencel which comes in both fingering and DK weights. That's what my next project (Tuscany shawl) will be made out of...

Mini me

Baby socks and washcloths
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Here are my March socks: the Ruffle rib socks by Ann Budd (free pattern from Interweave: "Better than Booties Baby Socks")

Obviously they're not for me but for Celia's baby Alex. I knitted them out of Rowan 4-ply soft so they're machine washable. In the process I learned Priscilla Gibson-Roberts's short-row heel that I am sure of using again.

The two washcloths are made out of Classic Elite Provence that I got through a swap. I'm not a fan of mercerized cotton such as Tahki Cotton Classic but a quick knit is OK on my hands. I did buy "No Sheep for you" so I'm learning about the advantages of cotton (but thanks for the offer though, Mango kiwi!)

The well-accessorized knitter

Misocrafty pouch
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Here are my latest acquisitions:
- a misocrafty pouch, because I want to store my sock knitting neatly in my work bag
- an Addi needle sizer, because we all know that Addi needles are not US sizes 1 and 2.
- some T-pins, because I realized when blocking the sweater pieces last week that I have no where near enough T-pins to block large pieces of knitting properly.

In other news, my knitting book diet is about to suffer considerable blows unless I devise a long-term strategy.
- Immediate threats #1 and 2: "No Sheep for you" by Amy Singer and the Yarn harlot's new book
- Threat #3: Clara's book.
- Threats #4 and beyond: Interweave fall 07 books

The title and cover of Amy Singer's book did not entice me at first but the reviews and patterns made me change my mind. I'd like to have this book to guide me through my warm weather knitting. I think it will be a good counterpart to Barbara Albright's wonderful book, The Natural Knitter.

Me, procrastinate? Never!

Kim Hargreaves sweater
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

A year ago I finished knitting the front, back, and sleeves of Kim Hargreaves' Fay sweater. The pieces were then neatly put away and not seen again until yesterday.

I will seam this sweater and wear it this spring.
Seaming is not a matter of life and death.
Seams can be undone.
(take a deep breath)

The pieces have been blocked (the second sleeve is missing from the picture). Note my weird and lazy blocking technique: to ensure that the front and back are the same, I block them on top of one another.

Here's my plan:
1 - seam shoulders
2 - knit neck band -- this is the only time where I will deviate from the pattern and pick up stitches for the neck instead of knitting the edging and then seaming it into place. Did I mention how much I dislike seaming?
3 - baste, curse, and seam set-in sleeves
4 - seam body sides
5 - seam sleeves
After all this, the sweater is supposed to look like this. Wish me luck!

Meet my little friends

Sock stash
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Actually, there are a few more but they don't fit on the coffee table!

Mostly one-person ventures (Sundara, Yarn pirate, Sunshine yarns, Sweetgeorgia, Vesper) but also some bigger dyers (STR, Koigu, Lorna's Laces).

As you can see, my heart is fickle: I first fell in love with variegated yarns, now I am enamored with almost solid yarns.

I need some knitting juju!

- Pink ribbon socks? I turned the heel on the first sock (those were supposed to be my February socks, ssshhh....)

- Endpaper mitts? the first mitt was frogged.
I'll start again with the Phildar lambswool to make mittens instead of fingerless mitts. Only the back will use the fairisle motif, one mitten will be pink on purple background, the other will be purple on pink background.

- Essential stripe sweater? about 2/3 down the body I decided to frog (with emotional support from the KR forums).
Lesson 1: Worsted weight sweaters are not flattering on me.
Lesson 2: Asian people must stay away from yellow/pumpkin/pale orange unless they want to look like one big citrus fruit.

- Beret from Louisa Harding's Hats Gloves Scarves? I actually knitted that in two evenings using 1 skein of Rowan Felted Tweed. However it appears that being born and raised in France does not ensure that you look good with a beret.

I'm off to knit a swatch in cashmere. Cashmere makes everything better :)

Moebius scarf

Moebius scarf
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

There's been little going on knittingwise this past week but I have a great excuse. Boy and I have found a nice little house that we want to buy so of course, this entails lots of paperwork, phone calls and moments of doubts.

If everything goes well, I will have a yarn closet starting June. Yes, you read that correctly: a yarn CLOSET. One of the bedrooms has a nook with a cedar closet on one side and enough space for a bookcase on the other (perfect for knitting books and magazines). I'm thinking of hanging skeins from the rod and organizing the center-pull balls below in the cedar closet. I have seen some yarn stores hanging skeins of yarn and as long as everything is on hooks, there should be no tangled mess -- or at least I hope so.

So no new knitting but I had forgotten to post a picture of the Moebius scarf finished a few weeks ago. I started it at the KR retreat during Cat Bordhi's class - it is made out of Handmaiden Lady Godiva, a luxurious merino/silk blend. Cat is a wonderful teacher and you should trust her and her books: the Moebius cast-on is not difficult at all. Actually, I find it easier than a cable or knitted cast on!

A few notes about Moebius knitting:
- The first knitted round will be somewhat painful because you have to push stitches on the cord. I consider it payback for the easy cast on.
- It might be hard to tell how wide your knitting is because the cord stretches it.
- The bind off has to be loose. Cat advised binding off with doubled yarn or instead of the usual bind off (K2, slip first stitch over second stitch), you increase by one stitch for every two original stitches (K2, slip first stitch over, M1, slip first stitch over).

Tale of two diets

Tapestry scarf
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

I did not mean to worry auntie Vi so let me tell you about my two very reasonable diets.

- The food diet is about being healthy: at least one meal a day is a salad, no sodas, and I eat fruit when I want a snack.

- The yarn diet is about enjoying what I have: at least 20 skeins of my stash (currently 135 skeins) must be used before my next purchase and I can buy at most one knitting/pattern book per month.

2 skeins are gone thanks to the Gentle Waters scarf made with Rowan Tapestry. I like to buy a few skeins to swatch a new yarn, I can always use them for a charity scarf or hat (this one will go to Dulaan).

Tapestry is a single-ply DK weight yarn made out of 70% wool and 30% soybean. It is similar to South West Trading Karaoke (also single-ply 50% wool 50% soysilk but worsted). Both are good substitutes for Noro Kureyon - I like the gentler color variegation and find them softer (though not for next-to-skin wear because of my sensitive skin).

Edited: to answer Amie's question, the colorway is variegated pink and gray - it's shade 172 "pot pourri".

We have no bananas today

Honeycake designs - circular needles case
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Or rather, we have no knitting to show today (but we have plenty of bananas as I am supposedly on a diet and I've heard from very reliable sources that bananas are the way to go).

Instead, here's a picture of my new case for circular needles by Honeycake designs purchased through One Planet yarn and fiber. I love purple and Jenn's handmade case is perfect for my Addi needles. Too bad I don't use crochet hooks or straight needles, otherwise I would have ordered the matching cases. It doesn't look like she's sewing knitting handbags but I might inquire. The traditional 2nd anniversary present is "cotton" - maybe I can convince Boy that a custom-made knitting bag would be perfect.

I have started my February socks (Sunshine yarns in "The Cure" using the "Pink Ribbons" pattern by Lisa Lloyd). They will either go to my aunt who had breast cancer or to some hospital.

I also bought three skeins of STR in Nodding Violet (if auntie vi is very nice, I might send it her way), Midsummer's night, and Stormy Weather. "Stormy weather" is for a pair of socks for Boy. There's nothing that I can knit for him that he will actually wear - work is business dress only so even knitted ties would be off limits, he has too many sweaters for the weekend, and he refuses to wear scarves/hats/gloves (I think it's a "I'm a man, I can endure the cold" thing). So socks are the only thing I can knit for him but they have to be boring.

If you are looking for things to knit for men, David Reidy had a great show on that topic. Sticks and String is starting its second season, it's one of my favorite podcasts!

J'ai un "rhube"

Hydrangea socks
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

I've had a gigantic cold with headache for the past week. I had to take a Monday off work -- DH knows I'm sick when I am cooped up at home for three days and don't knit! I came back to knitting slowly by knitting hats for the Ships project and Dulaan but finished my January socks.

Pattern: Hydrangea socks
Yarn: Sundara sock yarn in "Blueberry smoothie"
Modifications: I stopped the spiral pattern after the gusset decreases

I've got to choose the yarn for my February socks. Something cheerful so I think either Sunshine yarns or Lorna's Laces.

In a last-ditch effort to pretend that I have a New Year's resolution, I spent an evening filling out my stash Excel spreadsheet with missing information (yardage, gauge) and matched up almost all my sock yarn/fingering weight/lace weight to appropriate patterns.

I have enough to knit 36 pairs of socks and 16 shawls. I'd better get cracking.

As I lay dyeing

Diamond Fantasy Scarf by S. Harding
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that the Diamond Fantasy Scarf is blocking. This was my KR New Beginnings project: the pattern by Sivia Harding was easy to follow (instructions were in written and chart form) and the scarf was the perfect size so that I would not get impatient with the increasingly long rows.

The bad news is that the sheet I used for blocking now has lovely orange spots. I rinsed the scarf with some Soak ("Celebration" scent, a close second to my favorite "Aquae") but must not have soaked it long enough...
Edited to add: false alarm. Once the shawl and sheet were dry, it became apparent that the orange spots were figments of my imagination, the dye did not run and all is fine and well.

Here's a closeup of the diamond repeat. I love this "sangria" colorway by Handmaiden: orange, red, and purple.

My January socks are "Hydrangea" socks. The pattern is from Sundara's Petals Collection but I did not belong to the sock club back then so I am using another colorway of Sundara sock yarn, a lovely variegation of purple called "Blueberry smoothie".

Goodbye to 2006, hello to 2007

Yarn Pirate socks "clementine"
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

My last two finished objects in 2006 were Sivia Harding's Diamond fantasy shawl (I need to block it so pictures will be up sometime next week) and these December socks made out of Yarn Pirate clementine merino yarn. This yarn was a little thinner than Koigu KPPPM and tightly spun, it was wonderful to knit with. I can picture a beautiful shawl with some of the almost-solid yarn that Georgia dyes.

I knitted them toe-up with a Turkish cast-on (see here for a very good tutorial) and an afterthought heel (using Lucy Neatby's book "Cool socks, warm feet"). No need for waste yarn or a crochet chain for the toe, you just knit a cylinder and place some waste yarn where the heel will be.

Knitting an afterthought heel is just like knitting a toe: a few decrease rounds and you get to try the sock on to make sure the heel is deep enough and fits snuggly. It works especially well with self-striping yarn since you get a bulls eye pattern for the heel and even stripes for the leg and foot. You just have to be careful not to get holes (as usual!).

My first project of 2007 is a fair isle project since that was one of my knitting resolutions after the KR retreat. Eunny Jang pitched her Endpaper mitts as the perfect first fair isle project and she's right! The pattern is very clear and I am enjoying color knitting a lot more than I expected... I keep the white yarn with my left hand (scooping it as in Continental knitting) and the blue with my right hand (throwing it as in English knitting), it took a bit to practice but this should pay off in the long term.

To fair isle experts (that's you, vi!!), here's my question: am I supposed to hold the background color in the left or right hand for the pattern to stand out?

Endpaper mitts (Eunny Jang) in Jaeger matchmaker merino
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Just give me the yarn and no one will get hurt!

Phildar stash
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

If you were to ask for a ransom in yarn, don't you think it would look like this? (DH received the briefcase as a Christmas present so I packed it with yarn for the trip back to the US) Anyway, here's what I got while in France.

My first stop in Paris was at a Phildar boutique. Phildar tends to have more acrylic in their wool blends that I care for -- however I chose the light and dark grey yarn for a sweater since it is 100% pure wool. The other two skeins are for a fair isle hat (more on me and fair isle in the next post) and consist of 51% lambswool/49% acrylic. The lambswool is amazingly soft so if I like knitting with it, I will order some more online or buy it during my next trip.

The second stop was at the Bon Marche. I did not buy anything but admired the kits made by Tiboodoo using Bouton d'or/Anny Blatt yarn. The cardigans are so cute, I wish they made kits for grown-ups.

The planned third stop was a Bergere de France boutique that was unfortunately closed for the holiday season. Bergere de France is mostly a mail-order company and they have tons of free patterns on their website. (If you have some trouble translating one of them, drop me a line and I might be able to help) I have to buy their new CD-Rom: it has over 200 patterns and one can print out magnified charts. Isn't that cool?

The fourth stop was La Droguerie. This was the most beautiful shop I've been to since Purl in Soho. I fell in love with their pure alpaca (6.40 euros per 50 grams) and bought 400 grams of it -- some in variegated rust for a shawl, some in shades of blue and gray for a fair isle scarf.

Two skein wonder

Koigu/Claudia handpainted scarf
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Last time I was in Ann Arbor, Knit A Round had a 20%off Koigu sale as well as a store pattern for a shawl made out of 5 skeins of Koigu.

I used the pattern for a smaller version which only requires 2 skeins and I changed yarn every two rows, alternating between Koigu KPPPM and Claudia handpainted fingering ('Jungle" colorway). Isn't it amazing that you can get such a large scarf with only two skeins? This is a present for a lady at work who commented on my knitting before. She wears a lot of greens and browns so I hope she likes these colors.

I'm not knitting holiday presents!

STR Ruby Slippers
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

That's right, I am knitting for ME ME ME.

ME ME ME Project 1: One of my resolutions is to knit a pair of socks per month so the November socks are this lovely pair made out of
Socks that rock Ruby Slippers (the pattern is Diagonal Rib Socks by Ann Budd on the Interweave website). I did not expect the yarn to stripe so evenly so that was a nice surprise. This is an old skein so it only had 325 yards - careless that I am, I knitted these cuff down but even with my large size 8 feet, I did not run out of yarn.

ME ME ME Project 2: While at the KR retreat, I cast on Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Scarf with Handmaiden 2-ply cashmere. Cat Bordhi was wearing the "original" scarf (the one in the picture) at the retreat and it really motivated me to be a monogamous knitter for the first two weeks. I am only one repeat away from the end so I am hoping to have it done by the end of the year.

We exchanged Christmas presents with DH's parents during our Thanksgiving visit and I got (among other things) Knitting for Peace, 365 Knitting stitches a year and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble (I see the Interweave Spring 07 books Lace Style and Favorite Socks in my future).

I am one happy knitter who's planning to buy some Phildar and Rowan yarns while in Paris over the holidays :)

The super-duper KR retreat

Fast knitters like Rosebyany have already finished their New Beginnings Project. Fast and perfectionist knitters like rho have already finished and then frogged their New Beginnings Project. Out-of-touch knitters like me get around to posting pictures one month after the retreat.

Picture numero uno: Clara aka Queen Bee on her throne giving audience during Show and Tell

Queen Bee on her throne
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Picture #2: Everybody oohing-aahing in front of this freeform blanket (the colors were just gorgeous!)

KR retreat1
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

Picture #3: Forest Path stole - people were whispering with respect in front of this work of art.

KR retreat2
Originally uploaded by miminh3.

I met online friends as well as knitters who read the KR newsletter but do not post on the forums. We laughed a lot for Vi, I learned the Moebius cast-on and got to buy some lace merino from Spirit Trail. DH was his usual self (very shy) but also pretty sick so he did not meet anybody. Everyone thought I had an imaginary husband (well, even if he were imaginary, he drove me all the way to the retreat and back -- how many imaginary friends would do that for you?)