Défi 13 de février: Blanc

Défi 13 de février: Blanc
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Ma création de février est un éloge à Clara Parkes. Les deux modèles sont extraits de son nouveau livre, The Knitter's Book of Wool et ont été tricotés avec la laine mérino organique de Swans Island.

J'ai suivi les conseils de Clara et tricoté les mitaines, "Sweet Fern Mitts", avec des aiguilles de 3.75mm. Pour le bonnet, "Hill Country Hat", j'ai utilisé des aiguilles de 4.5mm.

Verdict? Trente dollars pour une pelote de 230 mètres, ce n'est pas si cher si l'on considère les mailles presque parfaites, la douceur de la laine, et le fait qu'une pelote suffit pour un bonnet et une paire de mitaines.

Mille mercis à Emma, Faustine, Aurélie et Fred d'avoir tout organisé. Vite, je file voir les créations de tout le monde ICI!

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Défi means "challenge" in French. The idea is to show a finished project on the 13th of the month (with a different theme every month) in order to ward off bad luck, but really it's about having fun and trying something outside of your comfort zone. Défi 13 is the sequel to Trico'13 which occurred in 2009 and only involved knitting. For Défi 13, you can either knit or sew. The theme for February was "white".

My February finished object is a tribute to Clara Parkes. The two patterns are taken from her new book, The Knitter's Book of Wool, and were knitted with Swans Island Organic Merino. I followed Clara's advice and knitted the Sweet Fern Mitts using US 5 needles. For the Hill Country Hat, I used US 7 needles.

My opinion? Thirty dollars for 250 yards is not so bad once you take into account the stitch definition, the softness of the yarn, and the fact that I was able to get a pair of mitts and a hat out of one skein. Many thanks to Emma, Faustine, Aurélie et Fred for organizing this. I'm off to look at everybody's finished projects HERE!

A typical weekend day

Fiddlehead mittens at Quabbin
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I finished the Fiddlehead mittens during the snow storm that never materialized while watching an episode of Foyle's War. These mittens are toasty and sinfully soft on the inside.

Today, I took the mittens for a little roadtrip. Actually, it wasn't so much a roadtrip as a typical weekend day for Boy and me during winter time. February is the best month for Boy to spot bald eagles and I come along on his birding trips on a simple condition: each birding trip must include a stop at a yarn store.

After meeting Shaili for brunch, the mittens walked around Harvard Square and visited the Old Burying Ground. We then headed to western MA to go birding at the Quabbin reservoir. We finished the day in Northampton at Webs (yarns and books were purchased, courtesy of a gift certificate from my in-laws).

Among my purchases was Gail Callahan's book Hand-Dyeing Yarn and Fleece. During Melissa's class at the KR retreat, I was able to see some of the gorgeous yarns and fibers that Gail (aka The Kangaroo Dyer) had generously donated. Gail happened to be in the store this afternoon, she was all smiles, and signed my copy of her book!

Unfortunately I'm not able to attend her dyeing class at Webs this spring. My schedule is also in conflict with the spring classes taught by Melissa Morgan-Oakes and Kristin Nicholas but I hope that their classes will be offered again in the fall. I don't know if I will hand-dye much in the future but it is something that I want to try at least once so I signed up for Barb Parry's two-day "Dyeing to Spin" class this summer. It promises to be a lot of fun!

Yarn shop travelogue: Paris

Paris
Originally uploaded by miminh3

You would think that having spent the first 20 years of my life in the Paris area, I would know the Parisian yarn shops like the back of my hand... Unfortunately I only really took to knitting after moving to the US so many of these shops remain unchartered territory. I do go back once a year so I hope to explore more locations. Until then, here are some stores that I am familiar with.

In the "most accessible" category, the winner is ... Phildar

Phildar is a yarn brand with many stores throughout France but it is also distributed in other countries. There are plenty of locations in the Paris area but the location I prefer is the one on the Rue Monge, as it is close to the Rue Mouffetard and the Jardin des Plantes.

They used to mostly carry blends containing acrylic (yet very nice to the touch) but started carrying natural fibres such as silk and cashmere in the last few years. Even though you can flip through the pattern catalogs and pet yarn at the store, I would recommend looking at their website before going to the physical store in order to narrow down choices.

In the "most diverse" category, the winner is ... Le Bon Marche

Le Bon Marche is a department store whose setup is reminiscent of Zola's "Au bonheur des dames": each yarn brand has its own counter, the counter's salesperson writes up a sales slip then you go to the cashier station to pay for your purchases. The advantage is that you get to see many brands in one spot (Anny Blatt, Rowan, Bouton D'Or, Noro, Plassard, Phildar,...). The drawback is that a given counter has a smaller selection than what the corresponding "brand store" would carry.

Warning: the counter of "La Droguerie" does not sell yarn except in a small number of kits. They do sell pattern books, ribbons, buttons, and all the supplies you need to make jewelry. If there's a line, write your name on the list and the salesperson will call your name when they're able to assist you. I've always had a very good experience there, especially when they helped me customize jewelry.

In the "eye-candy" category, the winner is ... Entree des fournisseurs

This gem carries fabric (such as Liberty), awesome haberdashery, and yarn. If you're like me and need time to shop, just send your traveling companions to one of the cafes at the Place des Vosges. The last time I was there, you couldn't pet the yarn to your heart's content unless a salesperson handed you the skein behind the counter. But the people are awfully nice, there's a nice selection of yarns (Fonty, Plassard, Anny Blatt, Debbie Bliss,...), and the store is just lovely.

In the "one-of-a-kind" category, the winner is ... La Droguerie

There are several La Droguerie stores in France and Japan. They sell their own yarns (available in a very wide range of colors) as well as buttons, ribbons, jewelry supplies, and fabric. Yarns are sold by weight, which means that you tell the salesperson which yarn, which colorway, and which quantity you want. Single patterns are only available with yarn purchase, but you can buy their pattern books without the yarn.

Let me explain the shopping process at the Paris store as it can be confusing for novices. If you want to buy yarn, wait in line on the left part of the store. If you want to buy beads, wait in line in the right part of the store. While you wait in line, you can look at the yarns or the knitted samples. This works much better as a two-person operation, provided you find a sympathetic non-knitter who can stand in line while you browse. Once it's your turn, tell the salesperson what you want and he/she will go in the back to wind the yarn for you.

If you want to minimize your wait time, don't come in November or December, avoid Saturdays, and come in the morning. Unfortunately, I don't really get to choose when I go there -- the last time I shopped there was on the first day of "les vacances de la Toussaint" and I waited for over an hour. But it's worth it! To make this experience as painless as possible, I recommend:
- looking at the yarns and colors posted on the blog
- browsing French blogs and Ravelry for patterns you might be interested in
- bringing Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements so that you know how much yarn to buy if you don't have a specific pattern in mind

Road work ahead

Fiddlehead mittens in progress
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The outer part of the Fiddlehead mittens is knitted, so it's time to weave in the ends... now I understand why Purlewe was working on weaving the ends of her multiple pairs of Fiddlehead mittens at the retreat! Tanis' kit includes merino yarn for the lining but I have two skeins of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in dark blue in my stash so I will use those for the lining. I have enough leftover yarn in the contrast and background colors that I can use them along with the unused lining yarn to knit a cute child hat.

My next project is a secret! I was sitting on the sidelines of Trico' 13 in 2009 but decided to join in the fun for Defi 13 in 2010.
- I'll have a finished object every month
- the monthly theme will force me to think outside the box
- I'll be able to connect with the French-speaking knit-bloggers that I've been admiring from afar and discover some new ones
The first theme is white and I've already chosen the yarn and the pattern. The secret project will be uncovered on February 28!

Yarn shop travelogue: Hawaii

Yarn purchases while in Hawaii
Originally uploaded by miminh3

To me, a trip to a new location requires a visit to the local yarn store. This might explain why I have been to 107 yarn stores so far!

I would like to record my impressions of some of these yarn stores on this blog. Keep in mind that my perspective is that of the travelling knitter who might want to pick up some souvenir yarn, rather than the local knitter who needs sweater quantities of yarn in various weights and fibers.

The first destination in this yarn shop travelogue is Hawaii where I just spent ten days. You might not associate Hawaii with knitting but I was able to stop by four yarn stores on three islands!

The Needlework Shop in Lahaina (Maui)
You will find knitting, cross-stitching, and quilting at this store. The yarn selection emphasizes bamboo and other non-wool fibers and was on the small size *but* there were lots of nice goodies such as project bags that are quilted by the shop staff. The store is located in downtown Lahaina; as a tourist would undoubtedly walk around in that area, it would be a shame not to visit this store.

I picked up a skein of merino wool by Maui Yarns (right skein in picture), one yard of batik fabric (background of picture) that I might ask Amy to use for a custom bag, and some turtle-shaped buttons made out of coconut.

The Yarn Basket in Hilo (Big Island)
Holy moley, this store has an inventory larger than many of the East Coast yarn stores I've been to! I'm pretty sure that you could find there a yarn that is not carried at your LYS (except if your LYS is Webs perhaps). I was especially impressed by the wool section and the sock yarn selection. Once the owner mentioned that some of her customers spend time on the mainland or have grandchildren on the mainland, her wool inventory made sense to me.

Before my trip, I realized that I would not be able to see the Hawaiian Homegrown Wool Company at the farmers' market but lo and behold, there was some of their Romney wool that is raised, handspun, and handdyed on the Big Island at the store (middle skein in picture).

Tink and Ink in Kailua-Kona (Big Island)
This yarn store just opened a few months ago but it already has a nice selection of Aslan Trends, Berroco, Blue Ridge Yarns (from Virginia), Freedom, Noro, etc... When I was there, the ladies were sampling the various Malabrigo yarns (the chunky yarn is so squishy) and talking about which ones to order. I bought some Freedom Sincere organic cotton, Blue Ridge alpaca lace, and a pair of oak DPN needles made in Hawaii.

Hanalei Music's Strings and Things in Hanalei (Kauai)
This is a store that combines musical instruments (ukeleles) and yarn -- how fun! The owner has excellent taste and was able to pack this space with a lot of yarns: Frabjous fibers (from Vermont), Aslan Trends, Artyarns, Berroco, Noro, and many many more. There are many beautiful pins, unique buttons and handles for knitted bags.

What caught my eye was a line of yarns that are handdyed in Kauai using botanical extracts. There was cotton and merino but I bought a skein of baby alpaca with silver thread dyed with hibiscus flowers (left skein in picture). It is sinfully soft and will make a gorgeous buttoned wrap with the matching coconut buttons I got there.

Well, that's it for my knitting adventures in Hawaii. Aloha and Mahalo!

Mischief managed!

Right twist cable socks
Originally uploaded by miminh3

My only holiday knitting project was finished with plenty of time to spare! The pattern, "Right twist cable socks" by Ann Budd in Getting started knitting socks, was easy to follow and the yarn had great stitch definition as well as a high "squeeze factor". I am definitely starting a love affair with the yarns dyed by Tanis. First there were these socks. The Fiddlehead mittens kit is currently on the needles and I've already received the matching Dipped Infinity Scarf kit.

I've received the advice of spinning a little every day to reinforce my muscle memory, so I've been spinning more often. I spun this Corriedale top dyed by Spunky Eclectic (in the "orchard" colorway) using a short forward draw and then plied it - all in one evening. The yarn is not as balanced as I would have liked but the colors should be nice for a child hat. I am signed up for a handspinning class with Barb Parry at Webs in February so I am very excited!

Boy and I will be off to Hawaii (or more precisely Maui, Kauai and Hawaii) over Christmas and New Year's. I might be able to visit a yarn store or two while we're there...

The loot of the century

Marketplace
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Since we (Wendy, Luann, and I) had filled the car on the way to the retreat with our contributions to the Stash Lounge, any non-knitter would assume that space would not be an issue on the way back. This assumption is unfortunately flawed: yarn, like gas, fills all the space available to it.

We visited the Stash Lounge and shopped at the marketplace. We brought back yarn and fiber donated by Martha to raise money for KR (little plug here: please go to the KR forums and see if anything strikes your fancy). As Luann said, I definitely tried to break several laws of physics to make my acquisitions fit in my luggage. Among them were:

- from the goodie bag: a skein of Sundara worsted merino in "crushed cherries" destined to become either a Koolhaas hat or Thanksgiving Day Mitts
- from the Stash Lounge: a trio of Shibui yarns in "wasabi" left by Clara that I hope to use in a textured shawl, as I did a couple of years ago with various Mountain Colors yarns
- from my Winter share and the marketplace: Foxfire Fiber cormo alpaca lace in two different colors for an Ishbel and a Swallowtail shawl
- enough String Theory caper sock in "viola" to make a sweater or a vest
- Spirit Trail's new yarn "Sunna" for a pair of socks and some "Frija" for a pair of Hedgerow mitts for myself

I set aside my new goodies as I am working on a Christmas present. When my in-laws were visiting us this fall, I lent my mother-in-law a pair of socks I had knitted out of STR lightweight. She liked them so much that I offered to knit her a pair of socks for Christmas. She wanted a soft variegated green so I found a skein of fingering weight yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts in "spearmint" in my stash.

The pattern is "Right Twist Cable Rib socks" by Ann Budd. When trying to lure non-knitters to the dark side of handknitted socks, I think it's better to start with a simple non-lacy pattern. This gets them hooked on the warmth and softness. After that, you can sell them on the color-coordinating possibilities and the coolness of the designs. If all fails, I can always buy the pin that Kathleen was wearing at the retreat "yes, I know that I can buy socks for $2 at Walmart".

Once I am done with these socks and the Fiddlehead mittens, I would like a matching Tanis kit for the Dipped Infinity Scarf by Laura Chau. I also want to tackle La Droguerie's latest hit, le Carre Magique Dentelle (in purple, of course!).

KR retreat - part 3

"Wedding" ceremony
Originally uploaded by miminh3

During Sunday breakfast, I tried to take pictures of all the tables (wedding style) so that I would be better at remembering names and faces. I wish we could mouse over the pictures to see the name of the knitter and the pattern/yarn used in the garment he/she is wearing... Next time perhaps!

That morning I was lucky enough to win an antique darning egg as a door prize (it is rather heavy so I'll have to figure out how to use it without damaging it nor the sock). And I got the courage to ask Ann Budd to sign my copy of "Getting Started Knitting Socks". She's such a fun down-to-earth person! I hope that she will join the retreat again next year, perhaps as a teacher.

(I tried to explain to Boy how much Ann has contributed to the knitting community with her books and while working for Interweave. I said "imagine the KR retreat is like a violin master class with Gil Shaham and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Having Ann Budd there is like Itzhak Perlman coming at the last minute". I think he got the picture.)

I chose the Fiddlehead mittens by Adrian Bazilia (kit by Tanis Fiber Arts) as my New Beginnings project. We all cast on (OK, maybe not everyone since some people were "protesting" and some people had already cast on) while Clara presided over a very special wedding ceremony between us and our projects. Let's see how that relationship blossoms over the upcoming year!

The Spirit Trail tailgate sale morphed this year into a full-fledged marketplace as we were able to buy from the vendors who had not yet packed up (is there anything as heartbreaking as the thought of the yarn you let go?). I hugged everyone one last time and promised Mary and Louise that I would do the dance of the seven veils next year (if sufficiently liquored up and in exchange for a bird house).

I remember how (unnecessarily) scared and shy I was at my first retreat. As each year passes by, I become more outgoing and get to learn more from the knitters around me. This is the weekend where I fill up with the good vibes from my knitting friends and they keep me knitting throughout the year!

KR retreat - part 2

Clara signing copies of KBOW
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Almost all the retreat participants had arrived by Friday dinner and we had our usual "Show and tell" after dinner. Clara asked us to describe our philosophy of knitting and where we were at with our knitting. We heard the themes of knitting for community, having too many projects at once, wishing we had more time to knit,... all of which I can sympathize with!

On Saturday morning, we gathered outside to take our group picture and an additional special picture for Fran. We then proceeded to our classes, mine was Melissa Morgan-Oakes' class on finishing techniques. I really liked her sock class last year and since I have issues with finishing (let us not speak of the sweater that only needs to be seamed and has been languishing in a basket for the last year), this was the right choice! Our homework had us knitting nine swatches in various stitch patterns and we worked through the different seaming possibilities during the class (horizontal stockinette, vertical stockinette, ribbing, seed stitch). I just have a few more seams and I'll have a snazzy pillow cover!

I was (of course) first in line for the afternoon marketplace: don't let my small stature fool you, I can be pretty feisty if you come between me and the yarn I love! (I will post about my loot in another post). One of the highlights of the marketplace was Clara signing copies of "The Knitter's Book of Wool" (while we petted the sample garments from the book). I was a little star-struck when asking Melanie Falick (former IK editor, author and designer extraordinaire, the force behing STC craft books) to sign my copy of "Weekend Knitting". Melanie also had the swatches from Lynne Barr's new book, "Reversible Knitting", for us to look at (the techniques in "Knitting new scarves" had already bowled me over, wait til you read her new book).

Storey Publishing was kind enough to open its doors to us for a few hours so I was able to buy various knitting ("101 Designer one-skein wonders") and sewing ("101 One Yard wonders") books at wholesale price. I also bought a birding book for Boy so that he wouldn't feel left out.

After our traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we reconvened for Melanie's presentation. I dutifully took notes as she explained how she got into knitting, her path from writer to editor, and how the books at STC Craft come to life. We even had a preview of the 2010 books (seen here - I am looking forward to Veronik Avery's "Knitting 24/7").

After the presentation, Luann happened to be at the right time at the right place (aka in front of the locked Stash Lounge as Karen of String Theory was dropping off her destash). Somehow Sara, Vicki, Luann, and I found ourselves huddled in the dark corridor using Luann's little flashlight to identify the various balls of yarn ("is this Rowan Felted tweed?" "No, I think it's Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool." "This is so soft, it has to be Malabrigo lace!"). Vicki even took what I thought were "blackmail" pictures, which would make a lot of sense had she not been guilty of taking some of Karen's yarn like the rest of us!

For next year I propose a "Yarn Off" (TM): 10 unlabelled balls of yarn which need to be identified.

KR retreat - part 1

Stash lounge
Originally uploaded by miminh3

A week has passed since we left Williamstown but I'm still high from the wonderful (extended) weekend I spent in the company of my fellow knitters.

The excitement about the retreat started long before Thursday afternoon, as Wendy, Luann, and I were emailing back and forth about our carpool. Luann had warned us that her destash would be of gigantic proportions and indeed, I think it was probably only second to Rosi's destash. In any case, we were able to make everything fit in Wendy's Camry though we could have spared ourselves some of the trouble (at the end of the weekend, we realized that the three of us just took from each other's destash in a very nice cyclic permutation).

Being part of the Thursday extension not only allows you to take one extra class but also to relax and fully enjoy the atmosphere. There's nothing quite like arriving at the retreat, being welcomed by Martha and Kendra with our generous goodie bags (more on that later), and being hugged by fellow knitters whether you have met them in previous years or only online. You let go of anything that your mind is preoccupied with (work, family,...) and just happily chat and knit away. You giggle as you go one more time to the stash lounge ("I'm walking there purely to get some exercise"), pet other people's garments and ask them what yarn and pattern they used.

On Friday morning, I took Shelia's beginning/intermediate spinning class. It was a lot of fun to see people have a "aha moment" when doing park and draft with their spindles. Shelia lent us square spindles from Spindlewood Co. (which I had never tried before, they're beautiful and perfectly balanced) and gave us different fibers to use including roving from her own Shetland/Gotland sheep Ingamar (who now has many fans -- let's hope it won't go to his head). I reacquainted myself with my wheel and Shelia showed me how to spin long-draw. I hope to practice often enough that I'll be able to spin both short forward draw and long-draw.

On Friday afternoon, Eva and I were lucky enough to help Jen of Spirit Trail set up her booth for Saturday's marketplace (what passes as an act of altruism is really a self-serving way to fondle the yarns and "pre-shop"). Chris (Roosien, not to be confused with "the other Kris") and Anne Hanson of Knitspot made a homey Briar Rose corner by the fireplace, Kathryn Alexander showcased her colorful bundles of yarn, her books, and her sock pattern in "The Joy of Sox", Jane was setting up the book signing tables for Clara and Melanie Falick while Barb and Holly took care of the Foxfire booth (including the luscious new Cormo Alpaca that was part of my Winter Sheep Share).

Lost in translation

Back in February, I heard Jenny and Nicole's podcast on Japanese knitting patterns and was quite intrigued. Clara has reviewed Japanese stitch dictionaries in Interweave Knits. Knitters post on KR about beautiful lace patterns or aran sweaters they have seen in Japanese books. Several of the French blogs I read regularly use Japanese sewing patterns. Judy Sumner mentions in her book, Knitted Socks East and West, some never-seen before stitches. Here was this wealth of resources that I had not yet looked into, I had to remedy to it! So I'm signed up for a class entitled "Explore Japanese Knitting from Charts" with Donna Druchunas next May, during our Alaska cruise.

But before then, there are plenty of things for me to explore. Because Japanese patterns only give one size, the easiest thing is to start with accessories: there's just one size and gauge doesn't matter as much as for sweaters. So I am building a library!

While visiting String Theory this summer, I picked up a copy of Aran Knit. As I was already ordering yarn from Julija's shop, I had to order this book of socks. De Afstap in Amsterdam had a copy of the very handy Clear and Simple knitting symbols.

On the fence

Fence row socks
Originally uploaded by miminh3

While in Europe, I knitted nine swatches (my homework for the KR retreat) and finished a pair of socks, the Fence row socks. The pattern is by Lisa Lloyd and the yarn is Fox Sox from Foxfire Fiber designs in "Willow".

The 4 round repeat is easy to remember and I am looking forward to knitting more patterns from Lisa Lloyd, especially the ones from "A Fine Fleece". Unfortunately, I haven't seen her patterns in Wildfibers magazine lately but I hope she will be back with more patterns.

I believe that Barb Parry is no longer dyeing the Fox Sox yarn, as she is focusing on her Farm Yarn collection from her own flock. The textured stitch of the socks showcases the yarn color beautifully as the little purl bumps reflect the subtle color changes. Taking a dyeing class with Barb is on my wishlist for 2010!

I had plenty of Fox Sox yarn leftover so I was able to knit a charity hat to bring to the retreat. That's four hats so far so I'm hoping to knit a few more between now and the end of the retreat.

"Purple is a fruit" (Homer Simpson)

Waves in the square shawl
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I was going to post about this project earlier this week but my laptop screen unexpectedly died after six years of faithful service. Also forgive the horrible indoor picture -- I will try to take a better picture of the shawl outside this weekend (it gets dark around 5pm in Boston so no sunlight when I get back from work),

I started this shawl almost two years ago as my New Beginnings project at the KR retreat. It was the lack of portability, not the pattern, that made this such a long process: I needed to see the chart, the rows were very long, and silk lace is slippery. I credit Fran and her "ten minute rule" for helping me see this project to completion.

The pattern is "Waves in the square" by Sivia Harding. Like the Diamond Fantasy shawl, it is very clear and easy to follow with both charted and written directions. The construction is quite clever: this is not your regular triangular shawl but a trapezoid with two adjacent triangles (but knitted in one piece). The triangles allow you to tie the shawl in the front and the trapezoid corresponds to your back (the straight edge doesn't empasize one's behind, as a triangular shawl of this size would).

The yarn is Sundara silk lace in "black over violet" which first intimidated me because of its fineness and slipperriness. But I got used to it and switched from the Addi lace needles to the regular Addi turbos to knit faster. Sundara did a fantastic dye job (as usual), there was no excess dye when I was knitting. When I blocked the shawl however, a large amount of excess dye came out. Following Sundara's recommendations, I left the shawl soak in very hot water for at least an hour and rinsed it afterwards. The water was still colored after a dozen of rinses but I had no dye on my blocking board.

I am quite happy with the finished project and will proudly wear it with my new purple coat to the KR retreat next week!

Next post: a pair of finished socks and my foray into japanese knitting books.

Bling bling

Gilet a rangs raccourcis
Originally uploaded by miminh3

I finished my GRR (the famous Gilet a Rangs Raccourcis) months ago but I only made the fastening brooch yesterday so at last, here's the finished set!

I haven't dabbled much in wire/jewelry/beads things except for making stitch markers. The brooch only took me a couple of hours so I'm hoping to make the matching necklace before the end of the year.

The gilet is knitted with La Droguerie's "alpaga" and "plumette" yarns. "Alpaga" is of course 100% alpaca, it is very close to Drops Alpaca and available in many colors (the heathered ones are especially stunning). "Plumette" is a kid mohair/polyamid blend whose colors often match the alpaga. The alpaga/plumette mix was soft but my fingers tell me that if I'm going to knit with a mohair blend, then I might as well knit with Kidsilk Haze so I will probably knit La Droguerie's patterns with an alpaga/KSH mix from now on.

I'm heading to Paris and Amsterdam in two weeks. It just so happens that:
- La Droguerie is releasing a new book at the end of the month (you can see a preview as an Advent calendar here)
- Amsterdam's main yarn store is the Rowan distributor for the Netherlands. Perhaps Kim Hargreaves' new book, Winter Blooms, will be out by then?

Stepping Stones scarf

Stepping Stones scarf
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Someone I know is taking a two year sabbatical so I wanted to give her something to wish her good luck. She's always commented on my knitting -- I even knitted her a pair of Mac and Me yoga socks a few years ago. I wanted a scarf that would be soft like a big hug, something that she could wear indoors as well as outdoors. The answer was a Stepping Stones scarf.

I finished it way ahead of the deadline: it only took me two weeks. The pattern (by Jane) was easy to memorize and the yarn (Ixchel by Spirit Trail) produced a nice and colorful "meandering". I hope the recipient likes it!

Notice the nifty blocking contraption? I was getting tired of using the guest bed and wet towels every time something required blocking so when I saw the Knitter's Block at a LYS, I splurged.

My next blocking adventure: the shawl that was two years in the making...

The Quad
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Don't you wish you were sitting in one of those Adirondack chairs and knitting? I do!

In my next post: two finished projects!

Mmmm... Fall

Foxfire Fiber studio
Originally uploaded by miminh3

It's fall foliage time in New England - though I am sad that the summer was so short, I love fall as it means perfect knitting weather, new yarns in the shops, and the KR retreat (among other things).

In between day trips to admire the leaves and studying, I've been able to stop at the Green Mountain Spinnery (their new book, 99 Yarns and Counting, is out and I highly recommend it) and attend the autumn open house organized by Barbara Parry for the Sheep Shares members.

Unfortunately, I came a little late so between that and the rain, I did not get to see the sheep but I caught a glimpse of Caitlyn (I think), one of the two llamas. It was great to hear Barb talk about the year and the exciting plans she has lined up for next year. She had many treats for us, both of the sugary kind and fibery kind (I won two skeins of Cormo Silk Alpaca in variegated purple/brown)! I touched some of Teaberry's winning fleece... I might have to add a fiber share in 2010 :)

Project-wise, I'm knitting on a deadline! The goal is to have a finished Stepping Stones scarf by the end of October. The pattern is by Jane Cochran and I'm using Spirit Trail "Ixchel" in a beautiful blue/purple. I'm about halfway done so let's see if I make it on time!

The virtues of stashing

Tulip cardigan
Originally uploaded by miminh3

The latest finished object chez Minky is the Tulip cardigan by Dream in Color, made famous by the Yarn Harlot. I purchased the kit at Purl Diva a few weeks ago. Since it was the 6-9 months size, I was wondering if I could knit it in time for baby Madison's arrival. Ellen said that I could knit it in a weekend and indeed, it took me just over a weekend!

I didn't use an i-cord edging but instead picked up the neck stitches and knitted a few rows in moss stitch. Notice anything weird about the sleeves? No, they're not symmetric! I ran out of yarn for the second sleeve but thanks to my humongous stash, I was able to find pretty good color matches in String Theory superwash merino DK (Boy says he can't tell the difference).

Currently on the needles:
- Waves in the square shawl: only 20 rows to go (each row is now about 550 stitches long)
- a pair of socks in Foxfire Fiber's Fox Sox

Adventure in fair isle

Fair Annika's hat
Originally uploaded by miminh3

In an attempt to prevent my stash from growing too fast, I have been knitting furiously. I may have purchased a few things at Purl Soho, Knitty City, String Theory, and Purl Diva but let's think of those as "souvenirs" rather than "yarn purchases", shall we?

Projects finished during July and August 2009:

- the Gilet a Rangs Raccourcis from La Droguerie. I actually bought enough supplies at La Droguerie to make a necklace/brooch set to wear with the GRR (it closes with a brooch) so I'll post pictures once I get started on the matching jewelry.

- the Blue Fish from Blue Sky Alpacas for baby Madison (expected arrival date: October 29). How wonderful to have jury duty and get uninterrupted knitting time!

- an easy baby hat from the leftover Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton

- the Sugar Plum Cardi from Sublime also for baby Madison. Note to self: do not knit baby sweaters that need to be seamed. The seaming will take as long as the knitting.

- the Fair Annika's hat from String Theory.

This is my first "real" fair isle project and I'm rather pleased with the results. It is a present for my great-aunt but I really enjoyed this project so I will definitely knit another hat for myself but in different colorways. Some ideas for next time:
- I was not consistent with the way I held the background and contrast yarns, I should remedy that next time.
- I should reread the IK article on jogless stripes.
- I can't count to 120 apparently so I must use stitch markers for the picot edge

Next in line: Sivia Harding's Waves in the Square shawl. I can't believe I started this in November 2007. Only 50 rows to go!

I won, I won!

Baby pants
Originally uploaded by miminh3

There are days when you don't want to get out of bed and there are days when you are very happy you did get out of bed! I entered the contest on Amy O'Neill Houck's blog to win a Spud and Chloe kit for her Aztec scarf pattern. Lo and behold, I won! Many thanks to Amy and the people at Blue Sky Alpacas! I hope my burgeoning crochet skills will do justice to the beautiful pattern and yummy yarn.

The same week, I read Clara's review of Spud and Chloe and ordered some Fine and Sweater yarn from kpixie. I knitted a pair of toddler pants in two evenings and fell in love with Sweater. I'm not a big fan of cotton but this is different. It's cotton and merino. It's squishy. It comes in awesome colors. It's machine washable. It's my new best friend for handknitted baby items.
(Edited to add: the pants are a loose adaptation of Alison's baby bell bottoms. The cherries bag, purchased from the KR boutique, will hopefully be full of baby knits for a friend who's expecting a little girl in October.)

I was in California earlier this week and was able to stop by the Purlsoho.com warehouse. Even though it was a warehouse, the fabrics and yarns everywhere made the whole place magical. I have never seen so many colors of Koigu KPPM (I don't think there are as many colors in the Purl location in New York) so I picked up a couple of Koigu skeins and... two more skeins of Spud and Chloe Sweater. This might become as addictive as sock yarn.

Il y a un début à tout

Hedgerow Mitts
Originally uploaded by miminh3

Since I started knitting "seriously" a few years ago, I have never knitted anything for Boy. It's not that he's not supportive of my hobby (some might say "obsession") but I couldn't find anything that
(1) I would like to knit (because black dress socks don't sound exciting to me)
(2) he would like to wear more than once
until Amy's Hedgerow mitts.

Boy will be glad to wear these when looking at birds with his binoculars or taking pictures. I was happy to knit the mitts especially because I had one skein of the yarn that they called for, Frija from Spirit Trail (this skein was acquired via Jen's yarn club). Boy and I agreed that the color was manly enough for him, but the subtle variegation and the cashmere content kept me happy while knitting.

Notes to self for future pairs of Hedgerow mitts:
- make sure that the decreases and increases occur between the 2 purl stitches so that they blend with the rest of the pattern
- when picking up stitches after the thumb gusset, knit them through the back loop to prevent holes

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!!