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?
October 20, 2009
October 18, 2009
Stepping Stones scarf
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...
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...
October 12, 2009
October 04, 2009
Mmmm... Fall
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!
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!
September 07, 2009
The virtues of stashing
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
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
August 23, 2009
Adventure in fair isle
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!
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!
July 16, 2009
I won, I won!
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.
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.
June 29, 2009
Il y a un début à tout
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
(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
June 21, 2009
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.
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.
June 02, 2009
May in a snap -- part 2
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!
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
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.
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.
April 30, 2009
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.
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.
April 13, 2009
Mademoiselle Dentelle
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...
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...
March 31, 2009
Trying something new...
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 :)
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 19, 2009
March Phat Fiber box
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.
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.
March 16, 2009
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.
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.
February 18, 2009
February 16, 2009
True blue
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?!
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?!
January 18, 2009
First FO of the year
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!
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!
December 14, 2008
Putting your money where your yarn is
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
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