Tuesday was for knit-alongs

The A-line Jacket was supposed to be my May project - ops!


Nothing new to report on my Lorna's Laces socks, but that I am going to work on them on the flight to Hawaii.


I am knitting baby things for moms at Camp Pendleton, the first project with be a Made with Love Layette . If you like to knit baby clothes, hop over there and read about this project.


Two pink project on the needles: the Branching Out Wrist Warmers and Haiku.


6 summer projects done (SnB Little Top, Knee High Socks, NBaT, Striped Toe-up Socks, Fragola, and baby tank top) and 2 on the needles (A-Line Jacket and Haiku).


I got La Boheme, I hopes it goes better this time!


The baby cardigan is done, and I am working on the hat. And I started Haiku.


I am bringing it with me to Hawaii.


After much discussion about the yarn, I have decided for the dye-my-own yarn option. I'll be ordering from KnitPicks when I am back.

Planning for a trip

Next week we are going to Hawaii, so planning needs to be done. I need projects to bring with me, cotton and such, and small things for the flights.
And now that I am done with Paperino's list, I need to face all the projects I have neglected and need to be done. So, yes, again, a list:

• Baby cardigan set: I am going to miss the baby shower, so that gives me the option of having my gift ready when I am back; I am so sneaky, am I? I worked on the hat last night, the ribbing is done, so I could finish it tonight, whip out the baby sock instead of sleeping (who needs sleep anyway) and leave it with a friend so it could be delivered on time. Nay, not going to happen.
• Happy Sox: I have plenty of time for this, Sockapal2za is not due until September, but I am going to bring them with me to Hawaii, perfect flight project.
• Baby Tank Top for baby M: my brother is coming to visit the second week of July, with wife and baby, so I am going to make her top with Sonata, either blue or pink; this is on the urgent list.
• Hat for my brother: it is his birthday the week he is here, hat with Optimum, urgent.
• Toddler Tank Top for my nephew in San Diego: after being here for a week, my brother and family are going to San Diego to visit my other brother and family, that would be a good time to send my nephew the tank top a promise him and I haven't started yet: urgent.
• And I could send my sister-in-law the Pheobe with Alpaca Silk I promised her to make after the Triada disaster: urgent.
• Then my brother and family are going back to Italy, so they could bring my friend her Soleil: urgent.
• A-Line Jacket: really would like to finish this, it was supposed to be a May project!
• Three more baby showers in my office: I'll think about it when I am back.
• Kidlet Tank for Principessa: it has been too long since I made something for her,
• Last night I casted for Haiku with this cotton: if I finish it by Sunday, it is going to be a birthday present for a party we are invited, otherwise for another niece who is coming to visit late in July.

So again, what I am going to bring to Hawaii? Socks and and hats for the flight (yes, hats because I am yet to finish this one), A-line Jacket, Soleil, Baby and Toddler Tank Top, Kidlet tank. Enough? Not going to bring Phoebe, knitting alpaca on the beach is not my idea of fun!

I just realized that I missed "Tuesday is for knit-alongs" this week, I'll do it later. I am sure that I'll remember more projects I am neglecting.

I am done!

Everything is crossed out from the list.

368 and still ....

368 + balls of yarn in my stash - yes, another ball down because I finished Buttercream #2 - do I have anything I can use for UMSP? Sauniell asked that question and the answer is no. Sigh, I do not buy fingering yarn in the massive quantity of 1,980 yards "just because", so I do have some fingering weight yarn in my stash, but nothing near that.
But then she proceeded to suggest:
"If it's something you think you'll wear a lot I would go for the Rowan Cashsoft or Cashcotton. Great yarn. If not, then I would try something at KnitPicks. "
And I had a similar conversation with Amy last night at the Peninsula Knitters meeting. I do not use sweaters that much, I live in California and I am a cardi girl. But I really love the sleeves of this one (don't care for the flap that I am not going to make, I'll just go straight up), and I would love to use KnitPicks yarn, since spending about $100 for something that I am not going to wear that much is something that sounds way off even to me. The only merino fingering weight yarns they have are sock garden and sock landscape, that I love because they are so soft, but the colors shout too much for a sweater. And they do not have solid, I wonder why.
I could talk myself into sock landscape, Red Wood Forest, but I still need a contrast yarn, and again, no solid to match. I wonder if I can buy Alpaca Cloud as contrast yarn and fudge with the needles size/pattern to make it work. Autumn.


That would be less than $40. Tempting.

And while I am browsing, isn't Paperdoll the sweetest colorway for a little girl?



But then, while talking to Amy, I looked down at the yet another scarf I was making:



Knit Pick Color Your Own, perfect gauge, I can buy 4 hanks of this, dyed three of them with Kool-aid black cherry (with some variegation), leave one hank white as contrast, and I have my sweater for less than 15 bucks!

Ooooh!

And I could make it into a cardi if I want to, not so difficult, like I said, what I like are the sleeves. And if it is a cardi, I would use it a lot, so ....... No, I am not going there!

!@#$%^&*

stupid, stupid Yarndex, RYC Cashcotton is £4.25, not USD!

Yarn, so much yarn

I am trying to decide which yarn to use for my Union Square Market Sweater.

On Yardex we can search for gauge and content a huge database. And I love the fact it gives the MRSP as well.
So, now that I have the exact gauge, fingering weight, 169 yarns to choose from, but only 6 with the exact gauge of 27 sts = 4".

I am intrigued by Cashwool - anybody ever used it? Expensive, though, and not easy to find.

Oh, and if you register with Yarndex, you can save your favorite yarns so that you have them stored!

Gauge of 26 sts = 4": 34 yarns.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids is a dream to knit with, Rowanspun 4 Ply is an economic choice - and Jimmy Beans has it on sale too!

Gauge of 28 sts = 4": 87 yarns, I'll never pick one!

Oh, look, RYC Cashcotton 4 Ply, that would be less then $50! Or RYC Cashsoft 4 Ply, even less!

One more scarf done, two to go

Pattern: Butercream from Hello Knitty
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes - personally dyed by Paperino for his teacher!

Wow, I only have two more scarves to knit and since I have four days, I felt so relaxed about it that last night I worked on my secret project (secret, so no photos), but I did start Buttercream #2.

Winner, FO's, yarn and more

We did it - yesterday our team knitted chemo caps galore and we raised additional money selling them on the spot. And we recruited more knitters on the fly, people just stopping by saying "I am a knitter too", to which the answer was: "Here, sit and finish this!"
This is an example of the caps we were knitting:



The yarn is Optimum by SWTC and some eye lash yarn. I must tell you, this optim wool is one of the softest thing I have ever touched, so here my latest addition to my stash:



It balance out the ball I used for Wavy Gravy #2:



pictured with the blanket for PPR that I finished a while ago.

And what's this?



Why, it is the hat for teacher Ronnie, strike that from the list. I found this hat in my "finished object box", so yay! I am only missing three scarves.

But back to the Relay for Life, I'll let HoJo give a complete report, but I'll say that I did received contributions for $430 so we have a winner for my little contest, and the winner is Michelle M.!
Now, I have three different Michelle's who comment on my blog, I have no idea which one you are, so please email me!

Now, few more episode of the series "Do Not Open that Closet - Yarn!":





and the yarn for Soleil arrived:



Total damage: +20!

Last but not least I joined yet another knit-along:

Hats

You knit what?

It's hilarious!

Will I make it?

If tonight I manage to finish the second Wavy Gravy and the purple hat:



I have just 4 items left from Paperino's list, 3 scarves and one hat.
Will I make by Friday morning, his last day at his pre-school?

I have plans and yarn for 2 of the two scarves. No, let's rephrase that: I have yarn for everything, but plans for two scarves ( Buttercream with Knit Picks Kool-aid Yarn), I'll probably use Cascade 220 for the blue hat and I am still undecided about the scarf that needs to be pink. Maybe the Plymouth Outback Mohair - it does knit on #10!

Under finished objects, the 43th item of 2005:



Diagonal Rib Lace Scarf
Pattern: from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
For: Paperino's teacher
Needles: US#6
Yarn: Peruvian Highland Collection Pure Alpaca - 3 balls

I think that after this weekend and next week, it will be a while before I cast for another scarf or another hat!

De-stashing

Let's be honest, I am not de-stashing, but I did swap some yarn for knitting books, so my ball count went down 6 point - I am so proud of myself! Giving away yarn is really hard for me, I always think that I'll use it some day.

I am making progress on Paperino's list. The green Alpaca scarf is 66% done, I did finish the second ball of yarn, but I bought this:



from Cookie, so that was a wash. The purple hat is half done, and I am decided that a fingering weight scarf



is not going to cut when I am one week and 7 projects away from my deadline - is that a project per day?

So I am going to use the worsted weight Wool of Andes



to make two Buttercream.

Don't forget, Principessa and I are going to knit against cancer (like she said) this coming weekend:

sponsor me and win yarn!

Sponsor me!

Relay for Life - Los Altos is this coming Saturday, and I am only $90 away from my fundraising goal of $500, so if you can, even $5, please sponsor me!

And remember, you can win yarn!

Tuesday was knit-along day

Since I am mostly working on Paperino's list, I don' have much to report but:


The Triada disaster


The baby cardigan is done and I casted for the hat.

Box and stash update

Ok, of course I found some yarn I liked so I took it, BUT I took 3 balls and I put in 18. I took this:



since I want to make hats for Afghans for Afghans and I read they really like green, and this:



just because it is beautiful.

I put in 1 ball of Four Season Hot Socks (a yarn box with no sock yarn in it? What on earth?), 10 balls of Oren Bayan Gulperle - 100% cotton, 1 hank of KnitPicks Color Your Own Kool-aid dyed, 3 balls of multicolor cotton yarn, 2 balls of Plassard yarn, 1 ball of Colorado Yarns.

New total: 358.5!

I am trying to figure out how many projects I need to make to arrive to the magical 250 number. So, all the projects on the needles but the various blankets/afghans are 23 balls - new total: 335.5

The remaining of Paperino's list, 7 more balls - new total: 328.5

baby cardigan set and 2 Soleils: 15 more balls - new total: 313.5

3 tank tops: 8 balls - new total: 305.5

Phoebe: 3 balls - new total: 302.5

poncho for my niece: 2 balls - new total: 300.5

shawl: 5 balls - new total: 295.5

classic cardi and pullover corset: 10 balls - new total: 285.5

Anouk: 7 balls - new total: 278.5

Ruffles: 3 balls - new total: 275.5

Nantasket Basket: 2 balls - new total: 273.5

Spring Fling: 8 balls - new total: 265.5

Misty Garden: 1 ball - new total: 264.5

Simple Ribbed Colinette Scarf: 2 balls - new total: 262.5

Go everywhere with everything cardi: 12 balls - new total: 250.5

Ok, is it hopeless?

Have you seen this? Now I don't know if I want to make Soleil or Tivoli with the Cathay my lovely SP sent me!

And what about this? The Koigu that Stacey sent me is screaming: "I want to be Alison's ankle socks".

I am back

Boy, after a vacation with the kids, I need a vacation to recover!

Anyway, I was safe in the office today, after dropping Principessa to the first day of camp and Paperino to school. What have I knitted this weekend? Beside the Triada fiasco, we have a hat:



I used half of the Cascade 220 leftover from Principessa's poncho, so that's worth 1.50 balls, I'll say. And I have used one ball of Peruvian Highland Collection Pure Alpaca for my Diagonal Lace Scarf, so my stash total is now 375.5, only 125.5 to go.

And I got THE BOX today: I am going to put more balls than I plan to take out - nothing screamed "take me, take me!", so it is going to be not so painful. Should I say what I am going to put in or is it supposed to be a surprise? Well, let's say I am going to add 10 balls of 100% cotton and a ball of striped sock yarn as starters ( if you are participating and want to be surprised do not look here to try and guess) and then I'll add more if I actually take something out. That's another 11 balls down for me!

New total: 364.5

I think my problem with Triada is the yarn, maybe I should get La Boheme (I just gave away 11 balls of yarn, haven't I?), since it worked so well for Jenifer and SandyB. I am really freak out by my first case of yarn substitution that did not work.

In the meantime, my sister-in-law, who was going to be the recipient of Triada, saw my Phoebe and asked if I could make her that, since I am going to frog Triada anyway. Well, I just love her more for that, since I know that the Alpaca Silk is going to work for Phoebe.

p.s. of course the hat is for Paperino's list!

Triada

Triada is done and I got exactly the dimensions of the pattern, 12" long and 34" circumference when stretched widthwise, but no way that can fit a woman!

But it fits Principessa very well:



My circumference is 43" when measured including the arms - I admit I have wide shoulders, and my sister-in-law, for whom I am making this, is smaller than me, but not as small as my daughter. BTW, I measured my daughters' circumference, and it is 30".

I am going to frog this and start over with more stitches since I used only two of the four balls of Alpaca Silk I have and it took me only few hours.

I am beyond Knitters' Anonymous

I believe it's a cool idea, but $27.95 is almost 4 balls of this, or a skein of this, or almost enough for this. I rather buy yarn than pencil or bumper stickers - well, I rather almost anything than a bumper sticker.

Packing for a trip

I am going to San Diego for the weekend, leaving tomorrow morning. That leads to important decisions: what to pack?

I want light and small projects, on dpns or circular needles, and I usually overpack projects, but once I ran out of knitting and once is enough.

First of all, Triada Scarf - now that I have seen Jenifer's I am determined to finish it.

Then, on Paperino's list I have 3 hats, so I am surfing my stash to decide what to make with what. Speaking of which, last night I started the second Wavy Gravy, but needles size 15 were very noisy and we were watching Suspect Zero, so I started diagonal lace scarf with Peruvian Highland Collection Pure Alpaca in green.
But back to the hats, two woman hats and one man hat.

Candidates for the man hat are:

• No No Kitty Conifers


• Koigu KPPPM


• Merino and Fur

Candidates for the woman hats are:

• Lorna's Laces Bucks Bar


• Peruvian Collection Highland Wool


• Cascade 220

If I can - I need to check the yardage - I'll go with the Merino and Fur for the man hat, still undecided for the woman hats, but I found this cool Random Stripe Generator in case I want to go that way.

And it is raining again - have I moved out of California?

Soleil

Yes, I did join another knit-along, even if I am not starting until I am done with the scarves. And I get my yarn. Did I order more yarn? Yes, guilty as charged, but it is for a gift and I really did not have anything in my stash I could make Soleil with.
I ordered Amazon DK from Knit Werx and I am making it for less than $30 including shipping!

Then the fabulous package arrived from my Knitty SP and reading the pattern more closed - I should read the pattern before ordering the yarn, should I? - I found out:

- I could have ordered only 6 balls of Amazaon Dk instead of 8 (at $2.60 per ball, it's not a big deal, but then I'll have these two extra ball sitting in my stash forever .....)
- I can make a Soleil with Cathay, and my friend did say pink or azzure .....

On the front of using yarn, I finished the cardigan from the Baby Cardigan Set - one ball down! - and I used up the first ball of Jaeger Trinity for the A-line Jacket - two balls down!

More about the package

Here are all the goodies:



and guess what? This time my kids did not go for the chocolate, but for the bird!

Sockapal-2-za

I got my match, I got my match, and she is lovely: no preferences! Yes, people with no preferences are lovely in my book. I went to read her blog and she is signed up SP5 too, and her favorite color is purple. Fate?

A package!

I came home to this tonight, a package from my fabulous Knitty SP:



I am out the door to my knitting meeting, but I could not resist, so here I opened it:



Oooh, packages in the package, this will have to wait but I did looked in the bag:



Debbie Bliss Cathay, and my yarn count just went up 6 balls - I love that!

Thank you SP!

I'll open all the little packages when I am back*.

* Actually, tomorrow night with my kids, since they had so much fun last time.

Tuesday is knit-alongs

Ok, I am behind, still working on my May project.


I casted for Happy Sox with Lorna's Laces and I am working on it - I really love the pattern and the yarn!


I am knitting baby things for moms at Camp Pendleton, the first project with be a Made with Love Layette . If you like to knit baby clothes, hop over there and read about this project.


6 summer projects done (SnB Little Top, Knee High Socks, NBaT, Striped Toe-up Socks, Fragola, and baby tank top) and 1 on the needles (A-Line Jacket).


Poor neglected Triada!


The baby tank top is done, and I am bringing the baby cardigan with me to the Peninsula Knitters meeting - I hope to finish the collar and make the hat.