Fast Project Fun

Maybe it was the knit, frog and rekint of my last project that just put me craving a few fast projects. Maybe it was looking at all the new yarn purchases and what was in my stash but I hit a no attention span knitting stage.

First up was a hat for my daughter Nicki. She had found this yarn a few months ago with the intention of knitting a bag - but her love for knitting is far overshadowed by her love for photography (more info in the life and humor section of my website). There was no way that I could let this luscious sheep shop yarn just sit, especially since Nicki thought a Tam would be a perfect hat for her to have now that she is living in New York City. This was done in a few days and a joy to work on. I'm anxious to get a photo of her wearing it - but this will do for now.

At the same time I've been working on a little sailboat sweater for Maria's son Logan who is due this winter. I havent had too much experience with baby clothes and I'm really getting a fast appreciation for them. They're so cute, and fast because they're so little - talk about gratification. This is just about done (but I took this photo last week when I wasnt as far along), need to finish sewing and do the collar.

I would have been done with this but I got sidetracked with a pair of socks. I should remind myself to always have socks on the needles - they're such a great portable and quick project. I've had this sockotta in my stash for a while and was anxious to try it as I hadnt worked with self patterning yarn before. It didnt occur to me to try and match up the yarn before, probably because I didnt know how the stripes would knit up. After a few rows on the toe, I adjusted the yarn to get the colors to match up. I started out strong, took a bit of a break (getting that 5 or so inches on the foot done seemed to take forever) but once I got going again I didnt want to pick anything else up. Love the way they came out!
Now that they're done I'll finish Logan's sweater!

Last on the needles in the quick projects category is a Loopy and Luscious Scarf. On my last series of yarn crawls I fell in love with some Be Sweet Magic ball and mohair - the colors and feel were just soft and dreamy. I couldnt resist - and while I'm thrilled with the way this is coming out, I am reminded why I swore off of mohair after a kid silk haze experience several years ago. Uggh! thin thin yarn on big big needles - I'm insane but I really like it. It will just be one of those pick up when I really feel like it projects.
I have a ton more little projects in my sites - this quick gratification thing isnt to bad!

Late Summer Yarn Crawls

It doesnt seem to matter how much is in my stash, or how many projects are on the needles, the prospect of yarn shopping is always something I'm up for. Exploring new shops is still one of my favorite adventures. I'm always looking to see what people have to say about where they go - so allow me to contribute to the community with my experiences.

Fabric Place in Framingham
I've been here a few times before I moved, but for some reason never really remembered it as a yarn destination - I may not have been alone, as the word is out that they are closing. Maggie and Dee and I headed over to see what deals may be around. Truly a shame that it wont be around much longer because there really was a good selection of yarns. The only drawback was a lack of sales help with knowledge of the department. Of course I made a few purchases:

Berroco Cotton Twist in totally my colors
no clue what it will be, but when has that stopped me!



I also picked up some really beautiful Sirdar Snuggly and the cutest sailboat sweater pattern for Maria's baby Logan who is due this winter.



The deals there will only get better as they get ready to close - what a shame.

We did try to head over to Knitting Pointers in Milford on a detour toward home, but missed it being open by about 10 minutes. I had been before briefly, it was a nice little shop, but want to explore it again.

Next detour that we missed at the mercy of the clock was The Yarn Shop in Uxbridge - this place just looked fantastic. So good that Dee and I wound up driving back out there a few days later (Maggie - I swear I am really really sorry!!!!!!)

Uxbridge is the home of Berroco, and this store had a really great selection of it. They weren't limited to Berroco - they had a really nice range in everything from sock to chunky yarns. Totally worth the out of the way drive. The owner was friendly and helpful, while still giving us lots of room to explore on our own.

I couldnt leave without some more baby yarn - this time for the baby girl Dee is having in the winter.

Plymouth Dream Baby


The plan is to combine it with this Berroco Comfort DK. How adorable will this be!

I couldn't resist this Cascade Heritage sock yarn. It was so soft. May be a strange combination but I'm thinking of using them together in a pair of socks

Finally I picked up this Lang Yarns Nubia - it just felt so rich and perfect for a fall sweater.

The last stop on my latest string of yarn crawling was The Beauty of Yarn in Providence. A little tiny shop but with a nice selection of yarns and accessories. I got a really warm welcome from the owner who was willing to answer questions or let me explore on my own without pressure either way. This shop had a few yarns I hadnt seen elsewhere, things like the jelly yarn that was all the rage to knit up bags. She also had some really different colors (brighter and even a few that were almost neon). There were some really interesting projects knit up that were not standard for yarn shops including a wide brimmed summer hat and bathing suit. I did pick up a bit of Knitting Fever Paillette on sale that I know will be the perfect accent to something one of these days.
As usual, each purchase left me more inspired to go start some sort of new project - which explains the 5 projects now on needles.

Yarn crawling has left me with one question though - why are so many yarn stores not opened past 4:00 o'clock; why do so many close early on Saturdays or not open at all on Sundays? Is it just me or does it seem really silly? Anyone?

My Mojo has returned!

I promised myself I wouldn't get discouraged. I'd just knit through the wierdness that was coming out on my needles, and finally my mojo has found its way back to me!

I moved down a size and went to smaller needles and started out again. In an effort not to overwhelm myself, and perhaps for a bit of amusement, I frogged only one skein of yarn at a time from my massive Juliet Cardigan as I knit the new one. I immediately fell in love with the sweater all over again and actually liked it more with its tighter stitches. It was knitting up pretty fast and I was starting to feel much better about the whole fiasco. Especially when I compared the two tops and could see I was on the right track.


As usual it became a bit of an obsession - I was off work for a few vacation days and knitting so much that I actually had to take a break to give my hands a rest! Of course I went yarn store exploring - but by then I had a reason - I needed to find the perfect buttons! Knit Purl in Providence came through with these fantastic wooden buttons with pink in them.

Motivation, the return of my mojo, and rested fingers - yep I was ready for the home stretch. I breezed through the last few inches and sailed through making the button loops and sewing the buttons on - I was weaving ends as I went so that was done too. What do you know a perfect fit and a sweater that I'm thrilled with!

I'm back to loving knitting again. Of course now there are about a dozen projects I want to take on - but at least I have the confidence to do them now!

Five Reasons to Hoard Yarn

Made a recent visit to The Yarn Shop in Uxbridge, MA... (awesome shop if you find yourself in Uxbridge - although I havent figured out what else is in Uxbridge except the Yarn Shop - so put it on your list and make a trip

Anyway - this was framed by the register and gave us quite a good laugh. (quick google helped me find this and give proper credit to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "At Knit's End, Meditation for women who knit too much")

5 Reasons to Hoard Yarn:

1. If you get enough of it, yarn can act as house insulation. 

2. Yarns get discontinued. Think about that, then buy accordingly.

3. Nobody is ever going to understand how seriously you take knitting if you don´t have lots of yarn as proof.

4. Yarn has absolutely no expiration date.

5. Hairless cats appeared in Toronto in 1963. What if that happens to sheep? What if it spreads? What if all that is left in the world is what you have?

I could probably come up with another 5 reasons - who am I kidding, every obsessed knitter could come up with at least another 5 - feel free to comment and share yours!