The other day I went to Sit 'n' Knit and had a really great time. The get-together was in a knitting cafe/yarn shop. I only bought coffee, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I planned on buying Interweave's sock book but they didn't have it; I really wanted to buy some yellow yarn for a baby blanket but didn't see machine-washable yarns in the right weight and color.
I did see some interesting WIPs and chat with similarly-addicted people. The woman behind me was knitting a blue Icarus. I had worn mine as a scarf so got to show it off a bit. The woman next to me was making the thermal from Knitty. Someone down the way was making Norwegian-looking mittens. The woman across from me was making a baby blanket from Vogue Knitting on the Go Baby Blankets Two; it was the one with six white sheep and one black sheep. (Link not to her picture.) Very cute! To my astonishment, this was the second one of these she was knitting. She knitted one for her sister and was somehow pursuaded to knit one for her sister's best friend. She strongly suggested I make booties for people and not start the blanket tradition. I told her it was too late--I made a blanket for a pregnant friend last year.
But as I thought about it some more, I decided that a pair of booties or a little cardigan would be more fun to make...and so much faster! And I think I'm going to make Saartje's Bootees! I found the pattern on Ravelry and this picture convinced me. The main photo for the pattern is icky and I wasn't sure I liked them until I saw this pic. It's similar to the one I ended up seeing on the PDF pattern on the designer's page.
In Muir news, I'm about halfway through the second repeat of the chart. I admit to having used one of my lifelines about 1/3 of the way through the chart but that was only because I tried to knit it while watching tv. Not a good idea yet, I guess. ;)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Knitting Group & Other News
Yay! A *while* ago I joined Sit 'n' Knit, which is a Meetup group in the NYC area, but have been unable to attend because of work (last job required one night/week), class (inevitably in the evening), or some other prior commitment. Well! I recently saw a meetup that I could actually go to and that looked like fun--even though it was full, I put myself on the tell-me-if-someone-cancels list and...lo and behold...I got an email today saying that my RSVP was changed to "Yes." woohoo!
I'm super excited, not just because I'll get to meet other knitters in the area, but because the meetup is at a yarn store and attendees get 10% off knitty purchases. In addition to being surrounded by all of the needles, notions, and books, I'll be able to buy yarn (that I was going to buy anyway) for the Sunny Baby Blanket* and maybe even Favorite socks : 25 timeless designs from Interweave which I gushed about previously.
In other news, I am finished with the first repeat of Muir's lace chart!!!! *dances around excitedly* I don't have as much knitting time as I used to so I'm squeezing it in whenever I can. That makes for slow progress, but I'm loving every minute of it.
ALSO, have you seen the new Knitty? It's absolutely fabulous!! There are only a couple of things I don't want to knit from this spring issue. After work, despite a midterm and various other homework-type readings, I simply must add some of these projects to my Ravelry queue or favs.
Lunch is over--back to work!
I'm super excited, not just because I'll get to meet other knitters in the area, but because the meetup is at a yarn store and attendees get 10% off knitty purchases. In addition to being surrounded by all of the needles, notions, and books, I'll be able to buy yarn (that I was going to buy anyway) for the Sunny Baby Blanket* and maybe even Favorite socks : 25 timeless designs from Interweave which I gushed about previously.
*I'm so glad I didn't buy yellow yarn online yet! I was actually checking my email in order to copy a yarn store's discount code when I saw the knitting meetup notice. :)
In other news, I am finished with the first repeat of Muir's lace chart!!!! *dances around excitedly* I don't have as much knitting time as I used to so I'm squeezing it in whenever I can. That makes for slow progress, but I'm loving every minute of it.
ALSO, have you seen the new Knitty? It's absolutely fabulous!! There are only a couple of things I don't want to knit from this spring issue. After work, despite a midterm and various other homework-type readings, I simply must add some of these projects to my Ravelry queue or favs.
Lunch is over--back to work!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Muir
I've been working on Muir again! I had put it aside for a while while I got acclimated to my new schedule but the last week or so I've been putting time aside to knit and am much happier for it. I don't know how I managed to survive for so many weeks without it!!!
I'm having a grand old time knitting Muir and think all of my previous problems were the result of stress/lack of concentration. I've been doing great with the chart, putting in lifelines regularly, and so far it's all worked out. I'm still nowhere near finishing the first repeat of the chart but slow and steady progress is more than acceptable. This shawl is going to be beautiful when it's done and I'm in love with the color.
Here's my progress pic, doubling as a shot of the penannular heart pin I recently bought from Romi. I wore it with Icarus the other day (my office gets a little chilly so I'm sure to put Muir to good use, too) and loved it.
I'm having a grand old time knitting Muir and think all of my previous problems were the result of stress/lack of concentration. I've been doing great with the chart, putting in lifelines regularly, and so far it's all worked out. I'm still nowhere near finishing the first repeat of the chart but slow and steady progress is more than acceptable. This shawl is going to be beautiful when it's done and I'm in love with the color.Here's my progress pic, doubling as a shot of the penannular heart pin I recently bought from Romi. I wore it with Icarus the other day (my office gets a little chilly so I'm sure to put Muir to good use, too) and loved it.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Sock books
I recently checked out two sock books from my local library and just have to comment on them here. I should have known which book I'd prefer just by looking at the cover or based on which publication I tend to favor but I think I gave both an equal chance.
Let me just say that I *love* Favorite socks : 25 timeless designs from Interweave (c2006), which was edited by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow. As the subtitle indicates, there are twenty-five sock patterns in this book and I'm tempted to go through from beginning to end and knit each pattern (with a couple of exceptions). I like classic designs and this book includes plenty of them. Even though my sock knitting hasn't been speedy, regular, or enjoyed nearly as much as other projects, I have an urge to knit socks even if I just churn out one pair a year. This book gives plenty of inspiration and I plan on buying a copy for my personal library. The handy tutorial about knitting socks with two circs is also very much appreciated.
Vogue knitting : the ultimate sock book : history, technique, design (c2007), by the editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine, has some interesting historical information in the beginning and this introductory matter appealed to me more than some of the patterns in the book. The designs that did appeal to me were of the lacy variety and I photocopied them. However, a lot of the patterns were of for knee-length socks, socks with busy designs, etc. While these designs were not for me, I'm sure there are many many people out there who will love them and there's definitely an audience for this book. I might also add that I felt strongly about the sock patterns (either really liked or really disliked them) and there's something to be said for that!
Let me just say that I *love* Favorite socks : 25 timeless designs from Interweave (c2006), which was edited by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow. As the subtitle indicates, there are twenty-five sock patterns in this book and I'm tempted to go through from beginning to end and knit each pattern (with a couple of exceptions). I like classic designs and this book includes plenty of them. Even though my sock knitting hasn't been speedy, regular, or enjoyed nearly as much as other projects, I have an urge to knit socks even if I just churn out one pair a year. This book gives plenty of inspiration and I plan on buying a copy for my personal library. The handy tutorial about knitting socks with two circs is also very much appreciated.
Vogue knitting : the ultimate sock book : history, technique, design (c2007), by the editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine, has some interesting historical information in the beginning and this introductory matter appealed to me more than some of the patterns in the book. The designs that did appeal to me were of the lacy variety and I photocopied them. However, a lot of the patterns were of for knee-length socks, socks with busy designs, etc. While these designs were not for me, I'm sure there are many many people out there who will love them and there's definitely an audience for this book. I might also add that I felt strongly about the sock patterns (either really liked or really disliked them) and there's something to be said for that!
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