Month: June 2011

Epic Fail

It all started from me looking for a Spin Off magazine that I may or may not have.  It’s Fall 2010, the one with the jar of red cabbage on the front.  I vaguely remember looking through this issue and thought I had it at home.  I’d like to make the texting mittens for myself for next winter.  See, it all started very innocently. 

When I couldn’t find the magazine, I realized that what this place needs is a little organization.  My stash and particularly my patterns are in no real order.  I have a small dresser and some under the bed couch bags, but that’s about it.  Magazines and printed patterns are scattered throughout the tv room and in some cases, throughout the house.  I decided to organize my printed patterns in the same way that most yarn stores do.  I’ve got lots of 3 ring binders that I don’t use anymore and most of my patterns are in page protectors anyway. 

Into the basement I went after the elusive office supplies.  That’s where the trouble began.  Apparently myour need for organization does not start and stop at the tv room.  We have a stash of paint and stain in the basement that I carefully climbed over.  Unfortunately I was not so careful when I was climbing back out.  I knocked over an entire stack of cans, spilling open what appeared to be a full can of stain.  All. Over. The. Floor.  Under the washer, into the bathroom.  Everywhere.  We’re hoping that the super sensitive sensor on the hot water heater does not sense the immense amount of fumes in the basement and automatically shut its self off.  That would mean a new expensive sensor.  And a more epic fail. 

Calgon, take me away! 

Does anyone have any good ideas for organizing the magazines that I have?  Bookshelf space is at a premium, as knitting books share the same bookshelf as cookbooks which share the same bookshelf as my husband’s collection of antique books.  I also prefer to have everything puppy proofed and in a closed container of some sort, or up above a large German Shepard’s reach.

Catching Up

Knitting My Way Home Handspun
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a mother, it’s that I will always be catching up on something.  Whether it’s catching up on the laundry, catching up on the reading that I’d like to do or catching up on a blog post; there’s always something.  This post catches us up from when I attended Yarnover over a month ago.  Yarnover is a full day of classes and a wonderful market of local yarn shops.  I was able to see some of my favorites, including Sharon of Three Irish Girls at the Darn Knit Anyway booth, the Yarnery and StevenBe.  I also met a new favorite, Knitting My Way Home.  Sharon had her two beautiful daughters with her as well as her spinning wheel.  Some of her handspun found it’s way into my bag.  It’s a beautiful blend of silk and merino that is still deciding what it wants to be.  (All suggestions for 210 yds of light worsted would be appreciated).  I feel like a bit of an idiot as I had plans to chat up all the yarn store owners and meet all sorts of fibery people.  Instead, due to the creeping crud that I was coming down with, I don’t think I was able to speak in coherent sentances.  I didn’t even take pictures!  (bad blogger!)
  
The class I took was Bavarian Twisted Stitch Hat with Meg Swansen & Amy Detjen.  Let me just say that I want to be Meg Swansen when I grow up.  She has that sort of grace and style that you just can’t copy.  You either have it or you don’t.  Both women have a love of knitting that comes through in their class.  So much of what I picked up and remembered were just off the cuff comments that they made about knitting.  Often people in the class would stop one of them to say, “say that again.”  Things like if you are kitchenering the toe of a sock, treat the first two stitches on each needles as well as the last two stitches as if they are one.  This creates a decrease at each end of the toe, eliminating the dog-ear look.  That one just about knocked me out of my chair.  Again, I think I looked like I was either near death’s door or falling asleep in class.  However, I loved taking the class and would sign up for another Meg Swansen/Amy Detjen class in a heartbeat. 
Little Lily

As for the finished project, here it is.  Lily desperately wants this hat, since it is her favorite color.  I actually made it for me, but I suspect the wee one will win out.  Especially considering that I got a surprise hat in the mail from Knittymuggins!  The hat fits both of us, so I would consider it a size small.  I cast on 160 stitches with a size 5 needle.  It’s very densely knit. 

Look What I made!
The decreases were a bit tricky as the pattern I had was written in that vague Elizabeth Zimmerman sort of way.  Honestly, I think any way you choose to do the decreases would work just fine.  


Daddy Daughter Time

 

 

 

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