Happy New Year!

For the last 16 years I've spent the first weekend after New Year's at a knitting retreat.  Last weekend was the 17th year and we returned to the San Juan Bautista Retreat Center for the second time. I worked on my mosaic vest almost religiously (ha, ha, no pun intended -- San Juan Bautista is one of the California Missions, and the Retreat Center is run by Franciscan Monks).

And it's done!  It's a little big though.  I don't know what I was thinking when I cast on for this, um, a long time ago.  Details here.  I guess I just picked the Large, guessing that the sizes were S(M,L,XL). But for that the chest measurement was 46".  And well, given that I knit a tad loose, it ended up more like 49".  It fits ok, the fabric composed of garter stitch with worsted weight yarn, it's pretty thick.  I love the construction, I just wish I paid more attention when I knit the back.  I should've known early on (like within the first repeat of the pattern) how off it was going to be.

Which leads me to what I plan to work on this year...knitting sweaters that fit.  Actually this was last year's goal but I didn't knit that much (house remodel -- floors -- which means I spent half the year moving furniture in and out -- twice each -- of the house).  This time for sure.  The sweater I'm going to start with is Caramel, because I already have yarn waiting, an on-going goal, stash reduction. Besides since it has overlapping fronts -- I only have to pay attention to the back. Plus it's knit top down so I can try it on as I go!

Other goals, the usual, knit more (wip reduction), spin more, weave more, lace more.  What about you?  Leave a comment then head on over to Fiber Arts Friday to see what everyone else is up to!

Air Nomad

Yes, I'm an Avatar fan.  Not the blue creature kind, the bending kind.  What can I say, I have teenagers and we enjoyed the antics of Aang and his conglomeration of benders.  Katara was my favorite then so I'm a huge fan the new series lead by Korra. Still don't know what I'm talking about?  It's a cartoon, on Nickelodeon.  And this?  This slouchy hat just turned out to be the right color and have the right elements for an airbending nomad.  I hadn't planned it that way, in fact, the arrows are kinda going the wrong way.

Pattern: available at Stitches West then downloadable from Ravelry starting March 1st.
Yarn: Handwerks Merino dk, also available at Stitches West

It's FiberArts Friday and I hope to see you next week!  I'll be in the Handwerks booth #1235.

Here's one more view for the folks at FO Friday!


ETA: link to Korra on Nickelodeon.

Knitting Changed my Life

I taught myself to knit in 1996.  I accompanied a friend to a yarn store, then a new mom to a 1 yo, and saw all the cute baby sweaters.  Muggle that I was I asked if she would knit a sweater for my daughter to which she replied, "Sure, but you could, too."  She bought the supplies for a cute dino sweater (which I gave back to her when her son was born).  Anyways, I must have thought about it for a bit, but eventually bought a book or two, some yarn (red heart variegated) and needles -- US size 6 straights, Inox, I believe.  I knew how to cast on (long tail), knit and purl (or I thought I did) from childhood and proceeded  to knit this:

I went to my first Stitches in 1997 (and have gone every year since), joined a knitting guild (to which I still belong -- hello SBKnitters!) and took spinning lessons at the shop the guild met.  I joined a spinning guild and in 1998 I joined a weaving guild and taught myself to weave, this is also the year I started taking lessons in bobbin lace.  All throughout, I knit, took more classes, bought yarn (lots of yarn), books, patterns, needles, spinning wheels, sock machines, looms, learned inkle and card weaving, ... Prior to all this I was quilting and did some embroidery, and as a child I learned to sew, crochet and tat.  But nothing really took off like knitting.  And definitely, nothing stuck like knitting.

Here it is 17 years later and while I've done a little weaving, some spinning, a little more sewing (not so much quilting, just garments), and more bobbin lacing, I've done a lot more knitting.  I even started designing hand knit patterns.  And I don't see an end to it.  I can't even imagine my life without it.  There isn't a week that goes by that I'm not knitting.  I always take knitting when I travel.  Always -- it's the first thing I pack!

I know it's WiP Wednesday and while I've got a ton of things on the needles, looms, wheels,...I think the biggest WiP I've got going is me.  Knitting brings me joy, a sense of accomplishment when I'm done and inspiration for all the wonderful projects to come.  It's made me more patient, it's kept me sane but most of all it's just made me better.

It's Like Playing Horseshoes

It's the end of another weekend I'm here just at the thumb. 






So close, but I'm calling it because well, Friday night looked like this.

Do you see it?  I didn't notice until I had finished the top hem (and yes cut the thread) and tried them on.  The left one looked a little, um, short? So what happened?  I think it was when I messed up on the thumb gusset and kept going on with the increases.  When I went to fix it I probably got off track on the chart.  The left is one diamond short.




I couldn't face it Friday night so the next morning I did this.













Immediately followed by this.

And spent the rest of the weekend getting back to the first picture.  So I'm calling it done (even when I still have the thumb to go -- which is where I was Friday night), it's close enough and really will be tomorrow.

Manic Monday: Waylaid

I was on a finishing spree, and was hoping by Monday I'd have a "Done and Done" post.  First up was to be Clandestine started for a CookieA KAL 3 (that's THREE) years ago. Close, finished the weekend at the toe.  I had cast on the mate immediately after finishing the toe of the first sock. As quickly as the second sock is going I don't know what really made the first one go so slow.  Was it the US 0 needles?  The intricate 14 row lace and twisted stitch pattern?  The dark yarn (with a name like Clandestine, they must be done in dark yarn, right)?  The 18-20 things I had on other needles. Whatever, but I love how they look.  The texture, the fit, the elegant lace.  Second sock is slightly looser in gauge, which is always an issue with me.  These have been claimed by dd #1.

So what happened?  Ravelry, that's what happened.  They finally added a "fiber" category for stash and a flow to handspun yarn, yay!  Ugh.  I started entering my fiber and quickly got lost down that rabbit hole. The good thing though is that now I see how much I really have -- and what's up isn't all of it by half!  Which means I gotta get busy because when this is spun it gets added to my already too big yarn stash. Double ugh.

I'm also nearly done with my Josephine mitts, just the top and the thumb to go (see bottom of previous post here).  But it's been that way for weeks.

Then there's Celestarium, and the Whovian scarf I want to start (what am I thinking, I don't even have the yarn for this yet), and a weaving project (for which I do have the yarn, but can't find) and...it's just another Manic Monday.