Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Can’t resist casting on!

Hi … I know I’ve been gone for a while.  Life has kept me busy in general.  Work, housework/chores, gardening, art class blah blah blah.  It feels like months since I’ve knitted anything (though in reality it’s probably been less than two weeks!).  

I recently finished a Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater (<-- RAVELRY LINK!!!) for a coworker’s new baby.  Silly me … I forgot to take a pic of the finished sweater, but I hope to get a pic soon with the wee one wearing it.  Thankfully I upsized it and she hasn’t yet outgrown it.  That gives me hope for the next baby sweater that I will start soon for another (very) pregnant colleague.  For some reason I haven’t been able to get my head out of my ass long enough to plan a baby gift in advance and only decided yesterday on a pattern.  She had a baby shower at work today and I let her know that a sweater is forthcoming.  It is still cool enough here for sweaters, especially for babies, but I will also upsize this sweater quite a bit so that the wee one (it’s a girl!) can hopefully still wear it when sweater weather returns later in the year.  Oh, I guess I should tell you that for this baby I’m knitting the February Baby Sweater from the inimitable Elizabeth Zimmermann (EZ).  I am a HUGE fan of top-down raglan style sweaters, and at some point this year I want to knit the February Lady Sweater for me me me!!!  Yeah, pay no attention to those WIPs in the sidebar …

Later this week I will continue with the Stash Yarn of the Week, and it will likely be the yarn I’ve chosen for the FBS I just told you about.  Oh, I should also tell you that I’m knitting that sweater in a lovely medium lavender color … still “girly” but not pink.  And that reminds me, I will need to get buttons for the sweater this weekend.  What a great excuse to stop by my favorite LYS in search of the perfect buttons! 

Speaking of shopping at local, independent shops have y’all heard of The 3/50 Project?  Essentially it’s a way that all of us can save our local economies … by helping the “brick and mortars our nation is built on.”  My quaint little town has several of these types of shops and I try to spread my $50 around, not always to the same ones (although the yarn shop is one exception!).

Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble.  I might try casting on and knitting a few rows of this new project.  Then again, maybe I won’t. The idea of going to sleep is winning over the idea of knitting.  Tomorrow is another day.

And until then, good night!

~mz

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Stash yarn of the week


Brand: Noro
Yarn Name: Cashmere Island
Yarn Content: 30% cashmere, 60% wool, 10% nylon
Yardage/skein: 110
Total yardage: 330

This beautiful yarn was on sale at my LYS this week and these 3 skeins were calling my name! Couldn't resist bringing them home with me. I think they might eventually become fingerless mitts and cowl. But I'm always looking for ideas ... what would you make with this beautiful stuff?

... this has been a QuietStorm production, dahling ...