New! Shawl Pins

Plover Designs has come out with 2 brand new metals for their shawl pins.

The first is the long awaited copper! I have been waiting for this to come out and it finally is here! I love the pretty copper orange. It's available in the Swirl, Sword, and Pie styles.


The second metal is Aluminum. I was a little worried at first that this wouldn't be sturdy enough, but it definitely is! It feels just as strong as the silver. The difference is it is much lighter weight, which means it is perfect for those light weight cobweb type shawls that can't handle the weight of silver or copper shawl pins. It is available in Swirl, Sword, and Pie as well.

Check out all of Plover Designs shawl pins here.

Sunday Drive

Blair and I went out for a nice Sunday Drive along the old scenic highway. This is one of my favorite drives. So I thought I would share a few photos we took along the way:


It was a foggy, slightly rainy kind of day. I like getting obscure photos of mossy trees and rocks. There just is something about it that makes me feel at peace and happy. Though you can't see it in the photos the greens of the moss really stood out against the greyness of the rocks. I just couldn't quite capture it. I have been feeling the need for lime green in my life lately, which may be reflected in some yarn in the near future. I think it is my love of spring and the little baby leaves which are starting to appear.


Here is a picture of the Gorge. Crown Point is there on the right. I really think I live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. What I love most about this picture is I know I could go there tomorrow and it would look completely different. I could probably take a picture every single day of the year and never get 2 that looked exactly alike. I think that is why I am constantly inspired by the world around me here.


Lastly I will leave you with a gratuitous baby belly shot. Only 1 month left to go!

Playing Catch-up

or, my goodness, I haven't blogged in how long? Life has been a bit crazy lately. Mainly it's go, go, go getting things ready for the baby to come. So I have been doing everything from doctors appointments to taking the car in for its regular service. Not a whole lot of fun, but does create some really good knitting time. I managed to finish off a couple of things:

First up, the Debbie Bliss Baby Hoody (rav link). It is from her book Special Knits. As I said a couple of posts ago, I have knit several of these over the years. It is a fast knit and I think it will be great as a light jacket as the weather warms up. I'm also planning on knitting a bigger size because I think it is such a quick versatile sweater. I used Cascade Cash Vero in color Ruby. No mods to the pattern.



I also finished up this little pair of baby socks (rav link). The yarn is my Superwash Sock in color Day at the Fair. I love using up bits of sock yarn to make itty bitty socks. I also love that they are super portable. I carry around all my supplies in one project bag, then I don't have to carry my whole huge knitting bag to my doctor's appointment. I already have another pair cast on, which I'll share with you later.

I have lots to share, so hopefully I will be able to find a few more quiet moments to post them up here over the next few days!

Ripping Yarns

I though it was really funny or one of those strange coincidences when I read Knitting Daily this morning and they had a post on exactly what I wanted to talk about!


My first sweater never quite fit right across the bust or shoulders. It was a little tight and boy was this sweater warm! I knit it out of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, a yarn I simply love. I just have been looking at the sweater lately and I realized that I don't think I'm ever going to wear it again, because it just doesn't fit right. Then I started thinking about all those balls of Baby Cashmerino and how I could use them up in baby projects. So the sweater has now been frogged!


Here is the yarn all wound neatly into skeins. Don't think that this was a super easy task, either. The yarn, while machine washable, did felt a tiny bit to itself, making pulling it apart an extra difficult task. Also it shed little fluffs of blue and red yarn everywhere! I think I am going to find those little fluffs for the next 6 months! However, once the yarn had been washed and rewound it is super soft and useable once again. So far I have washed and hung to dry the blue yarn. I have 250 grams of it to play with! I am thinking diaper covers and baby shorts. I think I'll start with the baby shorts, because they are just so cute. There is a bit less of the red yarn. I have washed it, I'm just waiting for it to dry and then I will wind it too and figure out how much there is. Even though it was a big pain to frog the sweater I am very happy with the end result. I like the idea of finding a new purpose for a yarn that wouldn't otherwise be used. I just haven't determined whether this is considered nesting or not!

Shop News: February sale is now up! Superwash Sport yarn is $20 a skein for the month of February!

Crochet All Day: New Patterns!

Crochet All Day has out a bunch of new patterns! This includes some brand new knit versions of her popular crochet animal bags.


Up first are the crochet bags! The most requested animal bag is an Alligator bag. So now, due to popular demand, there is The Gator Bag! The new crochet and felted bags include The Cat & Dog Bags, The Duck & Lamb Bags, and the really awesome Owl Bag! Make sure to check them all out!


Now there are knit versions of the animal bags. I just love this sheep! Look at the awesome ears on this fellow. Now I can technically crochet, so I could take on one of Sharon's awesome patterns, but crochet is always a little intimidating to me. I am much more comfortable with knitting! I am so happy that she is now designing knit versions. So far there is a Sheep, a Chicken, and a Frog available in knit versions!

Knitting for Baby

When I knit I like to have 2 projects going at all times. That doesn't include the projects that are "resting". So, 2 active projects. Typically one will be more complex which I knit at home while watching tv. Then my second project will typically be something simple I can take with me to knit groups. This project will be something which won't be messed up if I get to talking and stop paying attention. Since it's getting closer and closer to when the baby will be here (8 weeks left, eep!), I have been knitting mainly baby things.


My complicated project has been this really awesome pair of pants (Ravelry Link) from Dale of Norway. The pattern is called Pusekatt from Dale of Norway book #114. I don't speak Norwegian, but I am assuming that Pusekatt translates to pussy cat or possibly kitten. I'm using Dale of Norway Baby Ull for the yarn, which is always a dream to work with. The only thing I have changed is substituting brown shades for the purple shades called for in the original pattern. I think it looks more boyish this way. This pattern is so much fun to knit. I just can't wait to see each new stripe develop!


Then my easy project is this hoody (Ravelry Link) by Debbie Bliss from her Special Knits book. I've made several of these over the years for other happy babies. This is the 0-3 month size. Most of it is simply knitting and purling, which is great for knitting and chatting at the same time. I wanted to make this because I want something quick and easy to throw over the top of an outfit if it gets cool out. I'm planning on making the bigger size as well, so he will have something to grow into. For yarn I am using Cascade Cash Vero in color #020 Ruby. It's super soft and machine washable!

GYW New Patterns!

I think this makes me a designer! Gardiner Yarn Works just released 3 new patterns which were designed by me!


First up is the Cuddly Baby Cardi. This was actually one of my projects I finished up in 2009 that was hush hush! I knit the sample for this myself and just loved it! It is knit out of Manos Cotton Stria, which was the first time I have ever knit out of this yarn! I really loved it. I love the color which says vintage 50s to me!


Next up are the Oak Street Fingerless Gloves. They are named after the main street that runs through my hometown of Hood River. They come in 2 sizes, a M/L size and a XL/XXL size, both in the same pattern!




Lastly there is the Mt Hood Earflap Hat. Named, of course, after the mountain nearest to Hood River. This hat is knit from the top down, making the size and fit easily adjustable to whoever you knit it for. The pattern comes in 3 sizes: Child, medium adult, and large adult.

I have a few more ideas that may be published in the future! It just is so much fun working with such talented people as the Gardiner Yarn Works team! Make sure to check out all of their new patterns.

Old & New

So, I have a 2009 project that I finally got photographed:


These are tiny baby duck socks for my little one! I love little bitty socks! The pattern is my own which is included with the LavenderLamb Sock Kits. The yarn is a bit of leftover Superwash Sock yarn in color Lemon Lime.

Now new for 2010 is the pear jumper. The pattern is the Hermine Jumper from the Dale of Norway Soft Treasures book. The yarn is the recommended Dale of Norway Baby Ull in colors #2203 Pale Yellow and #9436 Olive Green. I only changed a couple of things with the pattern. I chose slightly different colors because the yarn shop I went to didn't have exactly what the pattern called for. Then I changed the length of the cuffs, because they looked too long. Then, of course, I got to the end of the pattern and realized that the cuffs were supposed to be folded under and sewn down, thus making them the same length as I made them! I guess it's a lesson to me to actually read the whole pattern! I already have my next Dale of Norway pattern on the needles, so stay tuned!

Happy Blogiversary!

This is my 4th blogiversary! It's quite exciting to think about actually. Here is a link to my very first post! It's just amazing so much time has passed by!

So, I have decided to do something a little different this year. I definitely want to keep all of my semi-solid colors, since they are all so popular. So I will definitely be keeping: Berry Pie, Bordeaux, Midnight Rose, Moss, Mountain Sunset, Purple Blackberry, Sea Turtle, Smokey Rose, Snapdragon, and Summer Sky.

So that left me with picking the top 15 (I was going to only do a top 10, but there are too many pretty colors) from the variegated yarns. So, from your votes I got this top 15: 1. Mine, Don't Touch! 2. Peninah 3. Espresso 4. Firefighter 5. Monet 6. Strawberry Shortcake 7. Truffle 8. Wild Violets 9. Childs Play 10. Cirque 11. Columbia River 12. Provence 13. Mech 14. Dragon Fire 15. Vineyard.

These will be the colors I dye year round. I may also add in some seasonal favorites throughout the year. I also have 4-5 new colors up my sleeve, I just have to do a bit of experimenting in the dye studio to see what comes up!

Ok, so onto the winners:

Winner #1 is Lizziek8!!! Her comment was:

OMG...how to choose?????
Mine, Don't Touch!
Firefighter
Child's Play

All are gorgeous!

Winner #2 is PghCathy!!! Her Comment was:

Happy blogiversay!
I'd choose:

Snapdragon
Candy Cane Lane
Autumn Splender

All bright, cheery colors...so different from what's outside my windows!

Since both ladies love such bright colors, I am going to send each one a skein of Tencel Sock yarn in Vineyard with Gardiner Yarn Works newly released Sunset Beach Sock pattern! So, email me your addresses and I will get them sent off right away!

Annual Blog Contest!

Every year I like to run a little blog contest in honor of my blogiversary, which is January 13th! I really liked what I did last year, so I am going to run the same thing again this year, with a little tweak.

This year:

• Go to the Colorways Page of the website
• Pick out 3 of your favorite colorways that you can see knitting any time of the year, this includes the semi-solids colorways too.
  
• Post a comment on this post with your 3 favorites

I have some good ideas for prizes, so let the contest begin! I'll announce the winner(s) on January 13th, along with the top color choices.