A new and exciting contest!

Keohinani started a contest called "You know you knit too much when"...Here's my entry (thought I'd share it with you all as well!) If you want to join, the contest ends 11/30!

You know you knit too much when you can sing the "12 Days of Christmas" to the knitting related items perpetually atop your coffee table (I really do live like this!):

12 plastic stitch markers
11 sheep gift tags
10 pieces of scrap yarn
9 patterns in the queue
8 balls of Noro
7 WIPs "on the needles"
6 Trendsetter labels
5 Clover circs
4 skeins of handpainted boucle
3 distracting items (subway drink, cell phone, Visine)
2 of DH's sock-ed feet*
and a calendar of the LYS's December activities!

*not handknit socks - he just came from the gym - I hope that's not a disqualifier!

In addition, I changed my mind for the gift for my SIL - she's getting a Crap-o-tee mini made of good ol Noro Kureyon 153. I love it - I want to keep it for myself! More WIP pics later...oh and I added the Reversible Winter Capelet pattern to my sidebar (all you craftsters know it as the "Anthropologie-inspired capelet". I changed the name, just in case :)

My oldest friend Debbie is PG, and I'm going to make a Grumpecue for her baby. Thanks for this great pattern revise, Grumperina! I ordered the hard-to-find Oat Couture Curlicue pattern from Angelika's Yarn Store. Once Deb has her BIG ultrasound, I can buy the correct colors of yarn to match the boy or girl bedding they've chosen.

Well, enough of this chatter. Back to holiday knitting!

Thanksgiving's Over...You know what that means!

It's the official start of the "holiday season" (read as the overabundance of Christmas songs, lights, gadgets, scented things, bad sales, half-dead trees, cold weather, TRAFFIC, CROWDS, and allover CHAOS!!!). But, I'm happy as a clam.

I've got a ton of knitting projects started and planned for Christmas gifts...That means the only store I need to go to is the LYS!

Here's the stash I've amassed over the year so I don't have much to buy (I'm so proud! The balls and skeins are like my children or something...creepy, I know.)


Here's the list (with photos where appropriate!):

Mom: Lace Leaves Scarf from Fall VK
Brooks Farm Harmony
In stash/on needles








Furry: Irish Hiking Scarf (and hat?)
Inca Alpaca
In stash/on needles









SIL: Mousse Shawl (Although I'm not loving this pattern for this yarn - any other ideas for boucle yarn?)
Blue Ridge Handpainted Mohair Boucle
In stash - on needles





Dad: Ribbed or Cabled Hat
Uncle Nick: same idea
Dee: same again...damn I'm boring!
Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande
Most in stash...




Kestly: Reversible Winter Capelet
Rowan Polar
In stash
(You've seen this before!)





MIL: Updated hat to add a brim (from last year's Christmas!) and matching scarf (pattern tbd)
Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk
Need to buy 4-5 more balls

Jess: Something with Vesper? I love Vesper! I just ordered a 3rd skein from kpixie - in the knit and tonic colorway!








Dennis: Another Irish Hiking Scarf?
Inca Alpaca? Something heavier?
Need to buy.

In other news...I picked up these sweet treats from the store at Piddleloop! How awesome are they? All my knitted gifts will get a custom tag! I'm trying to figure out who to give the pouches to...I just *heart* them!

Decisions Decisions...

So, should I continue working on the Irish Hiking Scarf for Furry...or should I consult Cooking Light for a recipe for the potato bread stuffing???

Going to see Harry Potter tonite!!! I can't wait!!! Must go shower now!

Home sick today

So I figured I'd catch up on some overdue blogging! My knottie friends got married this weekend! It's about time they can now become nesties!...We're so happy for them, but not as happy as we were eating mini cannolis...











In other news, I started the Lace Leaf Scarf for Mom. I feel guilty giving her this as a Christmas present since she bought the yarn herself at the NYS Sheep & Wool. It's Brooks Farm Harmony in browns that remind me of my hair...I'm sure nobody else sees it but me.

Here is the first repeat and a half with and without the flash - it's hard to see the pattern with the flash, but the color is truer than without.



Not much progress made on Colchique or Tendances. In fact, Tendances had it's first trip to the frog pond...never to return. Damn, I need a ball winder!

I'll leave you, my law abiding Jersey drivers, with this, your "Moment of Zen" with credit to the Barista:

Anthropologie-inspired Capelet - FO and Tutorial!

Here are some photos of my interpretation of Anthropologie's First Frost Capelet, and the pattern. It's really easy (I completed it in a few hours).

I used 1 ½ balls of Rowan Polar on size 11 needles. (gauge = 12 st and 16 rows over 4”)

CO 49 st (this makes a S-M with 16" neckline - I'm not good enough to do sizes!)*
*For exact sizing, measure around your neck at the collarbone, and multiply the gauge (per
inch!) by that measurement. If that number is even, add one st to get your CO amount.

Knit in 1 x 1 rib for 2 inches to create neckline

Raglan Increases: (you will need 4 stitch markers to separate the body into 5 sections: left front, left sleeve, back, right sleeve, right front)

Row 1 (RS): k2, p6, yo, pm, p1, yo, p7, yo, pm, p1, yo, p15, yo, pm, p1, yo,
p7, yo, pm, p1, yo, p6, k2 (57 st total, 8 have been increased)
Row 2 and all WS rows: knit all stitches
Row 3 and all RS rows: k2, *p to next marker, yo, sl marker, p1, yo* repeat from * 3 more times, p until last 2 st, k2
Continue raglan increases until sleeve measures the circumference of your upper arm.
End with a WS row.

Split sleeves and body:
RS: k2, p to 1st marker, move all st from 1st to 2nd marker onto scrap yarn (right sleeve). P to 3rd marker. Move all st from 3rd to 4th marker onto another piece of scrap yarn (left sleeve). P to last 2 st, k2.
WS: Knit all st
Continue in reverse stockinette stitch for 4 more rows (with k2 at each edge of the row)
Switch to 1 x 1 rib, for 5 rows. BO all st

Sleeves:
Pick up all st, one sleeve at a time from scrap yarn.
Work back and forth in 1 x 1 rib for 5 rows.
BO all st
Seam ribbing on sleeves

That’s it, you’re done! This is easy, I swear!
Finish with a pin at the neck, or sew a button on, whatever you want! The other cool thing about this, is it’s reversible! I like the reverse st side better, it’s more vintage looking.

ETA: Corrected stitch count, added ways to fit to your body, 8/1/08.

Here are some detail shots:

It's back! But not for long.

If there's any left, it's yours, if you want it :) Consider this your tip off...If you think you know what I mean (or are burning with curiosity), click here.

Edit: OMG, I have to have one of these! How cute are they?

Edit #2: They're gone...if you're looking now, you missed it. Vesper was around for a short time...I snagged one in tartan... Now, who's gonna teach me sock knitting???

Secret Pal and some progress shots

First, I'd like to say THANK YOU!!! to my secret pal. A package came for me yesterday incuding "At Knit's End" by the Yarn Harlot, 2 balls of italian merino (yum!), and a cute card! I'm going to use the yarn for some fingerless gloves, I think...or a Winter Femme hat! THANKS!! In other yarn-related news, I saw this post trying to recreate an Anthropologie capelet on Craftster, and thought I'd give it a try. Here's my progress. I'm using the last 3 balls of Rowan Polar from my stash. I think it's coming out really well! I'll post a tutorial once it's complete.Lastly, I MUST leave you now to do some laundry. Do you think Niblet's trying to tell me something????

Blackberry c'est fini and the 2 French girls are Phriends

I must appear to be all knitting, all the time...but really it's the only thing I enjoy sharing with the world. You don't care to listen to my day about attending lectures on chemotherapy research in NYC...so I'll cut to the chase (see I got to vent anyway!) Blackberry is done! Ok, so I still need to weave in the ends, so I can't really wear it yet. I'm not gonna do that "started on" "finished on" thing...cuz I don't measure my projects in time it takes me to do them...or I'd be really depressed about just how slow a knitter I am. I will give the stats though:

6 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino superchunky in Grape on size 10 1/2 needles. Mods I made:

• The WHOLE thing is in stockinette stitch, vs reverse.
• Kept the cables and skipped the bumpy bobbles.
• Shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length (I may lengthen them a bit...if I can find 10 1/2 DPNs)
• I did a whole lot of extra ribbing, because, well, even after immense blocking, the pieces were still not quite the right height. My row gague was off, but I figured...ahh F* it! I'll just do lots of ribbing. And that's exactly what I did :)

I am not really sure Blackberry's going to get much wear - it's actually kind of tight. And, in true shrug style, it shows off my "assets". In other words, my GUT. Why, oh why do I insist on knitting shrugs?

That brings me to the next topic. When one door closes, another opens (how do you say door in French?) I'm going to call Colchique and Tendances "the sisters", since I'm working on them both together.Smilarities between the sisters:

1. Neither is a shrug. (read as "both will cover my gut".)
2. Both are wonderful Phildar patterns with KALs and French speaking knitters to help us translate them.
3. They love to be photographed together
4. Cats love them.
5. Furry loves them.
6. I want to leave work on time to knit them.

There, now I feel better.

QED.