All About Knitting

 I am not going to whine about my job in this post (though, I certainly have enough material to do so!). This week, I had a knitting victory: I finished a sweater that actually fits me! All my previous attempts were on the small side.

It's on the big side, but it works for this layering piece. I also think I'm going to add buttons so it hangs more evenly. It has i-cord edging, which was easy to do, but very hard to join in pattern. This is the first seamed sweater I've knit, and I have to admit that the first side I seamed is a bit wonky.

The yarn is buttery soft Shepherd's Wool. It is 100% wool and 0% itch. However, like most soft yarns, it pills. I'm OK with that, since I can't tolerate most wools. I only take it off to sleep because I am so in love with it!

The pattern is the Adult Modular Cardigan. I'm linking the pattern here because it's really hard to find on Ravelry: Adult Modular Cardigan Jacket.

I've already picked out my next sweater: Porto, made with Berroco Medina, which has no wool.

The stashing could get pretty bad around here. Sunset Yarn just opened its doors a half mile from my house. It is in the cutest building:

It is absolutely adorable inside, too, but it's not like I can really hang out in there at this point. It's Madison's only yarn shop at the moment, so I hope she makes it through the pandemic. Plus, the owner is super nice.

Fortunately, I needed yarn. My daughter wants a pair of gray mittens, and I didn't have anything appropriate in my stash, so I picked up some Rowan worsted

Moving from Miami to Denver is a big change. I know her hands get cold, so I'm making her stranded mittens. 

Sadly, I will be working much of the weekend. But I do need to find some time for those mittens!

About That Sweater

Way back on May 20, I went to a nearby coffee shop/yarn store, the Sow's Ear, with a friend. The point of the trip was to sketch, and we did indeed sketch:

Of course I had to wander through the store and check out the goods. I stumbled on the spring issue of Knitscene, which I hadn't looked at before.

I flipped through it and fell in love with the sweater, that looked both cute and easy.

The pattern, Fullerton Cardigan, is made with Brown Sheep Worsted, but I don't like mohair, so I bought an armful of the wonderfully affordable Berroco Vintage. Now I have this:

I think that someday it really will be a sweater!

And what is it about sleeves? They are so boring to knit!

The Day Before Surgery

So, the timeline here is a bit wacky. Surgery will do that to you. I had my surgery yesterday and it went well. I'm home recuperating, but on quite a few pain meds -- so you can't hold me responsible for any spelling or grammar errors!

I did some yarny retail therapy on the afternoon before my surgery. Knit Circus has a new retail shop, which I hadn't visited before. As I told the clerk there, "I figured this was a good time to buy some yarn because my husband can hardly complain when I'm about to have surgery."

Of course the new store is bigger and thus better than the original. So much amazing yarn! Owner Jala Spiro and her crew have amazing color sense and they come up with the most surprising and beautiful gradients. I was only going to buy one, but ended up with two. I justified this because I'm using both in shawls that will also eat up some stash yarn. I know: I'm way too good at justifying yarn purchases!

The skein on top is going to be part of a Free your Fade. I've been wanting to do a Fade. A completed Find your Fade was on display at the store and it is more blanket than shawl. The Free your Fade suits my taste better. The second skein is going to become an On the Spice Market, like the one here.

Although, the more I look at the finished shawl, the less sure I am that my skein is right for the project. No problem. I'm sure I can find a pattern for that beautiful skein. 

Knit Circus has an online store, too, so don't feel left out because you're not here in Madison.

Before I left school Wednesday, a couple of my students came to say goodbye to me Wednesday afternoon, and they brought me this:

There are some things about work I don't miss. But I do miss "my" kids.

I Fall Victim to Good Marketing

I should put myself on a strict knitting diet: no new yarn, no casting on. I was thinking very seriously about doing just that but then a friend "forced" me to go to The Knitting Tree, a LYS. She needed buttons; I needed nothing. Yet, three days later, I have these:

They are Stripey Fingerless Gloves from Patternology, which is the brand that the Knitting Tree owner uses for her designs.  In a brilliant move, she doesn't sell the patterns; instead, they are free when you purchase the yarn each pattern is designed for.

The yarn in this case is KFI Luxury Collection Indulgence Cashmere. It's a DK weight with 5% cashmere. For $30, you get 437 yards and 150 grams, enough to make a set of fingerless mitts and a matching slouchy hat, which I've begun:

The mitts and hat are going to be gifts for two different people, however.

I have had too much time to knit. Someone -- not me, for once -- backed a car I was riding in into a post and aggravated my highly arthritic neck. Knitting in a neck-friendly position was my main activity this weekend, along with  experimenting with pain-killers. Gee, I sound so old here!

I'm off to catch up on your blogs. That's one other thing I can manage!

Yes, Dear Reader, I Did

As most of you guessed, I did buy yarn at Ewetopia on Saturday. But I did not go crazy. I limited myself to one pattern and yarn to go with it. I think this poncho is going to be very practical, as well as pretty.

My love of color tends to drive my yarn choices, but this time I went with natural-colored yarn. I like the way it looks in the photo that on the pattern. However, this year's sheep gave off darker yarn, so mine will not have as much white as the one in the photo. That's OK. I invariably spill on anything white.

I'm still working my way through The Sixth Extinction. I've been doing too much of my reading at bedtime, so I went back last night and re-read a few chapters. It was worth the extra time. I'm still reading about historical extinctions, and it is just fascinating.  The author is a journalist, and her style is clear and engaging.

I want to start a second book, but I haven't decided between the two in the photo. Both look really good!

Don't forget to join with Kat for Unraveled today.

This is Ewetopia

On Saturday, Keith and I decided to head up to Viroqua for the day. It's a town in the Driftless Region, which is hilly and pretty because it was not flattened by any glaciers. My main goal was to sketch, but I'm still working on that drawing.

However, there was another draw:

This is Ewetopia! It is both a brand and a store. The store is gorgeous -- airy and comfy and filled with yummy yarn. There is a wonderful are for knitting and another for children to play. Everywhere you turn, there are are surprises, like handmade pewter buttons.

The business is owned by Kate Ashley Wright (right) and her mom, Lisa Ashley. They are so warm and friendly; you just want to sit down with them and knit!

Ewetopia yarn is beautiful. The colors are luscious and the yarn is soft and inviting. Kate and Lisa also write patterns. Last year, I knit up the Winter Ridge Poncho, using their pattern and yarn, and it is both beautiful and wearable. I haven't been to the store before; fortunately for me, they vend at the Madison Knitting Guild once a year.

I spent a ton of time wandering around the store and petting the yarn!

Aren't the Ewetopia colors beautiful? And isn't Ewetopia a brilliant name?

If you're not driving distance from Viroqua, don't worry. You can visit the store virtually and shop online here.

So, do you think I bought anything?

"Yarn" the Movie

A couple of friends and I dragged ourselves out of bed early on this Saturday morning to see "Yarn" the movie, which was playing in Stoughton, a small city about 30 miles from Madison.

The movie is entertaining, but kind of a disappointment. It's only about a small group of yarn artists -- and crochet is the main technique involved. There are beautiful scenes of Icelandic sheep in their native habitat, but no explanation of why these scenes are included. There are some nice street scenes from cities like Copenhagen and Havana. If it's convenient, go see it. But I wouldn't recommend going to great lengths.

The movie was sponsored by a Stoughton yarn store, Spry Whimsy Fiber Arts, and we enjoyed looking around there. One of my friends bought a skein of yarn, but she was more interested in their felted items:

They specialize in felting, needle-felting, and spinning. They have  small but lovely selection of yarn.  I stuck to my yarn diet  and came home with no wool! Yay for me!

Back to Crafting

Things on the knitting front have been quiet. I didn't finish my 1st travel sock until I got home from California.

I like the way it is turning out, but it is kind of a tedious knit. Because of all the color changes, I can't just read my knitting so I have to count much of the time. I know I'm going to love these socks, but I doubt I'll knit this pattern again.

I bought this skein from A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland. It is a purplish skein of sock yarn that is part of their own line of yarn. It has cashmere in it so it is deliciously soft! It is going to be a Granola Sock, which will give me some much-needed practice with cables.

So, what have I been working on? It is an embroidered piece that is going to be part of a hanging quilt. I've committed to hanging it in a show and it MUST be delivered on Sept. 1.

To be in this show, a piece must feature Wisconsin native flora or fauna. As you can see from these sneak-peeks, I'm focusing on flora. Much easier!

This project is a stretch for me in so many ways. I've never embroidered a large piece of my own design before. And I haven't quilted in decades (and I wasn't ever that good at it).  Luckily, my MIL is an expert seamstress, so I can go to her with all the problems I'm sure to have!

California Wrap-Up

Ten days in California sure did go fast. Joni had toe fusion surgery in June, so she was still in a walking cast -- and at times on a knee-scooter -- but she was recovering faster than expected. As a result, we were able to do quite a few little trips from Berkeley.

One day we went up to Sausalito. While it is a touristy place, the setting is beautiful and the shops were a lot of fun to poke around in.

Another day we drove into San Francisco to see a movie, Baba Joon, as part of the Jewish Film Festival. It was a great movie, and it was fun to walk around the Castro. I have to say that the Castro is a lot more family friendly than it was 20 years years ago.

After the movie, we walked toward the Mission District and totally by chance, we ran into ImaginKnit, a store jam-packed with great yarn and samples.

The owner keeps two dogs at the store, and I had to take a picture of this one because it's an Italian Grayhound, my vet-student son's favorite breed.

We wanted to people-watch, so we stopped at the Dolores Park Cafe, where I had a beet smoothie.  It tasted, well ... very healthy.

Thanks for a fabulous trip, Joni. I am so lucky to have you as a friend!

At Least Two Reasons to Visit Oakland -- And One Involves Knitting

Oakland is becoming the hip place in the Bay Area, the beneficiary of the expense of living and doing business in San Francisco and Berkeley, so Joni and I have made a few trips there in the past week.

First we went to Brown Sugar Kitchen, a restaurant that specializes in southern-style food, for breakfast. Located in an industrial area, the building in so modest it would be easy to miss it - and that would be a shame. It's famous for its fried chicken and waffles, but we luxuriated in the grits. These folks have figured out how to make grits taste like heaven!

And then there is this store:

A Verb for Keeping Warm is truly unique. It features commercial fabric, dying supplies, and yarn -- and does a great job at all three. A Verb even produces its own very yummy yarn, much of which has cashmere! And it comes in amazing colors:

The store is decorated very simply, but every item is intriguing. I love both these sweaters:

And I have fallen in love with the idea of dying fabric! Who could resist this array?

And, yes, I bought a skein of souvenir sock yarn. Notice the emphasis on "souvenir." I'm on a year-long yarn diet -- with the exception of souvenir yarn. I knew I wouldn't be able to resist travel yarn, so I built in that safety valve. Other than that -- and we don't travel a lot -- NO new yarn until July 15, 2017.  I think it will feel good to make a dent in the stash.

Off to more adventures! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, too.

Welcome to Virginia, Where It Is Hot

Today I am coming to you from Williamsburg, Va. I am happy to say that I am not here as tourist. Perusing Colonial Williamsburg would be awful today, with a predicted high of 97! The humidity is also sky high.

Instead I am spending time with my brother and his family. They live in a lovely subdivision that has fabulous bike trails and a Starbucks!

As you can see, I've already been there. And right across the street is Knitting Sisters, a great yarn shop. I don't think I have ever left there empty-handed, and yesterday was no exception:

This Louisa Harding yarn, called Noema, is just gorgeous, and I know exactly what I am going to make with it:

You start at the bottom and cast on 324 stitches! But, hey, I am on vacation so I can spend as much time casting on as I want!

Breaking Resolutions Already

I swore --swore, I tell you! -- that I wasn't going to buy any new yarn. But this skein was just so clearly meant to be mine!

I was at my local craft store -- which has a fabulous selection of yarn -- and saw that Cascade has a new sock yarn. These are MY colors. I HAD to have it.  In my defense, I do get all the self-striping sock yarn knitted up. Sometimes (like maybe now) there is a back log. But I'll get to it at some time.

I have used Cascade Heritage for socks before and I like it. It's thinner than some of the other yarns (think Opal or Trekking XXL), but sometimes that's what you want.

I had to go to work today. This was a disappointment. Given the weather forecast, many of us teachers were sure school would be cancelled. But, lucky us, we work at one of the few districts that didn't close. The high today was -1 F -- and that's without windchill. More than one-third of our students stayed home, so at least it was a quiet day.

There is still hope: Tomorrow morning is supposed to be even colder! I will be checking out the school closings as soon as my alarm goes off in the morning!

Yarn Store Art

I finally finished this sketch of the the new yarn store, Looped Yarn Works, in Washington, D.C.

Isn't this an adorable store? It's on a second story on busy Connecticut Avenue, the perfect respite spot in a busy city. And the staff is super welcoming. I heard them tell shoppers over and over that they are invited to come knit at the store even if they're not shopping!

I guess I should draw the LYS here that has a coffee shop.  But can I go there without buying any yarn???

Yes, There Was Yarn

There's a new yarn shop in the District of Columbia, so I had to check it out. Looped, at 1732 Connecticut Ave. NW, is just a few blocks from Dupont Circle. It is very very sweet and cozy. There is a fireplace and lots of space for knitting. I picked up the two skeins of Quince & Co. Chickadee there. Those skeins are destined to become a Gladys Hat.

I picked up the other skeins at Fibre Space in historic Alexandria, Virginia. I've been to Fibre Space before, and was excited to return. It is a large shop with a truly "gourmet" selection of yarns. This yarn was dyed by Neighborhood Fiber Co., which is based in nearby Baltimore. The colors are just exquisite and the yarn is squishy. I see scarves or mitts or hats as their futures. The green will definitely be a present for my sister-in-law Mary. I stayed with her, my brother and their daughter, Rebecca this past week.

We ended up in Alexandria on Saturday because my other niece, Jennifer, was visiting the area. She's studying economics at Davidson College. She's on the left below, with my daughter, Rachel. Mary and I spent the afternoon hanging out with them, which was really fun.

Unfortunately, Rebecca (below, left) only stayed for lunch before heading home with her dad. Rebecca has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a disorder of the circulation system that causes fatigue, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and a laundry list of other symptoms. It is so great to see her smiling here, because she is in pain/discomfort a lot of the time. She keeps her spirits high and hopeful, which is so inspiring.
 
The best part of my trip was spending so much time with my family. I hate that we are so far apart!

New Mexico Is All about Yarn

I hope you won't mind one more travel post, as long as it involves yarn:

I picked up this gorgeous skein of merino fingering-weight at Mooncat Fiber, an inspiring store in the historical center of Taos. I'm not sure  any picture could really capture the the beauty of these rich purples and pinks, but I am sure that my iPhone doesn't do it justice.

The story behind the yarn is as inspiring as the wool. It is spun and dyed by a Buddhist nun in Northern New Mexico. The master spinner was actually ordained in 2005 in India by the Dalai Lama. A self-proclaimed hermit, she says that each yarn and roving comes with love and blessings -- free of extra charge! You can read about her here.

She does have an Etsy store, but it is appears to be empty at the moment. Keep checking, though. This is special yarn!

And let me put in a few good words for Mooncat Fibers. With a friendly and knowledgeable owner and a fabulous selection, this is a top-notch store.

Hamlet and Knitting

Yesterday Rachel and  I took a whirlwind bus tour so we could see castles and Viking ships that are 30 to 45 miles outside of Copenhagen. I generally avoid tours because I like to go at my own pace, but there were so many places we wanted to see.

The first stop was to see Kronborg castle in Helsingor. This is the castle were Shakespeare set Hamlet. It is the oldest standing castle in Denmark and a World Heritage Site:

Next we headed to Hillerod to see the Frederiksborg castle. First we stopped on town for lunch. A half block from the cafe I spotted this:

Yes, it is a yarn store! I rushed in and quickly bought this:

I know nothing about this yarn, but I like the colors and it is a brand I had not seen before. I will have to check it out on Ravelry when I get home.

I am glad that I rushed in the store because the castle is magnificent.

This  Renaissance castle was built in the 16th century by King Christian IV, and it is the ultimate fairy-tale castle. We walked through it in wonder.

We finished the day by touring a cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde.

It was a great day, made even greater by sharing it with my daughter!