Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Wedding

I'm wrapping up Royal Wedding week here at Rhythm of the Needles with my very favorite photo of the day, sent to me by my daughter yesterday afternoon.  This is my 15-month old grandson, Braydon.  Not only is it an adorable picture, but it's rather historical, too.  Someday he'll be able to show his kids where he was when the Prince and Princess got married.  Maybe they'll be King and Queen by then, who knows?


If you're a knitter and into all that's Royal, check out this Mason-Dixon blog entry.  And to finish off the week, here's what on my menu for dinner tonight, click here.

Friday, April 29, 2011

It's Wedding Day

I'm hoping to find time to squeeze in a bit of knitting today, but I might be too busy!


Actually, the wedding is being recorded as getting up at 2:00 am, mountain time, is not an option for me.  We commoners don't have time to put on our best frock and 'at and go to a wedding.  We need to go to work.  However, after work I'll be glued to the telly, raising a pint (it'll be Diet-Pepsi for me) to the Royal couple and knitting my cushion cover with yarn from Britain.  Cheers! 

Click here to get your own Royal Wedding invitation.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

More Royal Knits

Obviously there was too much goodness for one blog post, so here is more from the Royal Knits book:

When the Queen's duties are done for the day and she wants to relax, she puts on her Corgi slippers.  She must be careful, however, that she doesn't trip on their tongues which reach to the floor.  I'll bet those dogs keep her feet warm as she sips her tea and knits, wearing a perfectly-matched sweater twinset, Royal sash and of course, her pearls.  A well-dressed sovereign can't be caught without her pearls, now, can she?

Even royalty must visit the same room as commoners, but she has a Royal throne in the loo with a knitted seat cover, trimmed with faux ermine.  And don't forget a lovely little mat to keep her feet warm, in case she isn't wearing her corgi slippers.


This book is a riot and I'm sure that I couldn't resist buying it because of the sheer whimsy of it all.  There are other patterns that are odd, too.  For example, there is a Royal Sporran for a Prince to wear with his kilt, or a vest for the vegetarian sportsman.  Instead of shooting geese or ducks, this sportsman has carrots and other veggies attached to his vest.  For a majestic breakfast there are egg cozies shaped like little crowns, plus the breakfast itself.  On the menu are bacon, eggs and sausages.

The designer/author wrote this in the Forward:  "The patterns are not to be taken too seriously or followed too slavishly."  Agreed!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Royal Knits

There's been lots of talk these days about Fiona Goble's cute book, Knit Your Own Royal Wedding, but it's not the first Royal book.  Back in 1987 Nicolette McGuire's book, Royal Knits, was published.  With it, you can make something to wear for yourself.


I don't remember where I bought this book.  As a matter of fact, I don't even remember buying the book.  From the condition of the paper dust jacket, I'm guessing that I bought it in a used book store.  The rest of the book is in good condition. 

Check out the Commander-in-Chief jacket on the cover.  The pattern also includes instructions for the medals and braids.  I wonder who would put this much work, not to mention time and money, into making this.  It might be the ideal thing to wear while watching the wedding (wedding?  is there a wedding somewhere?!!) on TV, knitting and sipping a fine cup of Earl Grey served in a William and Kate commemorative cup.

Inside, there are more treasures for your favorite monarchist:  St. Edward's Crown (which can double as a tea cozy), the Sword of State and the Orb.  


But wait, there's more!  Why not come back tomorow to see more from this knitting book?  This will give you time to go through your stash to gather the yarns.  You know you want to make a crown to wear around the house while you're vacuuming or washing the dishes!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Royal Wedding Week Continues

Can you believe it?  Just because there is a Royal Wedding this week, people are losing their minds and buying all kinds of souvenirs to commemorate the occasion.  Of course, knitters are much more sane and save their money for practical items:  yarn for a nice warm sweater for winter, or mittens or socks.  Nothing frivolous.  Of course not.

Yeah, right. Guess what?  I'm one of *those* people!

Fyberspates produced a special yarn for the occasion that is drop-dead gorgeous and I couldn't resist.  I knew, from the pictures and description, that it was going to be pretty, but it's much, much nicer than I thought it could possibly be.

The yarn arrived in a box made just for it ...


with this imprinted on the side:


Inside, wrapped in tissue was the skein of yarn and a certificate:


Check out the stunning sapphire color with little sparkles embedded in it.  Doesn't it remind you of Diana's ring?  That was the idea.


It is incredibly soft.  This picture is from Fyberspates' website. I only ordered one skein. It was a little pricey, but worth it.  I have no idea what I'm going to make with the yarn.  For now, I'm quite content to just admire it.  I imagine that I'll find the perfect shawl in time.  I'll keep my eyes open for a pattern that "speaks to me".


Yarn Details

65% Merino, 10% Royal Alpaca (of course!)
20% Silk, 5% Stellina (the silver bits)

Recommended Needle Size 3mm/US 2

1000 meters/1093 yards per 100g

Gauge 25-30 sts & 37 rows for 10 cm sq

Hand wash prior to wear

Colour - Sapphire

Hank number 166 of 1000

Did I mention how soft it is?  

Monday, April 25, 2011

What Is Your Royal Guest Name?

It's Royal Wedding week and I'm looking forward to it.  I'm not going to get up at 2am on Friday, but I'll be recording the wedding to watch at a more reasonable time.  I'm one of those who likes the Royal Family.  They're one of my favorite dysfunctional families.  The Royals are fun to watch, but I certainly wouldn't want to be one. 

I found this on Ravelry and it's a good way to start this week.  What is your Royal guest name?

To find out, here's what you do:

1.  Start with either "Lord" or "Lady".
2.  Your first name will be the name of one of your grandparents.
3.  Your last name will be the name of your first pet.
4.  Your location is the name of the street that you grew up on.

I’d be Lady Florence Paula of York.

That sounds almost okay, but not quite! By the way, Paula was my cat, one of a litter of four, 2 males and 2 females. The other kittens were Georgia, Ringo and John.  Obviously this was in the late 60s.

And speaking of names, I've renamed my Sock Yarn Blankie to be the O.S.Y. Afghan (oh-see).  It's an acronym for Only Stash Yarn.  I don't mind if the yarn is from my stash, or generously donated by someone else.  The bottom line is that no new yarn will be added to the afghan.  It's a very addictive project and, already, I have completed 14 blocks - with many, many more to go.


Some of the ends have been woven in.  The rest were tucked under for the photo.  As for my Triangle Squares cushion, I have now completed 5 rows of blocks with ends woven in.  That means it's 31.25% finished.  These two projects represent a lot of color-knitting.  I like that.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Knitting Humor

Here's a little something for those of you who are flying this holiday weekend... and, yes, you can take your needles on the plane these days!



I worked the first block of the Sock Yarn Blankie, using 2.5mm needles and some leftover sock yarn:


The turquoise at the bottom is the waste yarn for the provisional cast-on.  The diamond, across the center, measures 3 inches.  The block uses a very little amount of yarn.  I thought I'd need a little ball about the size of a ping pong ball, but I think I could get 2 blocks, maybe more, from a ball that size. 

I'd really love to have as many colors and as much variety in this afghan as possible, so I have a request.  If you have any leftover sock yarn or fingering-weight yarn (variegated is preferred) that you no longer want, would you consider putting it in the mail to me?  I've convinced some knitting friends to knit along with me, so any and all yarn will be shared and very much appreciated.  If there is any remaining after we finish our afghans, it'll be donated for charity knitting projects.  My email is on the sidebar at the right and if you write to me, I'll send you my mailing address. Thank you, thank you!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Sock Yarn (and more) Blankie

There are so many ideas temptations on Ravelry.  Recently I found this Sock Yarn Blankie by Shelly Kang.  I've written to her for permission to post her picture and haven't yet heard back.  So, until I do, I'll just post a sneak peek, and if she asks me to take it down, I will.  If you want to see the full, finished afghan, visit Ravelry, and the tutorial/instructions are on her website, here.


I was tempted to do a different sock yarn afghan that I found on Ravelry, but then I spotted this one, so will try it instead.  The appeal for me two-fold:  it's a good way to use up a lot of those leftovers from sock-knitting projects, and it reminds me of designs by Kaffe Fassett and Missoni

How did she get so many different yarns to add into her blankie?  She enlisted the help of the Yarn Harlot back in 2006.  I may tap the stashes of friends, so if they are reading, watch out, I may be asking you for your ping-pong-sized balls of yarn!!  My plan is to use any fingering-weight yarn, not necessarily just sock yarn - anything as long as it's interesting, any fiber.

The first instruction is to do a gauge swatch.  I think I'll skip this step and jump right into starting the first square.  If I don't like the results, I can rip it out and change needles.  You start with a provisional cast on and the best little video I've seen of the technique is by Lucy Neatby on YouTube.

This will be a very long-term project.  No hurry on this one.  No pre-planning as to colors.  A possible timeline is to work one block every day.  Well, almost every day.  Maybe!

Today is Earth Day and it seems like a great project to celebrate the day - using up leftovers to make something useful.  Does anyone else want to knit along with me?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might

Do you ever make wishlists, either on paper or just in your mind?  I do.  I'm not talking about those big wishes such as a healthy family, world peace, a cure for illnesses, etc.  I'm talking about the kinds of wishes that might be within reach.  Why not share your wishlist?  Here are a few of mine:


BLOGGING
:  I wish Blogger would offer a way that I could ask
for email addresses from those of you who take the time to comment
so that I can write back to you.   Maybe they will offer this kind of
functionality someday.


KNITTING:  I wish I could go to visit Rowan Mill in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, UK and take a tour, sign up for a workshop.  A bonus would be to meet some of their designers, past and present, such as Kim Hargreaves and Jean Moss, to name but two.  A visit to Holmfirth could happen someday, I think!


HOME:  I wish I had a large round wooden table (and space enough for it), big enough for friends to sit around and knit and share a meal.  Maybe one day....


KNITTING (again):  I wish I could knit up all the projects in my stash in one lifetime.  I plan to make a dent in my stash, at least.


GUITAR:  I wish I could play the guitar like David Gilmour (left) or Derek Trucks.  It'll never, ever, happen but I will do the best I can and be satisfied with that.

TRAVEL:  I wish I could visit many countries and cultures.  I've made a good start, and one day I'll travel more.

Why not share your wishlist?  Think of it as a meme and you've been tagged.  Let me know if you post your wishlist!  And in the Good News Department, one of my favorite blogs is back after a long hiatus.  Welcome back to "Fluffbuff"!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Yarn-Bombed Bear

In Denver there is a 42-foot blue bear that they say comes down from the mountains and peers in through the Convention Center windows to see what's going on. However, yesterday the bear was hampered by an 8-foot ball-and-chain of yarn. The yarn bombing was short-lived. The staff at the Convention Center removed it 2-1/2 hours after it was put in place. Since all of this was done in the very early morning hours, not many got to see it, but the story was on the news over breakfast and written up in the newspaper, so we have proof of the happening.


According to the newspaper, the Denver Post, "the bear's extralegal accoutrement consists of an enormous inflated rubber ball, chain links formed from a dryer-vent duct and an oversized leg cuff made from chicken wire. All of these elements are covered in a thick cozy crocheted from every skein of Red Heart Super Saver Turqua blue acrylic yarn Esther [one of the yarn bombers] could lay her hands on". It took 21 minutes to attach the big blue ball and chain to the bear at 4:00 am.

The bear holds a special interest for me. I worked with the artist's wife, Anne, a number of years ago and she would bring in her husband's (Lawrence Argent) drawings of the bear-in-progress. It was fun to get sneak peeks. Here's an article from June, 2005 that you might enjoy, click here.

I like the bear and it's too bad that the ball-and-chain didn't remain for a while for all to see. Oh well.

I wish that the next project would be a long hat for the horse at the entrance to the airport, brought down over its lighted red, evil-looking eyes.  Just sayin' ...


I wonder where the yarn bombers, self-named as the Ladies Fancywork Society, will strike next.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Keep Talking

Last week, April 14th, was my 8-year anniversary of blogging.  I haven't always been on Blogger (formerly with my own web space, but Blogger is easier for me) and it started out with the name "Keep Talking".  When I switched to Blogger, the former blog name wasn't available, unfortunately, so I switched to Rhythm of the Needles. 
To celebrate, I think I'll pick up my needles and knit and listen to Pink Floyd.  Keep talking, everybody!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

I See Spots

First of all, the winner of the Stash bank contest, chosen at random, is SHIRL  Her pattern suggestion from Patternfish is a good one.  Patternfish is a wonderful resource (I have a couple of patterns on there too!).  Thanks to everyone who gave me such good ideas.  I've saved all the links and may be knitting some of the sweaters for Braydon in the future.  Shirl, if you could email me with your mailing address your bank will be in the mail on Monday.  Congratulations and Happy Stashing!!  And speaking of Patternfish, I purchased the pattern that I'm knitting now from that website. A happy coincidence.
___________________

Braydon's Blue Cable pullover is coming along quickly.  I'm ready to start the armhole shaping for the back of the sweater.  I'll be finished the back today.  Raglan sweaters finish up quickly after you reach the armholes because of all those decrease rows.


I'm also planning to start on row 5 of the blocks for the cushion today. 

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Quilting in Offenburg

For as long as I can remember I've been drawn to quilting, although I've never tried it.  That's probably because I don't much like sewing.  I've tried to like it.  I really have.  I took many sewing courses, starting with Home Economics classes in grade 8 to spending my summers during high school taking sewing classes at the local Singer store.  I was happy with the garments and accessories that I made, but the sewing bug never bit.  Later, when my daughter was little, I made her skirts, tops, shorts and toys.  Still nothing, although it was a joy to see how happy my daughter was with my sewing projects.

The closest I've come to quilting was making placemats along with my friend, Barb.  We would buy fabric that was already quilted, cut out the oval shape of the placemat and sew bias binding around it.  They turned out nicely, too, and I kind of enjoyed myself.  But, that's not really quilting.

I've bought quilting magazines and poured over them.  I've admired the quilt top that my daughter made as a young teen, as well as a pillow that she made.  Both are beautiful.  I've watched many quilting shows on TV, usually knitting while watching.

A couple of weeks ago I watched Georgia Bonesteel's Lap Quilting show #1107.  I enjoyed it as much for the locale as the quilting.  She was visiting Offenburg, Germany which is only 15 kilometers from Lahr, where I spent 8 years.  The shop is Gerhard Humpert Sewing/Quilting Shop at Zahringerstraße 21a. 

Offenburg City Crest
I've started forming a plan of returning to Germany, possibly in 2013.  Shows like this one, plus a Travel Scope show I saw about Fasching, make me anxious to go back to Germany.  When the time comes, I'm hoping to visit yarn shops, possibly quilt shops, as well as the beautiful sights of the Baden-Württemberg / Schwarzwald / Rhine area.

Ich muß Deutschland wieder zu besuchen.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Triangle Squares Cushion - 4 Rows Finished

I have now finished 4 rows of blocks - half way through one side of the cushion, 25% finished overall.


The more rows I do, the more I like this cushion and I'm still really enjoying working on it.  I think it looks good against a background of Kaffe Fassett fabric.  I found it online at QuiltHome.com.

Onwards.....

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Next Up For Braydon

Braydon's "B" sweater was put in the mail this week so it's time to start something new for him. When I worked at A Knitted Peace, I picked up some of this yarn when it came into the store:


It's Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby Spot Prints DK, color #309.   I didn't have anything in mind when I bought it.  I just knew that it was a nice baby yarn and a good color for a little boy.  It's been in my stash for more than a year.  Then, I found this pattern on Patternfish:

Peter Pan Pattern #P901
I'll make the version on the right with the ribbing, in size 3, the largest size on the pattern.  It must have been kismet when I found this pattern.  Do you see the letter "B" beside it?  And then, there is a letter "A" above.  Braydon's middle name begins with "A".  Do you think that it's a sign?  ☺

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Belle Organic DK - Fit For A Queen

A couple of weeks ago I visited a new knitting/sewing store in Denver, Fabric Bliss. I found a yarn that I'd never seen before: Rowan by Amy Butler Belle Organic DK. I couldn't resist picking up one ball to do a test swatch and I chose color #002, Cornflower.  It's 50% organic wool and 50% organic cotton.  My first impression is very favorable.  It's soft and has excellent stitch definition.  One day I may get a sweater's worth.  There are many pretty colors to choose from, so it will be hard to decide, but I do really like this particular shade.  I thinking that a cabled cardigan would be nice.  Perhaps with some silver buttons.


In the meantime, I've found a perfect little project.  I'm using this yarn to knit a dress, hat and coat for Queen Elizabeth II.  The knitting of the dress is finished.  Both pieces are identical.  I just need to sew the front and back together.

Look at the waist shaping.  It appears that Her Majesty has a nice figure hiding under her coat!  This will probably be a long-term project as it's going to be a Christmas gift.  But, with all the talk about the Royal wedding, I was in the mood to start it now.  Besides, I had this nice new yarn to try out.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I ♥ Intarsia

This is definitely not boring!!  I've got 18.75% finished.  That sounds like more than saying 3 rows of blocks out of 16 are done.  I'm enjoying this project a lot and, yes, the ends are all sewn in so far.


The knitting is actually a bit brighter and clearer.  I must remember to take pictures in natural light.  Next time.

Monday, April 11, 2011

I'm In A Santana Frame of Mind ♫

Yesterday I watched the excellent DVD, "Live By Request", which started out with this song, one of my favorites:


 

I've been lucky enough to see Santana three times and will go again.  The music, the energy, the singing, the show...amazing.  I've also see Rob Thomas and his concert was really good, too.  I can always tell when it's spring as I find myself surfing online to find some good live music.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Double Take & Goodbye

It's not everyday that you see a real coyote in the back of a truck.  It made me look twice.  No fear, it's stuffed.  I snapped this picture with my cell phone!


Later today the Colorado Avalanche will be playiong their last game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers.  It hasn't been a good season.  They started out great last October, but in the past months wins have been few and far between.  Hopefully they will do better next year.  It's going to be hard.  They are losing one of their best players.  Adam Foote is retiring after today and he will be missed.  It's the end of an era as he's the last player remaining from the team that moved to Denver from Québec City in 1995.  I hope that the Avs can win this one for Adam.


Saturday, April 9, 2011

Triangle Cushion - The Reknit

I started the Triangle Cushion over from the beginning.  My results this time are different than with the first attempt, but not as much as I'd hoped.  The last stitch on the left side of the square is still a bit loose, only with the Cotton Glace yarn, as before.  It's better than it was, but I was hoping for even better.  The cotton is more slippery than the Revive yarn so the Revive is fine.  I gave the Glace a little snugging when changing colors.  The lighter the color, the more you can see the loose stitch.  Some have suggested that blocking will help to even out those pesky stitches and I think that they are absolutely right.


I also reduced the needle size slightly, changing from 3.0mm to 2.75mm.  It's not a huge change, but I like the resulting fabric batter.  When I spread out the stitches, they are nice and dense, which is what I want in a cushion.  I don't want the pillow to be seen between stitches and color changes.  At the end of each triangle I had approximately 4" more yarn left than with the first knitting.

All in all, reknitting was the right thing to do and I'm very glad that I did it.  I'm now going to go forward and enjoy the process and seeing the colors and the rows emerging.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Eye Candy Friday - Shopping Edition

The eye candy isn't found in the photography but in the subject of these pictures.  Little by little the IKEA store is getting closer to completion, expected to open this fall.



I'm a fan of this Swedish giant store.  I've visited it in several locations:  Edmonton, Ottawa, Freiburg Germany.  Until this particular store's opening was announced the closest store was hundreds of miles away (I think it was in Arizona).  Now, not only is one opening in the Denver area, it's in my end of town, just a few miles away.  I can't wait.  I've just gone to their website and ordered the current catalog.  I like to be prepared!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Restarting

Here is what the first three rows of blocks of my Triangle Squares Cushion looked like early last evening:


The observant amongst you will notice that the cushion has been unravelled and the colors wound back into little butterflies.  I had finished rows 1 and 2 of the blocks and had wound the yarn, ready for row 2.

I hade to do it.  I couldn't ignore the loose stitches on the side of some of the triangles:


The loose stitches were only on one side of the triangle, and only with the Glace cotton.  The triangles with the Revive yarn (pink tweed-looking yarn on the right) were okay.  I thought that it was easier to rip back now rather than be sorry that I didn't much later.  I started reknitting last night and I'm paying particular attention to these stitches, making sure that they are snug.  If they are still looking loose after reknitting, then I've decided that I'll live with it. 

I was knitting on 3.0mm needles and was making gauge exactly.  However, I didn't wash the swatch and I know that cotton has a bad habit of stretching.  I decided to reduce the needles to 2.75mm.  It's not much, and the resulting, slightly tighter, fabric looks better to me.  If the cushion turns out to be too small for the pillow, then I can always work a row or two around the perimeter.

I hope that the reknit is successful, but to quote an old Doris Day song, "Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)".

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Give Me A Break

Can you believe this ad from Esquire magazine, from 1959?  A little misogyny, perhaps? 


The print is small, it reads:

"men are better than women !  Indoors women are useful -- even pleasant.  On a mountain they are something of a drag.  So don't go hauling them up a cliff just to show off your Drummond climbing sweaters.  No need to.  These pullovers look great anywhere.  On the level !  Entirely hand fashioned of the purest, warmest worsted in a bold, clear shaker stitch.  Genuine bone buttons.  Sizes:  S-M-L-XL.  Left, Joring.  Low button pullover with harness shawl collar that closes up to the neck.  Set-in pocket.  They come no finer !  In brass, white, olive, gray, $25.  Right, Norfolk.  An entirely new approach to sweater-making.  Belted -- attention getting -- quite magnificent.  In brass, olive, black, $25.  DRUMMOND sweaters."

I'm not sure from this picture, but the sweatres appear to be stocking stitch, not shaker stitch, by the way.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Triangles and Squares

I've finished the first row of blocks of the Triangle Squares Cushion and I've really enjoyed the colorwork, intarsia, the yarns.  I know that the cushion is 24" wide, but somehow, seeing it "in person", it seems bigger than I pictured.  No problem, I'm just surprised.


What you're not seeing is the ends, carefully tucked under the knitting!  I like to weave them in after every few inches of knitting.

I prepared for the new row of blocks last Saturday and I'm working on it now.


As intarsia projects go, this one is quite easy.  With predictable color changes, it's not hard to memorize the pattern and just concentrate on the knitting.

One row of blocks finished, 15 more to go, counting all the rows, front and back of the cushion. 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Fabric Bliss

On Saturday I visited a new store in town, Fabric Bliss at 828 Santa Fe Drive in Denver.  It's the artsy part of Santa Fe and it's a nice area to go for a walk.  Colorado photographer, John Fielder's store is across the street.


Fabric Bliss a charming shop that caters to both knitters and sewers.  It's bright and cheery and I was greeted with a warm welcome.  Being a lover of Rowan yarns, it's the first thing I focused on when I started browsing.  The yarn is on the right-hand side of the shop:


There are a couple of other brands of yarn, but the Rowan yarn was one I hadn't seen before, so I made a beeline for it.  It's a new yarn, just launched this spring:  Rowan Amy Butler Belle Organic, 50% wool and 50% cotton.  The store had both the DK and Aran weights.  I left with a ball of the DK weight in Cornflower Blue, #002 to swatch with.  More on the yarn another time.

On the right-hand side of the shop are the fabrics and sewing supplies:

On the left is Aurora, the owner and right is Kayla, her assistant.
I'm not a sewer but there were things that would tempt me if I was.  Aurora's cheerfulness and enthusiasm are infectious.  Her shop has lots of room to grow and to add more products and I look forward to a return visit in the not-too-distant future.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Cash-For-Stash Contest

I've finished Braydon's "B" pullover.  I have a couple of ideas for upcoming sweaters for him, but I thought I'd start a little collection of good pattern ideas for little boys.  That's where you come in.  In the comments, tell me the name of the pattern and where to find it:  book, link, website, etc.  I may or may not make the sweater, but I'll check out each suggstion.  I'm not looking for entire websites listing patterns, but specific pattern ideas.

It needs to be sized somewhere between 18 months and 4 years.  I prefer to knit with fingering or DK weights of yarn.  I likely wouldn't make anything in a chunky-weight.

For your efforts, I have a prize for one lucky poster:

Cash For Stash Bank
It's a pottery bank where you can put away your pennies in order to save up to increase your yarn stash.  I'll announce the winner, chosen at random, on Sunday, April 17th. That gives you two weeks. 

Good luck and thanks for sharing your ideas with me.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

How Bizarre

This is not an April Fool's joke.  It was in the NY Times last October.  It's proof that some people have more dollars than sense.

Case in point:

If you were to think of the qualities you'd expect to find in the world's most expensive socks, what would they be?  Strength?  Fit?  Feel on your feet?  Quality?  Warmth?  Practicality? Wearability?

How about a $500 pair of crocheted socks, full of holes, that can't be washed?


If you want to see a short 2-minute video about New Yorker's opinion of these socks, click here.  I couldn't agree more with their opinions. 

Maybe Rodarte did this as a way of getting publicity.  If so, then the socks are a success even if they don't sell a single pair.