Friday, August 30, 2013

Eye Candy Friday - Patience

I may (may??) be biased, but I think that my 3-1/2 year old grandson, Braydon, is adorable and I have a lot of cute photos of him. My daughter sent me this one recently and it's one of my favorites. Jessica and Braydon had spent the morning making cookies, and now he was patiently waiting for them to bake so that he could have one.  I'm not sure that I could have been as patient.


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Choosing Green or Green

I'm planning to go a little wild with color and have joined a knitalong on Ravelry to make a mystery shawl called "Craving Color". I've changed my mind on color choices a number of times but finally had the inspiration to make the shawl in New Orleans' Mardi Gras colors: green, yellow and purple. Why?  Why not!

The yarn I'm thinking of using is the Solid Series from The Loopy Ewe. I like the yellow and purple but I'm torn about the green yarn.


The one on the left is too light, too spring/Easter-like. The other is too dark but could work but I wish that the color was richer, more vibrant.? Now, I'm trying to decide:  should go with one of these greens or find another brand? I haven't found other yarn with the depth of color I'm looking for and in solid colors, fingering weight.

The start date for the knitalong is coming up soon, Friday, September 13th, so I'll have to make up my mind shortly.  I'm leaning towards going with the dark green.  Afterall, how often would I wear a Mardi Gras-colored shawl?  I think that it's going to be project that is fun to make and to have around, but will be worn rarely.

Hmmm.... maybe a trip to New Orleans is in order!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Nice Surprise

This morning I was having a look at some of the groups I belong to on Ravelry to see what's new.  I was excited when I saw this on the Pudding Yarn page.  Pudding Yarn is a shop in Calgary.


I've made a number of Kaffe's designs in the past, have one of the needles right now.  It's the Triangle Squares cushion, available as a free download. I have plans to make more of his designs in the future.  I have all the yarns and pattern to make Brandon's "Scales" (Rowan 38) and "Ease" (Rowan 49 - a man's pullover I'm converting to a woman's) patterns.  Kaffe's patterns and his philosophy on knitting changed my way of thinking about knitting and I embraced it wholeheartedly.  I love color, lots of color.  Intarsia is one of my favorite techniques.  It all fits.

I had a chance to speak very briefly with Kaffe Fassett in Toronto at a show around 1992 and listened to one of his lectures in Denver sometime about ten years ago.  It's going to be nice to take a class this time around.

I've signed up for both the lecture and book signing as well as Brandon's class and looking forward to both.  It's going to be quite a creative and inspiring day, I'm sure.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Colorado Avalanche Shawl - Finished

Moving right along with another finished project. My Colorado Avalanche Shawl is finished and blocked and I'm pleased with the results.  I love the deep richness of the colors of the yarn and the tweed flecks add some extra interest.  Now, on to block the Kusha, Kuhsa scarf. 


THE DETAILS

Pattern:  Earth & Sky by Stephen West
which I renamed my Colorado Avalanche Shawl


Yarn:  Rowan Fine Tweed 
Fingering weight
Colors:  Bainbridge #369 (burgundy), 
Nidd #382 (dark teal) and Pendle #377 (black)
   
Needles: US 5 - 3.75 mm

Ravelry:  Click here for my project page.

Notes:  The Colorado Avalanche schedule for 2013-2014 can be found here.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

A Bit of Mystery

Okay, here's a question for you.  If this man said, "Follow me", would you do it?


I said yes, as did about 1770 others, and still counting.  This is Stephen West and he's hosting a knitalong in which we'll be making a shawl called "Craving Color".  It's a mystery shawl and we get a clue once a week for four weeks, starting on September 13th.  Based on all of his other designs, I think it's a safe bet that I'll like the results.  

For this knitalong we're told to pick three colors that sing and take us to a colorful happy place.  Now, this could change, but for the moment I'm thinking that mine will be the colors of New Orleans' Mardi Gras.  I just need to find yarns in just the right colors in fingering weight.

It's a crazy color combination, but I love it!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Avalanche Shawl

The Kusha Kusha scarf was progressing so quickly (finished, needs blocking) that I started another project as well.  I shopped my stash for some yarn that I bought almost two years ago to make Stephen West's Earth & Sky shawl.  I envisioned it as a Colorado Avalanche shawl when I chose the colors.


The yarn is Rowan Fine Tweed.  I'm hoping that there will be enough drape, but I'm okay with the project is there isn't.  I like this yarn and it's deep rich colors. 

In progress - two more striped sections have been completed
  I'm now working on the bottom border

It's a well-written pattern and the color work appeals to my ever-lovin'-intarsia heart!  The project has been going quickly, especially since I've been knitting while rewatching past episodes of Breaking Bad (almost caught up - soon to watch the current one).  After only a few days of knitting I find myself working the border with around 400 stitches on the needles.  I'll definitely have it finished by the time hockey season rolls around.  GO AVs!!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Stolen Shawl

Recently I learned about a shawl that a knitter had made that was subsequently stolen.  I, as well as others, are sharing this story in the hopes that it can be found.  Perhaps you'll see it on eBay or Etsy, for example.  It's a beautiful lace shawl.  A friend of mine made one of these shawls and it is gorgeous - one of the prettiest you'll see.

The knitter's name is Susan,  susanlacewing on Ravelry.  The project description on Ravelry can be found here.

Here is her story:

"If anyone from Toronto sees this shawl walking around Toronto let me know. In fact take their picture for me. This was last seen at TGH [Toronto General Hospital] folded neatly in a zip lock produce bag. I had just blocked it the night before and brought it to the hospital to show my husband. That was the last time I saw it. This shawl represents the journey I have taken while my husband had his double lung transplant. I am so upset to think someone would take it. It is/was the most complicated lace pattern I have tackled so far. It also had 1500 beads knitted in to it one at a time...sigh ... I have a very large SAD.  Feel free to email me at suzanknits@gmail.com if you have any information. Thank you."


If you see it or have any information, please let Susan know.  Or... pass her story along so that there are more people keeping their eyes open for it.  The picture, above, is being shared with Susan's permission. Let's hope for a happy ending.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Breaking Bad

Break out the Funyuns*, Breaking Bad is back tonight. This show has me totally hooked!

On the Periodic Table -- Ne is Neon; C is Carbon

* In season 2, episode 9 of the AMC series Breaking Bad when Walt and Jesse go into the desert to cook meth, the main provision Jesse thinks to bring along are three bags of Funyuns. When questioned about his choice in foods for the marathon cook Jesse says, "Funyuns are AWESOME!"

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Shopping for Color

It's fun to shop for yarn in person but sometimes the yarns you want aren't available at your local yarn store, so you look to the internet.  Usually you will see a note that the "color may be different on your monitor".  I found that to be very true with Dream in Color Smooshy.

Case #1:  I plan to make the cardigan Oranje and wanted to replicate the colors that I saw in this picture on Ravelry - click here.  When I look at this sweater I see a blend of terracotta, sky/turquoise blue and an off-white leaning towards light yellow. I ordered exactly the same colors and they turned out to be much more brown, navy blue and light yellow with hints of pink. 

Case #2:  I like the cardigan Miss Lemon that I spotted on Ravelry.  It's a lovely and practical design and I ordered it as soon as I saw it.


The color in the picture is called Strange Harvest.  I went to the Dream in Color Smooshy to look at the color card and Strange Harvest looks like this:


The difference is quite dramatic.  I would call the color in the sweater picture to be in the green family with a touch of yellow.  The one on the skein appears more orange to brown.  

Don't get me wrong.  I love Smooshy yarn, but it's one yarn that I'll buy in person from now on if I'm looking for a specific shade or color.  I don't understand why the color can look one way on a garment and very differently on the online color page.  All colors are lovely, but if I'm looking for a specific shade, I'll buy it in person.  I haven't decided on a color for my Miss Lemon cardigan but I'll be going to a LOT of yarn stores during the yarn crawl in Denver in September.  I'm sure that I'll find something that "speaks to me" and I expect I'll be buying one of Dream in Color Smooshy's pretty shades for my Miss Lemon cardigan.

Friday, August 9, 2013

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

I found this picture while surfing the web and it made me laugh.  While the caption is all about Friday, I like to think that the music really moved this little girl.  I can identify with that!  It looks like New Orleans to me. 


I hope that your Friday is a good one.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Color Affection - The Beginning

The Kusha Kusha scarf is coming along nicely.  With the long weekend (= more knitting time) here in Canada, I'm hoping to finish, or at least come close to finishing.

I've started another project, too.  I needed something that I could carry along that would be interesting to work on but simple enough to remember.  I've always got a sock on the needles but was looking for something else. My solution was the very popular pattern, Color Affection (Ravelry link).  I've heard so many good things about the shawl.  As a matter of fact, one of my friends made two of them!

I had yarn from the road trip to Edmonton in June but wasn't sure if the two brands of yarn would work together even though they are both classified as fingering weight.  Adam & Eve, the house-yarn for River City Yarns is a little heavier than the Ancient Arts BFL yarn that I bought at the Olds Fibre event. 


The two yarns at the top are from Ancient Arts - left:  Nigeria, right:  Cinnamon Toast.  On the bottom is the Adam & Eve yarn from River City Yarns.  There was no color name on the label.  I'm hoping that these colors will give the shawl a Southwest feel.

I've worked to the beginning of the striping section and the yarns appear to be working together nicely.  The project is a GO!