I Love Them ALL!

Jul20

I realized I do not have a favorite yarn when I saw the post on Creative Knitting’s Facebook page that asked the questions “Do you have a favorite bulky yarn? What projects do you make with it?”  I don’t have a favorite bulky, worsted, fingering or any other weight yarn.  I love them all!  I realized that I’m more into textures, colors, and how the yarn feels.  I may be planning a project with a specific yarn that has been suggested for the pattern but get completely sidetracked when my eyes stray and I am enticed to use a completely different yarn for any of the above reasons.

I will buy yarn for no other reason than I like, no, make that LOVE, the way it feels between my fingers, or the color just makes me drool.  I am not that way with picking out a pattern or a general project, for it is rare that I do not make a change in the pattern, no matter how slight.  Perhaps I am lured by color most of all.  Years ago when I was smocking bishop dresses for my daughter and before that working cross stitch, I would buy floss just because I loved the color.  Recently I gave my stash of floss to the teen-ager for her to use making friendship bracelets and such.  When she returns home from camp and she is bored, and waiting for school to start, I will ask her to count just how many skeins of embroidery floss she does have, and I will let you know.

Fleece Artist Sea Wood, 70% Merino Wood, 30% Seacell

The variegated yarns of blues and greens just make my fingers itch to start knitting.  This is one of my favorite skeins of yarn:  Fleece Artist’s Sea Wool in gorgeous blues.  Doesn’t it make you think of swimming in cool, clear water on a hot, summer morning?  I may never make anything with it, I  am content to just feel it and look at it.  I bought this from Knit Nouveau in Homewood, Alabama, before it went out of business.

 

 

Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca D.K.. 100% Alpaca

This Baby Alpaca D.K. from Plymouth Yarn is so soft and the colors are so luscious.  I made the scarf “Latifa” from Knitty’s website for my niece and used a beautiful sock yarn for the ruffles that miraculously had all the colors.  I bought this yarn from a LSY in Destin, Florida.

Latifa Scarf from Knitty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jo Sharp Silkwood Aran Tweed, 85% Wool, 10% Silk, 5% Cashmere

When I got to Knit Nouveau’s  going out of business sale there were only three skeins of this Jo Sharp’s Silkwood Aran Tweed left.  I absolutely love this green and ohhhh, the way it feels makes you want to squeeze it non-stop.

 

 

 

 

Plymouth Yarn Royal Silk Merino, 51% Silk, 49% Merino Wood

Now in contrast to all these blues and greens I have in my stash a bag of beautiful pale yellow yarn, Plymouth Yarn’s Royal Silk Merino.  I bought this from Little Knits online at least four years ago.  Did not have a pattern I wanted to knit with it or know when I could get to it,  but I had to have it.  I oooooed, and aaahhhed for days after it came in the mail.  I still do when I get it out to just look at it.  Someday I will find the perfect pattern for this yarn.

These are a few of my favorite yarns.  They are spun from different fibers and are of different weights and textures.  There appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why I love them.  I just do.  What are a few of your favorite yarns and what do you find so appealing about them?

Mystery Yarn

Jul18

Do you have any anonymous yarn in your stash?  I like to visit thrift stores and sometimes I hit the jackpot with yarn. On one visit to my favorite thrift shop, I found skeins of Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton Classic for $1.00 per skein. Yes, I bought all they had.

Cotton Classic Colors

11 skeins of Cotton Classic White

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes I return from the shopping trip empty-handed; however, on occasion I can find a name brand blouse or tee-shirt for only $4.00 unless the store is having a half-price sale and I can buy it for $2.00!  Last week I bought a pair of Calvin Klein jeans for $1.50!  Excuse me, I’m getting off topic.

I have several balls of yarn without a band in my stash that were bought at this shop that I definitely want to use for a knitting project one day.

Mystery Yarn

A swatch of one mystery yarn

A few are very soft and I can’t decide if the yarn is a high-end acrylic or an acrylic blend.

The "Great Unknown"

One yarn in particular is an unknown content and as there are just a few skeins to work with, I really don’t want to “waste” it making a swatch.  But, I probably will.

Any suggestions for knitting projects?

The First Time I Picked Up Knitting Needles

Jul12

When I was little, one of my mother’s friends seemed to be able to do anything she set her mind to doing:  wallpapering, painting, sewing, and….knitting.  She probably crocheted, too, but I don’t remember her doing that.  I watched her knit and was fascinated by the things she made and I wanted to learn to do that.  I pestered Mother until she let me ask Ruby to teach me how to knit. I vaguely remember wanting to knit a sweater and that’s what she started me on – a sweater!  Not a scarf or scarves, not a washcloth, or even a hat but a whole sweater.  I remember it was a simple cardigan with 2×2 ribbing in a soft olive-green wool.  Mother bought the needles and yarn for me and I was on my way to knit;ing a sweater!  But….. I didn’t finish it.  However, I did complete the back but never knitted the front sides or the sleeves.  I remember seeing the back with bound off armholes and the neck stitches on a brass holder, stored in Mother’s double cedar closet; but after she died and we cleared out the house I didn’t find it in the closet.  When I think about when I learned to knit and how young I was, I am amazed that Ruby let me begin knitting on a sweater and not something simple like a garter stitch scarf.  Maybe that is why I am not intimidated by complicated designs or patterns considered advanced or needing experience; I was not told that I “could not do that.”  I am the same way when it comes to sewing.  The first piece of clothing I made after taking Singer sewing classes when I was 14 was a lined, wool, princess-seamed jumper with two pleats.  Daddy always told me to never say “I can’t.”

It has been a long while since that first almost-sweater.  These days I am finishing a second v-neck sweater.  I call it my “tornado” sweater since I started it back in April when the power was out from the tornadoes that hit a community two miles from where I lived at the time.  The back andthe front are finished and the sleeves are being knitted at the same times on circular needles.

"Double" knitting sleeves

This ‘double’ knitting is great in that when I finish a sleeve, they are both finished!

Sleeve for the Charlotte "tornado" tee shirt

Coco sitting on the back of the sweater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken at the same time as the one above but with a different exposure.

 

 

 

 

I would love to complete the sweater in time to wear to a wedding this Saturday but it is a wool blend and the wedding is in downtown Chattanooga, in the middle of July, no less.  Maybe not.  I may wear the first v-neck sweater I finished earlier this summer a combination of linen and cotton, perfect for a hot, humid Southern afternoon.

Mid-Summer Art Festival

Jul3

This afternoon, my teenager and I walked down the street toward town where the art festival was being held in the town’s square where it was hot and even more humid.  I learned years ago when I was a camp counselor that the only way to survive this type of weather was to give yourself “permission” to be hot and sweaty. We wandered around the various booths of beautiful handmade glass jewelry, pottery, watercolors, oils, iron work, wood work and other artsy items.

 

 

 

 

My favorite items were handmade earrings and these felted purses:

Becky's Bags

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becky's Bags in art festival booth

Becky also works in pottery and makes wonderful lidded bowls with little wrens on the lid.  Her booth was next to a butterfly booth and a wren was hidden in it singing away.  What a delight!

Permanent Change of Scenery

Jul2

In the middle of June my family moved from one mountain top to the neighboring mountain top, only this one is several hundred feet higher and the temperature is cooler. This will be our first holiday here and so far it’s been an interesting one.  There is an art festival being held in the center of the village (it’s too small to be called a town) which is at the beginning of the street where we live now.

This is the street in front of the house where I now live.

I love it here;  it’s quiet and there is a LOT of wildlife around close.  How close?  How about red-tailed hawks and deer in your back yard?  Not at the same time, of course.  And ticks, and granddaddy long leg spiders are in abundance.  When my cat, Monkee, comes in from gallivanting around, she has to be checked for ticks unless you want to find one on yourself later.  At least I have reached a point where I don’t screech and yell, “Get it off of me!”

My across the street neighbor has a bluebird box in their front yard and this week I have been enjoying watching the parents fly in and out of the nest.  I remember when sighting the bluebird became a rare occurrence because they were being decimated by the effects of DDT.  So it is a special thing for me to see the beautiful Eastern Bluebird so close.

The is the same street about a block away in the opposite direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For about three weeks while in the middle of moving I did not pick up anything to knit!  Unbelievable that I could go that long without knitting.  Since I began knitting obsessively about five years ago, I do not believe that I have gone that long without picking up my knitting needles.  What is interesting are the differences found in knitting my current two projects.  A simple ribbed tee-shirt is knit in the Plymouth Yarn Bella Colour, an aran weight cotton and acrylic blend which makes my right thumb sore and painful.   However, while knitting the Lily Chin Chelsea, a 5-ply sport weight blend of merino wool, cotton and acrylic does not cause any pain and soreness.  As a result, I’ve put away the PY yarn and am working to finish the Charlotte v-neck raglan tee-shirt designed by Rosemary Drysdale.  I am working on both sleeves as the same time using circular needles.  This way, once I finish one sleeve I will also be finishing the second sleeve and the sweater will be ready to block and seam!

This is what I left - the street in front of the house where I used to live

Yarn Has Many Uses

Jun22

Yarn has many uses besides knitting.  I discovered that skeins make great padding when packing boxes of breakables.  My daughter received some very bright, neon colored yarn and I used it first.

Then, still needing padding, I moved on to my stash that was (still is) packed in a large grey plastic bin. 

My "breakables"

I also use pots and pans to provide greater protection against breakage

My better yarns are still stored in clear plastic bins so I know where they are without a lot of hunting.  I used the grey bin to store acrylics and blends I use for toys. The question my husband keeps asking is “When are you going to get rid of those magazines?”  I’m not sure.  I do know that I have quit purchasing every knitting magazine I come across.  Also, I have let my magazine subscriptions expire and purchase a magazine only if there is an article I really want to read or a pattern I want to knit.  If I get around to knitting all those patterns, I will be knitting when I am 100 years old!  My favorite magazine is Interweave because the patterns are not outlandish and the articles are so informative.

Other than knitting what other uses do you find for your yarn?

A Tale of Two Sweaters

Jun16

The past couple of months have been more than unsettling.  I knew back in March I would be moving in June and since then it’s been hectic to say the least.  In the middle of packing I was still knitting, hoping I could finish a sweater to wear the first Sunday in a new church.  However, that was a little too ambitious.  Perhaps if I had not been knitting two sweaters, I might have finished one.  Someday I’ll learn.  The first sweater is “Charlotte Raglan Tee” designed by Rosemary Drysdale found on the Tahki Stacy Charles website.  I’m knitting it in Chelsea by Lily Chin in blue.  I love the lace effect on the hems of the sleeves and body of the sweater and it’s easy to memorize.  I am knitting both sleeves at the same time on the size 5 Hiya Hiya circulars.

Back of Charlotte Raglan TeeCoco and the Charlotte Raglan Tee

The front of the Charlotte Raglan Tee with a different camera exposure. I hate it when that happens.... The top picture is a more accurate rending of the yarn color.

The second sweater is a free round neck tee shirt pattern in K4, P3 ribbing from Plymouth Yarn using Bella Colour in a baby blue.  It is in hibernation at the moment due to circumstances I could have controlled…our new puppy (more like half-grown dog) pulled my size 8 Hiya Hiya circular needles out of my bag and chewed the cable.  Of course, the front of the sweater was full of dropped stitches but, thankfully, the yarn was not chewed in two.  Will wonders ever cease?   My bag was on the floor, so what can I say?  So far Maggie May has chewed two leashes, a collar, a lawn chair and my daughter’s shoe.  She’s a stray who came to the house and we’ve kept her.  Based upon Maggie’s chewing habits, she must have some lab in her but she’s built like a greyhound.  We already had three cats, Sweetie, the fat ginger kitty, who is as sweet as her name; Monkee, the black with three white spots down her chest and tummy; and the baby, Coco, who isn’t really black but not brown either.  He’s is the most loveable cat I’ve ever had.  When you pick him up, he goes limp like a ragdoll.  How did I go from knitting to cats and dogs?  Oh yeah, the dog who likes to chew.

The back of the round neck tee shirt pattern from Plymouth Yarn

The front of the sweater Maggie May ripped by chewing the needle cable

All my yarn is either in boxes or bins and will stay there until I get these two sweaters finished.  My Peaches and Cream yarns are in a tote bag which I’ll dig into to pick out yarns for dishcloths to knit for gifts – for the people who helped me move and the special people left behind.

The Aftermath

May5

Power is back on for me and life is pretty back to normal;  but, for countless others life will never be the same.  There are towns and communities practically wiped off the face of the earth and people are still missing.  Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa on Facebook is doing outstanding work putting people and resources together.  Food is being cooked and distributed; diapers and personal hygiene items are being handed out and people who are walking around in a daze not knowing what to do next are being comforted.  For those of you who may not be familiar with the Alabama way of life, Toomer’s Corner is the famous corner at Auburn University where people gather after football games.  And the rivalry between the two universities is unmatched.  In the state of Alabama, when you are introduced to someone, one of the first things you ask is “Are you an Auburn or Alabama fan?”

So it is significant that this effort is instigated by an Auburn graduate who has made appeals to alumni from Maine to California.  18-wheelers loaded with supplies are leaving from places like Delaware and California headed to Alabama. It’s not just Tuscaloosa that is  benefiting from her efforts, other towns and neighborhoods suffering damage from the multiple tornadoes are being helped.

I am so impressed by this young woman’s efforts – she’s awesome.  If you would like to support her and the tornado victims check out Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa on Facebook.   I am moving in June and instead of having a yard sale I’m taking clothes, kitchen and other items to the local drop-off.

Tornado Aftermath

Apr29

I have been without power since the tornado hit Wednesday.  I watched the tornado, shrouded in rain, from the church parking lot and then it went east, to kill 40+ people in the county.  I’ve been knitting to candlelight and going to bed to the sound of my neighbor’s generator.  But with no power, you can go outside and see an infinite number of stars you don’t ordinarily see.  It’s wonderful but the reason is painful.  Don’t know when I’ll be back online.  Please pray for those who lost family members and those who can’t find family members.  We’ll never be the same.  When I wear the sweaters I’m knitting, I’ll remember the storms.  All of north Alabama is without power as the huge power lines that carry electricity cross country are down because of the tornadoes.  We may be without for one to two weeks.  Should have a lot to show by then.   My brother-in-law’s neighborhood in Pleasant Grove is in shambles but their house is ok.  Who is untouched?  take care

On Spring Break

Apr10

It’s Spring Break (yes, I know it’s late) and we’re camping by the Tennessee River.  If you can call it camping when you have hot and cold running water, a refrigerator/freezer and an indoor bathroom.  My camping in a tent days ended when I left the Girl Scouts,  I’ll have my knitting with me, of course, and I’m working on two swatches.  I’d like to knit something for the summer but considering my past history it will be October when I finish.  I promise to share pictures before the week is over.  Take care and have fun,