Christmas book haul

I'm not usually a huge fan of "haul" posts, but since this is a blog about reading and knitting, I thought I'd do a post on my Christmas book gifts, what I will be reading over the next few months.

(One of my relatives asked, "Why do you need so many books?  You have a Kindle, don't you?"  And it's true, but I love having hard copies, particularly of history books.  As I told my sister, as a History Master's Degree student, I'm building a library here!)

My Christmas book haul included:

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie.
This book was one of my favorites growing up.  My father had an interest in Russian history, particularly the fall of the Romanov dynasty, and I read his copy to tatters (sorry, Dad).  I'm so excited to have my own copy.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie

Loving Nicholas and Alexandra as I do, I was excited to hear that Massie's latest book on Catherine the Great was almost universally praised.  I can't wait to read it.

Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir

Alison Weir!  My goal to amass an entire collection of her books continues.  I've read her Six Wives of Henry VIII, but I've never read a book strictly on the life and reign of Henry himself.  I'm looking forward to this one.

Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser

Thus far, my only experience with Antonia Fraser involved her biography of Marie Antoinette, but this intrigued me.  Also, David and I were married on Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th, so the date and events pique my interest.

World Without End by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth was quite possibly my favorite book that I read in 2011.  I am so excited to read the sequel!

In addition to the histories/historical fiction, I also received two knitting books:

The Knitter's Life List by Gwen Steege
This isn't a book that I had heard of before; my father read a review of it in the paper and thought it would be good for me.  I've only leafed through it thus far, but it's pretty amazing -- sort of a knitter's checklist of things to learn, places to go, people to meet.  

Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists on Classic Patterns by Nancy Bush
This is one of those "inspiration" books of patterns that I'm scared to death to try.  But the pictures are so beautiful, and I'm going to force myself to knit some of these beauties!


So there are four days left until the new year.  Four days, and I have one book to read.  What did I pick?


Nicholas and Alexandra.  My mom thinks I'm crazy, but I've read it before, I love it, and as of this morning I am on...page 74 of 527.  No sweat.  I can do it!
 

Review: Mastering Color Knitting by Melissa Leapman

Every knitter has a knitting book library.  Since I'm still relatively new to extensive knitting (I knitted a million garter stitch scarves before finally branching out into new stuff), my library is still relatively small.  But I received the gift of another new knitting book last Saturday (thanks Drea!) and I just read it and want to review it today.  Book 97 for the year 2011 is Mastering Color Knitting by Melissa Leapman.

Color knitting -- Fair Isle, intarsia, or double-knitting, can be a daunting prospect.  In her book, Leapman breaks down the fundamentals of each of these techniques, making them slightly more approachable and somewhat less scary.  Fair Isle, the kind of knitting you think of when you picture fancy Scandinavian sweaters, is the art of color knitting in patterns over many rows, carrying the unused colors on the other side of the knitting in floats.  Intarsia, or "picture-knitting", is just what it sounds like -- knitting pictures into your knitting without carrying the unused yarn.  Double-knitting is a technique where the knitter works both sides of the knitting at the same time, but in contrasting colors and patterns.  All of these are more intermediate skills, but Leapman breaks them down so as to make the knitter more comfortable.

There are loads of pictures and charts, most of them colored, and even a handy graph in the back that Leapman encourages the reader to photocopy and use in designing his or her own color knitting.  The book boasts 12 original patterns ranging from easy -- a throw pillow, a hat -- to challenging -- a full fair isle sweater with steeking.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and it's definitely pushing my itch to try some color knitting of my own.  Perhaps the Selbu hat pattern that I mentioned before?  Gotta wait until after Christmas when my knitting is done!

Rating: ****

Review: Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

As obsessed as I am with reading and knitting, all too often, knitting fiction piques my interest.  I read The Friday Night Knitting Club last year, and was gifted with a copy of the sequel this Christmas.  WARNING: If you have not yet read Friday Night Knitting Club, this review will contain spoilers.

Knit Two takes place five years after the end of Friday Night, and the members of the Club are still struggling to put the pieces of their lives back together after losing their beloved Georgia Walker.  Dakota Walker, Georgia's daughter, is 18 now, brooding, restless, and hoping for a future where she isn't tied down to her mother's knitting store and legacy.  Peri, the co-owner of the store following Georgia's death, struggles between her loyalty to the store and her desire to branch out with her own line of pocketbooks.  Lucie discovers that her hasty decision to enter single-motherdom isn't as simple now, with a five-year-old terror and a booming career that takes her to Italy.  Catherine, having left her vile husband, tries desperately to understand what is missing from her life as a wealthy divorcee.  Elderly widower Anita has recently accepted a proposal from her boyfriend Marty, and must confront the naysaying of her angry sons while battling her own secrets.  And ultra-feminist Darwin, a new mother to twins, attempts to balance life as a professor and as a mom.

The book is a page-turner, the characters lively, making you wonder what is going to happen next.  But Knit Two lacks the story arc that made Friday Night the bestseller that it was.  For the first 150 or so pages, there's plenty of build-up.  And then, all of a sudden, half of the characters (Anita, Lucie, Dakota, and Catherine) are in Italy for various reasons, and the other three (I neglected to mention KC above, mainly because her main story arc, her battles with smoking and menopause, are the most forgettable of the book) are left behind and shunted to the side.  Here is where I felt both Knit Two and Friday Night lost their appeal -- when the gang goes to a foreign country.  The idea of a European trip in order to find oneself has been done to death, and going to Rome really doesn't bring any sort of spin to the book -- Jacobs could just as well have sent them all to Napa for the cultural differences that they experience in Rome.

The overwhelming grief over Georgia's loss -- five years later -- is also unbelievable.  Dakota, of course, as Georgia's daughter, who was only 13 when she lost her mother, is the only one whose grief is understandable.  She is still working through it, and at 18 still figuring out who she is.  But the overwhelming apathy of James (Dakota's father) and Catherine was ridiculous.  The part about them going out to dinner frequently and setting a place at the table for Georgia made me roll my eyes.  And the entire community being obsessed with Georgia reminded me how skeptical I was of the obsession everyone had with Lorelei and Rory on "Gilmore Girls" -- does the entire world revolve around young, unfortunate, single mothers and their offspring?

The final chapter reminded me way too much of the "Sex and the City" films.  Not everything is perfect -- but enough is.  It was an enjoyable read, if one can get past the few eye-rolly chapters.  I wish there had been more about Darwin.  She was definitely my favorite character from the first book, and not enough was fleshed out about her in book two.

Rating: ***

A "Russian" state of mind

Ten days left until Christmas.  Sixteen days left until the new year.  So 10 knitting days left, 16 reading days left.  Help.

I noticed something over the last few weeks.  A bunch of my hobbies, or what I do in my spare time, seem to be following a similar path.

My reading:

(From left to right: The Romanov Bride, Alexander: The Last Empress, and The Kitchen Boy)

I've been spending some time on this website in an attempt to learn conversation Russian.  (So far, I can say about six words.  Not that great, but I'm still learning!).

I've been working diligently on David's Christmas present (or one of them): a One-Row Handspun Scarf in some yarn that he picked out on our honeymoon in Vieux Montreal last year.  The yarn is Malabrigo Rios (100% merino) in the Pearl Ten colorway...

...which almost perfectly matches my nail lacquer, ironically, OPI's Russian Navy.

The librarian who checked out my books said "That's a good winter theme".  I guess he was right.

Five books to go.  Five.

One knit to go.  One.

Time's a tickin'...

Setting the bar

I learned how to knit in 2004.  Well, "learned to knit" as in learned how to execute the knit stitch and not much else.  I learned to purl, decrease, increase, knit socks, etc. in 2009 -- five years later.  I knitted my first lace in 2011.  I think it is time to start setting the bar a little higher for myself.  It seems like, when I stop being afraid to make mistakes (and pull my head out of my ass), I actually manage to accomplish things!  Well whaddya know?  *facepalm*

So I'm setting the bar.  These are the knitting goals I have for the upcoming 2012 year.

1. Learn the fair isle technique.

I have no intention of jumping in and doing a whole fair isle sweater (steeking will probably not happen this year).  But fair isle has been calling my name for the past two years!  And I want so badly to learn this technique!  My friend Drea gave me the book Mastering Color Knitting for Christmas, and the pictures are luscious. This will be the year!

The project?  I've had the Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon Osborn in my Ravelry favorites for the past year.  Look how pretty it is!

Whether Selbu or something else...my first fair isle project will be a hat.

2. Patterned socks

Although I've knitted about 10 pairs of socks, all but one pair have been just regular stockinette socks.  The only pattern I've done to date is the Sunday Swing pattern from Knitty.  Fun pattern, but I'm ready to branch out a little more and try some new things.

I bought a beautiful skein of Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn, which promises to make a wild and beautiful pair of socks!  And for my first trick, I'm attempting Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern.  I've been eying this pattern for a long time.  It doesn't look like much yet (I'm trying to focus on finishing David's scarf, before moving on to projects that are, sadly, more fun for me), but I'm hoping they shape up into pretty Jaywalkers!

What other patterns?  I'd like to do at least three.  I've thus far had poor luck in attempting the Spring Forward socks, but maybe third time is the charm?  And my history-major soul is loving the Aquitaine Sock, named for Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of my favorite characters in history!

(Botched attempt to line these pictures up side-by-side...curse you, Blogger interface.)

3. A lace shawl.

I look at beautiful pictures of lace shawls online and I ache to do a beautiful one!  Right or wrong, I will feel like a more complete knitter when I have a lace shawl under my belt.  To date, my only completed lace project is Saroyan, which remains sadly unblocked (I have yet to block her and give her a full FO post!).  The project was so much fun, and left me itching for more lace.  Also, since Saroyan is more of a scarf, I don't consider it a lace shawl.  Better luck next time!

Wendy Johnson's Lady Bertram Shawlette is in my arsenal, has been since April when I bought it at the CT Sheep and Wool Festival, as part of a kit.  The yarn I bought with it is Super Sock 416  in black cherry -- so juicy!  I cast on this project in May, got daunted, and left it alone for the past few months.  It will get a revival this winter!

 I recently acquired (as a very late Christmas present from last year), two skeins of beautiful deep green yarn that I plan to use to make a lace shawl as well.  The shawl I dream of knitting is Damask -- look how beautiful it is! -- but I sadly fear that this is out of my league for now.  Damask includes the ever-popular nupps of Estonian knitting, and I don't think I'm quite up to the task of the p5tog.  The Calais shawl is a frontrunner -- and I think it will be far easier than Damask.  Plus it has the added benefit of being free.

From paperbirch on Flickr

Those are my three goals for the upcoming year.  I reserve the right to add projects to this list as I go...but I'm hoping to not delete any.

FO: Green winter hat

A good friend of mine has really been there for me when things were tough in the last few months, and Thursday night I finished knitting him his Christmas gift -- a standard knit hat.  The model is my husband, David, who probably wishes this hat was his, as it is one of the warmest and comfiest hats I've ever knitted.  I'm proud of it.

(Sorry, Dave, it's not the most flattering picture ever -- it was getting late at night when I finished and he was pretty tired).

Pattern -- no pattern, just a regular 2x2 rib, then stockinette the rest of the way up.

Yarn -- Trabajos de Peru, one hank, in "camo" (which I think is more green than camo, but whatever).

Needles -- US 8 (5mm), 16" circular.

And a shot from above (the flash makes it look a lot more "camo" than normal):

Still have half a mitt, a hat, and a scarf to go.  We'll see if I make it.

Second mitt syndrome

Well, lookit that.  It's a mitt.

Does it look a little small?  It is.  It is for a recipient with much smaller hands than I have, so it should fit her just right (fingers crossed).

The hard thing about knitting things that come in pairs is the feeling that occurs just after you snip the yarn and finish weaving in your last end.  Or right after you put it on, admire it, snap a picture for proof that it's done, or to put on your blog, or to put on Ravelry.  It's that awful moment when you think:

"Crap.  I didn't finish anything.  In fact, I'm only halfway done."

Slightly demoralizing, no?   The Yarn Harlot (one of my favorite bloggers) refers to this as "second mitten (or sock) syndrome", and I appear to be suffering from second mitt syndrome, with the deadline a week away. 

*Sigh*  At least mitts go by fast, right?

The green hat from this week's Yarn Along is done.  FO entry coming when I can be bothered to upload the pictures.  Tonight: Christmas shopping and more knitting.  Hopefully finishing a book while I go.

Happy Friday!

Yarn Along! November 30, 2011 edition

I hope that you all had very happy Thanksgivings (at least all of you Americans -- if you live in Canada, I hope your October Thanksgiving was equally as merry), and that you're all avoiding the holiday stress!  David and I are banging out our shopping, a little each night (I love Amazon.com and Shutterfly, just have to say).  And the Christmas knitting, of course, continues...I really need to get a better grip on it.  Each day I look at the stash and think "I could totally pull that off in the remaining few days..."

My friend Jess holds an annual Yule party (since we are all of different religions, and not all of our friends necessarily celebrate the traditional "Christmas"), and this year, it's on December 10th, which means that I have much less time than usual for knitting.  I'm working on each gift a little at a time, to avoid burnout.  Although I can hardly feel burned out when I'm working with such gorgeous yarns as these!

On the left is the first of a pair of fingerless mitts (my own "pattern", if you can call it that -- I work it over 40 stitches, 1x1 ribbing for the wrists and then simple stockinette, with an afterthought thumb and probably 1x1 ribbing for the top -- thrilling, I know).  The yarn is gorgeous Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in "dove" -- I used it for a hat earlier this year, if it looks familiar.  The needles (for those who care) are US 4 dpns.

On the right is my favorite yarn probably of all time -- Trabajos del Peru in "9" (thrilling name).  I'm making it into a winter hat for a very dear male friend of mine and David's who helped me through a tough spot this past year and deserves a soft winter hat.  I hope he likes it (and that he isn't peeking at this page).  Again, simple pattern -- US 8 circular, 2x2 rib, stockinette to the decreases.  

This will be part of Ginny's Yarn Along, and it wouldn't be without reference to the book I'm reading (sadly, not included in the picture).  I'm in the middle of Janet Fitch's White Oleander (reread) and enjoying it as much now as I did the first time I read it.

Happy knitting!

GSYB Update: Thanksgiving Edition

I've unfortunately left my book in the car, so I won't be participating in Yarn Along today.  I also can't show any of the other knitting I'm doing (trust me, there's a lot) because it's all for Christmas or Yule, whichever the intended recipient celebrates.  So you get a Giant Sock Yarn Blanket update.  Aren't you excited?

Even if you aren't, I am!  Because I can no longer sit down at my desk to take a picture of this thing.  It's getting too big.  Sorry about the crappy cell phone quality and the messy desk.  It's Thanksgiving week, what more do you want of me?

(Incidentally, in case anyone cares, the book I'm reading is Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman, which is good thus far (about 20 pages in) but which I completely reserve the right to abandon., at least for the foreseeable future. I've 13 books left to read to reach 100 (I still have to blog one) and time is running short.  It's already November 23rd.  Eek.

There will be very little time for either reading or knitting today.  I'm going to my parents' house after work, for our traditional pie baking while listening to Christmas music (David is coming, but intends to nap, since he had to get up at an ungodly hour this morning for work).  Baking will be followed by a dinner of my mom's fried dough, and then we'll be off to Massachusetts to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours :)

GSYB Progress Post #1

Just a brief post, because I'm up at my IL's for the weekend (heading home tonight for three days, then back up for Thanksgiving on Wednesday night!), but I wanted to post a picture of my progress on the Giant Sock Yarn Blanket.

 

This doesn't show the other squares that I have in my bag, finished, but this is the start!  So far, the yarns are (from left to right): Valley Farms Franklin Hand-Dyed in "Blueberry Cobbler", Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Frankenstein's Cotillion", Noro Silk Garden Sock in "112", Dream in Color Knitosophy in "Superhero", Noro Silk Garden Sock in "112", (ditto for the one above it), Lorna's Laces (discontinued yarn -- can't find the ball band), Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight in "Rose Quartz", and again, Noro Silk Garden Sock in "112".

The going is slow, because I'm in the midst of holiday knitting so I pick up the blanket in my spare time.  I think I'm going to go for 12 squares per row, and see if that's big enough to suit me.  We'll see.

Yarn Along! (11/16/2011)

It's been a really long time since I've participated in a Yarn Along over on Ginny's blog.  But today I'm going to!  I've been rolling out the Christmas/Yule knitting, and I have some WIPs today that I'm photographing.

To the left, you see the ETERNAL socks that I've been working on for-freakin'-ever...but they are mere rows away from slapping a toe on them and being done done DONE.  The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in "Cattywhompus".  Knit on US 2 dpns, they are coming out far too small for my own size 9.5 feet...but they will be a Yule gift for a dear friend of mine who has tiny feet that they will fit.  I think she'll love the color scheme as well.

To the right is the humble beginnings of The Giant Sock Yarn Blankie.  There are five squares knit together, but I have two more in my bag that I've put on hold for now, since I'm doing the Christmas knitting.  I have several other gifts I have to do, so I'm doing pretty much a square a day or less for now.  But I discovered a whole bunch more of sock yarn in my stash, so I'm going to be knitting on this quite a lot, I think, over the next few months.  It never seems to get old.

As for my book, I'm reading A Man For All Seasons, by Robert Bolt.  It is a play about Saint Thomas More, the chancellor and statesman under Henry VIII, during the last few years of his life.  It's very good so far -- I'm almost halfway through -- and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Happy Hump Day!

The never-ending project

For some reason, summer always stunts my knitting mojo.  I stop knitting for months, and then, like clockwork, right as it gets cold, right before Christmas or so, something in me snaps and I suddenly am on the bring of frothing at the mouth over beautiful yarns, clicking needles, ambitious projects.  I do my best knitting in winter, right before the Christmas deadline (kind of like in high school where I wrote my best papers five hours before they were due).

Anyway.  I'm rambling.  Check this out:

Well, yay.  It's a square.

To be more precise, it's a mitered square (my first one, btw, which is why it looks a little lopsided and funky...though that may be because it has yet to be blocked), made from Noro Silk Garden Sock (color #252?  I think?  It's been awhile and I lost the tag), knit on US 3 dpn's.  

What is it going to be?  Can you guess?

Hopefully, one day, that little square will be part of this:  The Giant Sock Yarn Blankie.

Because I knit a lot of socks, I have a lot of sock yarn scraps.  I'm excited to make them all into the little mitered squares that make up this blanket.  It is going to take YEARS, I know.  That little square up there?  Is about 2 inches by 2 inches.  TINY.  But quick!  I made it in about an hour.  

So this isn't a project I can be monogamous with (sorry, Blankie).  It'll be something that I work on here and there, and hopefully (with any luck) complete one day.

On to square #2...

My own little room

When David and I moved into our current apartment (a 3-bedroom), we didn't really have current plans for that spare space.  We thought maybe it would be a baby room eventually, but without plans to start TTC right now, the room kind of fell by the wayside and became a junk room.  After cleaning the whole apartment top-to-bottom (with the exception of the den/David's "game room"), I decided I'd had enough of our having a junk room, and decided to repossess it as a craft room/den for me!

The results?

It's a START.  The walls are so white and desperately need some pictures or artwork or something on them.  And as David said when he came home yesterday, the floor could really use a rug or something to brighten it up.  But the room is definitely coming together, and at last I have a quiet little space for curling up and watching Law and Order: SVU or The Tudors while I knit.

The ottoman is actually a little $5 wire rack I bought for containing bathroom essentials while I was in college, which doesn't fit in our bathroom now.  I plopped a throw pillow on it and now it makes a great footstool!

This chair is one of the two white armchairs that my parents gave us when they upgraded their living room.  In a desperate attempt to keep black cat hair off it and cover up any unsightly rips, I threw two blankets on it.  The one on the back is the embroidered Irish throw that David's grandmother's "gentleman friend" (she refuses to call him her BF) gave us for our wedding.  The aqua and white quilt was a gift from my aunt Cathi for my wedding shower.  To the left is an old bench I found on the curb one day, which is covered up by the Red Sox blanket to again cover up any unsightly rips (my cats won't use a scratching post, but they LOOOOVE furniture).

My little bookshelf!  The top shelf has all of my knitting books, my pattern binder, and a binder of my articles from my undergraduate Journalism degree.  *confetti*.  The bottom shelf holds a box of needles that my grandmother gave me, and that creepy looking thing is a ball winder.  Next to that is my work basket, which holds my WIPs (Works In Progress).

I used my father's old antique desk as an entertainment center, that has a TV and a DVD player on it (no cable, but I barely watch anything on TV anyway, so NBD).  I put a couple of framed photographs on it.  Also not pictured is my big Rubbermaid container full of my yarn stash (which I DESPERATELY need to weed through -- that will happen soon).

So that's my new room!  I'm pretty happy with it.

FO: Baby Boy's Striped Knit Hat

As I've said before...this was truly the year of knitting baby hats.  But I can safely say that I am DONE, finally done...at least until another friend has a baby.

Behold...the last baby hat.

 

...For now.

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Worsted (60% pima cotton, 40% Modal natural beech fiber) in Serrano, White, and French Blue (less than one ball of each).

Needles: Susan Bates US 4 dpns, set of 4.

Pattern: My own, traditional striped baby hat, 72 stitches on US 4's. 

Size: (Hopefully) 6 mos. - 1 yr.

This hat is very late, considering that the bundle of joy (a boy, born to David's cousin and his wife) was born back in early June.  But a baby boy doesn't need a hat in the hot New York summer, so I sized it a little big in the hopes that it would work in the very cold winters that we on the Eastern seaboard are known for.  And since his parents are Red Sox fans, I did the hat in Red Sox (and patriotic!) colors.

I try to attach the hang tag on all my knit objects, particularly ones that are being mailed, so the recipients know how to care for them.  It's an idea that I got from Grumperina's knit blog, and I hope she doesn't mind me copying her.

(Last names censored to protect the innocent...and the not-so-innocent.)

This hat is on its way to New York today.  And I'm going to be very content to work on some socks from now on.

FO: Yet Another Baby Hat

I'm finished with the LAST baby hat (so far) this year, and excited about doing grown-up projects for now.  There's David's sweater, and the Lady Bertram shawl...and a new sock...But today I have the FO entry for yet another baby hat (you guys are going to think that's all I can do!).

This hat started out as a unisex hat, until last Wednesday when we found out that the expected baby was going to be a boy.  There was a little pink in this yarn, but the mama didn't mind a bit when I gave it to her yesterday.

 

Yarn is Manos del Uraguay Silk Blend in color 3019 Dove.  It's mainly a nice ivory tone with a little pink and a lot of green.  I love this color and the yarn, although it is not exactly baby-friendly.  What mom wants to spot clean or hand-wash?  I certainly wouldn't make a sweater or a jumper out of this.  But a hat somehow seems okay.  

As for wrapping, I took an idea from the fabulous Grumperina and made a swing tag for the hat, which included yarn content and washing instructions.  

The hat seemed to be a hit at the baby shower yesterday.  But for now I am done knitting little things.  I have a hankering for a bigger, more substantial project.  Like David's sweater.  But as the sweater is now becoming to hot to do in a place devoid of A/C, I started a pair of socks.

And I can't put Divergent down.  It is becoming a problem.

I knit stuff, too, sometimes

For some reason (like clockwork), my knitting mojo always comes back when I reach an emotional low point.  And this is one of those times, unfortunately.  I don't talk about it much on this blog, but I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and car accident-related PTSD back in 2008, and this is one of those so-called "low points" that I get to every so often.  I don't know what triggered it, I'm not sure, and even if I went back and retraced my steps, I don't think I would find it.  But in the past few days I've been having tiny, harsh panic attacks every so often.  They're not the full-blown, suckass ones that I used to get, but they're short, and harsh, and sharp, and they suck.  I don't see them coming, they just happen...and I'm left to counteract the results and wonder what the hell I'm doing wrong this time.

Fortunately, as I said a few months ago...there are many, many babies being born into my circle of friends this year.  So I've no end of knitting with which to occupy myself.  Knitting is one of those perfect activities to do when anxious.  It has the benefits of both calming the nerves and giving you something to occupy yourself with, while also letting you think (unless you're knitting something complicated -- then you're on your own).

Today I'm knitting another of Ginny's Newborn Hat with a Hint of Lace.  This one is for another member of David's family who is having a baby (not finding out the sex.  Yarn is something I bought on sale at WEBS, just  because it was soft and shiny and on sale and I was weak.  I don't remember the color name or the name of yarn (it's a pretty shiny silvery color).  I'm knitting it on US 3's.  It's even coming out a little big, which kind of surprised me.  On 3's I expected it to be a little smaller than normal.  But.  That's the way knitting goes, I guess.

I've really been thinking a lot about the Lady Bertram shawlette kit that I picked up a month ago.  I don't know if starting lace is the best idea right now (baby hats seem so much safer).  But it can't hurt to just wind the yarn, right?  And should I feel confident enough, maybe I'll give it a whirl.

And with any luck, be feeling more like "myself", soon.

A FO foiled, and a new bag

By rights, I should have had a FO to show you today.  I have finally finished the stupid pair of Noro Silk Garden Socks.  Unfortunately, as soon as I finished the second sock, I realized that I have somehow misplaced the first sock.  Fail.  They were meant as a gift, too.  So I figure I'll be spending the better part of the weekend tearing the house apart in search of that sock.

I bought myself a new bag this week.  I've been admiring Vera Bradley for awhile (my future SIL has a few beautiful pieces) and I decided to pick up a sale piece for myself.  It's the Vera Bradley Villager and I bought it in the "Sittin' in a Tree" motif, which is now discontinued, but you can still get it through the website.

I LOVE this bag.  Very soft, very big, tons of space.  It holds pretty much everything I need to carry on a regular basis, and it slings over my shoulder comfortably (and stays there).

Inside (try not to judge): Knitting, The Tudors DVDs, a paper book (The Birth of Venus), Kindle, wallet, cold medication (I've been sick all week), and that's not even looking in the pockets, which are also full.  Good stuff, right here.

I'm also working on a number of baby hats, as I said before.  There are still three new babies coming into the world this summer, and all will be kitted out with new hats.  I have one (a girl's cap) finished already.  The other two babies' sexes haven't been determined yet, so I am making them of unisex colors (and stashbusting at the same time).

I leave you with this last picture -- a little Eye Candy for Friday.  I received a pretty pink plant as a "thank you" from someone at the church, and it's been flourishing!  The started baby cap is next to it -- still have a long way to go, but it's a start!

Happy weekend!

CT Sheep and Wool Festival 2011

I've been a knitting since I was a junior in college -- so almost eight years now -- and yesterday I attended my first local "fiber festival".  Growing up, the autumn country fairs were part of the changing seasons (I'm a small-town CT girl), but I had never been to one that was strictly dedicated to the fiber arts (spinning, knitting, crocheting, and weaving).  When I found out there was one only half an hour away from my house -- in Vernon, CT -- I grabbed three of my friends, and we were off.

The Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival is the first of these such annual fairs in the northeastern US, culminating with the famous Rhinebeck festival in NY in October.  The CT one is small, but we had a wonderful time.  I love supporting local vendors, and it's nice to find yarn that you won't find mass-produced, for amazing prices!  We had a ball.

My friend Drea posed as an alpaca:

 

We saw the most adorable baby lamb ever, who was too timid to let us pet him.

 

We saw alpacas (Drea would like me to add in that she, in fact, petted an alpaca).  I would have petted one, but I'm terribly allergic, unfortunately.

And it wouldn't be a yarn festival if I didn't come home with something (as I said, I like supporting local artists!).  

This is a skein of Super Sock 416 (75% merino, 25% nylon, 450 yards), from the Ball and Skein in Barton, Vermont.  The color is black cherry -- very apropos.  The owner was extremely nice and helpful, and they had their skeins kitted up with patterns -- how could I resist?  The pattern here is Wendy D. Johnson's Lady Bertram Shawlette -- those of you who are readers will recognize the name from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park!  There were several kits with shawls named after Austen characters, and I was so enchanted that I snapped this one right up.  It took me a while to pick out the right color to match what I was looking for, but I think the black cherry will suit perfectly.

All in all, a wonderful Saturday afternoon, and I'm so glad I went.  I'm trying to get the same friends to go with me to the fair in Massachusetts later this summer -- we shall see :)



Today: I'm going to be 90% finished with our formal living room!  The only thing lacking is going to be a living room rug.  Pictures when I'm done, I can't wait to have my own little space to entertain.  David has his "man cave" (which is far from being finished and may never be as long as he's able to play video games in it), and now at last I'll have a place to have girlfriends over and watch movies or knit or whatever in peace.  I can't wait.

FO: Simple Newborn Hat with a Touch of Lace

Finally, after what feels like forever, I finally have a finished knitted object to show you.

Pattern: A Simple Newborn Hat with a Touch of Lace by Ginny at small things.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in 03 (Baby Green), less than 1 skein.
Needles: US 3's, circulars and 1 set of 4 dpns.

As I've mentioned before, there will be three babies born this year in my family by marriage, and this baby hat is for one of them.  The green is so soft that it is a neutral color, I have made boy baby hats before of it.  This is also for the head of a newborn boy; I am hoping that the tiny bit of lace is enough that it won't make the parents immediately think "girl baby" -- I know I wouldn't.  It's very small, in that adorable "everything to fit a baby is small" way.  I can't wait to make one for a baby of my own!

It was a quick and easy pattern; I fretted endlessly about not having enough yarn to finish the hat, and I finished with about 15 yards to spare.  I love this pattern and this yarn, and I'll be using both again.

Yarn Along!

It's Wednesday, and we're halfway to the weekend!  That's enough reason for excitement.  We're in the midst of another cold snap in CT (brrr) but fortunately, the sun is shining and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, even if it doesn't melt any more of the snow.  Even better, it looks as if the snowstorm predicted for tomorrow is going to go right past us, without hitting us.  I'm so happy.  We might get through one whole week without a snow day!

Today, I'm participating in the Yarn Along over at Ginny's blog.  Participants take a picture of what they're knitting and reading, and upload it to their blog.  Then Ginny posts the links on her blog, so we reading knitters can all see what other people are reading and knitting.  Get that?  Good.

I'm knitting (what else?) a baby hat for one of the many babies that are coming into the world this year in my extended family.  It's not one of the hats in that entry; this one's going to be a little more subdued.  I'm knitting it out of a skein of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% merino wool, 33% microfibre, 12% cashmere), in what I think is color 002 (as the Yarn Harlot would say, bewitching name) -- I lost the ball band a while ago.  I love this yarn for baby garments; it's super-soft and bouncy.  Plus it's easy on the fingers.

As for reading?  I know you can't get a good idea from just looking at the attractive apple green cover of my Kindle, Annabelle Lee.

After finishing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and enjoying it very much, I downloaded its sequel, Through The Looking Glass and started it last night.  I'm more than halfway done with it.  I like it, although not as much as I liked Alice.  There are more characters (many who don't last more than a page or two) and the settings change quite often, which isn't surprising, as she's now in Looking Glass World (where everything is backwards), so it can be a bit more confusing than the first.  But I'm really enjoying it.

Also, I finally saw the Tim Burton version of Through The Looking Glass last night -- more about that when I finish the book!