After the grey and rain of the past week here in New York, today's gorgeous sunny day was too good to pass up. I wore my heart rate monitor and burned 150 calories just getting here. Perfect!
I'm about to cast on for the Voyager Lace Stole. Why yes I did bring my scale to the park!!! Hee!!
Happy American Mother's Day!
I remember hearing about Pakucho from early Stash and Burn episodes so when I saw the Voyager Lace Stole in this yarn and for $2.98 per skein, it was a pretty quick decision.
Very creamy, no?
I have to say, these photos came out better than expected. The yarn practically looks creamier than in real life! The last set of photos I tried with a white background didn't come out as well as I hoped - I really need to make a lightbox.
Anyway, I swatched for the stole last night, and at first knit, the yarn seemed rather similar to the Dale of Norway Svale I used for the lacy hooded tunic. I think the resulting fabric is softer though, although it's hard to compare when the stitch pattern is so different. Either way - it's beautiful! And once again, behold the miracle of blocking...
I really like the way the sides of the stole are scalloped by virtue of the stitch pattern and I have to say, this is one of the best written patterns I've used. Not only is it charted as well as written out, but it explains how to do a YO before a purl stitch! I think I did know that at one point but it was good to have the reminder right there. It's also really clear about when you slip knit-wise and when you slip purl-wise, something that is usually a bit confusing to me.
My swatch is still drying, and then I'm going to try machine washing it. By my calculations off my measurements, I'm going to want to to add some pattern repeats though and perhaps go from 4 to 7 (cast on 99 sts). I bought 2 extra skeins but.... (calculate calculate calculate) that may not be enough. I think I'm going to try 6 repeats, weigh more carefully and recalculate to see if I will have enough yarn or not.
So there was a little bit of an incident at Etsy earlier today, as in, um, well, I bought some stuff.
ETSY IS EVIL I AM TELLING YOU!!!!
Don't get me wrong, I love Etsy. I love the concept and I love the execution and I love being able to have access to a seemingly unlimited supply of beautiful handmade and generally very reasonably priced things. But that's the problem - the seemingly unlimited supply of beautiful handmade and generally very reasonably priced things. Because a large quantity of reasonably priced things quickly adds up to quite an unreasonable expenditure! And the fact that they are generally one of a kind items brings about this feeling of urgency and anxiety that Etsy preys on... quick, only 1 available! every item in your shopping cart says!
Here's how Etsy works for me - first I browse and add things I want to my favorites. Then I go through my favorites and narrow things down, adding the things I really want to my cart. Then I add up everything in my cart (notice how Etsy does not do this for you, and only gives you your totals by shop?!!!) Then starts the deliberation as I realize I need to cull it down more. Today I managed to get the total down by almost 20% pretty much by sadly eliminating one item from every shop. By the time I was done, I actually felt misleadingly virtuous!
By the way, apparently there's been a bit of an outcry recently because of the new search function on Etsy that defaults to searching handmade items only, and vendors of supplies and vintage items have seen a sudden drop in sales. I only happen to know this because I peeked into the forums - I did not notice myself when I searched. So anyway - be aware of this!
Oh and by the way, how slow am I, but I did not know that not only sellers but buyers get feedback! So I suddenly found all this feedback I have from sellers! Also, have you noticed that most of the feedback on Etsy is unusually positive? Perhaps it's because it's so personal, but I've found it's pretty much impossible to find, say, a hotel or restaurant online that doesn't have at least one scathing review.
Anyway, now that I have safely bought my one of a kind items, I figured I would share with you my favorite Etsy stores that I have recently bought from and will undoubtedly buy from again:
Blonde Chicken: beautiful socially responsible handspun yarn (see my purchase here) and I just bought 4 more skeins
Little Grey Cat Designs: a new find this time around, but I love her yarn and also her handknits - I can't justify buying handknits but look at this and this. Inspiring! Just bought 3 skeins.
Skein Queen: irresistible hand dyed luxury yarns (see my purchase at the same link as above)
See Jayne Knit Yarns: I love her stitch markers. I've looked at a lot of stitch markers on Etsy and have found many I've liked, but Jayne has the most consistent supply of designs that appeal to me, so I've ended up buying almost all of my stitch markers from her. She also has beautiful hand dyed and handspun yarns - although I have yet to buy any it will only be a matter of time! Just bought 3 more sets of stitch markers.
Tortillagirl: beautiful bags, clothing and knits designed and made by Becky. I bought a bag from her that I love.
six and a half stitches: she doesn't stock a lot of items, but the self-designed and handmade clothing items she has are always beautiful. Recently bought a simply stunning scarf.
JPATPURSES: a recent find - purses and pouches made out of beautiful fabric. Just ordered an iphone case for myself and a pouch for a friend.
Bottled Up Designs: beautiful jewelry out of antique glass fragments collected from local woods and farmland. Bought a pendant for a friend and will eventually get one for myself.
Jamtart Baby: love these "modern baby items". Recently bought a changing pad and a soft toy for a friend... but haven't sent it yet. May need to get something different and send it to someone whose baby is still a newborn!
Cry Baby Quilts: oh my goodness, I want a baby just so I can have some of these quilts!
I think the latest episode of Stash and Burn, Things We Learned From Stephanie, might just be my undoing.
Of course I've heard of the Yarn Harlot - I mean, who hasn't?!!! I'm even familiar with "the Harlot effect" where Stephanie mentions a small company's yarn or other knitting product and they get completely and utterly swamped with the deluge of orders. I believe she now gives vendors advance notice of a mention just so they can stock up!
However, I've never read any of her books or been to any of her events, not out of any deliberate boycott, but I guess I am a little wary of the hype...
Well, I really enjoyed the interview and I was especially taken with the idea of your stash being an investment for retirement! So now I've been thinking about stash as 401K!!! Ok, so retirement is a little bit down the road for me (unless I win the lottery, which is pretty unlikely given that I don't even play the lottery) but obviously the idea of stash as investment is a very appealing one. I like the idea of building a collection that will continue to "give me a return" over the years. I don't mean literally, although I wonder, does yarn hold it's value or increase in value over the years? Is there such a thing as "collector" yarn? But even aside from that, a yarn purchase now can give great enjoyment over many years, even if you don't knit it up right away.
So much for that yarn diet, eh?!!
I posted about this on the Stash and Burn Ravelry Group and Tara of Creative Idyll and Blonde Chicken responded with the wish that companies would "match funds" for her stash - dollar for dollar or skein for skein! How awesome would that be?!!! What is even more funny is that just a couple of hours ago, before I read her reply but encouraged by this idea of stash as investment, I was over at her etsy store drooling over some of her latest yarns.
And here's the other thing. Stephanie also talks about spinning on the podcast, and how while it's not necessarily the natural progression for every knitter, a lot of knitters who want to have more control over their yarn (I'm paraphrasing greatly here) end up spinning as well... and in combination with Jared of brooklyntweed's recent tutorials here and here along with the usual stunningly beautiful photos... I think that I am going to end up spinning one day. A friend of mine who turned out to be a knitter called it over a year ago. "Oh," she said. "You're not spinning... yet."
I don't know when it will happen, but I have a feeling it will.
In the meantime, well, maybe I should set aside funds on a regular basis for yarn so that I don't have to go on a complete yarn diet but I don't go too crazy either.
So the whole hunkering down with my knitting thing in April worked out pretty well and for the first time ever, my stash went down for the month!
Here are the stats! (running total with total for month in parentheses)
skeins purchased: 198 (1)
skeins knit: 91.7 (4.8)
yards purchased: 31,717 (128)
yards knit: 14,077 (1,394)
yards remaining: 16,741
$ spent on yarn (not including sales tax or shipping): ($15.50)
knitting since: 1/27/07
I was helped a great deal by the April Spring Cleaning Challenge over on the Stash and Burn Group on Ravelry - the challenge was to destash 1,000 yards in April (up to 250 of those yards could be via trade or sell).
Here's how I did:
Yards to start: 18,007
Yards knit:
clapotis: 321 - no recent picture
print o’ the wave stole: 541 - I'm actually halfway done with the border now, and still loving it!
one skein clutch: 118 - I did go to Purl Patchwork where I obsessed for an embarrassingly long time about which fabric to use, and ended up hedging my bets and picking out three! It was all I could do to resist buying bundles of "fat quarters" just because they were pretty!
lala scarf: 370 - uh, still haven't blocked it
mermaid gloves: 44
Total knit: 1394
Yards bought: 128
Final yardage: 16,741
Stash burned: 1266!
And yes, I almost managed to purchase no yarn at all but I did end up buying one skein of Alchemy Temple which is strangely not listed on the Alchemy website or on Ravelry (at least not until I just added it) but is a beautiful machine washable superfine merino. I've been looking for a superwash yarn in green for a gift for a friend and was hoping to try something new so when I saw this, I snapped it up and it has not disappointed!
My friend requested some wristwarmers like these but I decided to try a different pattern too - the mermaid gloves, except I did not make individual fingers or make them as long. It was a great knit and I'm really happy with how they came out! I'll post photos once the gift has been received so it is still somewhat of a surprise for her...
I also visited two new yarn stores over the past couple of months - String and Knit New York. Both stores were kind of a revelation as they have beautiful but entirely different collections to each other and to Purl. I've been to Purl so many times now that I'm not sure how it could ever NOT be my favorite, plus it's more convenient for me, but I can see myself branching out a little.
String definitely has an Upper East Side vibe to it. They have a lot of beautiful cashmere, including Koigu cashmere which I fondled furiously... and they had the CUTEST little ribbed baby sweater knit in it that was just gorgeous.... but takes 3 SKEINS!!! $150 for the yarn for a tiny baby sweater - ouch! I have to admit, I would consider it for a very special baby. Speaking of ouch, how about Qiviuk? (That's a good scrabble word.) Yes that's right, $138 for 1 little 2oz ball! It has to be said though, the sample scarf they had there in this was just beautiful.
I loved Knit New York too, and they have tons of colorways of, amongst other things, Malabrigo, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, Noro Silk Garden and Kureyon and oh my oh my, the Artyarns 5-ply cashmere! That is definitely going on my shopping list one day. They had a beautiful pair of fetchings knit up in a pink colorway and, well, need I say more? I will be back!
And no, I didn't buy anything at either store! (Oh wait, I did get some Lace Addis for Print O'The Wave at String but no yarn!)
My "hunkering down" knitting is going to continue into May I think, although I'm most likely not going to meet the 1,000 yard goal this time, seeing as I just bought 10 skeins of Pakucho at an amazing price for the Voyager Lace Stole shown on the same page. I seem to be all about the stole lately. This one is for another friend whose birthday is at the beginning of June. She asked for a stole, any stole, any color, winter or summer, and when I saw this I jumped on it, or rather, waited patiently until no-buying April was over and hoped they wouldn't sell out!
I could possibly still make the goal if much of my knitting is on bulkier yarn - here are my possible goals for May:
Starting yardage: 16,741
Definite goals:
Finish print o’ the waves stole: approx 400 yards
Finish mermaid gloves: approx 80 yards - DONE!
Make voyager lace stole: approx 880 yards
Possible other goals (need another 520 yards total)
Make progress on clapotis: approx 650 yards if I complete it
Make baby surprise jacket: approx 360 yards if I complete it
Make zinnia bag: approx 500 yards if I complete it
And oh yeah, I almost forgot, but I won not one but TWO contests! Much to my amazement, I won second prize in a blog contest at Kathryn Ivy and I am getting Alice's package. I believe there were something like 96 entrants and two winners so, wow! And then, on top of that, I won one of the Ravelraiser prizes - a $20 gift certificate to the Diva Knitting Store. Not sure what the odds were for that but given that they raised over $70K and you got one entry for every $10 donated, I am doubly amazed! Thank you Alice and Cheryl for the prizes!
We had the kids this weekend - our eight year old niece and three year old nephew - and we had them overnight at our house for the very first time! We've had our nephew for sleepovers before but not our niece, so we were a little nervous but it worked out great! A few days before, well, ok, the morning of, we grabbed our latest copy of Time Out New York and checked out the kids section and lo and behold, found out that it was Fleece Fest at Prospect Park!
"Don't you think they would love to go to a knitting festival?!!!!" I asked my husband...
Ok, even I had to admit that the Hippo Playground Spring Fair would probably be more fun. Bouncy castle trumps fleece amongst the kid set.
Sunday morning came and we took the kids out for breakfast at a local diner before heading to the subway... where Manhattan bound trains were not operating.
Plan B! Fleece Fest!
It was really a lot of fun and the zoo was great for the kids - we arrived just in time for the sea lion feeding, then happened to catch a presentation called something like "close encounters" where we got to pet a lizard, a turtle and a chicken. The zoo is not big so we did the whole thing in about three hours, including lunch - perfect for little kids where the Bronx Zoo might be a bit overwhelming and tiring. We then headed to the park for a bit before taking the kids back home. A very successful weekend all in all!
Hubby: What time did you wake up?!!
Me: 3.30am. I couldn't sleep.
Hubby: What have you been doing?
Me: I knit a bag!
Hubby: ????!
Yup, that's right folks, it's 9am on a Sunday morning and I knit a bag. What have you done?!!!!
Don't worry, my husband is looking at me in that same "my wife has completely lost it" way that you are. And ok, it wasn't completely unpremeditated as I did of course purchase the yarn a long time ago. And I did do a search for felted bags on Ravelry yesterday.
But I didn't make any decisions on pattern or color until this morning! Yes, at 3.30am...
Anyway, what fun! Talk about instant gratification! Although I do plan on visiting Purl Patchwork to pick out a nice contrasting fabric liner. The felted fabric of the bag is so thick it doesn't need it, but I think it will add to the cute and fun factor. So, it's still a WIP. Haven't decided about embellishments either.
In the top right hand corner I am showing off my gussets. The instructions in the book really didn't make sense until I actually went to do it. Also, I wasn't sure if I should sew up the bottom seam with the bag inside out or not. The book did not seem to indicate that I should, but when I did it from the right side, it looked too bulky so I undid it and sewed it up from the inside. (Now examining the final bag I see it wouldn't have made any difference either way.)
I moved the handle opening down by one row and if I were to knit this again (quite likely) I would probably move it down by 2 or 3 more rows to give wide handles without changing the overall proportions of the bag.
And no I'm not planning on using it to carry around old plastic bags! I'm using them to shape the bag a little as it dries, which it seemed to do pretty quickly but was still doing so when I took the photos.
This was my first time felting (I don't really count the Habu scarf) and it worked like a dream - took about 5 minutes in my washing machine, although it did leave behind some stray fibers that I was careful to collect up. I followed the directions in the book exactly - hot water, tennis ball, dishwashing liquid. It really was a lot of fun and I can see how this could become addictive... I have four other skeins of Lamb's Pride Bulky and it's all I can do to stop myself from casting on another project right away! I'm even thinking of designing my own bag... but first I'll probably take a nap...
So here is something not only beautiful but amazing... within the past week, Ravelry members donated almost $50,000 towards keeping Ravelry going. Think of it as an annual public radio fundraiser but with fewer mugs and umbrellas and more yarn. Not that Ravelry was in danger of not keeping going, but now not only have they paid off all their startup expenses and are "in the black" but they have also been able to purchase a much needed additional server and buy carbon offsets for a year of operating the servers.
I think it's so impressive that a small family run business can provide a free service of such high quality that money like this can be raised so quickly. I think it's also hopeful - have a good idea and execute it well and the people and revenue will follow. Of course, it's a huge testament to the incredible job that Jess and Casey have done building this thing. We all use a ton of software and web based services and know how poorly put together things can be. No, Ravelry is not perfect, no software or site is (besides which, they're still in beta!) but it has never been frustrating to use. The concepts are well thought through and executed through a really great user interface and a very well run site. Even the advertising is tasteful and useful! (or not, if you're trying not to buy yarn!)
Yes, it's just knitting, it's not world peace or hunger or poverty, but Ravelry has become an integral and indispensable part of my knitting life - it's hard to imagine knitting without it, and I'm so glad it came into being so soon after I started knitting. I can't imagine any better way to document my projects, keep track of my yarn, find information about and explore new patterns and yarn, see other people's projects and blogs and exchange information with other knitters.
You can read more about the fundraiser at Julie Frick's blog or on the Ravelry blog, or if you're on Ravelry, check out the 10 lousy bucks group as that is where all the Ravelraiser 08 threads are. If you are a Ravelry member and haven't donated yet, you can do so here. If every Ravelry member donated $1 there would be over $100K! You can donate at any time during the year but to qualify for Ravelraiser prizes (you get one entry for every $10 you donate), you have to donate by April 25th. Did I mention the prizes? That same link shows some of the amazing prizes, or you can see them here on Flickr.
And if, by chance, you're a knitter or crocheter and are not on Ravelry yet, why on earth not?!!! If you've never seen Ravelry, here's a screenshot of my projects page. Go now!
The answer the other day was no by the way. No not yet.
